2010 Nurses Convocation Sets the Tone for the Year

Seniors Steal the Spotlight

Bloomfield College is located in Bloomfield, NJ.

The Frances M. McLaughlin Division of Nursing formally opened the academic year with the convocation exercises. Attended by sophomore, junior, and senior nursing students; faculty, and alumni, the event served to set the tone for the year with words of encouragement and advice about becoming a nurse.

Vice President Marion Terenzio related a personal tale of recently needing medical care and the compassion of the nurses who were in her attendance. She said that due to her nurses becoming part of her medical team, she was able to concentrate on her own healing with trust. She encouraged the future nurses to develop caring as well as learning to care for their patients.

Dr. Neddie Serra, chair of the division, told the students that, while the program is not “a piece of cake,” the faculty members are there to support their journeys. “We are here to help you become successful,” she related. With that, Dr. Serra introduced Brunna Coutinho ’09 and said that Ms. Coutinho is proof that there is success waiting for them. Ms. Coutinho is currently a medical/surgical nurse at the Palisades Medical Center. She was twice the recipient of the Nurses Alumni Scholarship award, which is given to a junior and a senior student with the highest GPA in nursing subjects.

Edwina “Win” Zengerle N’52, president of the Frances M. McLaughlin Alumni Association read from the Jewish scriptures and the Christian scriptures. To everything there is a season was the reading from Ecclesiastes and Faith, hope, and love was the reading from I Corinthians. These two readings are traditional for the convocation ceremony.

Jigna Patel, senior,speaks with the Nursing community.

Jigna Patel, senior nursing student and president of the Bloomfield College Student Nurses Association spoke eloquently about empathy and the need for students to develop this very important trait in order to succeed in their chosen profession. She welcomed all students to the BCSNA and had words of encouragement for each class. To the sophomores she advised that they become close to their classmates and welcomed them as full nursing students. The junior year, she noted, is the toughest and she told them to work hard, study harder and develop real teamwork skills. To the senior class, she said “We’ve been through it all. We started out as strangers and become family.”

With that, Ms. Patel and her BCSNA board members introduced a Family Feud game with representatives from each class and a faculty member on Team A and Team B. They had to answer questions concerning nursing skills. Team B won by one point with the question “What do nursing students drink in class?”

Stephenia Manalo,junior, and Myko Lallgas,senior at Bloomfield Collge

The sophomore and junior class were all presented with a $10 gift card, courtesy of Scrubadoo.com, makers of nursing uniforms. Scrubadoo.com donated 130 cards to be distributed.

Mrs. Zengerle then presented the Alumni Scholarships to junior Richard Moody and senior Ashley Leandre. Both Moody and Leandre held the highest GPA in nursing subjects.

The morning was completed with a discussion and presentation by Nathan Walts from the Assessment Technologies Institute, who showed the students how to use the website that prepares them for the NCLEX exams (state tests required for nurses to practice after graduation).

Then it was back to class.

 This article can be found at www.bloomfield.edu