Student Life Title

Student Health Center

Staff

Nurse Practitioners

Nurse Practitioners (NP) are specially educated registered nurses who have received an advanced practice nursing degree at the master’s level. They are educated with a specialized focus in assessment, diagnosis, planning and treatment of common illnesses and injuries frequently seen on college campuses.

 

Toni Corkin, R.N. - Director

Toni Corkrin joined the USCA Student Health Center (SHC) staff as Director on September 15, 2003.  After almost twenty years of intensive care nursing an unexpected change in health brought her to this position, but a change she has never regretted and certainly never looked back.  Her vision for the SHC is one of continued growth and transition.

 

Toni is very familiar with USCA as she is a two-time alumnus, graduating with her Associates of Science Degree in Nursing in December 1985 and her Bachelors of Science Degree in Nursing in 1990.  She is currently taking a break from her graduate work in nursing where her focus is health promotion and health education. 

 

During her twenty years since graduating the focal points of her career has been working in intensive care nursing, with children and in pediatrics, and childhood injury prevention.  She worked in almost every type of intensive care imaginable from adults to pediatrics to neonatal, but her heart belongs to the kids!! 

 

While working as a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurse Toni became one of the first nurses nationally certified as a Pediatric Critical Care Registered Nurse after the exam was introduced.  She accomplished this while also maintaining her adult CCRN certification.  Along with a group of her pediatric intensive care registered nurse (RN) peers and physicians, she designed & developed the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) Pediatric Intensive Care Transport Team enabling a RN and physician to travel to outlying hospitals within Georgia and South Carolina to assist with the stabilization of critically ill and injured children, then transport them back to a Level 1 pediatric medical center where they could be provided a higher, more intensive level of care.  Toni and Dr. Edward Truemper expedited MCG’s first PICU transport.  As part of the PICU Transport team Toni traveled around the states of GA and SC teaching hospital personnel Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), differing significantly from BCLS since children are not little adults.  Additionally, Toni worked on Open-Heart Protocols to ensure smooth communications and transitions between the PICU and operating room (OR) staff when transporting children who had just undergone open-heart surgery; everyone had a job to do in order to make that child’s arrival the safest it could be with the least risk of returning to the OR. 

 

It was the petite, frail little blonde-haired, blue-eyed 5-year-old son of a dear friend that made Toni realized she needed to take a break from the PICU.  He came in with pneumonia secondary to the HIV virus he had apparently contracted at birth.  He was in the PICU through the Thanksgiving holidays and after a very difficult & trying hospital stay his parents made the most difficult decision of all, to allow him a peaceful death off the ventilator.  They requested that Toni be his nurse that evening as he and Toni were friends well before he became ill, he was her “Pizza Buddy” and he always rested well when she was there with him (caring for him as his nurse).  Mom and dad crawled in that small PICU hospital bed with him cradling him between them until he passed away.  Requests like that are rare and a blessing when able to be given, but take much out of a person, after 10 years of PICU nursing and saying good-bye to her “Pizza Buddy” Toni knew it was time to take a break from PICU nursing for a while and give her heart a rest.

Her nursing career took an introspective twist as she transitioned from intensive care to a more community-based focus.  She began working as a Pediatric Case Manager and Clinician for a Walton Rehabilitation Hospital (WRH).  She witnessed first-hand the sequelae children experienced following their critical illnesses and injuries, as well as their extended stays in a PICU.  She also began working with children with special needs changing all preconceived ideas developed as an ICU nurse.  Working with these two groups of pediatric patients and their parents gave her a new perspective on challenges these families face and how to set and achieve goals together as a team.  Toni had always been a strong believer in Teamwork, now she learned how integral parents were (are) as advocates for their children.  In 1998, Toni was asked if she would champion a grant to target childhood injury prevention through our city (Augusta, GA) was chosen.  Augusta was chosen, so Toni & Team Augusta joined 19 other teams of 5 from throughout the US and Canada to receive training in Boston from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) as Champion of her team.  That year Toni & Team Augusta introduced NFPA’s Risk Watch™ a childhood injury prevention curriculum into 20 Richmond County classrooms introducing children to the 8 injuries that kill and injure the most children each year and how the children themselves can protect themselves.  Team Augusta had the highest change between pre-/post-test scores.  During this time Toni also became certified as a Child Passenger Safety Technician and Special Needs Child Safety Seat Specialist. 

 

A corporate sponsor donated a large sum of money to WRH under the direction that it be used within that year on a single project. Toni, Judie Thompson & Nicola Cumisky took on the challenge to designed, develop and recruit campers from scratched for an overnight camp, sleep-away for children with brain injuries within 6 months times.  Developing the camp was the easy part.  One of the most difficult things following the brain injury of a child is to let them out of a parent’s sight following the initial injury, so to allow them to a sleep-away camp was a huge step.  The first year there were 27 children from 5 states making it a very successful year (the 5 states included SC, GA, TN, AL and NC).  An art contest was held with the Art Factory (Augusta, GA), the winning student who drew the camp logo envisioned the brain as “smooshed”, but on the other side saw a bright, sunny day.  The summer camp is named Camp T.B.I. (To Be Independent), remains totally free to children in any geographic area as these families are usually financially devastated following the children’s injuries & extensive hospitalizations/rehabilitations. 

 

Shortly after attending Camp TBI as Director and camp nurse, Toni resigned her position at WRH in order to return to graduate school.  She worked weekends at MCG in the Neonatal ICU when she herniated a disc in her lower back requiring surgery.  Following the surgery & recovery, her doctor reported that her injury was much more involved than expected and placed Toni on 6 months disability stating that she was to step away from the bedside for a minimum of 2-3 years.  Step away from the bedside in nursing terms means no bedside nursing since even the slightest pulling, pushing, lifting, twisting or turning will cause re-injury to her back (disc=nerve injury) and all of those movements occur daily in nursing.

 

This is where USCA comes into the picture.  Just as Toni was ending her 6-month disability (and going totally crazy) she saw the advertisement for the Student Health Center Director in the Augusta Chronicle.  No, her “experience” didn’t quite meet what the paper had outlined, but if you used your imagination you could adapt her resume into one that “goes with the flow”, “meets difficulties head on”, “doesn’t shy away from challenges”, etc.  She interviewed, was offered the position and accepted. It has been a nonstop learning process since.

 

When Toni is not working she spends time working around her house doing small repair projects within her physical limits, painting, and doing small gardening projects (she thinks things are supposed to grow).  She has two Keeshonden (dogs) that keep her on her toes that she spoils rotten with treats and French fries & pizza crust (their favorites).  During the summers she volunteers at summer camps.  The dogs love camp & all the kids, Pokey tries to sit in a campers lap while Sassy is the great escape artist trying to see how many ways there are into the camp kitchen!!.

 

Toni encourages students to visit the SHC and if they have any questions don’t hesitate to call or drop us an email at shc@usca.edu

 

Phyllis Farr-Weinstein, M.S.N. - Nurse Practitioner

Phyllis grew up in New Jersey but has lived in Georgia since 1972. She received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from MCG, and a graduate certificate in advanced practice nursing from USC. During Desert Storm, she served in the Army Reserve Corp where she experienced intercultural nursing while caring for Saudi solders at King Fahad Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She has been a faculty member in the School of Nursing at USCA for the last twenty-two years and currently teaches Pharmacology and Health Assessment. In September, 2001 Phyllis joined the staff at the Student Health Center as a nurse practitioner. One of the benefits of working in the SHC provides her the opportunity to interact with students from the various disciplines.

Phyllis lives in Evans, Georgia with her husband, Richard, two retired greyhounds and two cats. As a volunteer with the CSRA Greyhound Adoption organization, she often spends weekends involved in greyhound related activities.

Karen Gatliff-Holley, A.P.R.N., B.C. - Nurse Practitioner

I am a native of South Carolina, born in Columbia. My name is Karen Gatliff-Holley, and I am a Nurse Practitioner at the Student Health Center USCA Campus. I am married with three beautiful children. Caitlin, my oldest, is eight. Brennen is age six, and his sister Jordan is five years old. More than anything, we enjoy spending time together as a family. We are active in our local community, and are fortunate to have extended family nearby.

I have worked in the medical field throughout my career. I began as an EMT/Firefighter in my local community. After delivering my first baby in the back of an ambulance, I knew I was meant to remain in medical service. I started nursing school, first graduating with my BSN from Valdosta State University. My MSN followed after several years, with Nurse Practitioner Certification shortly thereafter. During my career I have worked in Student/College Health, Public Health, and in Family Practice.

My background is extensive, as is my love for College Health. The students on the USCA campus are eager to learn about matters affecting their health and the lives of others. The group I work with is dynamic, caring, and eager to assist students in any way possible in this very crucial period in their lives. I feel fortunate to have found USCA, and look forward to many more years of service.

Liz Kaplan - Administrative Assistant

Liz Kaplan joined the staff at the Student Health Center in August 2005.

Liz was born in Staten Island, NY and lived and worked in New York City, NY as a Meeting Planner for major hotels until her move to Aiken, SC in September 1985. She then worked for Westinghouse at the Savannah River Site as an Administrative Assistant for a number of years while attending Augusta State University.

In addition to her experience at Westinghouse SRS Liz brings many years of experience in the Hotel/Travel fields as well with Environmental Monitoring and Consulting Firms. Her interests outside work include volunteer work for Molly’s Militia as well as volunteer work at Aiken Elementary School, and Aiken Prep.

Liz resides in Aiken, SC with her husband Daniel I. Kaplan, and their daughters Savannah (age 10) and Chloe Rose (age 6), and their three dogs Sport, Harry, and Josephine.