At a glance
As the need for more medical workers in New York State continues to grow due to the coronavirus, Alfred State College (ASC) Nursing Department faculty members are stepping up to answer the call of duty locally at area hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
As the need for more medical workers in New York State continues to grow due to the coronavirus, Alfred State College (ASC) Nursing Department faculty members are stepping up to answer the call of duty locally at area hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
While some faculty members are working at these locations for the first time, others are taking more shifts and working longer hours at facilities where they have already been providing care in addition to their teaching responsibilities. To help the nursing faculty, Alfred State has donated supplies, including personal protective equipment.
Department Co-Chair and Associate Professor Jessica Lippa noted that even though balancing online teaching, family life, and working at healthcare facilities has been a challenge, her faculty have done an excellent job of making it work.
“I am honored to work with this group of faculty members who have stepped up to support our communities in their time of need,” said Lippa, who is serving as a family nurse practitioner at St. James Hospital.
The following are some examples of ways ASC Nursing is helping out:
- Associate Professor and Department Co-Chair KathyAnn Sager is working as an assistant director of nursing at Corning Guthrie Hospital.
- Adjunct Instructor Taylor Craft is working as a registered nurse on the medical-surgical floor at Jones Memorial Hospital.
- Assistant Professor Marilyn Oggeri is currently serving as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department (ED) at Corning Guthrie Hospital.
- Adjunct Instructor Jean Gonska is working in the ED at Olean General Hospital.
- Assistant Professor Kimberly Howard is working in long-term care for The Pines Health Care and Rehabilitation Center of Cattaraugus County.
- Lecturer Jennifer Ross is primarily working at Jones Memorial but is also working per diem at St. James Hospital.
- Adjunct Instructor Hannah Tiffany is working at Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira.
- Assistant Professor Ruthanne Ashworth is working as a nurse practitioner at Jones Memorial.
Speaking about Alfred State Nursing faculty stepping up and doing their part to help, Lecturer Jennifer Ross said, “Our faculty are nurses first and foremost. Nursing is a calling and one that serves as the foundation of working in education, as we are passionate about helping students fulfill their dreams of becoming nurses. We all took the Florence Nightingale Pledge to ‘dedicate myself to devoted service to human welfare,’ and each graduating nursing class continues to take this pledge. What better way to teach students than to lead by example; to answer the call to serve in a time of crisis.”
Looking to the future of Alfred State Nursing, Lippa pointed out that spots are still available in ASC’s nursing programs for the fall 2020 semester, and that the college is even looking to increase enrollment in response to the current shortage of nurses. Additionally, Lippa said, the college will be seeking current nurses who are interested in applying to be clinical faculty.