Random thoughts and questions:

- In a previous blog, I said that nothing can be gained from the long, bitter battle between Clinton and Obama. I take that back. One good thing could result- perhaps we can use the next few months to get some of the burning issues of the day resolved so that during the fall we can focus on minor things such as health care and the economy. Just think - if we didn't find out now what Obama's pastor thinks about the state of America and how Geraldine Ferraro feels about the qualifications of Obama we would have to deal with those vital concerns in October.

- Just got back from a conference in Cincinnati. That city's population is not much greater than that of Toledo but the downtown has the feel of a much larger city.

- It takes me longer to get the wrapper off a CD than it does to play the CD.

- The Lourdes College Student Government has really developed into a strong organization over the last several years. Congratulations to the student leaders.

- Does anyone know what the words to the song "Take on Me" are?

- Did Marshall Matt Dillon own a pair of dark jeans?

- Can't our governmental leaders find something better to do than worry about whether professional athletes are using steroids? Maybe they are worried about how athletes are not being good role models. Like Eliot Spitzer?

- Isn't it funny how these politicians at committee hearings ask four minute and fifty second questions and leave the respondents ten seconds in which to answer?

- The resignation of Bob Turek as V-P of Student Services leaves a huge vacuum at Lourdes. A super person, Bob has done so much for the school and will truly be greatly missed. Best wishes for good health and a happy retirement to Bob.

Monday, March 17, 2008 4:07:29 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [5] | 

On Tuesday, April 1, the Lourdes College School of Nursing will host a conference focusing on leadership in healthcare titled “The Leader Within: Living Leadership in a New Age.” The conference is divided into three sections held at The Toledo Hospital, St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center and Lourdes College and features guest presenter Dr. Tim Porter-O’Grady, Senior Partner of Tim Porter-O’Grady Associates.

The one-day conference will feature the following presentations on leadership:

                        11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.       The Toledo Hospital Educational Auditorium

                        Relighting the Lamp of Leadership: Transforming Our Practice

                        2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.        St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center Auditorium

                        Leadership Role in a Shared Decision Making Organization

                        5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.        Lourdes College, St. Joseph Hall 110

                        Innovative Leadership in Contemporary Health Care

Guest presenter Dr. Tim Porter-O’Grady has been involved in healthcare for 37 years and has been published extensively in healthcare with over 165 proctored journal articles and 17 books. He is a 5-time winner of the AJN Healthcare Book of the Year Award. In addition, he has consulted internationally with over 900 institutions and has lectured in over 1,000 settings. Dr. Porter-O’Grady currently serves as Senior Partner of Tim Porter-O’Grady Associates, an international healthcare consulting firm in Atlanta, Georgia.

Attendance is made free and open to the public through support from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund. For more information, contact Elizabeth Cain, Assistant Professor for the Department of Nursing at Lourdes, at 419-824-3878 or email ecain@lourdes.edu.

Monday, March 17, 2008 1:56:23 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

On Saturday, March 29, the Department of Art at Lourdes College will host a six hour workshop directed by mixed media artist Donna Engstrom. The workshop will be held in Mother Adelaide Hall room 205 and begins at 9 a.m.

During the workshop, participants will create a collage that translates into a work of art, while concentrating on composition using images, textures and words. Engstrom will discuss painting collage backgrounds and image transfer techniques. Upon conclusion of the workshop, participants will have a close to finished product.

Donna Engstrom is a self-taught artist whose work has been featured in various publications and in the Lansing Art Gallery, Howell Chamber of Commerce and the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. She has taught workshops and classes in mixed media art throughout the state of Michigan. For more information on Engstrom, visit www.donna-engstrom-abstract-art.com.

Participation is $67 per person and will be filled on a first come first serve basis. To register and for more information, please contact Erin Szavuly, Chairperson for the Department of Art, at 419-824-3685.

Monday, March 17, 2008 1:55:10 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Ben Brown, Assistant Professor for the Department of Theological Studies at Lourdes, has been appointed a member of the National Advisory Council (NAC) for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  The NAC represents the breadth of Catholics in America and is comprised of lay men and women, bishops, priests and people of religious orders. The purpose of the NAC is to review the bishops’ agenda, make recommendations and highlight important issues for the Conference’s consideration. 

Ben was invited to serve on the Advisory Council by Reverend Leonard P. Blair, STD, Bishop of The Toledo Diocese. “I look forward to meeting and dialoguing with the members of the NAC, enriching my theological understanding through the experiences of the NAC members and growing in my own faith and commitment to service,” says Ben.  “More importantly, I hope not so much to receive as to give, to contribute however I’m able, even with all my faults, to helping the Church in the United States love and be conformed more deeply to Jesus Christ.”

The USCCB’s mission is to support the ministry of bishops with an emphasis on evangelization, by which the bishops exercise in a communal and collegial manner certain pastoral functions entrusted to them by the Lord Jesus of sanctifying, teaching and governing. The USCCB seeks to act collaboratively and consistently on vital issues confronting the Church and society; foster communion with the Church in other nations, within the Church universal, under the leadership of its supreme pastor, the Roman Pontiff; and offer appropriate assistance to each bishop in fulfilling his particular ministry in the local Church.

Sunday, March 16, 2008 1:51:24 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Lourdes College was presented with gold, silver and bronze awards in the 23rd annual Admissions Advertising Awards sponsored by the Admissions Marketing Report. Lourdes was honored for its advertising campaign in the following categories:

                        Gold = Total Public Relations program

                        Gold = Radio Ad/Series

                        Gold = Transit/Billboard

                        Silver = Newspaper Ad/Series

                        Bronze = TV Ad/Series

                        Merit = Student Viewbook

Carla Leow, Publications Coordinator; Amy Mergen, Director of Admissions; Helene Sheets, Director of College Relations; Carla Woodell , Graphic Designer; and Thread Information Design worked diligently on creating the advertising pieces.

The Admissions Advertising Awards is the largest educational advertising awards competition in the U.S. In 2008, over 2,000 entries were received from more than 100 colleges, universities and secondary schools. The awards are sponsored by the Admissions Marketing Report, the nation’s leading marketing publication for higher education.

Friday, March 14, 2008 1:39:36 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

I am officially a nurse!!  I passed my boards on February 27 and now bear the coveted title of RN.  It's been a few weeks now and I still feel like a student, although it boosts my self-esteem when the women on my unit say, "Oh, Kim can help.  She's a nurse now."  So I get to do fun and interesting things now, like starting IV's, signing for blood products, taking and giving reports, and transporting patients. 

The best part of all is signing my name.  I know, I know. I spent five years in nursing school just to be excited about signing my name.  Well, when you get to add credentials after your name, tell me that you aren't proud and excited about it.  So now my signed name is Kim (Last Name), RN, BSN.  Wow.  Doesn't that look AWESOME???

I've been out of hospital orientation now for several weeks and have been in the cardiovascular recovery area.  In short it's basically a pre- and post- heart catheterization area.  Patients come in and wait to get taken to the cath lab and then they come back and recover there.  Yesterday I had a patient that required emergency open heart surgeryand I was able to see it.  That has been my dream since starting nursing school.  My nana had quadruple bypass six years ago.  That surgery was the catalyst to my career decision.

I have been on a mission since the beginning of school to see an open heart surgery, to know what the patient goes through while they are on the table.  And it happened yesterday.  It was by far the coolest thing I have ever seen.  I saw the heart and and what goes into a bypass.  I looked right over the patient's head and into their chest.  What a marvel the body is, to be able to be opened like that, and to see the heart beating was just, in my mind at least, a miracle and the realization that this person't heart was literally in the hands of the surgeon.  I was so amazed that I could barely pay attention to the doctor as he explained the surgery to me while he worked. 

To see the surgery was a dream come true.  I know now why patients have such pain.  Not only is the sternum (chest bone) sawed through, but they get veins sewn to the heart to create the bypass.  There is a lot of rustling around of the organ and a lot of trauma to the heart. But it saves lives.  And I finally got to experience it. 

Thursday, March 13, 2008 5:59:39 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

This spring, Lourdes College will present informational open houses for its graduate programs on the following dates:

The Master of Science in Nursing program on March 25

The Master of Organizational Leadership program on March 26

The Master of Education program on April 1

All three open houses will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Franciscan Theatre and Conference Center of Lourdes College.

The open houses will offer prospective graduate school students the opportunity to meet with professors and current students and provides participants with in-depth information about the degree programs.

For additional information, contact Keith Ramsdell, Director of Graduate Admissions, at 419-517-8881 or email kramsdell@lourdes.edu. 

Tuesday, March 11, 2008 1:43:06 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Just a reminder that today is the Jigg's Dinner sponsered by SGA.  It is taking place in the Ebeid Centre.  Come join us for a traditional Irish meal!  Cost is just $5 a plate!
See you there!!

Monday, March 10, 2008 1:51:44 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

I am so glad our spring break is finally here, sadly I'm not doing anything fun this year but change diapers and smell like baby throw up. But I guess life changes becuase just two years ago I was helping out with Habitat for Humanity, know I'm sitting at home being a wonderfel auntie ! But id he didn't have such a wonderful smile and a happy spirit I don't think I would be able to do it. .

P.s. I hope everyone has a great Spring break !

Thursday, March 06, 2008 5:05:12 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2] | 

On Wednesday, March 19, the Lourdes College Choirs will perform during Holy Week Evensong at St. Lucas Lutheran Church at 7:30 p.m.

St. Lucas Lutheran Church is located at 745 Walbridge Avenue in Toledo's Historic Old South End. Attendance is free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Karen T. Biscay, Chair of the Department of Music, at 419-824-3772, or email kbiscay@lourdes.edu.

Thursday, March 06, 2008 1:08:03 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] |