Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing is pleased to offer two free lectures on topics surrounding neonatal infants on Thursday, March 21. These events will be held in the Alumni Center, 1101 N. Main St., Normal and are part of the Marion McDowell Stafford Lectureship Series in Child and Family Health.
Dr. Chris Wetzel will be the presenter of both sessions, one of which is approved for nurse continuing education (CE) hours.
Illinois State University Mennonite College of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission (ANCC) on Accreditation. This live activity is a maximum of 2.0 ANCC contact hours. To be awarded for the CE, learners must: attend the entire session; sign in on the registration sheet; and complete the required evaluation at the end of the session.
Saving Babies: The Evolving Practice of Neonatal Nursing is the educational lecture that will be held from 1-3 p.m. Registered nurses who attend are eligible for two ANCC contact hours. All are welcome, with those who work in maternal child health especially encouraged to attend, including college of nursing faculty and students.
Saving Babies: A View into the Life of a NICU Parent is the community lecture that will be presented from 6-7 p.m., with an opportunity for questions following the presentation. Refreshments will be served at a reception after the lecture.
Seating is limited and registration is required by March 15 for both events. Online registration is available at forms.IllinoisState.edu/forms/mcdowell_stafford_2024_lectureships.
These events are sponsored by the Marion McDowell Stafford Lectureship Series Fund. The series focuses on child and family health, which is one of Wetzel’s areas of expertise. Wetzel is an adjunct clinical instructor at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing’s Urbana campus.
A neonatal intensive care unit nurse at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Wetzel was named the 2021 National Magnet Nurse of the Year by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for her new knowledge, innovations, and improvements. She has been in the nursing field for 28 years and continues to practice bedside even after completing her doctorate.
Wetzel is a strong advocate for the importance of breast milk. She is also a scholar who has conducted research and developed practice standards to improve the care of newborns in NICUs across the country. She led the creation of the first evidence-based instrument to help NICU providers assess the risk of a potentially deadly abdominal infection in premature babies.
