Rebecca Wheeler, a senior nursing student at Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, was elected president of the National Student Nurses Association at the organization’s 53rd annual convention in Salt Lake City in April.

One of her first duties as president was to represent the 4,500 members of the NSNA at the International Council of Nurses convention in Taipei, Taiwan, in May.

Wheeler became interested in health care and nursing through her family; her mother is a nurse and her father and sister are physicians.

“As someone who enjoys challenges, I know I will never run out of avenues to explore and will always be able to expand my knowledge,” Wheeler said.

Last year, Wheeler was awarded the Georgia Association of Nursing Students Leadership Scholarship and she is GANS second vice president.

“Rebecca’s success shines on Emory and student nurses everywhere,” said Marla Salmon, RN, Sc.D., FAAN, dean of the nursing school. “We are extremely proud of her.”

WOMAN OF ACHIEVEMENT: Kay Scott was recognized as a 2005 inductee into the YWCA of Greater Atlanta’s Academy of Women Achievers at the YWCA’s annual luncheon in May. Scott was one on 10 women honored at the Salute to Women of Achievement event at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Scott is president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Georgia. A certified nurse practitioner with a nursing degree from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Oklahoma City, Scott is committed to women’s health issues and using her skills as a nurse to better her community.

“We all stand on a long continuum of how we impact communities and generations and the link with the YWCA is essential to moving the big agenda forward,” she said.

PROFESSOR HONORED: Annette Bairan, Ph.D., RN, CB, FNP, and a professor at the WellStar School of Nursing at Kennesaw State University, is the recipient of the 2005 Eva Tupman Nurse Researcher Award, given by the Georgia Association of Nursing Education. The award goes to a recipient who demonstrates a positive influence on nursing research in
Georgia.

VOLUNTEER AWARD: The Georgia Society of Directors of Volunteer Services has given the 2005 Volunteer Program Excellence Award to the WEE Can Ski program at the Medical College of Georgia Children’s Medical Center in Augusta.

To help children with medical and physical challenges participate in the WEE Can Ski program, volunteers have served as lifeguards, boat and jet ski operators and equipment assemblers for the past seven years. The free event treats children to a day of waterskiing, tubing, jet skiing and boat riding.

The GSDVS grants three awards annually to volunteer programs that benefit the community, patients or a hospital.

TRAINING AWARD: Training Magazine has named Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta one of the Top 100 Learning Organizations of 2005. This is the fourth consecutive year the hospital system has earned the distinction, and it is one of only three health care organizations to make the list.

“This award demonstrates Children’s commitment to providing each of our employees with a learning environment that encourages them to pursue new levels of excellence in serving Georgia’s children,” said Larry Mohl, vice president, chief learning officer at Children’s.

PASSING FANCY: Brenau University’s 2004 nursing program graduates achieved a pass rate of 95.65 on their NCLEX exam — the licensing exam for nursing administered by the National Council of StateBoards of Nursing.

Brenau’s pass rate is well above national pass rates for 2004 NCLEX takers, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing report, which showed 85.3 for all programs.

“This is pretty awesome,” said Perry Daughtry, clinical/admission coordinator of nursing. “And proof positive Brenau nursing faculty has created a culture of success in our corner of the university.”

HONORARY DEGREE: Sue T. Hegyvary, RN, Ph.D., FAAN, received an honorary doctor of science degree from Emory University in May. Hegyvary is a graduate of Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and a professor and dean emeritus of the University of Washington School of Nursing in Seattle, as well as editor of the Journal of Nursing Scholarship.

Throughout her career, Hegyvary has combined her clinical and teaching experience to advance the science of medical-surgical nursing through research and practice.
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