Jeanine Gangeness, PhD, RN
jgangeness@bemidjistate.edu
755-3870

As Chair of the Department of Nursing, Jeanine is responsible for the administration of the Department. Jeanine holds a Master's degree in nursing with a focus in rural health and emphasis in Adult Education from the University of North Dakota. Her interests include community health policy, rural health, population prevention initiatives and nursing education. Jeanine taught for one year for Northwest Technical College, Bemidji in the Practical Nursing Program. Before teaching, Ms. Gangeness was a Public Health Nurse for over 10 years with Cass County (MN) Public Health Division. Ms. Gangeness did Maternal Child Health, Prevention Programming (Pregnancy, Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs) as well as training the Home Health Aide Staff. Prior to working with Public Health, Jeanine worked full-time as a float staff nurse from 1990-1992 at Riverside Medical Center in Minneapolis (a 1200 bed acute care and long-term care facility). Her nursing experience includes pediatrics, orthopedics, telemetry, oncology, spinal care, medical-surgical and IV Float Staff. Her current courses are Psychosocial Dimensions of Nursing Practice, Health Education, Community Health Nursing, and Nursing Leadership. She coordinates both the Community Health Practicum and Leadership Lab. Jeanine is pursuing doctoral studies at the University of North Dakota.

For more information, you may visit Jeanine's e-folio at:
http://jeaninegangeness.efoliomn2.com

Julie Finch, MS, RN
jfinch@bemidjistate.edu
755-3869

Julie, our newest faculty member (fall 2007 start), comes to us after completing a 23 year career serving in the Army Nurse Corps. Her military career provided her a wide variety of nursing experiences. She began her clinical nursing experience as an operating room staff nurse in a level one trauma center, and progressed to being a head nurse in several community hospitals with-in the Army system. She was deployed two times with combat support hospitals in support of American combat troops, and completed her Army career working as Assistant Chief, Department of Surgery, in Seoul, Korea. While in the Army, Julie received her Master’s degree in Peri-operative Nursing, and a minor in teaching, from the University Of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. Her interests include surgical nursing, nursing leadership, and nursing education. Julie is currently teaching the Concepts in Nursing and Health Care course, and the Transcultural nursing course, and exploring options for doctoral education.

Rochelle("Riki") Scheela, PhD, RN,CNS
rscheela@bemidjistate.edu
755-3892

Riki holds a Master's degree in psychiatric/mental health nursing from the University of Minnesota, a Master's degree in Educational Administration from the College of St. Thomas, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. Riki is ANA Certified as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing, and works part-time as a therapist for sex offenders. Her research focuses on the treatment of sex offenders, their victims and families, and the therapists who work with the offenders. She has published her research and presented at national and international conferences. Riki has also worked as a medical/surgical nurse, school nurse, public health nurse, and hospital in-service director. She was chair of the department from 1999-2006 and currently teaches the Practicum Selective: Assessment and Planning, Nursing Research, Practicum Selective: Implementation and Evaluation, Psychosocial Nursing, Professional Nursing in Contemporary Society, and Sexual Abuse courses. Riki spent the 1998-1999 academic year on sabbatical working with street children and doing research in Hanoi, Vietnam.

For more information, you may visit Riki's e-folio at:
http://rikischeela.efoliomn2.com//

Gwen Verchota MA, APRN, BC
gverchota@bemidjistate.edu
755-3861

Gwen Verchota has been hired as the Director of Development for the new 4-year track baccalaureate nursing program at Bemidji State University.  Gwen’s position involves obtaining program approval from the Minnesota Board of Nursing, pursuing grant opportunities for program funding, marketing and recruitment of the new program, and curriculum planning for the sophomore nursing courses. Gwen holds a Master’s degree in Adult Medical-Surgical Nursing from the College of St. Scholastica.  Her graduate education includes preparation as a Clinical Nurse Specialist with a focus in Diabetes care.  She completed the Family Nurse Practitioner track at the University of Minnesota and maintains board certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Gwen has extensive experience in primary care of adults, children and families in both the rural and urban setting.  She has taught in the baccalaureate nursing program at the College of St. Scholastica and the RN completion program at Bemidji State University.  Her interests include women’s health, chronic disease management, incorporating alternative and complementary therapies into primary care, HIV/AIDS care, continence management, child and teen health promotion strategies within the primary care experience, and nursing education.  Gwen’s clinical experience includes medical- surgical, pediatrics, orthopedics, surgical step-down, oncology and maternal-child health nursing.  Gwen will be teaching Altered Physiologic Processes and the Senior Practicum fall semester along with her program development responsibilities.

Ranae Womack, PhD, MS, RN
rwomack@bemidjistate.edu

Ranae holds a Master's degree in rural health nursing and a Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Administration from the University of North Dakota. Her clinical areas include operating room, emergency department, community health, and chemical dependency. As a graduate of BSU's RN-BS completion program, she has enjoyed being a faculty member in the Department of Nursing since 1992. Her research and publications are related to Native American health, leadership and management in nursing, and university strategic planning. Ranae served as Chair of the Department of Nursing from 1995-1999 and as the Dean of the College of Social and Natural Sciences from 1999-2007. She is currently on sabbatical leave and continues her research in Native American health. Ranae is the Primary Investigator for the HRSA grant received by BSU in 2007 to begin the 4-Year Track.