Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations.
I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll.
In this episode, you'll hear part one of my conversation with Tina Abate,
Clinical Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Nursing Student
Internship Program in Stony Brook University's School of Nursing.
More links and information about today's conversation can be found on Digication's
Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Full episodes of Digication Scholars Conversations can be found on
YouTube or your favorite podcast app.
Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations.
I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll, and today I am so pleased to welcome Tina Abbate.
Tina is a clinical assistant professor and coordinator of the Nursing
Student Internship Program in Stony Brook University's School of Nursing.
Welcome, Tina.
Thank you for having me.
Absolutely.
So, Tina, I would love to start our conversation today just learning
a little bit about what brought you to Stony Brook University.
It's such a beautiful, unique area and institution, so I
would love for our listeners to learn a little bit about that.
Sure thing.
So, I was born and raised, um, on Long Island, and I started
my nursing career at Stony Brook University Hospital in Nicolls.
Um, then around 2006, I, uh, decided to go back to school, to graduate school.
So, I was, uh, lucky enough to be awarded a fellowship program
at Binghamton University.
So, Um...
I lived there from 2006 to 2015, so I graduated with my doctorate in 2015
and it was time to head back home.
So um, a position opened at Stony Brook University School of Nursing and I was
very honored to accept it and I've been there for eight years now and I love it
and I just see myself retiring from there.
It's just Just an amazing place to work.
Yeah.
It's a really special school.
I, I had the opportunity to visit the campus a few times and Oh my gosh, I still
remember this adorable little bed and breakfast that was close to an area where
you could walk by the water, although I'm sure there's a lot of areas where you can
walk by the water, but it was so gorgeous.
There are all these waterfall and I got to enjoy the sunset there, so I
have happy memories of my time visiting this school and I don't know if you
know this, but Digication's actually been, uh, working with SBU since 2007.
So, it's been a very long history, and, uh, you're our first guest from
Stony Brook University, so I'm very excited to, to have you on the podcast.
And, um, I was interested, you know, can you recall when your passion
for healthcare started to emerge?
Was there someone in your life or, um, maybe an experience that you
had that was an inspiration to you?
Yeah.
In high school, actually.
Okay.
I, I knew, I knew, I knew I wanted to do something where I was helping people.
I just wasn't sure where I was going to land.
Um, in that regard, but, um, I had originally wanted to be a
pediatrician, so our high school had a program where you could shadow a
doctor for the day, and, um, I spent the bulk of that day with a nurse.
And I said, wait a minute, um, this is what I want.
I want that, uh, interaction with patients, um, like nurses do.
And so I pursued my bachelor's degree from Binghamton, um, in Nursing, and it really
is a phenomenal career, a profession to be in because we have so many different
options, um, you don't even have to be at the bedside or working with patients.
There are so many roles, um, that you can have within the nursing profession.
It's just that dynamic.
So, you know, I feel very lucky that, um, I had that experience because it
really guided me to my present day.
Yeah.
And so tell us a little bit about your time in the Nicoll as well.
I'm sure that that was very special and what was it that kind of made you shift
and get more involved in, in teaching?
So, um, my goal was never really to teach.
When I pursued my doctorate, I, I got into the BS to PhD program
and, um, my, my research was very, uh, neonatal ICU, um, focused.
I did my dissertation on, on gastroschisis, um, so I was
heading down more of a, a clinical research type of background.
Um, but then, uh, in 2007, I was asked, uh, to teach a clinical group to bring
a group of students to the Nicolls and, um, you know, being a graduate
student, it was financially difficult at the time and they were offering me
wages and I said, okay, absolutely.
So I brought students to the Nicoll and, um, just something came over me.
It was just as if I had met my professional soulmate.
Like, it was like that deep, like, I said, What's happening here?
Like, I, it It was a complete departure from what my goals
were because I was also thinking hospital administration and things.
So I continued to ask for teaching assignments.
And I just, uh, I fell in head over heels and it's really just, it's become
part of my core being at this point.
So and I've been teaching now for 16 years.
Wow.
Yeah.
Wow.
So we have, um, uh, an interesting connection, uh,
that I wasn't expecting today.
One of the children that I adopted was actually born with gastroschisis.
And I'm not even probably pronouncing it correctly.
It's a big work.
Wow.
Yeah.
But, um, he was in the Nicoll, um, for almost two months.
Um, I did not, I hadn't met him yet at the time, but learning about
that, it's just incredible what modern medicine can handle, really.
And what babies can handle too because Right.
They, they, they are my goalies.
Resilient.
Yeah.
beings ever.
And yeah, I just have the most love and respect for babies, uh,
that will always be part of me.
Um, so that's incredible what they endure, but still persevere.
Yeah.
I mean, they are, I mean, they arise here, made to.
Survive, really.
I mean, it is definitely just built in.
They require a lot of care and attention, but they are still,
yeah, lighty, lighty little being.
It's more about light.
I hope he's okay.
Yes, he's wonderful.
I'm glad.
Yes, yes.
Thank you for asking.
Yeah, he's doing great.
Um, so circling back to, uh, The School of Nursing and Digication,
so do you know when the School of Nursing started using Digication?
Were you a part of that or was it something that was already
integrated when you joined?
At least in the undergraduate program, um, I had introduced it, I would
say about 2018 or so, um, as part of the leadership and management
courses in the undergraduate program.
Um, so I would say about 2018.
Okay, great.
Yeah.
And I know more about what you were doing, you know, a little bit, not, I'll know
more in a few minutes, but I know more about what you were doing within the, um,
kind of student internship program, but I would love to hear if, you know, if you're
still utilizing ePortfolios and other kinds of courses and experiences as well.
Um, so it sounds like you may have been one of the early users of ePortfolio
technology within the School of Nursing.
And was it that management course that was where it began?
Correct!
Okay.
And did it have any kind of, um, connections to
accreditation or assessment?
Because I know, in some other healthcare related fields, that's sometimes how
this kind of technology gets, um, gets incorporated into the curriculum.
Um, and other times it's more focused on providing a space for
the students to really tell their story about their experiences.
So I was kind of curious how it might have Um, maybe first started and if there's
been any kind of evolution since it began.
Absolutely.
Um, it had just started really with them, uh, developing a resume because
we have student learning objectives that in this course, um, and the
formal term is, uh, transitions into baccalaureate nursing practice.
Okay.
Um, I just call it leadership and management for short, but it's basically
bridging that journey between student and baccalaureate prepared nurse.
Um, so the course focuses, um, in part on developing your career, putting your best
foot forward, and we have starting student learning outcomes that pertain to that.
So it started with a resume and then I decided to take it a step
further with our RN to BS students.
Now these are students that have their two year RN degree and they're pursuing
their four year baccalaureate degree.
So in the course, not only do they develop their resume, but they
also develop this e portfolio.
As part of the course and part of their course grade.
Nice.
So as they're coming in, you know, at these different kinds of levels in their,
um, kind of education and professional pursuits, how, how are you introducing
them to this type of technology and maybe how it may differ from other kinds of.
tools that they're using either at school or when they're in the field.
So, um, I ha...
We have them get into the education program sooner than later, even though
the, uh, assignment is due at the end.
And we provide them a lot of guidance, um, and we have, uh, a very prescriptive,
prescriptive rubric that details what they should be including in this ePortfolio
so that they can start collecting their materials and, um, they, part of their,
the points earned are also visual appeal.
Because you can have just a straightforward, um, ePortfolio,
which is fine, but to have a little bit more visual appear and flair
to it, I think is very helpful.
So that's, you know, they want to earn the top-tier points for each category
that includes some sort of visual appeal.
It doesn't have to be anything crazy, but, um, you know, something just to make it
a bit more appealing as you look at it.
Um, so they also get, um, resources on how to access, uh, you know, Bring
them to the tutorials that you provide.
Um, I also have some screenshots of my own and then of course I can
reach out to Digication or myself for any, um, you know, it takes a
little, this definitely a learning curve with any platform that you use.
So, um, once they get the hang of it, then, then they're fine.
Oh, good.
Glad to hear that.
And I know.
As we've been developing Digication over time, we really have had a focus
on making it something that can be personalized and, um, you know, giving
students the opportunity to present who they are, not just, um, you know,
um, using it as a file repository and I know in especially sometimes in more
healthcare oriented disciplines or any kind of professional practice programs
they're often required to share you know their experience and certifications
professional development opportunities but very often other platforms are very
kind of form-oriented and very strict in how that information is presented.
So do you feel like the students enjoyed the opportunity to do something that
wasn't so form-oriented, even if there was a little bit of a learning curve.
Did they find that that was valuable to them?
Yeah, I think so because it, Digication, uh, definitely is flexible
and gives you that levity to develop something that can represent you.
Um, so I have seen some really, I've graded some very amazing,
beautiful, it's almost like artwork.
You know, some of these, uh, students really just go that
extra mile to create these, uh, I would say ePortfolio art, I guess.
And you really can really, um, understand and get to know the student
just by taking a journey through their ePortfolio and, you know,
career development is so important.
Uh, in this course, they go through a mock interview, um,
with someone that they don't know.
And, um, Actually, our mock interviewers are a master of leadership and
education students, so they need experience in interviewing, and, um,
the students as well, to get really, uh, immersed and get some practice
in nursing profession-oriented interviewing questions.
So the master's students interview the RN students, the undergraduate
students, uh, for a fictitious job and they can choose either a med surg.
position, uh, a leadership position or applying to graduate school.
So the interview can have one of those three foci.
I okay And then the students then go off and meet with the Career Center one on
one and they get their resume tweaked by them because they're, you know, really
the experts in resume development.
And, um, you know, the final part of it is to put all of this
together into an ePortfolio.
They need something that will set them apart from the, you know,
fellow candidates for a job that they're pursuing or graduate school.
So I think, um, It's more of a holistic type of approach.
Excellent.
Yeah.
And as they're building this out, um, you know, you mentioned that the process
started with, with the resume and then it sounds like it's evolved to include.
Other kinds of content that they've created, maybe as part of your class, but
also other classes that they've taken.
Could you describe a little bit about what kinds of things that they're including
within those ePortfolio pages now?
Um, maybe in addition to the, the resume?
So definitely the resume.
They have a welcome page where they introduce themselves.
We encourage them to include a photo and just give a brief description about
themselves and their, um, work history.
They can record it, get audio or they can, you know, Do both narratives and
audio if they, they wish, um, they put in their nursing philosophy, which
is constructed in a previous course.
So they take their nursing philosophy and they present it as one of
their first tabs in the ePortfolio.
They also put in, um, their goals.
Where do they see themselves?
That's such a typical interview question, right?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
So, that's housed in the ePortfolio and, um, any certifications, professional
development, things like that.
And the last thing that they, um, include is they do a poster presentation
in, um, the sibling course that we have for leadership and management.
So, they put their professional poster in there as well, where
they do like a hypothetical.
Um, EPP project that's leadership oriented.
So they have, you know, a nice display, a professional display
of one of their um, projects.
It's so much better than uploading a paper, you know.
So this is just uh, a really great thing to include in there.
So that's what they um, have in their ePortfolio.
Nice.
So are they doing any kind of um, I know, you know, as part of your roles, you're
coordinating the, um, the internship program with the nursing students.
Are they pulling in any kind of reflections or, um, maybe
materials about that kind of internship experience as well?
I know they're not sharing, you know, specifics about the, the patients and
things, but are they able to share?
Elements of what that kind of experience was like for them in their ePortfolio.
Not at this point, but that is definitely something to consider.
So right now I have this assignment with our RN.
These are post licensure students.
This spring I'm bringing in, I will be bringing in ePortfolios
to the pre licensure students.
Nice.
So, and in the internship I have pre licensure students.
So they, these pre licensure students, take transition into professional practice
as part of their last semester, just like the RN students, um, and what I
see with that is, um, on their resume, putting a QR code to their ePortfolio,
just like I recommend to the RN students.
Yeah, um, and they can, you know, link out so that when they're
uploading their resumes and things, um, for their job applications,
that QR code will be right there.
Yeah.
So, um, adding reflections, I think, is a, is a great idea.
to have a tab like reflect reflections of student nursing
or something to that effect.
Yeah, we've had some other programs that have had a lot of success in using that
as a plate because so often when they go You know, before they've had these kind of
field experiences or even, you know, maybe having an experience with even a group
of other nurses, you know, there's things that are being learned every day, right?
Yeah.
And having that space for them to, uh, Um, you know, not just, you know, kind
of document the day to day, but you know, there's these incredible kind of
light bulb moments that happen in those kinds of experiences and it can be a
beautiful place for that to be recorded.
And I know sometimes they keep that area private.
And may, um, you know, make decisions about how they might like to craft
that to be shared with external audiences later as part of that
more career oriented portfolio.
And, um, so if that's something you're interested in pursuing, I'd
love to show you other examples.
So that you might get some ideas about how to do that with your,
um, nursing students as well.
I think they'd really love that.
They'd enjoy it.
And you'll probably love reading them.
I love hearing those types of, um, stories from students and it really
connects them to the profession even more.
Yes.
Yeah, yeah.
Um, and in terms of the kind of, uh, interviewing process, if they've gone
through kind of crafting that narrative, even if they're not showing that exact
page to the person interviewing, it'll be kind of at the top of their resume.
mind and describing, you know, experiences that they've had in the field too.
So we, we can chat more about that after.
That sounds good.
I love to see them used in any kind of field experience, internships.
Um, I just think they're such a great asset.
Um, but I was curious, so when you started, you know, using this with the
students, and maybe it's something that you kind of communicate to them now,
um, you know, from your perspective, what kind of value do you feel like
The e portfolios give the students and then what kind of value maybe does it
provide to the School of Nursing at maybe, you know, during the time that
you're actually working with the students and maybe even beyond that because
they do have access as alumni as well.
Yeah, which is very important.
So That they continue having this access beyond their graduation date.
Right.
Well, like I said, career development is so important for so many reasons,
but at the core, for me personally, how I feel about career development is
I want them to land their dream job.
I want them to be offered their dream job and their backup jobs.
Um, but I, if they are interested in.
The ER or another specialty area.
Those areas tend to be very competitive and, you know, they're all
graduating roughly at the same time.
So there's competition for these fellowship programs.
And, um, so I feel that they can land their dream job that they have been
working towards for their entire program.
Then they're more likely to stay and that could possibly impact
Turner, you know, turnover.
Retention.
So let's put them in a position in the best position possible to
nail that job that they really have wanted to pursue from day one.
So that maybe that they'll stay.
Right, right.
Because we do, we see our, our, uh, turnover rate since
the pandemic has increased.
So we need to do some work pre pandemic, but definitely now post pandemic, um,
in trying to curtail that turnover rate.
Because it does cost an institution a lot of money to train
individuals and things like that.
So, you know, if they don't get that dream job and they have to take their backup
job, there's going to be a turnover there.
You can almost guarantee it, um, in these days.
So, yeah, yeah.
That's where I really feel career development and giving them a
rounded opportunity to present themselves is so important.
Yeah.
And I was curious too, if they're ever approached as, um, you know, almost as
advocacy tools for, for nursing and the field, um, because they do, I think...
provide information about, you know, what is at the heart of that individual and
why they are pursuing that as a career, you know, as you were mentioning, you
know, it kind of became part of your core.
And your journey, you know, it wasn't a straight path to, to where
you are now, but you wouldn't be where you are now without having
had those prior experiences.
So you know, I was curious if the students are, are sharing their
ePortfolios, um, with other students as they're going through the program,
if they're sharing them with...
other, um, professors that they're working with.
Do they get shared with any kind of site supervisors that they might have?
What is, what is that process like?
Well, they have the opportunity to share their ePortfolios in
any manner that they choose.
Um, but you know, I.
A resume only tells you the professional aspect, the e portfolio pads, that
information with the personal aspect, and we have many students that enter
the profession because they had a history of some sort of cancer or
some sort of disease process that put them in the care of nursing.
And that's why.
They became a nurse or a family member or, you know, these stories
are just incredible to hear.
And, you know, I hear them anecdotally, but to have them, you
know, housed if they're comfortable with it in an ePortfolio that says,
this is why I'm pursuing nursing.
And I want to advocate for the psychiatric patient.
I want to advocate for the pediatric oncology patient.
You know, the ePortfolio is the perfect place.
You can't really express that.
On a resume.
So it just takes that resume to the next level by giving, you
know, the person who's reading it some insight into this person.
Yeah.
So, you know, how they choose to share it though is, you
know, based on an individual.
We don't have any strict requirements on that.
Um, they don't do peer review.
I mean, just ePortfolio.
Um, but that is certain, certainly something, um, I would consider for
the pre licensure students, right?
Yeah.
And maybe a part of that internship experience.
Yes.
Yeah.
Uh, do you know, you know, as part of, um, the process, if they are choosing to
share them out, uh, maybe with potential employers, you mentioned that You give
them advice on including the QR code.
Um, have you heard back from any students about, you know, if they heard from a
potential employer that they looked at their portfolio, or if there was something
about the process of putting the portfolio together that may have helped them when
they got into that interview stage?
Not, not specifically ePortfolio oriented.
Um, I do get, um, emails and correspondence from students after they
graduated saying I, I got the job that I wanted, um, you know, and they'll offer
their gratitude for the course and all the career development that we've done.
And that just, that feels so good, you know, that I've got the job that they,
they want because you know, when we look at turnover, um, and retention, all
of that trickles down to the patient.
Yeah, so having a facility with low turnover and I'm not saying
ePortfolios is the cure for tur...
turnover or retention.
Oh, alright, yeah., but you know, it could be part of how we can
keep, um Employees in one place.
Yeah, you know for longer, um It's just a thought.
Yeah.
Yeah and finding that position that is You know, a good fit for them
where they are at that point, right?
Um, and it may keep expanding from there, but for, yeah, for them to be able to
get their dream job, as you mentioned, uh, right when they graduate is, is huge.