Member Spotlight: An Interview With Amy Bieda
Amy Bieda, MSN, PNP-BC, NNP-BC, had an unplanned path to her career in neonatal nursing. After 5 years as a nurse in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), she was hired for a PICU job at Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas. When new construction on the PICU was delayed, Amy was instead sent to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on a temporary assignment. She reports being "overwhelmed" by the tiny babies (at that time, 32 weeks was considered quite premature), and she was not at all familiar with the newest ventilators used for tiny lungs. But the NICU staff was very supportive in teaching her and in supporting her further education. One of her earliest mentors was David Krauss, the director of neonatology at Scott and White. Dr Krauss was a strong supporter of nurses and believed that nurses were capable of doing the same procedures that physicians did; the NICU staff nurses at Scott and White regularly placed umbilical arterial catheters and umbilical venous catheters and intubated infants. Thanks to forward-thinking leadership, NICU was ahead of its time, with completely computerized operations in the early 1980s. Amy was fascinated to learn about the pathophysiology of premature infants and recognized that it was an exciting time to be involved in neonatal nursing. She remembers reading the early issues of the first journal dedicated to neonatal care and being an early member of NANN. When she was eventually offered a job transfer to the PICU, she decided to remain in neonatal nursing.
A highlight of Amy's career is her involvement in the peer review process for neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. The NNPs decided that they wanted to evaluate themselves rather than be evaluated by either medical or nursing staff. Amy was instrumental in designing and implementing the system still used today to evaluate the clinical and professional behavior of the NNP staff. The evaluation uses portfolios that include evaluated competencies, peer review, and yearly simulations when clinical practice opportunities are not available.
Amy is currently a doctoral candidate and has recently begun to gather data for her dissertation research that will investigate the effects of sterile-water feeds on hypernatremia in very-low-birth-weight infants. She expects that she will need almost 2 years to obtain the needed sample size, complete her dissertation, and receive her PhD in nursing. Amy's current mentor is her dissertation chairperson, Donna Dowling, PhD, RN, who is a faculty member at Case Western Reserve University and serves as the section editor for original research for Advances in Neonatal Care. Amy especially appreciates Dr Dowling's expertise as a researcher and a writer. Amy describes her mentor as "a natural educator who wants everyone to learn."
Amy appreciates the value of her involvement in NANN's various special interest groups. She likes to find out how others manage thorny issues in clinical practice and to learn about protocols and procedures at other institutions. Amy feels that the willingness of NANN members to share such information illustrates how NICU nurses are invested in doing what is the best for their patients and are willing to learn from their colleagues to improve neonatal outcomes. Amy regularly consults the position statements found on the NANN Web site and believes that they demonstrate NANN's commitment to be at the forefront of neonatal nursing. Locally, Amy helped to transition the previously existing Cleveland-area NNP group into a formal NANN chapter, the Northern Ohio Association of Neonatal Nurses, 3 years ago.
Amy's expertise in neonatal nursing and her expanding knowledge of nursing research are reflected in her article on the tangible health outcomes of single-room NICU care for neonatal patients to be published in the May issue of NANN E-News.
Nann's 27th Annual Educational Conference: Exploring The Science and Practicing the Art of Neonatal Care
NANN's annual educational conference adds breadth and depth to your continuing nursing education and lifelong learning. At this year's conference, being held from September 14 to 17, 2011, at the Caribe Royale Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, you will find innovations in neonatal clinical care, management, and research, offering best practices and evidence-based recommendations. If you provide care for neonates and their families, you belong at this conference.
You will not want to miss the premier national conference for neonatal nurses. Register before August 15 and save $100. For additional information, visit http://www.NANNconference.org.
Nominations For Nann Awards Due June 1, 2011
Each year, NANN and the National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NANNP) recognize deserving individuals for their dedication to neonatal nursing and for their extraordinary contributions to the neonatal nursing field. Be sure to recognize your colleagues for their talent and dedication to neonatal nursing.
Nominations are due June 1, 2011, for these awards (applications may be downloaded from http://www.nann.org):
* Robyn Main Excellence in Clinical Practice Award
* NNP Excellence Award
* Leadership Award
* Navigator Award
* Chapter of the Year Award
The Robyn Main Excellence in Clinical Practice Award recognizes and encourages excellence in those neonatal nurses who are responsible for providing direct patient care. A nominee should be a NANN member, provide direct patient care as a staff nurse, and demonstrate consistent excellence in care involving difficult or unique patient, family, or staff situations.
The NNP Excellence Award honors outstanding contributions by a NNP to the field of neonatal nursing through exemplary practice, leadership, service, and education. A nominee must be a NANNP member who is actively practicing as a NNP and must demonstrate excellence in the practice and art of advanced neonatal nursing.
The Leadership Award recognizes a neonatal nurse who exhibits superior leadership skills. The nominee should be a NANN member, exhibit superior leadership qualities in a neonatal nursing role, and demonstrate consistent excellence in practice.
The Navigator Award recognizes a NANN member who consistently demonstrates the power of mentoring as a force for decreasing turnover rates, fostering camaraderie, and contributing to the positive growth and development of new nurses in the specialty of neonatal nursing. Nominees should be NANN members, perform in a mentoring role (eg, as NNP, clinical nurse specialist, nurse manager, educator, or preceptor for a staff nurse), and demonstrate consistent excellence in practice.
The Chapter of the Year Award acknowledges the accomplishments and contributions of chapters. Applicants must be chartered NANN chapters in good standing. Chapters submit information in 5 areas: chapter communications, community service, educational offerings, fund-raising efforts, and membership recruitment and retention. Chapter of the Year applicants will be also be considered for Individual Project Awards in each of these areas. Chapters may also submit applications in 1 or more of these areas to be eligible for an Individual Project Award.
NANN Receives American Nurses Credentialing Center Accreditation
On January 14, 2011, NANN received word that it has again been granted accreditation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. The accreditation, which extends through November 2014, attests that NANN is complying with current educational and nursing standards and is able to provide continuing nursing education. You can be sure that, through NANN, you are receiving the best continuing nursing education, using the latest educational technology and knowledge. Visit http://www.nursecredentialing.org to learn more about American Nurses Credentialing Center accreditation and how it affects your practice and the nursing profession.