August 2008 Kirkhof College of Nursing Recognition Ceremony

The Kirkhof College of Nursing (KCON) honored spring/summer 2008 graduates at a Recognition Ceremony held at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center on Saturday, August 2, 2008.  A total of 79 graduates were recognized for their academic achievements, including 16 Master of Science in Nursing graduates and 63 Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates.  Graduates and guests were welcomed by Cynthia McCurren, PhD, RN, Dean of the Kirkhof College of Nursing, who also thanked friends and family members of the graduates for their support of our students.

Susan Dunn, PhD, MSN (GVSU 1996), RN, Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Hope College Nursing Department, shared thoughts with graduates and guests on the theme "The Heart of Health Care."

Awards presented during the ceremony included:

Banta-Perkins Award for Nursing Excellence - Mary Ellen (Mel) Reed, BSN

This award was developed to recognize nursing excellence and outstanding clinical practice.  Each semester, graduating BSN students are asked to select a classmate who typifies the best in nursing practice and who exemplifies caring - someone to whom they would entrust themselves or their families should they be in need of excellent nursing care.

Mary Ellen (Mel) Reed is the spring/summer 2008 Banta-Perkins Award recipient.  Mel has been described by her classmates as a compassionate and warm-hearted person whose kindness, patience, and love for people are incomparable; someone who has the true heart of a nurse who will succeed in life in making people smile wherever she goes.  Mel is a person with a phenomenal "presence," participating fully in each moment of each interaction; one who is fully engaged as a nurse, with a quest for a deep, broad knowledge base. I would be delighted to have her take care of me or my family -whether or not one is familiar with the medical system, being sick is never fun.

Clinical Preceptor Award for Excellence in Nursing Leadership -Jaclynn L. Lubbers, MSN CPNP

This award recognizes a clinician who has served as a preceptor for Kirkhof College of Nursing students.  Preceptors are nurses in a clinical setting who serve as role models and teachers through a one-on-one relationship with students.  As students begin to transition to the RN role, the preceptor models professional nurse behaviors, helping the nursing student apply knowledge and skills in a practice setting and socialize into the profession of nursing.  This award is designed to recognize professional expertise, educator qualities, and interdisciplinary practice.

Jaci's expertise as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) is clearly evident in the guidance she gives to her students.  Jaci encourages students to ask questions, helps them find answers, and challenges them by asking for evidence and reasoning for a diagnosis or treatment. She provides constructive criticism and compliments.  Jaci has great rapport with patients and their families. Her special interest in adolescent girls is evident by the comprehensive care she provides and the referrals from the other providers in the practice. Jaci frequently collaborates with her colleagues and supports their continued growth by teaching them and providing them with new research articles she has read. Jaci Lubbers serves as a role model for many and exemplifies all that we value in a preceptor and in an advanced practice nurse.

Mary Horan Nursing Scholar Award - Lynne Marie Jacobs, BSN

This award was established in recognition of the significant contributions that Mary Horan, the first dean for the Kirkhof College of Nursing, made to nursing and nursing education.  It recognizes a BSN graduate for both outstanding academic achievement and the potential for leadership and excellence in practice, particularly for promoting the health of families.  The recipient is chosen by the KCON faculty.

For spring/summer 2008, the KCON faculty has recognized Lynne Jacobs for her outstanding academic achievement.  In addition to excellence in the classroom, Lynne has demonstrated excellence in nursing leadership and the ability to be a patient advocate.  She is described as a quiet leader whose work is detailed, comprehensive and professional.  Her professionalism, compassion, and advocacy were evident in a challenging clinical situation that involved the loss of an unborn child with a birth defect.  Understanding motherhood and the grieving process, she implemented several interventions to assist the family.  These included the provision of postmortem care when no other health care provider was willing to do so and having photographs taken of the infant with and without the birth defect visible so that the parents would have them when ready.  According to the faculty, these were not isolated behaviors; Lynne always seemed to interact with clients that challenged other people.  Her clients always know that she cares.

In addition, members of the KCON Student Nurses Association (SNA) who went "above and beyond" their student responsibilities, volunteering within the community on behalf of KCON and the SNA, were recognized by SNA President Shannon Cregeur and SNA Faculty Advisor Nancy Schoofs, PhD, RN.

A reception for graduates and their guests followed the ceremony.