Nursing and Piedmont to Host Research Conference

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ATLANTA – Mercer University and Piedmont Healthcare, as part of their Center for Health and Learning, will host a nursing conference on “The Heart, Courage and Brains of Nursing Research” on March 24 at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. Participants will hear from noted speakers Barbara McLean, MN, RN CCRN, CCNS-NP, FCCM, and Melodie Chenevert, RN, BSN, MN, MA, who will discuss scholarship related to nursing practice, education and research.

The conference, sponsored by Piedmont Healthcare, Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University, and the Pi Gamma Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, will take place from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m, and the cost is $75. Piedmont and Mercer faculty, staff and students will receive a discount. For more information, please contact Judy Mosteller at 678-547-6793 or mosteller_j@mercer.edu.

McLean has been a practicing critical care nurse for more than 30 years. Her career began at Georgia Baptist Hospital (now Atlanta Medical Center) as a staff and charge nurse in the intensive care unit areas. She now extends her practice to many areas of critical care, serving both local and national health care providers as a critical care specialist consultant. As a nationally-recognized speaker, she presents a wealth of information, primarily directed towards care of the trauma victim, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), shock, advanced hemodynamics, cardiovascular failure, pulmonary management, sepsis, and hope.  

Chenevert, the 2002 recipient of the Edith Moore Copeland Award for Excellence in Creativity, is a registered nurse who holds a second master’s degree in journalism. She is well known for her unique, humorous and inspiring approach to increasing pride and productivity in the nursing profession. Her focus is on communication skills, professional issues, management strategies, career planning, problem solving, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial ventures. Her most recent writing, “Mosby’s Tour Guide to Nursing School: A Student’s Road Survival Kit,” will be released in March 2006.

In June 2005, Piedmont Healthcare and Mercer University announced a partnership that will create a number of joint initiatives, including nursing, pharmacy, research and other medical and allied health education programs as part of a Center for Health and Learning. Both institutions have identified potential areas of collaboration. Piedmont Healthcare aims to enhance its teaching environment and expand on-campus research that is focused on outcomes and improved patient care. Piedmont also seeks increased access to students and potential employees in nursing, pharmacy and other allied health fields. Long-term, Piedmont hopes to establish unique hospital/university integrated programs. Mercer seeks to establish a more vigorous research presence and to deepen program offerings in nursing and pharmacy. Mercer also expects to broaden its medical residency program. In addition, Mercer aims to broaden its non-clinical education programs, such as chaplaincy, health management and health law.

About Piedmont Healthcare

Piedmont Healthcare, a not-for-profit organization, is the parent company of Piedmont Hospital, named in the Solucient 100 Top Hospitals® list in 2005 and 2002, and a 500-bed acute tertiary care facility in the north Atlanta community of Buckhead, offering all major medical, surgical and diagnostic services; Piedmont Fayette Hospital, a 100-bed acute care community hospital in Fayetteville, also named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® for the second year in a row; Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, a 35-bed community hospital in Jasper; the Piedmont Hospital Foundation; Piedmont Physicians Group, a 72-member primary care physician group with 20 offices throughout metro Atlanta; and the Piedmont Clinic, a 460-member physician network. Piedmont and Piedmont Fayette Hospitals were the only two Georgia hospitals on the 2005 list of 100 Top Hospitals. For more information, visit www.piedmont.org.

About Mercer University

Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a private, faith-based institution that has a national reputation of scholastic excellence, with rigorous academic programs, innovative teaching and time-honored values that embrace reason, responsibility, compassion and character. A dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education, the University has 7,300 students; 1,300 faculty and staff; 10 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology and nursing; major campuses in Macon and Atlanta; four regional academic centers across the state; a university press that has published more than 1,000 volumes; four academic libraries; teaching hospitals in Macon and Savannah; an educational partnership with Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a budget of more than $150 million; an endowment of more than $180 million; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.