Jersey College’s recent iCare meeting took on a special meaning when Nursing Theorist Sister Callista Roy provided expert advice on the College’s iCare initiative, a program designed to promote a sense of continued emotional support as the student adjusts to college life while balancing home and work commitments.
Sister Roy is highly recognized for her development and continuous updating of the Roy Adaptation Model (RAM). Her model views individuals as sets of interrelated systems in environments consisting of internal and external stimuli. This framework is widely used for nursing theory, practice, and research. Colette Gargiulo, Jersey College Provost, commented on the significance of Sister Callista Roy addressing the iCare mentors. “Having an internationally acclaimed nursing theorist speak with our mentors is humbling. Her theory is in perfect alignment with our iCare program; “seeing” the person and everything in their environment that contributes to both their successes and challenges. We adopt Sister Roy’s view of the person as a complex being and we need to address and support the entire student.”
In the iCare Program, students are paired with faculty, staff and administrators with whom they meet regularly to discuss challenges and potential barriers to success. This support continues throughout their enrollment in the college. Sister Roy commented on the importance of a supportive environment and its impact on health and wellness.
iCare mentors were asked to provide questions for the meeting for Sister Roy to provide comment and feedback. One participant asked for suggestions on how to look at the whole student in the iCare Program. “You already have two things of what I consider really strong prerequisites for this – consistency and nursing focus,” replied Sister Roy. She commended the College’s practice of meeting with iCare students early in their enrollments and for staying focused on essential needs.
Another participant wanted to know how to help iCare students cope in the current educational environment and in maintaining themselves in a stringent educational process. “Coping has to do with responding to a change,” said Sister Roy. “Talk to them about what kinds of changes they had to face in their lives and determine what was helpful and what wasn’t.” Sister Roy also suggested asking direct questions as, “What is the hardest thing for you to deal with here and how can we help you?”
A participant inquired about Sister Roy’s views on changes in the nursing profession and her opinions on the future growth of nursing. “The biggest changes have to do with the role of the nurse and responsibilities,” Sister Roy replied. “There was a time when nurses pretty much kept patients clean and fed and gave medicines. Now nurses have an incredible role in helping people deal with situations in terms of health and illness.”
One of the final questions was Sister Roy’s opinion on how she sees her adaptation model applied to current COVID health and educational environments. Sister Roy said the virus itself is an incredible stimuli and we must ask ourselves how we are going to deal with it. She said there’s good information from public health officials and nurses are the ones who can assist in implementing these recommendations. “Nurses have a huge responsibility in times of a pandemic,” asserted Sister Roy.
Throughout the meeting, the chat line was abuzz with comments of appreciation and respect for Sister Roy, an icon in the nursing field. Sister Roy is a Professor Emeritus at Mount Saint Mary’s University and at Connell School of Nursing. She has been a sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for over 60 years. Books on her Adaptation Model have been translated into many languages. Sister Roy is the recipient of numerous awards including the Sigma Theta Tau International Founders Award for her contributions to advancing nursing science. Later this year, Sister Roy is slated to receive the Sigma Theta Tau International Life Time Achievement Award.
Established in 2003, Jersey College is a nationally recognized accredited private institution of higher learning specializing in nursing education. The College has graduated more than 8,000 nurses across its seven campuses located in Florida and New Jersey. The iCare Program is directly aligned with its mission of supporting students in accomplishing their educational and professional goals.