Raising the Bar in Nursing

The fast pace of medicine today requires peak performance by each member of the health care team. This is especially true of hospital-based
nurses, whose roles continue to expand to help manage increasingly complex patients.

To further ensure nursing excellence at Beacon Health System, nursing leadership at Elkhart General Hospital and Memorial Hospital committed in early 2014 to increase the number of nurses with Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing (BSN) to 80 percent by 2020. This goal reflects a recommendation by the Institute of Medicine as well as a recent study showing that doing so improves patient outcomes.

Terra Morauski, RN, NursingSupervisor, Elkhart General Hospital,and Kathy Corey, BSN, 8 SouthOrtho/Neuro at Memorial Hospital, are among the many Beacon nurses who have already earned a BSN or who are currently pursuing the degree. Terra, who began her nursing career in 2006 after earning an Associate of Science degree in Nursing, hopes to finish her BSN degree by March through Western Governors University.

“I feel honored to be part of a stranger’s life in such an intimate way,” explains Terra. “From first breaths to last breaths, I’ve held the
hands of patients who touched my heart. It is this yearning to learn that prompted my desire to complete my BSN degree.”

Terra credits the help of a scholarship through the Elkhart General Hospital Foundation for making it possible for her to return to school. The Foundation Board supports Elkhart General’s strategic decision to encourage completion of BSN degrees and, therefore, has invested more than $400,000 in tuition reimbursement and education for nurses since 2010.

Kathy’s path in health care began 22 years ago when she worked as a medical record technician and performed medical coding and billing.
Over time, she obtained her licensed practical nurse degree (LPN) and then her Associate of Science degree in Nursing (ASN). In May, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Goshen College with her BSN degree. Now, she’s looking forward to pursuing a master’s degree.

“The nursing field is so diversified – there are so many options for career paths, whether it is direct patient care, education, prevention, technology, research or management,” says Kathy. While she acknowledges that it can be difficult to go back to school, she says she feels inspired by other nurses who are enrolled in a master’s program.

“Health care is always changing and we have to be willing to advance ourselves as well, whether it’s by advancing our degrees or certifications,” Kathy says.

For more information about nursing degree opportunities, contact:

Elkhart General Hospital
• Karra Heggen, MSN, RN, Vice President of Nursing, 574.523.3434

Memorial Hospital
• Bev Teegarden, RN, BSN, Vice President of Clinical Services & Chief Nursing Officer, 574.647.7588
• Diane Dudek Parmelee, MSN, RN, Director, Educational Services, 574.647.7179

Financial Aid Information
Financial help is available for eligible associates seeking to further their education:

• Associates at Elkhart General Hospital who are interested in scholarship opportunities through the Elkhart General Hospital Foundation may contact Karyn Batdorf at 574-296-6591 or at kbatdorf@beaconhealthsystem.org.
• Memorial Hospital associates seeking information about scholarships through Memorial Health Foundation can find information on the Memorial intranet. Go to: Employee > Human Resources > Benefits > Tuition Reimbursement/Scholarships. Or, contact Patty Tomaszewski at 574-647-7901 or at ptomaszewski@beaconhealthsystem.org.
• Tuition reimbursement information for all Beacon Health System associates is also located at the above intranet path.