Two School of Nursing alumnae receive honors

UW-Madison School of Nursing alumnae Jane E. Nelson-Worel (BS ’81; MS ‘85) and Maureen C. Van Dinter (MS ’81) recently were bestowed distinguished honors for their accomplishments in the field of nursing. The School of Nursing would like to congratulate them as well for their dedication to health care and leadership in nursing.

Nelson-Worel

UW Hospital and Clinics preventive cardiology nurse Jane Nelson-Worel, by unanimous vote, was elected to the board of directors for the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA). According to Nelson-Worel, the PCNA is “heavy with researchers and educators”; therefore, her clinical expertise was welcomed. What increased her chances—beyond this—of becoming a PCNA board member, she believes, was the esteemed group of colleagues with whom she surrounds herself.

“UW Preventive Cardiology is a well-respected program, and I work with great people here who are nationally known.”

In June 2004, Nelson-Worel will attend her first meeting as a board member of the PCNA, whose mission is to develop and promote nurses as leaders in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. She is excited about the prospect of being involved in the PCNA’s educational endeavors. She will be involved in the writing of PCNA’s official journal, The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, and will be given the opportunity to actively promote the PCNA mission.

“I will be speaking to nursing and allied health groups,” she states, “working with industry to ensure ongoing funding for our educational effort, and developing educational programming for nurses to use in their communities or with their patients.”

Following her bachelor's, Nelson-Worel received her MS in exercise physiology at UW-Madison in 1985. She gradually has been working on her master's in nursing through the adult nurse practitioner track and hopes to return to classes in fall 2004.

Growing up in a family with a health care focus, Nelson-Worel knew fairly early that she wanted to direct her future toward prevention and promotion of health. Because her hobbies were competitive running, swimming and skiing, it seemed only natural to combine nursing with exercise physiology. She has worked for many years now in cardiac rehabilitation and finds it very satisfying to make a difference in people’s lives.

She states, “I recently had a patient grab my hand at the end of a clinic visit. He cried for a long time and then graciously thanked me for saving his life. A few months before, I was able to pick up on subtle symptoms and ECG changes that eventually led to a diagnosis of severe heart disease and a five-vessel coronary artery bypass. Feedback from patients … is the most satisfying accomplishment.”

Van Dinter

“Throughout her career, she has worked on behalf of families she serves as a clinician and on behalf of children and PNPs by working on policy and legislative issues. She also is a valued mentor and educator of nurse practitioner students.”

After receiving her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Van Dinter chose to specialize in the field of pediatric nursing because of the need, as she saw it, to better protect children and promote their health care.

Today, her efforts to support families and children go well beyond her professional work at the family practice clinic and into community and national venues. She is a member of the Waunakee Area Board of Education and was instrumental in work with food services personnel to reduce the fat content of school lunches. She also is a member of the Waunakee emergency medical services (EMS). As a current member of the National Ski Patrol, she used her skills to serve on the Medical Team for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Described by Ohm as “exemplary of the highest standard of professionalism,” Van Dinter’s achievements as skilled clinician, educator, mentor and children’s advocate serve as testimonial to the accolades.