Sigma Theta Tau International
President of Sigma Theta Tau International Speaks at Pace
The Lienhard School of Nursing is proud to have secured funding from the The Louis and Rachel Rudin Foundation, Inc. to allow us to bring this series of programs which is designed to bring timely and important educational topics to our colleagues. This includes LSN full time and adjunct faculty, LSN clinical preceptors, LSN Clinical Practice Educators, LSN Clinical Instructors, LSN graduate teaching assistants, and graduate students in the MA in Nursing Education program.
On Wednesday, June 20th, Carol Picard, PhD, RN, CS, President of Sigma Theta Tau International and Professor, U Mass Amherst spoke to a small but enthusiastic group of colleagues. Her topic was Keeping the Passion in Compassion: Restorative Health Measures Through Dance and Movement. As a published poet and dancer, Dr. Picard works at bringing the arts to the arena of healing for patients and students. She has choreographed and performed dances on the subject of healing and led workshops on movement and wholeness. She presents frequently on restorative practices for nurses, other health professionals, patients and families. Her program of research focuses on the experience of illness and the meaning of health for patients and their families, and the use of art and creative movement as modes of expression with selected groups.
This program engaged participants in exploring the concepts of restorative practices and healing through movement and wholeness. Dr. Picard believes that compassion is the essence by which we take the knowledge and the skill of nursing and frame it in relationship with a deep appreciation of the human experience in all its expressions (STTI website, 4/16/07). Through interactive exercises designed to use creative movement as both a mode of expression and a healing modality, participants once again experienced their own passion in the compassion that brought them to the field of nursing to begin with!
Other distinguished speakers in this year’s series included Andrea O’Connor, EdD, JD, RN is well known in the field of nursing education, and is currently Professor Emeritus, Western Connecticut State University. Previously, she served as Director of the WesCon Nursing Department and was the Coordinator who started up their Master’s program. Her most recent publication is Clinical Instruction and Evaluation: A Teaching Resource. Also speaking for this series was Grif Alspach, EdD, RN, FAAN is a Consultant in Nursing Staff Development & Competency Based Staff Development. Many of you will recognize her as having written “the book” on precepting in staff development, and has an internationally recognized preceptor training program that is used in hospitals throughout the world. She also serves as Editor of the journal Critical Care Nursing.
