RJWF is devoted to programs that incorporate racial, cultural and economic diversity. With its New Careers in Nursing scholarship program, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation looks forward to lessen the national nursing shortage. It plans to improve the diversity of nursing professionals by assisting hundreds of students to start on their nursing careers through accelerated education and financial assistance. RWJF New Career in Nursing scholarship holds a national essay contest where winners receive $10,000 scholarship money.

In their September contest, Mary Cockey, a student from Salisbury University, is one of the eight winners at SU of the “I Believe This about Nursing” national essay contest. Cockey said she did not expect to win the contest and grab the scholarship. Although the scholarship is a huge financial assistance, she simply wanted to share her experience honestly.

Her decision to pursue a career in nursing is a result of a life-changing experience their family had five year ago when her sister suffered from liver cancer, which developed to jaundice yellow before her sister slipped into a coma and died at the age of 24.

She will never forget the kindness and humility of her sister’s nurses. They gave her comfort and dignity, and showed compassion and empathy. She saw how these nurses treated their patients with utmost respect and care. Their actions influenced her to become a nurse.

Mary Cockey finished high school at James M. Bennett High School and earned her first degree in philosophy at St. John’s College. She is currently enrolled in a three-semester accelerated second-degree nursing program at Salisbury University. Although Cockey has not decided which area of nursing she will specialize, she definitely wants to be a compassionate and caring nurse.

Her essay is published on RJWF website, http://www.rwjf.org. Aside from the $10,000-prize, she was also rewarded with a gift bag.

The extensive research found that the high schools that were commonly in the top third of graduation rates had around 40% more certified arts teachers per student than the schools that were in the lower third.  In addition, those same schools with the higher graduation rates had 40% more physical spaces that were designed for the arts than the schools found in the bottom third.The numbers continue to show that the high schools in the top third of graduation rates had 40% more classrooms that were equipped with all the necessary items for the arts than those in the lower third.  In addition, the high schools that were consistently in the top third of graduation rates were engaging students by offering them the opportunity to attend theatre performances, museums, dances, or other arts related activities.

When you look at all these statistics, it becomes easy to see that the accessibility of arts instruction in the school has a direct correlation to higher graduation rates.  Many students who were asked why they continued to stay in school said they did so because they wanted to be involved in the arts program of their choice.  On the other hand, children who stopped attending school noted that none of their classroom instruction seemed relevant or was completely uninteresting to them.

The bottom line, according to the research by the New York City Department of Education, is that children consistently do better in an educational environment that offers arts programs or opportunities to get involved in the arts.  According to the research, educational institutions that invest in simply having one artistic outlet is enough to prompt most students not only to attend school regularly enough to graduate, but to do well enough to pass most, if not all their classes leading up to graduation.

Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics are the first people on the scene for immediate medical attention to events like accidents, gunshot wounds and heart attacks. They provide on site care, attempt to stabilize the patient and transport to a medical facility.

Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians usually work in concert with other 911 dispatched servicemen, like firefighters and policemen. When called, EMTs and paramedics are responsible for analyzing the situation and attempting to stabilize the patient. They do primary diagnostic work, determining the nature of the present condition and checking for any existing medical problems, then transport the injured party to a hospital, where emergency room doctors take over.

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The first master’s program in international art crime has recently opened in a small town in Umbria, Italy. Classes focus on international organized crime, art history, criminology, museum security, and forgery. The classes complement each other to form a three-month master’s program that is attempting to cater to a growing interest in the field. Thanks to news reports on looted art and art thieves in film (such as “Ocean’s Twelve”, which involves the theft of four important paintings), the profession is gaining an increasing amount of attention. Even police forces are getting involved by creating special art criminal justice squads to prevent art thievery. Even the F.B.I. has an Art Crime Team!

The master’s program is funded by the Association for Research Into Crimes Against Art, which works on art protection and recovery cases. Noah Charney, the director of the program, said that the time was ripe “for academic study to help inform future police enforcement.”

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Sponsored by STMH, St. Thomas More Health Foundation and the Daily Record, the free event originally was scheduled at the Abbey, but organizers moved it to Harrison School at 920 Field Ave.

“It’s not only for people with diabetes,” said Diane Wiersum, of STMH. “It’s for everyone who has a history in their family” or those who are seeking a healthier lifestyle.

The event kicks off with health screenings from 7 to 8 a.m. Individuals may take those results to their personal physicians.

During the symposium, several individuals will make presentations on various topics.

“Anyone who wants to make healthy lifestyle changes will find something beneficial at the symposium,” said Dawn McWilliams, nurse educator at STMH. “Because November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, it is an excellent opportunity to discuss the ways in which you may be at risk for developing this disease, but also opportunities to decrease those risks. It’s also a good opportunity to be proactive about your health in general.”

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Watch a video that describes the ANCC designation.