ISSUED: 11 November 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Three nursing students were each awarded $300 Nursing Research Scholarships during the seventh annual Nursing Research Conference hosted November 5 by Shepherd University’s Department of Nursing Education and the Martinsburg VA Medical Center Evidence-Based Research Council. The daylong conference, which took place at Shepherd, had 130 attendees and included lectures, poster displays, and awards.
Two undergraduate nursing students and one nurse from the VA Medical Center who is enrolled in graduate studies are chosen to receive the scholarships each year. Stephanie Santella and Brianna Kimpel, both of Charles Town, received the undergraduate awards based on their exemplary academic performance and leadership skills. Connie Willard, Berkeley Springs, received the VA award for her exemplary use of evidence-based practice skills in the clinical environment.
Ten students were honored for the poster displays they created. They are Katie Files, Hedgesville; Sabrina Mongold, Mathias; Emily Greenwalt, Old Fields; Kristen Juenger, Frederick, Maryland; Taylor Oates, Bunker Hill; Spencer Winchester, Harpers Ferry; Matthew Gainey, Martinsburg; Alyssa Woods-Oren, Petersburg; Misty Ends, Falling Waters; and Stephanie Santella, Charles Town.
Dr. Laura Clayton, professor of nursing education, said a major focus of the conference each year is research.
“It gets students involved with nursing research and the importance of evidence-based practice and how they’ll use it when they go into the workforce on a daily basis,” Clayton said. “It’s really setting them up for where their careers are going to take them as leaders with evidence-based practice and the research aspect.”
“We like working with the students,” said Tom Palmer, acting associate director of Patient Care Services at the Martinsburg VA. “We’ve been involved with Shepherd for many years. We have clinical rotations at our place. We see the students at graduation and at employment time, so there’s kind of a continuum there. When you have that infusion of students into your facility, it makes us better and challenges us more, and I think that’s nothing but healthy for an institution.”
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