MCPH nursing student’s experiences as family caregiver topic of talk

PHOTO: C. John Swinbourne, center, at the Great State of Maine Air Show In Brunswick Sept. 4. His daughter, Kathleen Swinbourne, a nursing student at MCHP, addressed VA and community health care providers on her own experiences navigating the VA health care system. (Kathleen Swinbourne photo)

LEWISTON — Maine College of Health Professions nursing student Kathleen Swinbourne is already making a positive impact on patient lives.
Swinbourne’s unique experience as an advocate for her father, C. John Siwnbourne, a U.S. Navy veteran who did three tours in Vietnam, and now a VA Healthcare System patient, earned her an invitation to The Caregiver Summit. Both Swinbourne and her father are Topsham residents.
Swinbourne will address VA and community health care providers on Sept. 24 about her own experiences while navigating the system and to suggest improvements.
“Kathleen’s openness to sharing her story is reflective of a critical educational component at Maine College of Health Professions,” said Dr. Monika Bissell, MCHP president. “Finding ways to enhance patient care through interdisciplinary collaboration is at the core of our Interprofessional Education mission. Through the Gould Center for Interprofessional Education at MCHP, we are able to support student learning experiences that are dedicated to gaining a better understanding among healthcare professions. Ensuring that members of the healthcare team have a voice is key to an effective patient experience.”
MCHP’s Gould Center for Interprofessional Education, founded by Hazel and Ralph Gould, is directed by Dr. Ann Curtis, a nationally recognized IPE leader. Hazel Gould was a 1945 graduate of MCHP. The Gould Center enables all MCHP students to have the opportunity of participating in IPE learning events. In the spirit of IPE, MCHP invites and includes students from other colleges and from a broad range of disciplines to participate in IPE learning. Its nursing, CNA and medical imaging students have worked with students, residents and practitioners from the professions including respiratory therapy, occupational therapy, medicine (both MD and DO), pharmacy, spiritual counseling, sign language interpreting, physical therapy, social work and respiratory therapy.
In addition to expanding upon student IPE experiences, future plans for the Gould Center include exploring interprofessional simulation and interprofessional education for current practitioners.
For more information on the Gould Center for Interprofessional Education, visit mchp.edu.