Student Organizations

Chair: Joe Jones, joejon@live.unc.edu
Vice Chair: Jeb Brandt, stujames@email.unc.edu
Treasurer: Sarah Best, bests@email.unc.edu
Secretary: Sarah Clark, sclark19@live.unc.edu
Service Chair: Skylar McLean, skymc@email.unc.edu
Fundraising Chair: Maddy Wittenborn, maddy01@live.unc.edu
Mentorship Chair: Elena Heath, elenah@live.unc.edu
Social Chair: Summer Kelly, sinezk@email.unc.edu
PR & Marketing Chair: Angel Uy, kangel@email.unc.edu
ABSN Cohort Rep: Emma Brown, emmab070@live.unc.edu
ABSN Cohort Rep: Adam Edmonds, adamgr@live.unc.edu 

Bulletin Board – The Council Bulletin Board can be found in the main lobby of Carrington Hall. The board contains information regarding upcoming events, dates for Council meetings and socials, scrub donation instructions and other related activities. If you think you have something that should be added to the bulletin board contact a member of the Council.

Dr. Beverly Foster Grant for Student Support – Need based grants are available each fall and spring semesters to deserving UNC SON students.  The Council solicits applications via email and recipients are selected following confidential review by a faculty committee. As many grants as possible are provided in the amount of $100.

• USGC Grant for Student Support Application

Feedback Box – The Council is sponsoring a feedback box on the ground floor of Carrington Hall outside Room 9. Each month a new prompt will be posted to promote engagement but all comments and feedback are welcome. Feedback is collected regularly for review with administration and faculty.

Fundraising – All proceeds from events, sale of Council sponsored SON clothing, name badges, CPR classes and other offerings are used to fund Council initiatives. Among those activities supported through these efforts are: student grants, social events, mentor/mentee program and lunch and learn sessions.

Get Hired! Series – The goal of the series is to provide resources, tools, and strategies for landing your first nursing job and supporting your professional nursing career. The series is open to any undergraduate student within the School of Nursing. The Undergraduate Student Governance Council has partnered with University Career Services, the School of Nursing, and the School of Nursing Alumni Association to create a new series including an Employment Workshop, SON Career Fair, and Student & Alumni Mixer.

Lunch ‘N Learn Series – In 2013, the Council launched a monthly Lunch ‘N Learn series focusing on advanced practice nursing. Each month, a panel of practicing professionals discusses the role of specific advanced practice nurses. The goal of these educational and interactive presentations is to provide nursing students with a place to grow their understanding of the broad spectrum of specialties in nursing practice.

Scrub Donation Program – The Council recognizes the costs of a nursing education which prompted the creation of the Scrub Donation Program. At the end of each student’s program they have embroidered SON specific scrubs that are no longer needed. Upon graduation, seniors are asked to donate their scrubs so that we can distribute to current students. In late April the Council will survey all BSN students to assess need and interest in scrubs. The Council will distribute donated scrubs based on financial need and seniority within the SON. This program is helpful to those entering the program as well as current students that may need additional scrubs for clinical assignments. In recent distributions, each student who requested scrubs received at least one scrub item.

Social Events – Every semester the Council hosts social events that are open to all SON students. Some examples include end of semester inter-disciplinary mixers with the UNC Medical, Pharmacy, and Dental Schools.

SON Administrative Meetings – The Council is invited to have members represent the UG student body at three important meetings of the School’s leadership each academic year. The meetings are:

• Baccalaureate Executive Council (BEC): a group of UG faculty who meet monthly to set and revise academic policies and the UG curriculum.
• Program Director meetings each semester with interim program director Dr. Julie Page regarding matters specific to the UG program and student experience.
• Dean’s Student Advisory Council: a student group comprised of representatives from all degree programs who meet once per semester with Dean Valerie Howard, Associate Dean Louise Fleming and Asst. Dean Kathy Moore to address issues and ideas impacting all students in the School.

Each entity provides a venue for students to share what is going well, what ideas they have for change, as well as their concerns for needed change.

Student Mentor Program – The Student Mentor Program is a student-focused mentor relationship that is tailored to meet individual student needs. Incoming students are paired with currently enrolled students who have volunteered to serve as a mentor. The mentor-mentee relationship is especially helpful as incoming students acclimate during their first semester.

Student Appreciation Exam Breaks – Working with OSA, food and beverages are provided during the final exam period to show our support and help reduce test anxiety and stress.

Documents and videos related to Undergraduate Student Governance Council activities are posted below.

• Culture, Climate, and Organizations by Dr. Meg Zomorodi
• Professional Comportment: From Application to Offer – Jennifer T. Alderman
• The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health – Full Report
• The Future of Nursing – Info Graphic
• Caring for LGBTQI Patients and Families [PDF]
  • Healthy People 2020 – LGBT Goals
  • The Joint Commission –Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient-and Family-Centered Care for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT)
  • IOM – The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding
  • Compassionately Caring for LGBT Persons in Your Faith Community
  • Health and Access to Care and Coverage for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Individuals in the U.S.
  • Center for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Center of Excellence for Transgender Health University of California, San Francisco
  • Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
  • Fenway Health Institute
  • National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
  • UCSF: University of California, San Francisco
• Forensic Nursing
• Advanced Practice Nursing: Health Care Systems
• Acute Care and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioners
• Women’s Health Panel
• Travel Nursing

ANS is the student nurse’s professional organization as the American Nurses’ Association is the graduate’s professional organization. ANS operates on a local, regional, state and national level. On the local and region level, programs are provided during the year on various subjects of interest to the student nurse. There are opportunities to participate in community health projects that provide a service to the community, as well as a chance for nursing students to utilize and gain knowledge and skills. In addition, ANS encourages student nurses to become involved in legislative activities concerning health care, nursing education and nursing practice. On the state and national levels, annual conventions are held to promote the development of the student nurse as a health professional. Programs are provided that represent fundamental and current professional interests and concerns.

The School of Nursing holds graduation ceremonies in May for baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degree nursing students who have completed their academic programs. These students also may participate in the University’s general commencement activities. Only those students having completed all requirements for graduation are permitted to participate in the School of Nursing commencement ceremony.

Course management teams, used by some Course Coordinators, are dedicated to providing early and ongoing evaluation of course goals and learning needs and to facilitating communication between faculty and students. Each team consists of a group of student volunteers paired with a faculty member in a course. Goals of the course management team include: enhancing learning; fostering an environment in which students can work effectively together; facilitating the ability of all students to talk with faculty about ideas, problems and learning needs related to their course; improving student leadership skills; and establishing a permanent forum for dialogue between students and faculty. Students who have questions or would like more information about course management teams should contact Associate Dean Louise Fleming.

The Supersonics are a Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Interest Group that holds regular professional development events. You can contact pocus@unc.edu for more information, and follow on social media:

The Alpha Alpha Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau Inc., the International Honor Society in Nursing, was chartered at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Oct. 5, 1962. The Society recognizes scholarship, leadership, creativity and excellence in the nursing profession. Invitations to membership are extended to selected students in the Undergraduate and Graduate programs, faculty members and nurses in the community with a baccalaureate or higher degree based on academic performance and service to the profession. The Society conducts educational programs, sponsors research activities and awards exemplars of the mission in keeping with its purposes.

Nursing students join students from other health affairs schools to serve on the Student Health Action Coalition, an entity devoted to the improvement of healthcare and health education in Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. Faculty and students from the schools of Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Public Health, Physical Therapy, and Social Work volunteer at a community clinic that delivers efficient effective and care, emphasizing prevention, education and referral to the underserved community free-of-charge. The clinic is open one evening per week and provides students a chance to practice skills, learn in an interdisciplinary environment and gain personal satisfaction by helping the community.

Additionally, students operate Mobile SHAC, a program that provides home care and support for home-bound, under-served citizens. And they are involved in Health for Habitat in which students work with others in the community to constuct a Habitat house and SHAC Outreach which strives to offer health promotion programs in partnership with community agencies.

For more information about SHAC, see http://www.med.unc.edu/shac/. Nursing student volunteers must register for NURS 600 to particpate in SHAC.