Thought you might like to check out Duke Nursing Magazine's summer issue which features my time in Tanzania and the work that DUSON is accomplishing on behalf of our school.
Skip to page 10 and stay until page 15 for my story, fellow DUSON students, and my final reflections on life in Tanzania. (Also a big shoutout to Anne Derouin who is featured as a new faculty member! Yay!)
I like to think I had a very small part in this. By the way, for those who didn't already know, I'm officially a PNP!
Duke University School of Nursing Rises to 7th in US News and World Report Rankings of Graduate Schools of Nursing
Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) rose to seventh place in the 2012 US News and World Report rankings of graduate schools of nursing in the United States. In the previous ranking, released in 2007, DUSON was rated 15th.
U.S News and World Report also ranked specialized programs within the master of science in nursing degree. DUSON’s pediatric nursing program ranked fifth nationally; the adult nurse practitioner program, tenth; gerontology, tenth; the anesthesiology program ranked eleventh.
“Our US News and World Report rankings reflect the esteem our peer institutions have for the high quality of our work here at Duke University School of Nursing,” said Dean Catherine L. Gilliss, DNSc, RN, FAAN, Helene Fuld Health Trust Professor of Nursing and Vice Chancellor for Nursing Affairs.
“Over the last decade, the Duke University School of Nursing has assumed a national and international leadership position in the field of nursing. The accomplishments of our faculty and students are distinctive and bring recognition to the School,” Gilliss said.
Two of my classmates from Duke have just arrived in my old stomping grounds of Moshi, Tanzania. They took my place in the pediatric clinics, living on the compound, and exploring the greater Kilimanjaro area. Since I was the first student to go from our primary care program, I had a lot of kinks to work out and spent much time "trail blazing" to figure out how to survive in TZ and make the academic portion of our program a success. Their blog is www.emandaudintz.blogspot.com and you can follow their journey there. This was their post to say asante to all of my help in preparing them for this adventure... Hope ya'll have a great time! Safari njema!
Two brave PNP students, Becky and Kelly, embarked on this same experience previously on their own. These girls established relationships and set precedents for future nurse practitioner students to gain global health experiences at KCMC. A wise professor once said, “trailblazers experience the most bumps in the road!” Well, Becky and Kelly sure had their share of potholes to deal with, but handled them with poise thus paving the way for our time here in TZ. To you we are extremely grateful! Your advice, resources, packing lists, cell phones, and long Q & A sessions have helped us immensely. You are amazing… we will be saluting you from the top of Kili!
In lieu of a traditional Christmas card (because my life has been anything but traditional this year) and in order to save the planet, I blogged my Christmas card.
This was my Christmas tree in Tanzania. The closest I got to a white Christmas in Africa was seeing the glistening snow on Kilimanjaro. It's good to be home for Christmas.
This is our family picture from Christmas morning. We were obviously in the spirit.
I was lucky enough to get down to Birmingham to celebrate Christmas with Richard and his family. In addition to celebrating the Christmas season, we celebrated finishing my Master's degree at Duke. It was a whirlwind to get everything finished in time, but I'm done and graduated! Definitely deserved a celebration!
Merry Christmas to everyone!I wish you a happy holiday and a wonderful 2011...
it's going to be a big year with babies, new jobs, fun destinations, and lots of friends and family. I can't wait see what it brings. Love.
I am learning that primary care is a different world. Whereas I am used to the "exceptions to the rule" at work in the Peds Cardiac ICU at Duke where I take care of the sick-of-the-sick, it has been a very different experience to be in the community with so many healthy children. It has taken time to adjust to these vibrant and normal children while remembering that not every head ache is a brain tumor, not all children have a heart defect, and that irritable babies do not equate with meningitis.
My time in the clinic in Raleigh has shown me that although I'm running with a pack of horses, there are still zebras hidden within the group. It's my job to find them. Today brought an important lesson in that search, but thanks to my preceptor Gigi's high index of suspicion, we sent a zebra for an emergency surgery before any complications arose.
When I should be studying, I'd rather be doing hundreds of other things. Here's my superlative lists for your own procrastinating enjoyment: Top places to study: 1. 5th floor Davis library (ah my love from undergrad... went back last week and had the most productive day ever! Bulk candy, hearing the bell tower chime, and a view of the Pit) 2. Looking Glass Cafe- great tables, good coffee, and they sell cereal by the bowl. Genius. 3. Open Eye Cafe- for when you don't actually want to study and would rather people watch the hipsters. 4. Weaver St. Market- one of the only places where the wireless extends outside 5. Caribou Coffee- because Starbucks charges you for wireless and I think that's ludicrous since I just spent $2.50 on a "tall" cup of coffee. 6. Bean Trader's- A great place to meet my Duke classmates halfway between Durham and Chapel Hill. 7. The UL- although not much studying goes on there
Top online dawdling: 1. postsecret 2. any combination of online shopping: old navy, zappos, 3. craigslist missed connections 4. reading the blogs of my friends who are also putting off their work 5. I try to avoid facebook because there is way too much unproductive procrastination that happens there (read: Farmville. ew.) 6. The Daily Tar Heel- not regular during the summer though 7. Looking for my next job- any leads?!?! 8. tv shows that I don't have time to watch during the week: Glee, Bachelor, Jersey Shore... you know, the smart, classy shows. 9. searching flights for any of the fantasy trips I would love to take 10. catching up on my not-so-secret love of music videos
The Staple Attire for a "study bum" day: -shorts/pants with an elastic waistband -giant men's dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up OR -hoodie -glasses (can't bother with looking cute) -ponytail (that becomes a side pony by the end of the day and that's how you know it's been a rough one) -shoes & socks optional
When I finally get my work done and finish up for the semester (my last semester of class!!!) then I'm jet setting for a couple of weeks before coming back to start my residency. Things to look forward to hearing about: -Bradley's graduation: Atlanta, Ga. -Tekoa camp nurse: Hendersonville, NC -trying to impress total strangers: Birmingham, Al.
When hippy meets prep in a quirky, left handed town, throw in a watered down Southern accent and some good folk. Then you'll find me right at home. Love.
