STORY FEATURED IN THE SPRING/SUMMER 2021 NEXT MAGAZINE

Kelly Hagner, of Fond du Lac, has always desired to care for others and make a difference in the world. This is what drove her to pursue a nursing degree at Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC).

“When I first came to the College in 2005, there was a waitlist for nursing,” she said. “I knew MPTC was going to be a vital steppingstone for me, and I wanted to take advantage of my time at the College. So, I enrolled in the Supervisory Management program, and then the Nursing program when a spot opened.”

Hagner graduated from the Supervisory Management and Nursing associate degree programs in 2009.

“After my graduation, the economy was not great, and I had difficulty finding a job as a registered nurse (RN) in a medical clinic setting,” she said. “I took a job as an RN in one of Agnesian HealthCare’s nursing homes, which was another choice that proved to be a valuable career step.”

A few years later, Hagner accepted a position as an RN at the Agnesian Cancer Center.

“I love my work at the Cancer Center,” Hagner said. “Both the patients and people I work with are uplifting and bring me so much joy. They make me want to be better and do better.”

Hagner became settled in her career but had aspirations for higher education. She decided to make a goal to earn a master’s degree in nursing (MSN) and become a nurse practitioner (NP) before the age of 40.

“I knew I wanted to continue my education, but it was also scary in so many ways,” she said. “I have a family with young children and didn’t think I would have the time. However, after some encouragement from friends and peers, I decided to have a conversation with the admissions department at Marian University.”

During that time, she also got an email from her employer that detailed both a tuition discount program with Marian and a tuition reimbursement employee benefit.

“I took that as a sign from God and began my next educational journey,” she said.

Hagner graduated with her MSN last May and is living out her career dreams as an NP with the Medical Oncology team at the Agnesian Cancer Center.

“I am so grateful to Moraine Park,” she said. “They offered me the opportunity to stay local, have a family, and live life to the fullest— all while getting an education. The College opened my eyes to both the educational and career opportunities right here in my community, and I’m honored to have Moraine Park as part of my journey.”

Did you know MPTC has transfer agreements with nearly 50 different colleges/universities and in more than 100 program areas?

This means, you can earn your associate degree at Moraine Park for a fraction of the cost and then transfer your credits to earn a bachelor’s degree or beyond!

View our transfer agreements by program or college at morainepark.edu/transfer.

Moraine Park Technical College nursing students will be assisting Dodge County Public Health and Advocate Aurora Health to administer the COVID-19 vaccination to eligible individuals. 

“Our nursing students have experience in helping to distribute vaccines,” Heidi Martin, Moraine Park nursing instructor, said. “We have worked with Dodge County for the past two years, helping at their flu shot clinics for students in grades K-12. We have a great relationship with the County Public Health Nurses and our local healthcare facilities, and currently, they really need our help.”

The Moraine Park nursing students participating are doing so on a volunteer basis. Their volunteer time will count toward community impact requirements at the College.  

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our nursing students to give back to the community,” Martin said. “They have the skills needed to truly impact the health of our families, neighbors and friends. My students are excited to be an active part in helping to decrease the severity of this pandemic and ultimately save lives.”

Moraine Park continuously looks for ways to offer hands-on opportunities for students in our local communities. 

For information regarding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility and distribution, visit the Wisconsin Department of Health at dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19.

For more information, visit morainepark.edu. 

**Photo is not from current vaccine event, and was taken pre-COVID-19.

Wednesday, Feb 10th the West Bend Student Nursing Association (SNA) group put their books away for an hour or so to be creative and add a little cheer to the residents at Cedar Community in West Bend. 

Using stamps, ink, scissors and colored pencils they created valentine cards for residents.  Some of these cards were attached to personal care items.

  The cards and the small gifts were given to the Cedar Community Activities department and distributed to the to residents. 

For more information, visit morainepark.edu.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Moraine Park would like to extend a sincere thank you to those who devote their career to the fight against cancer.

We had the opportunity to speak with a couple of our alumni who work at the Agensian Cancer Center- here’s what they had to say:

Kelly Hagner- Nurse Practitioner

2006 MPTC Graduate-nursing

“Working at the cancer center is like no other job, I feel. Every single day you come to work you have the opportunity to make a difference in someone lives. Whether it be the lives of the patient or the family members. When cancer is diagnosed to a patient, it doesn’t just affect the patient. It affects everyone from spouses, to children, to mother and fathers. I have had the opportunity to cry with patients, laugh with patients and jump with joy with patients. Often people think that cancer is always such a negative thing, unfortunately that is incorrect. We have treated hundreds of people and saved their lives. We have helped patients live longer, and not be scared. We have held their hands and listened to their stories while supporting them. Every day is not guaranteed but with amazing staff we at the cancer center make the journey less scary. We treat everyone like family!”

Annice Klapperich, RN

2016 MPTC Graduate- nursing

” I work as an RN in Radiation Oncology at the Agnesian Cancer Center. At the cancer center, I work with an incredible team and technology to treat patients with various cancer diagnoses. Radiation Oncology is a fascinating field to work in and I am lucky to have an opportunity to learn something new everyday. However, the best part of my job is the opportunity to build relationships not only with the patients, but with their family as well. I hope to make a positive impact in my work and to make a difference in the lives of others, as the patients and their families have made such a difference in mine. ” 

Denise Schwoch, RN

2009 MPTC Graduate- nursing

“When I decided to become a nurse, oncology was always my motivation.  This is a tough field but I find it extremely rewarding. I love the relationships that develops with patients and their families during their most vulnerable time.  I am forever grateful to be a medical oncology infusion RN!”

MPTC is pleased to announce we have 2 national scholarship winners!

Jennifer Hakala, Accounting and Kristin Unser, Nursing, are two of 207 Phi Theta Kappa members named across the USA, as 2020 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholars. Each will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

The Coca-Cola Leaders Program helps new Phi Theta Kappa members defray educational expenses while enrolled in associate degree programs. Scholars are encouraged to assume leadership roles by participating in Society programs and are selected based on scholastic achievement, community service, and leadership potential. Nearly 700 applications were received.

A total of $207,000 is awarded through the Leaders of Promise Scholarship Program. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation provides $200,000 in funding for the scholarships, with $25,000 set aside for members who are veterans or active members of the United States military. The remaining amount is supported by donations to the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation and provides seven Global Leaders of Promise Scholarships, earmarked for international students.

“The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” said Jane Hale Hopkins, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa to make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals and support tomorrow’s leaders of the global community.”

The funds provided by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation not only aid college completion, but also give students the opportunity to engage in Society programs and develop leadership skills to become future leaders in their communities.

“Research shows that Phi Theta Kappa members are four times more likely to complete a college degree than their peers,” said Dr. Monica Marlowe, Executive Director of the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation. “The Leaders of Promise Scholarships recognize students for what they have achieved already and assure that financial need isn’t an obstacle to achieving their academic goals.”

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 nations, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges.

To find out more about PTK at MPTC contact Anne Lemke, Student Community Impact Coordinator at alemke2@morainepark.edu or Amy Harmsen, Business Instructor at aharmsen@morainepark.edu

Join our Beta Mu Kappa facebook page today!

Moraine Park Technical College’s nursing program is working to help students adapt to the increased utilization of telehealth technology. The Wisconsin Technical College System identified this need in 2013 and approved a grant to help implement this learning into the curriculum.

Today, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought forward the importance of offering patient care remotely, and Moraine Park continues to utilize this vital technology. To aid in these efforts, Moraine Park partnered with GrandCare, a provider of telehealth systems, in 2013.

The College’s partnership with GrandCare is coming to an end this year. However, GrandCare made a generous contribution to aid telehealth education for both present and future students. The original grant afforded the College the usage of GrandCare’s telehealth unit, and this last fall, GrandCare donated the unit to Moraine Park, allowing students the opportunity to continue to interact with the equipment.

“We are grateful to GrandCare for their partnership,” Kelly Shafaie, Associate Dean of Nursing at Moraine Park, said. “They have been a vital part of our telehealth teachings, and our faculty and students will benefit from their generosity for years to come.”

For more information on Moraine Park’s nursing program, visit morainepark.edu/nursing.

Welcome to 2020, the year of the nurse!  Our founding nurse, Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820.  In the 1870’s she wrote her first book profoundly stated it would take 150 years to achieve the type of nursing she was envisioning. How right she was!   Who could have predicted how impactful nurses would be this year, and our MPTC nursing graduates are no exception to this!

Every semester, Moraine Park’s nursing program welcomes approximately 50-60 graduate nurses and this semester is no different. Or rather it is completely different! These graduate nurses have had to adapt to change, demonstrate their integrity and flexibility and rise to the challenge amid adversity.  They have shown the compassion and dedication Florence Nightingale envisioned all those years ago.

The MPTC nursing faculty have also demonstrated these same ideals to ensure the student’s success and learning in their new online learning environment.  This was made easier by our students who have shown the faculty that they are willing to work even harder to earn that success! These graduate nurses have been balancing case studies, online course meetings, and lots of NCLEX practice amidst also homeschooling their children, caring for their family and working on the frontlines. We, as their MPTC nursing faculty have been blown away by the commitment and dedication of these graduates to their education and their future as nurses! To say we are proud of them is an understatement! We know Florence would be as honored as we are to welcome each one of them into the nursing profession!

Thank you students!  It has been an honor to work with you!  Best of luck in your future endeavors!​

Kerry DeGroot, Melissa Rodriquez, and Heidi Martin

MPTC Nursing Program Faculty

Hello friends!

I wanted to do something from the Sunshine Club to celebrate all of our hard work, so this is what I came up with. I will Blog about this before the end of the week to share with the world.

Many of us are still in acute care or practicing at the bedside, clinic or something and others are not. I want to celebrate that we all have purpose in nursing and have risen to the challenge and what we are doing in not only important, but imperative to make the best graduate nurses in order to care for our communities!

Communicate Clearly– We have had close to 30 hours of Zoom Meetings, we have emailed, instant messaged, face-timed and even used the phone to make plans for our students success.

Act Responsibly– many worked over Spring Break to start making preparations because we knew it was the thing to do. Many are working early mornings, late evenings and weekends.

Work Productively– so many are juggling your home/family life with working from home, home schooling children and still managing to get “the bacon fried up”

Think Critically and Creatively– OH BOY!!!

Adapt to Change- We have learned Zoom, STUDIO, i-Human and beyond!
Demonstrate Integrity- We have worked hard to keep MPTC’s Nursing Program rigorous while taking in consideration our students changing landscape.

Work Cooperatively– well, we always do.

Here is a semi-accurate accounting of all of things we have done inside of a 10 working day period, seriously, we all know it was more but who needs a medal? We are nurses, we do what we do, we dig in, we still cry, yell and wonder why but yet everyday we come back to whatever form of nursing we do. We are cut from a different cloth- not silk, more like burlap- resilient and lasting.
What an unfortunate way to look back at the “Year of the Nurse” but Florence would be so proud of our work. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do, “We got this”.

Associate Degree of Nursing Accomplishments

Unfolding Case Studies- 25

Rubrics- 49

Quiz Questions- 130

Presentations- 3

Patient Scenarios for CCM’s, DCT’s- 46

Discussions- 19

Small Papers- 8

Power Points- 6 weeks of Studio Power points X 5 Theory Classes X 3 sections= roughly 60 X 1,000,000​!

Sunshine Club Love to All!!!! Thank you for being our TEAM