Naz student nurses promote heart health with Littmann Leadership Development Grant
The Nazareth University Student Nurses’ Association wants to spread the importance of heart health to the campus community and the Rochester area, and a national grant is helping them continue their mission. The Littmann® Stethoscopes Leadership Development Grant Program, administered by the Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association,will help fund their project, “Heart Health Across the Lifespan: Student-Led Community Education,” which focuses on building nursing student leadership skills while providing heart health education to the community.
The Foundation honored Nazareth in early April at the National Student Nurses’ Association’s annual convention in Houston. The association said Nazareth stood out for its focus on leadership development and its commitment to increasing student involvement in nursing organizations at the local, state, and national levels.
Three Nazareth senior nursing students and chapter officers, Avery Tanton (president), Delaney Malone (vice president), and Isabella Iannitti (Breakthrough to Nursing chairperson), attended the conference, along with professors Marie Bell and Alexis Masciangelo. Malone says it was the chance of a lifetime.
“The connections we made through networking with many organizations were absolutely unmatched. We made connections with students from all across the country and learned about each other's experiences,” said Malone. “The different relationships made at this conference inspired us to make changes in our own student nurses’ association chapter for the better.”
Nazareth’s Student Nurses’ Association project focuses on how the nursing students can serve the Rochester community through heart health initiatives. Tanton says the idea stemmed from the time students she, Malone, and Iannitti spent as student nurses in the Pediatric Cardiac Care Center in Golisano Children’s Hospital.
“Your heart is one of the most vital organs in your body, and it can be one of the most delicate if you do not take care of it properly. Heart health affects people from birth until death, showing its importance in everyday life. Additionally, cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and a lot of the time, it can be prevented through heart-healthy habits,” said Tanton.
She says the Naz student nurses’ chapter took on multiple volunteer opportunities, such as blood pressure screenings at Rochester Hope, a volunteer organization that brings food, health care, and more to people in the heart of Rochester. The nursing students also collected teddy bears for the Crisis Nursery of Greater Rochester and promoted awareness of congenital heart disease through fundraising and bringing in medical professionals from the Pediatric Cardiac Care Center l as speakers.
The grant will cover the costs of blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes for volunteering at Rochester Hope and continuing the collaboration with Nazareth’s public health program. Moving forward, they hope to teach elementary-aged children ways they can keep their hearts happy and healthy.
Nazareth’s student nurses’ association leadership trio says the nursing faculty’s endless support helped them win the grant and attend the conference.
“What truly sets our nursing professors apart is their commitment to understanding their students on a deeper level to ensure they feel supported academically, professionally, and personally,” said Iannitti. “It is rare for students to feel that they are alone within this program because the faculty care about investing in our success, not only in the present but in the future as well. They show us what community looks and feels like, and what we hope we all find or create in our careers after Nazareth.”
Contact
Julie Long | Chief PR Officer | jlong2@naz.edu | (585) 389-2456 | (585) 781-8186 (cell)
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.
Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.
(Left to Right) Nursing Professor Alexis Masciangelo, nursing students Avery Tanton, Isabella Iannitti, and Delaney Malone, and Nursing Professor Marie Bell attended the National Student Nurses’ Association conference in Houston, TX in April.