NANN maintains strong relationships with other health-related organizations to ensure that the voice of the neonatal nurse is heard and to advance best practice in neonatal care. Board-appointed liaisons represent NANN on committees, task forces, and other groups who work collaboratively with other healthcare organizations to provide expertise and leadership regarding neonatal nursing practice.
FETUS AND NEWBORN ADVOCACY
NANN member Rosalie Mainous, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research at the University of Louisville, is NANN's liaison to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Fetus and Newborn (COFN). The COFN specifically addresses the healthcare needs of the fetus and newborn through policy statements, practice guidelines, and other documents that direct the practice of those caring for this vulnerable population. The committee is currently working on several position statements.
* A position statement on bronchopulmonary dysplasia/postnatal corticosteroids in preterm infants has been approved. It defines high and low doses of steroids and compares betamethasone with hydrocortisone.
* Guidelines for Perinatal Care is being updated. The COFN met with the American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians in Washington, District of Columbia, to work on the upcoming seventh edition. The new edition will include a group B streptococcal algorithm currently under review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
* A joint statement on hernia repair with AAP's Section on Pediatric Surgery will be undertaken.
* NANN's liaison worked closely with the COFN on the AAP policy statement "Advanced Practice in Neonatal Nursing," published in June 2009. NANN's own 2009 position statement on the topic, "Requirements for Advanced Neonatal Nursing Practice in Neonatal Intensive Care Units," has been endorsed by the AAP. These statements underscore the critical collaboration between the AAP and NANN.
SUMMIT OFFERED DIALOGUE AND CALL TO ACTION
NANN leaders participated in the 2009 Fall Summit of the Nursing Organizations Alliance (NOA). NANN's participation in this alliance offers a way for NANN to share ideas with other nurse specialty societies and discuss the challenges nurse specialists face.
Of course, much of the dialogue centered around healthcare reform. NANN and other NOA members were challenged to be active participants in the healthcare reform discussion. One speaker asserted that reform must be "driven by nurses" for the benefit of patients. He went on to predict that reform will happen in phases and that nurses must be actively engaged in every phase.
This theme, which persisted throughout the summit, started with the meeting of the American Nurses Association's organizational affiliates that was held the day before the summit. As a member, NANN was part of an early dialogue on developing a consensus on the nursing role in healthcare reform.
DRAFT NURSE PRACTITIONER MODULE OF AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION'S SCOPE OF PRACTICE DEEMED OFF THE MARK
As many nurses are aware, during the summer of 2009, the American Medical Association (AMA) asked for comments on the draft nurse practitioner module of its Scope of Practice Data Series. The series, which consists of 10 modules, each on a specific limited licensure (nonphysician) healthcare profession, serves as a resource for state medical associations, national medical specialty societies, and policy makers. The draft nurse practitioner module contained numerous factual misrepresentations and misleading conclusions. NANN, along with the larger nursing community, reached out to the AMA working group to offer a partnership in addressing these issues. The nurse practitioner is a fully licensed professional with a sound reputation for providing safe, effective, high-quality care to patients. As the nation faces serious challenges in our health systems, nurses remain a critical part of the continuum of care, and NANN is working to ensure that nurses retain the respect and professional standing that their important work demands.
NANN continues to nurture relationships throughout the healthcare arena and welcomes new ones. The organization's goal is to be an advocate and change agent for the neonatal nursing profession in order to optimize care for neonates and their families. For more information or to comment on these and other NANN activities, please visit http://www.nann. org or e-mail at [email protected].