- University News Archive - UA ��Ƶlogo

UA ��Ƶlogo Nursing Graduate Plans to Start Business to Provide At-Home Medical Care for Homebound Patients

John Hill — Tue, 03 May 2022 13:28:03 +0000

As a private duty nurse, Shannon Marlar has a very special role providing healthcare to those who can’t leave their home. Marlar, a single mother of two from Sparkman, Arkansas, serves many important roles – a healthcare provider, a caregiver, and a shoulder to cry on for family members. Marlar has overcome incredible odds to fulfill her dream of earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing. She will graduate May 14 at UA ��Ƶlogo’s Jack Stephens Center. She is going to use her expertise to open up a new business that will provide at-home medical care for people who are homebound. “There are a lot of people who can’t get out of their homes to go get the healthcare they need,” Marlar said. “They would see a doctor if they came to their home. I wanted people to get the specialty care they need. Telehealth medicine is good, but one of the main problems is that you are not face to face with the patient, and you can’t double check their symptoms in person.” Marlar encountered many obstacles on her road to becoming a nurse. She became pregnant with her first child while she was a senior in high school but was determined to continue her education to be a good role model for her son. While navigating work, school, and motherhood, Marlar said she had to leave college for a whole year while she left an abusive marriage. Marlar persisted in her education and eventually earned an associate degree in professional studies and became a certified nursing assistant through Southern Arkansas University Tech. She continued her education by earning an associate degree in nursing in 2016 while working as a licensed practical nurse. Tragedy struck Marlar’s life once more when she was involved in a serious car accident in February 2017, just one month before she was scheduled to take her exam to become a registered nurse and six months before she was supposed to start the online RN to BSN program at UA ��Ƶlogo. “I spent 11 days in UAMS,” Marlar said. “I can’t bend my knee. I can’t run anymore. I can’t work in a hospital. I can’t work 12-hour shifts, all because a woman dropped her cell phone on the floorboard of her truck and bent down to pick it up. She hit me head on.” The doctors told Marlar that it would be at least one year before she would be able to walk again and possibly return to work. With two young children to support, Marlar beat all the doctors’ expectations by getting back to work in just eight months. Still determined to complete her education, Marlar made it to UA ��Ƶlogo in 2021 with the goals of finishing her bachelor’s degree and starting her own business. “Lindsey Baertlein has been my favorite, the most helpful and outgoing professor,” Marlar said. “She was easy going and made things fun to do and to learn. Lindsey has given me the most advice for my goals and has been the most helpful.” At UA ��Ƶlogo, Marlar and fellow nursing students Rachal Pendergrass, Savannah Thackeray, and Latasha Bell created a presentation on Doctor on Demand, a telehealth app. Nursing professors were so impressed with the student project that they are turning it into a continuing education course for the School of Nursing’s Professional Development Center. Now that she is about to graduate, Marlar is celebrating her long road to completing her bachelor’s degree and has high hopes for the future. “I feel fabulous, to put it lightly,” Marlar said. “I made graduation invitations and everything. I’m proud. It’s taken me a long time to get back on my feet. I planned to go to UA ��Ƶlogo with my friend Mary several years ago. She’s just passed her nurse practitioner degree. I would be graduating with my nurse practitioner degree if the car accident hadn’t happened. God has more plans for me. I know I’ve helped people along the way because of my disability.” This summer, Marlar will attend Arkansas State University so she can become a nurse practitioner. She also hopes to begin her healthcare business in the fall. She plans to offer concierge medical services to start. Eventually, she hopes to offer private duty nursing, respiratory supplies, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and mental health therapy. “I’m naming the business Ryan’s Hope for Special Needs,” Marlar said. “Ryan was a patient of mine who couldn’t get the care that she needed. She was quadriplegic. She died two months after I had my car accident. There are so many people like Ryan who can’t get the care at home that they need, and I want to change that.”

UA ��Ƶlogo Community Invited to Meet Racial Barriers Committee on Oct. 14

John Hill — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 12:49:51 +0000

The members of the new Racial Barriers Committee will host a hybrid meeting with the UA ��Ƶlogo community on Thursday, Oct. 14. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in Dickinson Hall Room 100 and online . The in-person meeting is open to the first 60 people . Chancellor Christina Drale will speak about the founding of the Racial Barriers Committee, and Dr. Richard Harper, dean of students and the committee’s advisor, will introduce the committee. The Racial Barriers Committee members will discuss their charge and mission, followed by a question-and-answer session and reception. The Racial Barriers Committee was formed in 2020. Committee members will review campus policies, processes, and practices for elements that may be unintended barriers to access and opportunity for people of color at UA ��Ƶlogo. They will report their findings to Chancellor Drale and will collaborate with parties to reconcile racial barriers. Christine Jones, Dr. Mark Baillie, and Dr. Jennifer Hune will serve as co-chairs of the Racial Barriers Committee. The committee members include Lindsey Baertlein, Hyginus Ukadike, Clara Cardriche, Erin Flowers, Karen Kuralt, and Lakendra Mackey.

UA ��Ƶlogo celebrates National Nurses Week: Hannah Havens

John Hill — Fri, 07 May 2021 14:41:33 +0000

In celebration of , UA ��Ƶlogo is recognizing outstanding nursing students and upcoming graduates. After pursuing her childhood dream of being a nurse, Hannah Havens will graduate this month with an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree. Tell us about yourself.�� I was born in New Hampshire and lived in Maine until I was six, when we moved to ��Ƶlogo. I started nursing school right out of high school at UCA in 2001. I lost my grandmother in my second semester of actual nursing school and was not coping with her loss, so I decided I would take a little time off. I applied in 2019 to UA ��Ƶlogo and was excited to finally start and finish nursing school. Why did you decide to become a nurse? When I was in kindergarten, I wanted to be a nurse. I used to play nurse with my dolls, giving IVs with my mom’s sewing pins and filling ziplock bags with water to hang as an IV bag.�� What is your most memorable experience as a nursing student? My most memorable experience was in clinicals for critical care. I followed my open heart patient to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit. His skin started mottling, his whole body became stiff, and his temperature steadily rose along with his blood gases. He was experiencing malignant hyperthermia. I have been a surgical technologist for 13 years and have never seen it in person. We do drills for it but no one I know has ever seen it. I got to help mix the dantrolene and administer it and saw his symptoms improve.�� honors the birthday of , the founder of modern nursing. Who are some of the nurses you admire or who have mentored you throughout your time in the nursing program? My coworkers at Conway Regional Labor and Delivery would answer my questions and encouraged me in my nursing degree pursuit. Karlee Rudder, Sandi Ortega, and Gwen Rigsby to name a few. Our UA ��Ƶlogo obstetric faculty Mrs. Teague, Mrs. Baertlein, Ms. Williams. LouAnne Lefler and Larronda Rainey also encouraged me in never giving up my nursing dream.�� What advice would you give to others hoping to become nurses? Get at least a part-time job as a patient care tech and ask questions and learn while you work. It will give you a great base because nursing school is hard. Read “Test Taking for Nursing School.” Nursing tests are like no other exams you have ever taken. What are your plans after graduating from UA ��Ƶlogo? I will work as an RN at Conway Regional Labor and Delivery. I will start my BSN online in the fall also. I am very excited to finally fulfill my career dreams!

UA ��Ƶlogo nursing students hold diaper drive for Conway daycare

John Hill — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 22:30:22 +0000

Two University of Arkansas at ��Ƶlogo nursing students donated diapers and baby wipes to a daycare center in Conway to help those in need from COVID-19. Nursing students Keith Lattimore, of Conway, and Jerrick Johnson, of Pine Bluff, donated more than 1,000 diapers and 1,150 baby wipes to Kid’s World Childcare Center on Oct. 13.�� “I know the young lady, Jamisa Hogan, who owns the daycare center,” Lattimore said. “She told me that there are a lot of people in need since COVID-19. She often helps families that need diapers and wipes.” Lattimore and Johnson participated in the drive as their volunteerism and service learning project for their Obstetric and Reproductive Nursing class at UA ��Ƶlogo.

UA ��Ƶlogo nursing students Keith Lattimore and Jerrick Johnson collected and donated over 1,000 diapers and 1,150 wipes to donate to a local daycare in Conway as part of a class service project.

“The School of Nursing wants to instill a sense of community and service as a part of the students’ responsibilities to keeping Arkansas healthy,” said Lindsey Baertlein, instructor of nursing. “By participating in a diaper drive, these two men provided diapers and wipes to a local business and parents who may not be able to provide necessities such as diapers and wipes to children while their parents are working.”�� The students set up donation boxes at their homes and places of employment. After collecting donations for two months, the daycare center was grateful to receive the donations to help parents who could use a helping hand. “This drive was more of a blessing for us,” Johnson said. “The people who work at the daycare were very grateful for what we did. It actually humbles you to know that you’ve helped someone. Everyone needs help in some sort of fashion.” In the end, Lattimore and Johnson, who will graduate in May 2021, were grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community. “We weren’t looking for recognition,” Lattimore said. “We were just doing something that would be good for other people. I’m glad that we were able to provide a service to help people in need.”

- University News Archive - UA ������Ƶlogo

UA ������Ƶlogo Nursing Graduate Plans to Start Business to Provide At-Home Medical Care for Homebound Patients

UA ������Ƶlogo Community Invited to Meet Racial Barriers Committee on Oct. 14

UA ������Ƶlogo celebrates National Nurses Week: Hannah Havens

UA ������Ƶlogo nursing students hold diaper drive for Conway daycare

- University News Archive - UA ��Ƶlogo

UA ��Ƶlogo Nursing Graduate Plans to Start Business to Provide At-Home Medical Care for Homebound Patients

UA ��Ƶlogo Community Invited to Meet Racial Barriers Committee on Oct. 14

UA ��Ƶlogo celebrates National Nurses Week: Hannah Havens

UA ��Ƶlogo nursing students hold diaper drive for Conway daycare