Front, left to right: Jollene Mahon, RN; Haley Kenyon, LNA; and Rebecca Filson, RN, MSN. Standing, left to right:, Chief Nursing Officer Carol Conroy, DNP; Christopher Darby, RN; Drew Totten, RN, BSN; Janis Yannotti, RN; and Bentley Munsell, ED Technician. Those not pictured include: Svetlana Alicea, CST; Deborah Dearstyne, RN, BSN; Kori DeLuca, RT, RN, BSN; Scott Giordano, RN; Robyn Grover, RN; Ashley Lincoln, BS; Laurie Pudvar, RN; and Nicole Siclari, RN.
Fifteen nurses at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) received funds from the SVHC Foundation in support of their continuing education efforts. The funds were provided to the Foundation by the Helen Dixon Kunzelmann Nurse Scholar Program, grants, and donations for nursing education. The nurses awarded scholarships represent many hospital departments, including Education and Professional Development, Emergency Department, Information Systems, Intensive Care, Perioperative, Medical Surgical Nursing and Ambulatory Nursing. They are attending a variety of institutions including Vermont Tech and Southern Vermont College, as well as distance learning sites.
Nurses receive partial scholarships to cover the cost of tuition and related educational expenses. Scholarships are awarded in addition to the traditional tuition reimbursement benefit offered through SVHC Human Resources. As a designated Magnet Hospital for Nursing Excellence, SVMC recognizes the value of higher education among its professional nursing staff to improve patient outcomes and sustain a professional and rewarding work environment. One of the SVHC Nursing Strategic Goals is to advance Academic Progression in nursing in general, and specifically, to increase the percentage of nurses educated at the bachelor’s level or above to 80 percent by 2020.
Helen Dixon Kunzelmann made a bequest to SVHC to further nursing excellence. The Nurse Scholar Program aims to reduce the financial challenges to nursing staff pursuing higher education.