CityView Magazine

deals with the issue of death and dying, as experienced by nurses, both professionally and personally. Jeanne Hardy, a registered nurse for 28 years, is on the faculty of the Medical Assistant Program at Richmond County Community College. She was so impressed with the novellas that she will be using them in her fall curriculum. “Special things come in small precious packages sometimes,” she says. “These stories are a wonderful way to remember the past and a wonderful tool to teach new medical assistants of the future.” They are also appealing for economic reasons, too. Each novella contains a quiz that can be taken by a nurse for continuing education credit. Rather than pay more than $100 for a traditional class, a nurse can buy the novellas for less than $15, pay a quiz fee of $10 and earn the continuing education credit. The novellas also contain a reading list to guide deeper study of the specific issues addressed and discussion questions for any group of nurses who want to delve more deeply into the topic. In Vega’s office at SR-AHEC, the impressive credentials on the wall and the young attractive woman with big blue eyes and long dark blonde hair at the desk seem somewhat incongruous. Originally from Wilmington, Vega holds a bachelor’s degree in health education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and two master’s degrees in business administration and health administration from Pfeiffer University. “But more importantly, I’ve worked with nurses for more than 15 years,” she says. “I know patient care comes first with nurses. They don’t want to be distracted by anything that takes them away from that.” A Humor Award hangs among the diplomas and certificates on her wall as a testament to yet another facet of Vega’s talents. A blend of scientist and artist, Vega imbues her novellas with the lessons necessary for a rapidly-changing profession but with the well-developed characters and realistic dialogue that many writers never master. Her novellas are a darn good read, and not just for nurses.CV • Custom LASIK, LASEK, PRK, CK, PTK • Pediatric eye surgeries • Glaucoma treatment • Cataract surgery 1629 Owen Drive Fayetteville, NC 28304 910.484.2284 Now Accepting New Patients Our Surgeons: Sheel B. Patel, M.D., Cornea Specialist S. Scott Stapleton, M.D. Miles W. Whitaker, M.D. J. Wayne Riggins, O.D., M.D. Not Pictured: Cynthia A. Toth, M.D., Retina Specialist Edward M. Kenshock Jr., O.D. Chad E. Tisdale, O.D. • Premium IOL implants • Corneal transplants • Diabetic & retinal disorders • Cosmetic eyelid surgery 1816 Doctors Drive Sanford, NC 27330 919.774.8631 1726 Metro Medical Drive Fayetteville, NC 28304 910.484.2284 800.829.2284 CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE FUNERAL HOME Fayetteville, North Carolina 483.1331 545 RAMSEY ST www.jerniganwarren.com CityViewNC.com | 23

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