Avery Centrella

 

Three outstanding Tampa nursing center employees were recently awarded scholarships by the Florida Health Care Education and Development Foundation. Lisa Garrett, Efram Shipman, and Mari-Kelly Terrell, all employees of Fletcher Health and Rehabilitation Center, a Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) member center, will use their scholarship awards to further their education and better serve within their fields.

Lisa Garrett, social services director for Fletcher, earned FHCA’s Career Climb Scholarship. Lisa has been a social worker for seven years and is certified as a clinical medical assistant. Lisa plans to further her education and pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Florida. Lisa’s goal is to enhance the contributions she makes to her patients’ experiences by completing medical school and ultimately working as a physician.

Scott Allen, Executive Director of Fletcher, said of Lisa, “In the past year and a half, I have found her to be a professional and compassionate employee. She exemplified what it means to be a social worker…Her work with our residents is outstanding, and she always has wonderful reviews from families.”

Also earning a Career Climb Scholarship was Efram “EJ” Shipman. EJ is a maintenance assistant at Fletcher who is said to exceed expectations in the workplace. He plans to further his skills at Independence University by studying to become both a respiratory and physical therapist. His goal is to engage with  patients as well as design and implement individualized treatment plans that will lead to improved quality care. Furthermore, he aims to provide emergency care to patients in the near future.

Fletcher’s Director of Rehabilitation, Jennifer Thompson said, “EJ is a pleasure to work with. He is professional and reliable. You can always count on EJ to go above and beyond what is expected.”

Mari-Kelly Terell, LPN, is a recipient of FHCA’s Bruce Taylor Scholarship. Mari-Kelly currently works as a Wound Care/Restorative Nurse at Fletcher Health and Rehabilitation. She is dedicated to care, as she has worked in the medical field for 33 years. Furthermore, she has been proactive taking part in Wound Care Certification, MDS Certification, Legal Documentation, FHCA’s Train-the-Trainer, among other programs. Mari-Kelly is attending Excelsior College to earn an Associate’s Degree in Nursing in November of this year.

Mari-Kelly said, “I want to be a nurse because I enjoy being around people in their times of need and I get internal satisfaction by serving those that need help.”

Both the Career Climb Scholarship and Bruce Taylor Scholarships are awarded through the Florida Health Care Education and Development Foundation, FHCA’s 501 (c) (3) organization that promotes scholarship opportunities for nurses and caregivers working in member centers. The Career Climb Scholarship was established through an initial grant from the Life Care Centers of America with ongoing support from the annual FHCA Scholarship Golf Tournament. It promotes advancement in non-nursing long term care careers for selected member nursing home and assisted living facility employees.

The Bruce Taylor Scholarship program assists the brightest among our members’ nursing staff to achieve a higher level of education in a field related to long term care nursing. This scholarship was named after Bruce Taylor, FHCA President from 1980-82, who was instrumental in moving the association to Tallahassee and was instrumental in the establishment of the Gainesville Plan, Florida’s first-ever Medicaid reimbursement plan for nursing centers. A generous contribution from Ross Laboratories established the fund, with a significant donation made by the family of the late Bruce Taylor to perpetuate the scholarship.

The next deadline to apply for the Bruce Taylor and Career Climb Scholarships is August 30, 2019. Click here to learn more about educational scholarship opportunities.

Nathalia Green, Licensed Practical Nurse at Longwood Health and Rehabilitation, was recently awarded a Bruce Taylor Scholarship from the Florida Health Care Association (FHCA). Nathalia has dedicated her passion for taking care of others for six years at Longwood Health and Rehabilitation, an FHCA member center.

Nathalia’s story behind her drive to help others is close to her heart. She was inspired by the nurses that tended to her mother’s battle with breast cancer. She realized the positive impact that nurses can have on people’s lives and decided to follow this career path in her mother’s memory. In order to achieve her short- and long-term goals, Nathalia is working toward obtaining a nursing degree at Cambridge Institute of Allied Health and Tech and is supplementing that degree with sociology and psychology courses.

Nathalia said, “obtaining this [nursing] degree will help me learn more extensive hands-on and clinical practices in my field.”

Stephanie Norsen, Longwood administrator said, “She is a true leader in the center and always leads her CNAs by example. Nathalia is known for her dedication and compassion to her residents and prides herself on always doing a job well done. Her peers are inspired by her dedication to higher education and her positive and caring personality.”

The Bruce Taylor Scholarship is awarded through the Florida Health Care Education and Development Foundation, FHCA’s 501c3 organization. The program assists the best and brightest among FHCA member center nursing staff to assist them with achieving a higher level of education in a field related to long term care nursing. The scholarship was named after Bruce Taylor, FHCA President from 1980-82, who was instrumental in moving the association to Tallahassee and negotiated on the Gainesville Plan, Florida’s first-ever Medicaid reimbursement plan for nursing centers. A generous contribution from Ross Laboratories established the fund, with a significant donation made by the family of the late Bruce Taylor to perpetuate scholarship awards.

The next deadline to apply for the Bruce Taylor Scholarship is August 30, 2019. Click here to learn more about educational scholarship opportunities.

Sherika Godwin, a Registered Nurse, at Whispering Oaks Health and Rehabilitation in Tampa, was recently awarded a Bruce Taylor Scholarship by the Florida Health Care Association (FHCA). A Wound/Treatment Nurse, Sherika is known at Whispering Oaks for continuing to push herself to further her education. Sherika plans to complete her master’s degree in Nursing with the goal of becoming an expert in wound care practices and is also striving to become Wound Care Certified.

Sherika said of her drive to learn more; “I would like to help propel my facility to be recognized as a great wound care and healing facility.”

Bob Murphy, administrator at Whispering Oaks, said of Sherika, “Her professional demeanor makes her one of the most respected nurses on staff. She is always pleasant and is admired by residents and staff.”

Bruce Taylor Scholarship is awarded through the Florida Health Care Education and Development Foundation, FHCA’s 501 (c) (3) foundation focused on promoting scholarship programs for nurses and caregivers working in member centers.  The scholarship assists the best and brightest among FHCA member center nursing staff to assist them with achieving a higher level of education in a field related to long term care nursing. The scholarship was named after Bruce Taylor, FHCA President from 1980-82, who was instrumental in moving the association to Tallahassee and was a key advocate during the establishment of the Gainesville Plan, Florida’s first-ever Medicaid reimbursement plan for nursing centers. A generous contribution from Ross Laboratories established the fund, with a significant donation made by the family of the late Bruce Taylor to perpetuate scholarship awards.

The next deadline to apply for the Bruce Taylor Scholarship is August 30, 2019. Click here to learn more about FHCA’s Foundation and scholarship programs available to member center employees.

FHCA recently awarded $9,725.00 in Bruce Taylor and Career Climb Scholarships to a group of highly-motivated long term caregivers who are seeking to further their education to better serve the residents under their care. Both the Bruce Taylor and Career Climb Scholarships, awarded through the Florida Health Care Education and Development Foundation, serve to assist the best and brightest working in FHCA’s member centers who are seeking to advance their careers nursing and other disciplines within the long term care profession.

Florida Health Care Association is proud to recognize these recent recipients with these awards.

Bruce Taylor Scholarship Recipients

Corie Caso-Diaz, a Clinical Instructor at Flagler Health and Rehabilitation in Tampa, is working to obtain her BSN at Daytona State College and eventually earn her Advanced Practice Registered Nurse certification.

Kaleesha Francis, LPN at Brynwood Health and Rehabilitation Center in Monticello, is attending Southern Regional Technical College and is currently completing her prerequisites for the LPN to RN bridge program.

Sherika Godwin, an RN at Whispering Oaks Health and Rehabilitation in Tampa, plans to complete her master’s degree in nursing with the goal of becoming an expert in wound care practices. Godwin is also striving to become Wound Care Certified.

Mari-Kelly Terell, a Wound Care/Restorative Nurse at Fletcher Health and Rehabilitation in Tampa, is studying at Excelsior College in order to earn an Associate’s Degree in Nursing. Her goal is to graduate in Fall 2019.

Nathalia Green, Licensed Practical Nurse at Longwood Health and Rehabilitation, is obtaining a nursing degree Cambridge Institute of Allied Health and Tech and is supplementing her nursing degree with sociology and psychology courses.

Heather Guiterrez, an RN at Flagler Health and Rehabilitation in Tampa, is studying to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Daytona State College.

Gloria Rothman, an LPN Charge Nurse at Rehab and Healthcare Center of Cape Coral, is studying at Southern Technical College to obtain an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing.

Wendy Smith is a Staffing Coordinator/ CNA at Consulate Healthcare of Safety Harbor, is working towards completing the LPN program through Pinellas Technical College.

Career Climb Scholarship Recipients

Lisa Garrett is a Social Services Director at Fletcher Health and Rehabilitation in Tampa and is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Florida.

Efram “EJ” Shipman is a Maintenance Assistant at Fletcher Health and Rehabilitation in Tampa who is furthering his skills at Independence University by studying to become both a respiratory and physical therapist.

Stephanie DiGregorio, Human Resources Assistant at Bayview Healthcare in Saint Augustine, is studying Human Resources Administration at Southern New Hampshire University.

Scholarships are awarded to FHCA member center employees through the Florida Health Care Education and Development Foundation, the 503c3 organization of the Florida Health Care Association. The next deadline to apply for both the Career Climb and the Bruce Taylor Scholarships is August 30, 2019. Click here to learn more about the Foundation and learn more about how to apply.