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Alumni Profile
Anyone familiar with Southern Vermont College knows that the Mission Statement begins with a deep belief in the potential of every individual. Overcoming adversity and accomplishing goals that may seem unattainable are the very cornerstones of this philosophy, and many of our graduates prove the validity of that message through their post-college accomplishments. Bonnie Urquhart, Class of 2001, commenced on a difficult journey when she chose to return to college. A single mother of two, working as a paramedic and EMT, Bonnie's true aspiration was to become a nurse midwife. Childcare constraints delayed her return, but as soon as her children were both of school age, Bonnie began taking classes-one per semester-at a local community college. An instructor at that college recognized Bonnie's potential and determination and encouraged her to transfer to a nursing program. Her search eventually led Bonnie to Southern Vermont College, and, in 1997, she was accepted into the College's Nursing program. What made Southern Vermont College stand above the other colleges Bonnie considered was primarily the fact that our Nursing graduates had the highest pass rate for Board Exams in the state. In addition, the size of the campus, the interest the Admissions staff showed in her personally-even helping her to find local living accommodations, and the financial aid package all contributed to her decision to leave her job of many years and move her family to Bennington. She was also drawn to the holistic focus of the nursing program. "It was a scary time for me, but I felt like I belonged in Bennington right away. I took a job at Kimberly Stables leading trail rides and designing their Web site. I bought an abused horse I had fallen in love with (despite my less-than desirable financial situation), and started my new life." Bonnie's long list of accomplishments since her graduation in 2001 is testament to her ambitious personality and work ethic. When asked if Southern Vermont College contributed to her current achievements, Bonnie enthusiastically replied, "Absolutely-in more ways than even I am aware. I had a social anxiety thing and little self-confidence (before attending SVC). A nurse has to be able to talk to anyone, anytime, about anything. Group projects and the support of the Nursing faculty helped to bring me out. My confidence soared-I felt I could accomplish anything if I put my mind to it. Southern Vermont College definitely reinforced that. I received an education I could not have at a large university. The atmosphere truly respected my individuality; was small enough for the professors to know me-to know my needs. I tend to be a little off-beat. I was, for example, able to sit on the floor sketching horses while listening to a lecture. That is how I learn best, and the faculty tolerated it. It made a difference." Bonnie has encountered some memorable moments since undertaking her profession. As part of her clinical at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her MSN in 2002, she worked overseeing homebirths in an Amish community. Unlike the spectators who visit Lancaster County, Bonnie spent time in the homes of the Amish and was treated like family. She recalls delivering babies by gas lamplight to be a "very cool experience." She has delivered almost 200 babies in less than three years, and has worked with many high-risk, low-income, inner-city clients, to whom her current employer, Lake Erie Women's Center (www.lewc.org), is primarily dedicated. In addition to her busy midwifery practice, Bonnie has been working on the completion of her second book, Essentials of Prehospital Maternity Care, an obstetrics and gynecology textbook for emergency medical professionals to be published by Prentice Hall in 2005. Her first book, Hoofprints in the Sand: Wild Horses of the Atlantic Coast boasts Bonnie's own color photos, drawings, and text. Her Web site, www.feralhorse.com, serves as a companion to the hardcover book and displays many of the photos and drawings found in the book. Bonnie's resume is too extensive to include all of her current and past work experiences, honors and awards, but can be viewed below. Also worth looking at is Bonnie's Valedictory speech which she gave at Southern Vermont College in 2001. The speech focuses on holism and how the College looks at each student as an individual. Bonnie was married in August of 2004 to Alex Gruenberg. The couple met through an Internet match site and corresponded for several months before finally meeting when Alex offered to help Bonnie move to her new home in Pennsylvania. "Sparks flew," and they began a weekly two-hour commute. Currently he lives in Selinsgrove, PA, and she in Erie, PA, so that commute has stretched to five hours each way every weekend as they cope with a long-distance marriage. That should soon end, however, as Alex has agreed to give up his position as a high school and college professor-a position he has held for twenty-five years-to find a new teaching opportunity that would bring him closer to his wife. Bonnie's two sons have grown, and the eldest, Mark, now 21, is currently serving in the Air Force in England. Keith, who is planning to move back to the Bennington area to attend Southern Vermont College's Criminal Justice program, is nineteen, and lives across the state from Bonnie in Palmyra, PA. In addition to family, Bonnie's hobbies are photography, writing, horseback riding (English and Dressage), art, and Web design. You can contact Bonnie through her Web sites: www.themidwifesite.com and www.feralhorse.com; view her resume and read her Valedictory Speech below.
Valedictory Speech During the years I worked as a paramedic, I chafed under a health-care system that sees patients as collections of symptoms and illnesses rather than as complex, multidimensional individuals. Urban medics move so fast from crisis to crisis, they by necessity prune health care to its basics-rapid assessment, treatment, and transport. I attended SVC's nursing program largely because its philosophy of holism resonated with my own philosophies of health and wellness, and because nursing would give me the opportunity to honor each patient with individualized, compassionate care. Holistic nursing recognizes each person as a multidimensional whole, a whole much greater than the sum of its parts. A person can no more beneficially be separated into symptoms, organs, and characteristics than a painting can be separated into brush strokes. Viewed at close range, every stroke seems meaningless, unrelated to those around it. But if one steps back and beholds the entire complex work of art, it becomes meaningful, infused with inspiration and passion, capturing not only a scene, but also idea, emotion, time, and mood. We cannot achieve optimal outcomes when we separate an integrated body, mind, and soul into components. The patient with chest pain needs someone to read his eyes as well as his cardiac monitor. When we take an opportunity to connect with others at a deep and meaningful level, not only do we enhance health and wellbeing; we also tap a wellspring of healing energy that is the very essence of nursing. Often this interaction cultivates healing, growth, and transcendence in the nurse as well. I attended this college to learn holistic nursing. I expected to gain skills and master information that would allow me to improve the lives of my patients. To my pleasant surprise, I discovered that education itself is holistic, stimulating my growth in every dimension and pointing me towards self-actualization. Students are not academic machines, but individuals with unique circumstances. Academic stress can wreak havoc with a student's equilibrium, causing illness, anxiety, fatigue, and despair, which can reciprocally impede academic progress. Extracurricular stress can drain a student of the creativity and energy necessary to execute a class project. Sleep, exercise, and nutrition can make most stressors more bearable. A good educational system holistically nourishes all dimensions of the individual: body, mind, emotion, and spirit, and seeks to maintain that healthful balance. SVC understands that each individual is unique and that learning styles vary markedly. I found that I retain more from lectures when my hands are busy drawing. During the rigorous first two years of my training, my notebook became choked with artwork. Eventually, I was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the Everett room with a sketchpad in my lap, drawing horses while listening to discussions of cardiology and cancer. Very few teachers would be comfortable with this behavior, but mine were willing to let me pursue the learning strategy that worked best for me. That's holistic thinking. The BSN program is made up largely of non-traditional students who are working, parenting, and juggling many other responsibilities. Each nursing course demands between 60 and 120 hours of clinical work in addition to classroom hours, term papers, and exams. Our program accommodates our hectic lifestyles by allowing us to arrange clinical placement in the settings that we find most meaningful, within a time frame that fits our schedules. For example, I put my academic gleanings to practical use with rural nurse midwives in Arizona, New Mexico, and Kentucky. Our professors developed our critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, often nudging us outside our comfort zones to encourage growth and expansion. For me, one such stretch was learning how to work with groups. Nursing Professor Barbara Waite is especially fond of assigning group projects, and I was very uncomfortable with them until the intended realization dawned: Many minds really can solve problems more effectively than one. I also learned that like me, every student here is a collection of strengths and weaknesses, hopes and fears, vices and virtues. This was a tough program, but we benefited unknowably much from being held to such exacting standards. SVC redefined our possibilities and gave us confidence in our ability to achieve almost anything if we are willing to work hard enough. Here we learned to choose our goals carefully, then commit ourselves to excellence in achieving them. Here we learned to accept one another as whole people, and so became more fully integrated ourselves. In the tradition of our mentors, we go forth to serve humanity in its wholeness; to care, to heal, to teach, and perhaps even make systemic improvements that will better the lives of others for generations to come. As a paramedic and as a nurse, I have continually encountered sudden and untimely death. Nobody is promised a tomorrow, and so it becomes essential to fill our lives today with the things that really matter. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote: "It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth, and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, that we will begin to live each day to the fullest; as if it were the only one we had." Seeking to make a positive contribution not only improves the wellbeing of others, but also increases the meaning and satisfaction in our own lives. In closing, I would like to thank my friends and family for their unflagging support, encouragement, and love through every step of my academic adventure. I give special thanks to Laurie Forfa, Barbara Waite, and Holly Madison, the instructors who form the backbone of our nursing program. Without their knowledge, confidence, patience, encouragement, and expertise, my degree would be little more than a piece of paper. Treating me as a unique individual, they guided my hands and taught them to heal the whole person. Every patient I touch will benefit from their influence and wisdom. And so will I. That's holism. Resume
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA:MSN Nursing December 2002, GPA 3.84Nurse Midwifery and Obstetrics and Gynecology Nurse PractitionerSouthern Vermont College, Bennington, VT:BSN Nursing, May 2001 (summa cum laude, Valedictorian of Baccalaureate class)
ADN
Nursing May 1999 (summa cum laude) 3.99 GPA, Registered Nurse
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