Profs, students speak at conference

Seven Northwestern College nursing students and two professors will present the results of their healthcare research at the 24th annual Nursing Research Symposium March 22 in Brookings, S.D.

Among the three teams of nursing students presenting informational posters at the conference, two teams are from Northwestern. Seniors Hannah Biernacki, Vista, Calif.; Michael Grossmann, Mantorville, Minn.; and Rachel Kosakowski, Southbridge, Mass., conducted research for a poster labeled “Hospital Visitor Hand-Washing Compliance and Adherence.”

Another team—seniors Kendra De Jong, Hospers, Iowa; Leah Dykstra, Pella, Iowa; Kayla Hovland, Thompson, Iowa; and Karina Nonnemacher, Remsen, Iowa—produced a poster titled “Diet and Infertility,” detailing possible correlations between the two.

Nursing professor Deb Bomgaars’ poster presentation, “Reciprocity in Relationships Among Rural Nurses,” explores how nurse-to-nurse relationships influence work environments and, ultimately, the quality of patient care.

Diane Smith, who also teaches in Northwestern’s nursing department, is presenting historical research in her poster: “The Hammon Gamma Globulin Field Trials in Siouxland: Ethical and Social Value Analysis (1951–53).”

Between poster presentations, Northwestern nursing students and faculty will attend symposium sessions, including the keynote session, led by Dr. Jean Giddens, a Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Executive Fellow and creator of a web-based nursing community where educators can share integrative learning approaches in nursing education.

Northwestern’s nursing department is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing. The department’s graduates boast a 95 percent nursing boards pass rate, and the department recently launched an online RN to BSN degree completion option for working nurses.