Greetings to all Kappa Theta members:
Upcoming Activities
Several opportunities to participate in Kappa Theta chapter activities are listed below. Please mark your calendars and engage with one or all these activities.
- Mark your calendar for 5 pm on May 18th and attend the Annual Meeting and Research Day. We are so excited to bring several scholarly programs.
- Mark your calendars for a service opportunity scheduled for July 10th, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at The Foundry located in Bowling Green. They will be hosting a “Fit and Fun” event to prepare children and their families for the upcoming school year. Several volunteers will be needed to assist with school vaccinations, measuring and recording height, weight, BMI and more. To volunteer please contact Kim Vickous at vickous@wku.edu.
Recent Happenings
Kappa Theta in collaboration with KNA REACH Chapter sponsoring a 1-hour continuing program, You Have Just Been Elected to a Health-Related Board-Now What? Dr. Matthew L. Hunt, Director of the Barren River Health District, shared practical information about best practices when serving on a health-related board. This educational program was attended by 23 nurses and 15 student nurses.
Spotlight on Leadership: Beverly C. Siegrist, RN, EdD
It is a pleasure to recognize Dr. Beverly Siegrist for her leadership role in nursing. Beverly earned her AS degree in nursing from WKU in 1973, a BSN from the Medical College of Georgia in 1975, a MS in community health from the Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA in 1980 and an EdD in educational leadership from the University of Louisville in 1999. During her tenure in nursing, Dr. Siegrist worked in many areas of nursing including acute care, public health, home health, parish nursing, and nursing education. Dr Siegrist retired from the School of Nursing at WKU in 2020 leaving a stellar record of achievement. She made a significant contribution to advance higher education in nursing at WKU by leading the development of the WKU MSN programs in the 1990s. More recently, she guided the graduate nursing programs and the creation of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), the second doctoral program at WKU.
Dr. Siegrist maintained a sustained scholarship program over her tenure at WKU, with numerous publications on nursing education issues, student issues, and community health nursing. She has also contributed regularly to editions of a respected textbook by Nies and McEwen (2001, 2007, and 2011). She is a NLN Certified Nurse Educator and held a Distinguished University Professorship at WKU. In terms of service to our profession, Beverly has maintained membership and active participation in the American Nurses Association, Kentucky Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society. She served in various leadership roles in the Kappa Theta Chapter of Sigma. Students, the university, and the nursing profession were enriched by Beverly’s presence!!!
Spotlight on Service: Kathy Baker, ARNP/CPNP
Kathy Baker is a charter member of Kappa Theta and this month is being recognized for her outstanding role of service in nursing. She began her nursing career at the age of 13 working in her father’s (Dr. Owen Davis) family practice office in her hometown of Scottsville, KY. At age 16, Kathy transitioned to a role of nurses’ aide working for three summers at the local hospital in Scottsville. Kathy earned her BSN at Spalding University in Louisville, KY in 1975. After working for 1 ½ years at Vanderbilt University Hospital on a surgical floor, Kathy moved to Bowling Green, KY and started her career as a community health nurse at the Bowling Green-Warren Co. Health Dept. She continued her education and graduated in 1980 from the PNP program at College of Mt. St. Joseph/Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. Kathy’s certifications are with ANCC and NAPNAP as Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care. After retiring from the health dept in 2000 working as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Kathy began working at Fairview Community Health Care clinic as an ARNP working primary care in pediatrics. She retired in 2019 finishing a 44-year career in professional nursing practice with 39 of those years as a pediatric nurse practitioner.
Kathy precepted numerous students from NP programs from WKU, Vanderbilt University, University of Louisville, Spalding University, University of Tennessee, and some students in online programs. The specialty clinics she managed were the Genetics Clinic and a Regional Child Development Clinic, both staffed with physicians from University of Louisville. These clinics were held monthly or every other month in Bowling Green. Kathy currently maintains her membership in Kappa Theta of Sigma, NAPNAP, and the KY Coalition of NP/Midwives. Please join me in extending a special “thanks” to Kathy for the numerous contributions she has made to improve the lives of those she served.
Spotlight on Research: Dr. Eve Main, DNP, APRN-FNP
Dr. Eve Main is a professor in the WKU School of Nursing and Allied Health graduate nursing program. She teaches Biostatistics, Program Evaluation, and Nursing Theory courses and serves as an advisor for Doctor of Nursing Practice projects. She received her AAS from Morehead State University, BSN from WKU, MSN from Spalding University and her DNP from the University of Kentucky. She maintains certification as a family nurse practitioner. She currently serves on the university IACUC committee and as education consultant for the Kentucky Lake Occupational Health Nurses. Eve’s research interests are health care in the Anabaptists, preventive health care, and pre-diabetes. In the past year, she has been the advisor for many DNP projects including caffeine intake in acute care nurses; nurses’ attitudes on CBD oil and the treatment of chronic pain; and reactance to graphic warnings on cigarette packaging. In her spare time, she practices CrossFit and entertains her 9-year-old grandson.
Closing Remarks
Please let me know of your accomplishments and ways the chapter can best serve you. Your Kappa Theta leadership team welcomes your feedback and participation in chapter activities. Please stay in touch. May you continue to spread joy in all you do!
Respectfully,
Susan Jones, President of Kappa Theta Chapter