43 Earn Nursing degrees, two from Santa Paula

43 new nurses received their pins at the Ventura College 2006 Nursing Pinning on Tuesday, May 16 at the Ventura College Athletic Event Center.

43 new nurses received their pins at the Ventura College 2006 Nursing Pinning on Tuesday, May 16 at the Ventura College Athletic Event Center. The traditional ceremony included the personal pinning of each graduate by the nurse or nursing instructor who had mentored or inspired the student to enter the profession. Emergency Medical Technician Instructor and Ventura College Nursing Alumnae Kate Bateman was the keynote speaker. Ms. Bateman, R.N. is the Director of Nursing Education at Ventura County Medical Center. Two graduates, Leslie D. Isom and Christina C. Perez, are from Santa Paula.A number of students were recognized for their significant academic achievements and community contributions. Thirteen received Red Cross Awards for contributing a minimum of 20 hours of volunteer work in the community, often at flu shot clinics and other health facilities: Denise Akers, Kristi Alderson, Genesis Barrera-Clark, Katie Burns, Margaret Cordero, Elena Correia, Nereo Cruz, Lisa Del Hierro, Marie Fraser, Elizabeth Kohr, Olena Newell, Michelle Santiago, and Joy Stanford. In the past year, Ventura College student nurses raised over $7,000 participating in the American Cancer Relay for Life.Seven received Peer Tutor Awards for their work assisting other students with the challenging academic nursing curriculum: Denise Akers, Kristi Alderson, Katie Burns, Cheri Gonzales, Kelly Rundell, Joy Stanford and Tera Watson.Adelina Garcia received the Alan A. Mannason Scholarship of $2,500, which is given to a student who will be transferring to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing.Kristi Alderson is the fourth recipient of the Dobson Medal for Academic and Clinical Excellence. Alderson, a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Health Sciences, graduated from the Ventura College School of Nursing with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. She will begin her nursing career in June in the Oncology Unit at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, and she will be pursuing her next professional goal: to be an Oncology Certified Nurse. Her choice of Oncology is related to the loss or diagnosis of several family members to cancer-related illnesses. Kristi will receive a 10K gold medal designed to be worn as a pin, a certificate and will be recognized in a photo display in the Nursing Department Office.The Dobson Medal for Clinical and Academic Excellence in Nursing annually recognizes the student who best typifies the ideal clinical, academic and behavioral characteristics of a new graduate from our Associate Degree Nursing Program. Selection by the nursing faculty is based on a variety of criteria, including being “the student I would most like to care for me or my family”. The medal was established by Janet Dobson Leifur, RN, MSN, a Ventura College School of Nursing instructor and program alumnae, and her sister, Joy Dobson Way RN, MS, also a program graduate. The award is in memory of the life and professional inspiration of their mother, Winifred Mary Dobson, who, in 1937, received the Garettson Medal for Efficiency, given annually to the most clinically and academically outstanding graduate of the Newport (R.I.) Hospital School for Nurses.The Ventura College Alumni Nursing Chapter presented the First Annual Excellence in Nursing Practice Award to Maria Guadalupe “Lupe” Vaca, R.N. III, who works at Community Memorial Hospital. She was nominated by the CMH Nursing Director of Medical Services, Marsha Alstot. According to Janet Leifur, R.N., MSN, of the Ventura College School of Nursing and Allied Health, “the award is to honor a Ventura College nursing alumni whose practice of nursing exemplifies high standards and who has exhibited excellence in hospital-based bedside nursing practice.” Vaca, a Santa Paula High School graduate of 1985, graduated from the Ventura College nursing program in 1999.Five graduates were named as “Graduates with Distinction” for their contributions to the School of Nursing, to the community or their employers, and to their fellow students: Kristi Alderson, Katie Burns, Denise Carman, Margaret Cordero and Michelle Santiago.The School of Nursing and Allied Health prepares students to care for individuals in hospitals, homes, and other health care settings. Graduates practice the art and science of nursing by combining knowledge from many different disciplines to promote the restoration and maintenance of health in their clients. The School administers the Associate Degree Nursing, Certified Nurse Assistant, Home Health Aide, and Continuing Education for Registered Nurses programs. LIST OF VENTURA COLLEGE 2005 NURSING GRADUATES:Camarillo: Denise M. Akers, Merrianne Baroni, Katie J. Burns, Denise M. Carman, Elizabeth Kohr, Maria G. OrdazCarpinteria: Sherry A. Speece