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

Moraine Park Technical College’s nursing program earned an eight-year accreditation status, the maximum time frame that can be granted.

The Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) completed an on-site visit in February of 2019, and the College was notified of their award on October 15, 2019.

To earn this accreditation, Moraine Park had to meet the standards set by the ACEN and demonstrate compliance by having policies that support the College and mission, students, faculty, curriculum, resources, and outcomes.

“We are extremely proud that Moraine Park’s nursing program has achieved the highest level of accreditation possible,” Kelly Shafaie, associate dean of nursing at Moraine Park, said. “Earning this accreditation means our students are receiving an exceptional education in nursing. We are grateful for our communities and their continued support that promotes the success of our program.”

In 2018, Moraine Park’s nursing program pass rates were an impressive 99 percent, and currently, the program ranks in the top 10 for nursing programs in Wisconsin. For more information on Moraine Park’s nursing program, visit morainepark.edu/nursing

Last month, first semester Moraine Park nursing students helped residents get ready for their annual prom at the Fond du Lac St. Francis Home.

The students used their clinical time to provide hair and nail care, and dress the residents for their big event! The students enjoyed the one-on-one time to pamper the residents and give personalized care.

St. Francis Home hosts the resident prom each spring with a live music from a local high school band and invites family members to participate. So much fun!

For more program information, visit morainepark.edu/programs.

Nursing students in Instructor Michele Mengert’s Mental Health and Community Concepts course recently completed their community advocacy projects as part of our Spring, 2019 service learning opportunities. Michele said, “students are purposefully working to learn community oriented nursing. We want to target prevention as a priority. Nurses need to understand how to advocate for specific populations of people and have knowledge of the resource programs in your community that you can partner with to help your patients.”

This semester 17 students spent over 80 hours researching and collaborating with community partners to learn more about planned parenthood, poverty, women & infants, suicide, domestic violence, opioid abuse, water quality, and more. Students formulated detailed advocacy plans to address how a nurse could help a community identify and address these issues, providing education, awareness, advocacy and resources. Students gathered data to help determine strengths and weaknesses in their own communities. Project presentations were held on May 17.

Congratulations on all of this great work on important community issues!

On May 16, Moraine Park Technical College nursing students assisted St. Agnes Hospital with their tornado evacuation drill. The 14 first- year nursing students helped by acting as patients for the staff to evacuate from various inpatient units across the hospital. Through this experience, the students were able to represent Moraine Park in the community and provide feedback during a debriefing reviewing the policies and procedures for hospital evacuation situations. They will also be able to apply the knowledge they gained to their third-semester mental health course when they further discuss emergency situations!

For more information Moraine Park Technical College, visit morainepark.edu.

Congrats to Moraine Park’s nursing program on a HUGE accomplishment.

The College’s 2018 National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) Nursing pass scores raised from 96% to 99%!

What this means?

That 99% of Moraine Park Nursing students pass their NCLEX exam!

For comparison, the national pass rate average is 85%.

Congrats to the students and faculty for working hard to provide top-notch nurses ready to provide quality care in the field!

morainepark.edu/nursing