Indiana University School of Nursing, Bloomington

By Monday, April 1st, we’ll be COMPLETELY MOVED OVER to our new page. Join us there for more profiles of our students, success stories from our faculty, news about the latest happenings at our school, and much, much more.

And – in early May – we’ll be livestreaming the Graduation Ceremonies for our seniors from the Schools of Nursing in Bloomington, Fort Wayne, and Indianapolis on the new site.

Just click on the link and head to our new page – right now! – then “like” or “follow” us – so that you do not miss out on any of these great events! https://www.facebook.com/iuschoolofnursing

ATTENTION ORANGE COUNTY! Britney Arce and our nursing students are headed your way next Tuesday, February 13th, to host one of our FREE health clinics. Join us at the Melton Public Library in French Link from 9am - 12pm. No need to RSVP: Walks-ins welcome. Share this post with your friends, and we'll see you there!

ATTENTION, LAWRENCE COUNTY!
Britney Arce and our nursing students are headed your way next Tuesday morning (November 14th) to host one of our FREE Regional Health Screenings!

We’ll be at the Solutions Center, 1490 W. Main Street, in Mitchell, from 9 am – 12 pm offering free screenings for blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose & cholesterol – along with naloxone kits, healthy lifestyle & nutrition tips, and personal consultations based on test results.

The Hope Resource Center and IU Health’s Positive Link will also be on-site with free pregnancy testing & ultrasounds and STI, HIV and Hep C testing. Details in the flyer below.

WALK-INS WELCOME. SEE YOU THERE!

Time for (Once Again) First Thursdays!
Our nursing students will be on-hand again this Thursday (11/2) in the IMU Solarium, offering free screenings for high blood sugar, dietary recommendations, and one-on-one consultations with a faculty member, if requested. See you there!

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Greg Carter on his new role as Assistant Dean for Research at IUSON, effective January 1, 2024. Greg's community-engaged program of research focuses on health equity and access to care in marginalized populations, and he recently received NIH funding as a co-investigator. We look forward to Greg's leadership in this important position!

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Robin Behery as our newest Clinical Assistant Professor!

Robin is a professional nurse bringing 13 years of experience in the field of nursing to her new role. Robin’s wealth of expertise encompasses a diverse range of clinical settings, including the operating room, outpatient care, cardiac nursing, medical-surgical nursing, and progressive care.

In addition to her clinical skills, Dr. Behery has also shared her knowledge and experience with aspiring nurses at such institutions as Harrison College and Marian University. Most recently, she has worked as a coordinator and manager – elevating the quality of care and patient outcomes. Dr. Behery holds certifications in both CPHQ (Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality) and NEA-BC (Nurse Executive, Advanced-Board Certified).

In her spare time, Robin likes to spend time with her family, travel, read, and craft. Welcome to IUSON BL, Robin!

IUSON and the Alpha Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International are celebrating October 5th as Sigma’s global Founder’s Day by co-sponsoring an October-long canned food drive to combat the food insecurity of students on each of the nine IU campuses.

Sigma, the international honor society of nurses, was founded by six nurses at IUSON BL in 1922 and now has more than 100,000 active members across 600 chapters worldwide.

Our Bloomington nursing students are proud to take part in IU's FIRST THURSDAYS.

Now in its eight year - and offered on the first Thursday of every month - First Thursdays offers an expansive showcase for IU Bloomington’s many schools and community partners. The festival is free and open to the public including students, faculty, staff, younger kids, older kids, four-legged friends, and friends & neighbors from all around the region.

Our IUSON booth features free screenings for high blood sugar, dietary recommendations, one-on-one consultations with a faculty member (if requested), and a community arts project where participants were asked to paint a picture of their relationship with sugar! You can learn more about our participation in First Thursdays here:

Testing A1C Levels at First Thursdays | IU Arts & Humanities and School of Nursing IU School of Nursing stopped by First Thursdays to talk about our relationship with sugar! Make sure to LIKE this video and SUBSCRIBE to our channel to keep ...

We want to take a look back now at an event that we were very proud to be a part of. Our Bloomington students, faculty, and staff took part in this year’s annual Hoosiers Outrun Cancer event – joining with teams throughout the city in raising over $350,000 to help our Bloomington families, neighbors, and friends in the fight against cancer.

Take a few minutes now to browse through photos from the event and salute our team: The Red Scrubs Runners!

Please join us in welcoming Peyton Scott as our new Project Management Coordinator!

Peyton’s event planning journey began when she was about 9 years old and planned a Harry Potter themed birthday party. Every detail was considered, even her own Diagon Alley!

That love turned into a professional career.

Peyton went to Ball State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a concentration in Event Planning and Management. Interestingly, before changing careers, Peyton started at BSU as a nursing student!

In January 2022, she began her work with IU Catering as a Senior Sales Lead and Wedding Coordinator for the Indiana Memorial Union. Her work was featured in an IU Bloomington Today article.

Peyton loves jamming to Taylor Swift, playing Sims, and spending time with Linus (her cat). As a long time Swiftie, she loves to talk about Taylor and share stories with other fans.

Peyton is so excited to make her way back into Nursing and to meeting everyone at IUSON!

In Bloomington, Fiesta del Otoño marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month and our month-long celebration of the history, culture, and contributions of the Hispanic community to our city. Our nursing students were out in full force at the fiesta – conducting free blood pressure screenings and healthy lifestyle coaching!

A special 'thank you' to IUSON BL's Bethany Murray and Samantha Eads for organizing the event.

Our Bloomington nursing students were proud to take part in 2023’s inaugural FIRST THURSDAYS event on September 7th.

Now in its eight year, First Thursdays featured over 60 booths and offered an expansive showcase for IU Bloomington’s many schools and community partners. The festival is free and open to the public including students, faculty, staff, younger kids, older kids, four-legged friends, and friends & neighbors from all around the region.

Our IUSON booth offered free screenings for high blood sugar, dietary recommendations, one-on-one consultations with a faculty member (if requested), and a community arts project where participants were asked to paint a picture of their relationship with sugar!

There were long lines in front of our booth throughout the evening, and we look forward to taking part in other First Thursday events throughout the year! A special thank you to IUSON BL’s Samantha Eads and Britney Arce for organizing our participation in First Thursdays.

During this , we send a special THANK YOU out to all of the clinical nurse specialists at the Indiana University School of Nursing!

To Jonell Allen, Mary Allen, Lauren Black, Greg Carter, Adele Crouch, Kim Decker, Terry Doescher, Rebecca Bartlett Ellis, Jennifer Embree, Becky Good, Barb Haley, Wendy Trueblood Miller, Bethany Murray, Tonja Padgett, Jan Powers, Deanna Reising, Amy Shay, Susan Storey and Jane von Gaudecker – thanks to you for leading the next generation of clinical nurse specialists!

Attention, Bloomington neighbors & friends:
How sweet are you? Join us and find out!

This Thursday, September 7th from 5-8pm, our IU School of Nursing students will host a booth at Showalter Fountain during IU’s First Thursday festival.

Nursing students will be screening participants for high blood sugar, teaching about the history of dietary recommendations, and engaging the community in hands-on art.

We look forward to seeing you there!

And a special 'Thank You' to all of our nurses who are working today and watching over us as we rest on this Labor Day!

IUSON BL’s Assistant Director of Business Affairs Patti Holt will be leaving IUSON BL for a new opportunity at a well-established non-profit that supports private higher education throughout Indiana.

A self-professed “lifelong learner”, Patti was able to quickly master the intricacies of IUSON’s hiring and finance-related processes (including Chrome River!) Her strong work ethic helped guide us through a time of transition on the Bloomington campus, with many new hires. And her pleasant personality made her an absolute delight to work with.

Patti, thank you for being a part of our team. You will be sorely missed, and we wish you all the best!

MAKING WELLNESS OUR PRIORITY

The well-being of our faculty and staff is a top priority on the Bloomington campus.

IUSON BL began this academic year by hosting an August 14th Wellness Retreat for faculty and staff. Planning began over six months ago when Associate Dean Dr. Angela Opsahl applied for a Sigma grant to support our wellness initiative, then looped in Dr. Amy Wonder, Dr. Jennifer Embree, and Healthy IU’s Samantha Schaefer to help with planning.

Our Wellness Retreat’s early afternoon events included a review of Healthy IU’s self-care strategies and resources by Samantha Schaefer; a group Qigong Exercise conducted by nationally recognized Qigong expert, Dr. Pei-Shiun Chang; a group art session led by IUSON Dr. Meg Moorman; and group meditation and yoga sessions conducted by IUSON’s Chief Wellness Officer, Dr. Jennifer Embree.

The entire event offered a welcome break from the challenges of preparing for the new academic year, taught us all valuable self-care strategies, and is the first of what we hope are many such events.

To our juniors, seniors, parents, alumni, donors, and friends: Please join us in welcoming the 120 members of the Class of 2026!

Our ‘Question of the Day’ is: “How did you spend your summer vacation?”

This past May, IUSON BL junior Natalie Clare traveled to Sweden as part of a study abroad program offered by IU Southeast, visiting various sites – from the beautiful countryside to historic cities.

Natalie stayed in Jönköping, Sweden and, for the first week, studied at Jönköping University. “There, we dove into topics surrounding health care across the span a human life,” she says, “and compared the Swedish and American healthcare systems.”

Morning lecture was then followed by site visits, including a day care, hospital, and assisted living facility.

“Besides coursework,” she continues, “we travelled to Gränna and treated ourselves to authentic peppermint sticks. We also biked to Visingsö Island to see castle ruins. Other adventures included a day spent exploring how Swedish people lived in the past by going to the adventure museum and “poverty village” at Åsle Tå and medieval Läckö Castle. We rounded out our trip by visiting the country's capital of Stockholm and seeing the royal buildings, cobblestone streets, colorful alleyways, and a multitude of history.”

“This study abroad experience brought many memories and learning moments that I will keep for the rest of my life!” she says.

All work and no play? No way!

Our IUSON BL staff took a welcome mini-retreat outside the office yesterday that featured lunch from Qdoba, wellness sessions designed to hone our ability to work together as a team, and a summer’s day walk around the campus.

A special ‘thank you’ to Healthy IU’s Samantha Schaefer and Dr. Amy Wonder for their insights and to Roxanne Marotz who planned the event!

IUSON BL senior Demi Meredith is the winner of the IU Spring Excellence in Student Wellness award!

Demi currently works at Columbus Regional Hospital as a Patient Care Technician and, “based on the wonderful experiences I have had working on the medical surgical units”, hopes to one day work in intensive care. Demi is also a mentor for our Student Nurses Association, helping our underclassmen adjust to the nursing program. Away from the healthcare setting, Demi is passionate about intramural volleyball!

“I decided to become a nurse to impact patient care on an individual level through advocacy and empathy,” she says. “I have a profound interest in the clinical aspect of care, while understanding the importance of compassion. I am grateful that this scholarship allows me to spend more time towards becoming a better nurse: time that would have been spent working towards semester payments can now be spent preparing for my future and enjoying the present.”

“Because of this award, I will have also more time to focus on my hobbies such as intramural volleyball and mentoring underclassmen in the SNA. And I will be able to continue learning Spanish through online programs to help care for patients who may not know English. Following graduation, I will repay this award by caring for others throughout my life and career. My gratitude for this award is inexpressible!"

Senior nursing student Pim Harrison is working in New York City this summer as a Nursing Intern.

Pim was walking back to her apartment from work and cut through a city park, when she encountered an unconscious man lying in the park. Pim noted he was barely breathing, suspected an overdose, and quickly administered the nasal Narcan she had in her pocket! She then called 911. The man regained consciousness before the EMTs arrived, who then took over his care.

During the semester, Pim’s clinical group was part of a joint project with the Indiana Recovery Alliance teaching naloxone administration and distributing naloxone in the community. “I was so glad to be able to apply the things that I learned this year to a real-life situation,” she said, “and potentially saved his life!”

Pim has given us permission to share her story. We are so proud of Pim - and all of our nursing students - who through their dedication to their studies and compassion continue to make a difference in the lives of others!

Congratulations to Dr. Greg Carter!

Greg has been accepted to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Diversity Leadership Institute

This is a five-month program where participants expand their knowledge and develop the personal and analytical skills needed to impact and implement change with DEI initiatives.

Greg's project, as part of the Institute, will be to develop an innovative approach to expanding DEI research capacity in the School of Nursing.

Our student-run Student Nurses’ Association (SNA) is an invaluable part of the IUSON BL experience. SNA offers student mentoring, networking opportunities, and fun events – all designed to help our students hone their professional skills, while developing lifelong friendships. Today, we salute our 2023 – 24 SNA officers!

Oops! We're coming in just under the wire when celebrating July's birthdays! Our one-and-only July birthday is for the one-and-only Bethany Murray. Happy Birthday, Bethany! We hope you celebrated all month long!!

Congratulations to IUSON BL May ’23 graduate Taran Tavares on presenting results from his senior Honors Program research at Sigma Theta Tau’s 34th International Nursing Research Congress in Abu Dhabi.

Looking at such factors as race, ethnicity, gender, type of insurance, and whether the patient lives in an urban or rural area, Taran and his School of Nursing faculty mentor, Dr. Greg Carter, looked at missed opportunities when prescribing life-saving, anti-viral medications that have significant health benefits when combating the HIV epidemic. Taran’s research covered all of Indiana, examined each area of the state, and made recommendations for improvement.