Comprehensive Nursing Care

Part of the Prentice Hall LPN/LVN-specific series. Looking at the practice of nursing from the LPN/LVN point of view, this streamlined but comprehensive text covering the main content areas including fundamentals, medical-surgical, mental health, maternal-newborn, pediatrics, and leadership (professionalism and transition to practice), explains to students what they need to know and do in order to deliver safe and effective nursing care in a variety of settings. It focuses on the information and essential skills that will help ensure clinical and NCLEX-PN test-taking success, as well as addresses the LPN/LVN scope of practice and relationship to the registered nurse.

Roberta Pavy Ramont, EdD, RN

    Roberta Pavy Ramont is the Corporate Director of Nursing for International Education Corporation, where she oversees the nursing program.  She is the owner of Educational Innovations, which provides curriculum and program development and assessment for schools offering career technical education.  From 1991 to 2003 she was an Instructor of Vocational Nursing at the North Orang eCounty Regional Occupational Program (ROP) in Anaheim, California.  She received her initial nursing education at the Cooper Hospital School of Nursing in Camden, New Jersey. She received her baccalaureate degree from the University of Redlands and a masters in psychology-school counseling from the University of LaVerne.  Dr. Ramont received her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in training and development from Alliant International University.

    Roberta served as curriculum chair for health careers education at the ROP.  During that time she worked with the health occupations faculty to identify academic standards aught in the career technical classes.  She has been involved in an extensive project to develop rubrics for laternate assessment of student work.

    In addition to her teaching reponsibilities, she has served as an advisor for Health Occupation Stduents of America, and as Cal-HOSA Inc.  Board of Directors Chair.  She served as President of the California Association of Health Careers Educators (CAHECE) during 2000-2001.

    Over the years Roberta has had the privilege of serving on the NCLEX-PN writing panel, and developing and presenting educational seminars on th eadult learner and technology in the classroom.  She has taught teacher credentialing classes for San Diego University and is serving on a task force with the California Department of Education of Teach Credentialing for Health Occupation teachers.

Dee Maldonado Niedringhaus, RN, BSN

    Dee Maldonado Niedringhaus is an Administroator of Instuctional Programs for North Orange County Regional Occupational Programs (ROP).  Dee's responsibility includes medical progrms ranging from introductory medical care to our model vocational nursing progrma.  Among the many health occupations courses taught are Medical Assistant Front and Back Office, Insruance Billing, Coding and Emergency Medicla Technician.  In addition to her medicla block, she directs two high schools with ROP classes.

    Dee's nursing career began as a Nursing Assistant during her senior year in high school.  She was accepted into the Nursing Program at USC/LACMC (Los Angeles County Medical Center) School of Nursing in California and graudated in 1973.  She received her baccalaureate in nursing from Excelsior College, New York, in 2003.  Dee worked as a Clinical Nurse III on the medical-surgical units at UCIMC (University California at Irvine Medical Center) from 1973 to 1985.  She taught a Nursing Assistant class during the summer of 1985 and found a new perspective of nursing as an instructor.  She found that sharing her dedication to nursing with students was fulfilling and a way to give back to her profession.  She then began teaching for the Vocational Nursing Program as a fulltime instructor from 1986 to 2001 at North Orange County ROP.

    Dee worked as a Health Careers Consultant for the California Department of Education from 1991 to 2001.  She was adjunct faculty to Cal Polytechnic University Pomona to teach and coordinate year III in the Health Careers Education Teacher Preparation Program.  Dee developed and revised the curriculum.  She was a writer for the Science for Health Care in 1991.  She has participated on several committees that aligned the California health careers nursing standards with career performance standards.  California Superintendent Delaine Easton appointed her to the Reauthorization of the 1998 Perkins Advisory Council.  Under Dee's administration, North Orange County TOP has added three new medical careers academies in Aahaheim and Placentia-Yorba Linda school dictricts in the past 2 years.

    Dee became involved in the California Health Occupations Students of America (Cal-HOSA) program in 1988.  She initiated the NOCROP HOSA chapters with many successful levels of student reconition.  She served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Inc for 1999-2000.  She currently serves on the HOSA national Competitive Events Committee. Dee was named outstanding HOSA advisor in 1988 and 1998.  In addition, Dee is a member of California Association of Helath Careers Educators (CAHCE).  She has served as the Chairperson ofr the Ways and Means committee, and then as treasurer for the organization.  Dee was CAHECE's Teacher of the year in 1999.  Dee was also honored by Orance County Department of Education, as a nominee for Teacher of the year 2000.

Mary Ann Towle, RN, MSN

    Mary Ann Towle "always wanted to be a nurse," but teaching science in high school also seemed appealing After graduating from Idaho State University with a baccalaurreate degree in nursing, she married and moved to Boise, Idaho, where she accepted a position at St. Luke's Medical Center.  As a new nurse, Mary Ann felt confident with her entr-level knowledge, but was unsure of herself when it came to performing nursing procedures.  Several LPNs helped her gain the gneeded skill and confidence.  Within a few months she was working in the Coronary Intensive Care Unit as the evening charge nurse.

    While Mary Ann enjoyed the direct client care of the CCU, she felt something was missing in her career.  She taught a few in-service programs and workshops to nurses as well as repiratory therapy stduents from Boise State University.  After 3 years, an opportunity became available to teach in the LPN program at Boise State University, and Mary Ann jumped at the chance to combine her love for nursing with her desire to teach.

    All faculty in the Vocational-Technical Education programs were required to take education classes to improve their teaching performance.  With a husband and two young children to care for and fulltime teaching position, Mary Ann began attending classes two or three nights a week.  In 1983, she completed a master of education degree with a specialty in vocational education.  A proponent of life-long learning, Mary Ann again returned to school once her family was grown, and completed a master of science degree in nursing in 1998.  Having taught the entire curriculum, Mary Ann sees herself as a generalist with experience in maternity, pediatrics, medical-surgical nursing, and geriatrics.

    It has been 32 years insce Mary Ann began her career as a nursing instructor at Boise State University.  She has been recognized by the American Vocational Association as Vocational Teacher of the Year at the state and regional levels, and first runner-up at the national level.  Mary Ann's students have recived state and national reconition by Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA).