PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
As president of NACNS, I am learning what it is like to advocate for not just my practice, but for the practice of all clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) around the nation. It is humbling to consider the level of professional practice, professionalism, and innovation that I see around me, that my colleagues demonstrate. I know that we are in challenging times-we are dealing with the duel implementation of the Affordable Care Act and in some states the APRN Consensus Model. NACNS is moving forward and continuing to respond to our member requests. Recently, many of you responded to the NACNS member survey. In the survey, your no. 1 request was for continuing education. Also, you asked for pharmacology content and information. There are many exciting ways in which NACNS is responding to your requests-and I am pleased to share with you some of our plans to meet your requests:
* Taskforce Model. In addition to the traditional committees that are outlined in our bylaws, NACNS Board of Directors has appointed task forces to advise them on specific issues. These issues include transitions of care, quality and outcomes, and alarm fatigue. Each of these task forces is working on recommendations for how the NACNS Board of Directors can support our members. In the next year or so, you will see the unveiling of Web-based resources and webinars to help our members delve deeper into these specific topics.
* Pharmacology Content at the Annual Meeting. It is important for all of us to gain the CE credit that we need. In addition, a growing number of us-50% according to our member survey-are seeking pharmacology CE. This year for the first time, NACNS has revised its call for abstracts and requested topics that relate to specific disease states and pharmacologic use. We encourage those of you who are working on the cutting-edge of new drug therapies to consider submitting an abstract for a session. We want to provide our members with a full range of information to assist development of practice.
* Webinar Series. At a very reasonable rate of $45.00 for members, NACNS is offering an exciting webinar series to our members. The sessions for this year will highlight key concerns and areas of interest for the CNS. Included is a session on transitional care management, considerations in dealing with alarm fatigue in your facility, and understanding the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services PQRS (Physician Quality Reporting System), a federal reimbursement model in which CNSs may be eligible.
* National CNS Survey. NACNS is poised to engage in a national survey of all CNSs in practice. This survey will be done through a basic SurveyMonkey tool. Access to this survey will be distributed through NACNS and as many other partner organizations as NACNS can identify. In addition, we will ask our members to forward the link to other CNSs that they know. The more individuals who respond to the survey, the better picture NACNS will have of the needs and concerns of CNSs around the nation. This is critical to our advocacy for the CNS role. Of course, we would love to see a day when all CNSs join NACNS, and hopefully knowing that we are interested in learning about each individual's practice will help them consider NACNS membership.
* 20th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Meeting. The 2015 NACNS Annual Meeting will be a terrific time to celebrate 20 years as an organization representing the CNS! We have selected a unique and very elegant resort in order to "take us all away" and help us relax and reflect on our profession. The Loews Coronado Resort & Spa on Coronado Island is a 4-star resort set out of the "rat race" on Coronado Island. Our meeting at this resort was selected as a launch of our 3-year contract with Loews hotels for our annual meeting. We were able to negotiate a very good room rate at a very elegant property and look forward to celebrating 20 years of hard work and volunteerism with all of you. This resort property is a cab ride from San Diego and offers incredible bay views. The Sea Spa at Loews Coronado Bay offers water shiatsu, yoga, and fitness classes. Outdoors, guests enjoy swimming pools, tennis courts, a marina, and an underpass to the beach. It is 4 miles from Coronado Village and 9 miles from San Diego. If you want to bring your whole family and take a break from the long winter, the resort offers a kids program (for a fee), nearby golf, kayaking, and surfing. I plan to have a marvelous time and I hope to see all of you there. If you have come to all NACNS meetings or you just come on occasion, this is a meeting you won't want to miss!
This is a very busy year for NACNS, and it will only happen through the ongoing volunteerism of each of our members. I would like to thank you for the honor of electing me as your leader, and I will be working hard to represent your concerns and wishes to the NACNS Board of Directors!
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALISTS MEMBERS' ACHIEVEMENTS
* Barbara Bigelow had her abstract selected for a poster presentation from the STTI Rho Beta Chapter for their May 2014 symposium at Eisenhower Medical Center. The poster, "Inpatient Palliative Care Services" describes the need for and development of a virtual inpatient palliative care service line with objectives including daily rounds with a 3-year outcome data comparison of discharge dispositions, top 5 diagnoses, length of stay, and consult volumes.
* Audrey Cochran, MSN, GCNS-BC, has been inducted into the California State University at Bakersfield Alumni Hall of Fame in February, to recognize her more than 30 years of nursing practice in the community as well as raising money to endow a chair in gerontological nursing. At age 82 years, she takes her own advice and is still going strong, presenting a talk for the Northern California chapter of the Society of Urological Nurses and Associates on how to teach anyone how to regain bowel and/or bladder control without drugs or surgery, as recommended by the Clinical Practice Guidelines. She will also be attending the Stanford School of Nursing luncheon.
* Diane Barkas, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN, had 2 poster presentations during the American Association of Critical Care Nurse's National Teaching Institute on "Pre-hospital to Discharge: A CNS Led Multidisciplinary Team for Improving Clinical Outcomes for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients" and "Compassion Doesn't End When the Heart Stops: Nurse's Perceptions of Honoring Ceremony at End-of-Life."
Submitted by Diane Barkas, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN
THE LATEST FROM THE MILITARY VIRTUAL AFFILIATE
Army Major Alicia Madore, critical care clinical nurse specialist (CNS) at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, spearheaded a multidisciplinary team that documented the benefits of wireless technology to improve patient safety and communication among providers. Major Madore demonstrated a 60% decrease in time spent contacting staff members in various departments using wireless technology, a 53% increase in overall workflow, and a 58% decline in overhead paging. Critical laboratory value calls completed within 30 minutes increased from 36% to 82%, and the number of calls exceeding 60 minutes for notification remains below 2%. Her efforts for this project, "Integrating Innovative Wireless Communication Technology for the Coordination of Care," garnered first place in the 2013 Department of Defense Quality and Patient Safety Awards.
Navy LCDR Jesus Crespo-Diaz, CNS (adult health) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2013 Quality and Patient Safety Awards for his multidisciplinary project, "Implementation and Sustainment of Hospital-Wide Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Bundles to Prevent Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)." LCDR Crespo-Diaz has presented his poster on catheter-associated urinary tract infections at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Region 1 Horizons 2014, a 3-day symposium for critical care nurses, and was also a finalist in the EBP Category in the National Capital Region Research and Innovations Competition at Walter Reed. He and his colleague, Ms Karen Cromwell, have been invited to present their research at the APIC Conference in Anaheim, California, in June.
LCDR Heather Shattuck, an emergency and trauma CNS, and LCDR Michael Urton, CNS (adult health), discussed "The Establishment of a Clinical Nurse Specialist Council and Its Effect on Role Success" at the recent National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) conference in Orlando. LCDR Urton said, "The impact this Council has had on our practice and our value to the organization has been so significant that I feel every hospital should consider how this type of collaborative opportunity might be feasible."
The Navy Nurse Corps Clinical Nurse Specialist Advisory Board, chaired by CDR Chris Jack, currently deployed to Afghanistan, is in its second year of work with an active e-mail group of more than 70 members and a dedicated Department of Defense-only Web site for requesting information, sharing standard operating procedures, and other documents. Some of the projects they are working on include a CNS mentoring program for CNS graduate students; creation of a global scope of practice for the licensed practical nurse, a role not used within the US Navy but used within the US Army; and development of evidence-based strategies to exploit Mosby's Skills for initial orientation, skills maintenance, and competency assessment.
Submitted by Mary K. Parker, CDR, NC, USN
NORTHEAST OHIO CNS AFFILIATE
The North East Ohio CNS affiliate started out the year with a well-attended meeting and continuing education offering for area CNSs on April 10, in Cleveland, Ohio. The program began with a business meeting and networking exercises. During the meeting, members were asked for input regarding future meetings and activities. Carol Manchester, immediate past president of NACNS, presented on the changes and challenges for the CNS role as healthcare reform continues. Her presentation provided excellent examples of how a CNS's expertise can meet the needs of patients as they transition through the healthcare system. Carol also presented the work completed by the NACNS Transitional Care Task Force. The presentation ended with an excellent and inspiring discussion on the importance of CNSs' involvement in research and publications. Members were encouraged to provide input to NACNS and our state legislature regarding CNS in the advanced practice registered nursing role. In closing, it was a great evening to collaborate with other CNSs and learn about their contributions to nursing
Submitted by Beth M. Weese, MSN, RN, GCNS-BC
KARMANOS CANCER CENTER CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALIST RECEIVES OAKLAND UNIVERSITY'S NIGHTINGALE AWARD FOR CLINICAL EXCELLENCE
DETROIT-Morris Magnan, PhD, RN, clinical nurse specialist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center, has recently received the Nightingale Award for Nursing Excellence in the category of Education and Research from Oakland University's School of Nursing. For the past 26 years, Oakland University has recognized the hardworking, highly skilled, and caring individuals who play a vital role in its healthcare delivery system.
"It is a great honor to receive the Nightingale Award in the area of education and research,' said Dr Magnan. It is somewhat humbling to think that through this prestigious award my name gets linked to the name of Florence Nightingale- the founder of nursing in the Western world, the first nurse researcher, and a pioneer in the area of healthcare reform."
Dr Magnan received the award at a celebration on May 8, 2014, at the Mirage in Clinton Township. He is 1 of 9 winners and 10 runners-up who were selected for awards in various categories. Dr Magnan's School of Nursing. For the past 26 years, Oakland University has recognized the hardworking, highly skilled, and caring individuals who play a vital role in its healthcare deliverys award in the Education and Research category is given to a professional nurse who demonstrates the creation of innovative educational activities or contributes to quality patient care through research.
Dr Magnan's focus on research and evidence-based practice not only impacts patients at Karmanos but also has the potential to affect patients worldwide. He was selected to serve as the US representative on an international committee to write Global Guidelines for Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Management, working with others from Australia, Europe, and several Pan-Pacific countries.
Dr Magnan chairs the Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Research Committee at Karmanos. With his guidance, 6 evidence-based projects have been initiated, and 2 research projects have been completed,' said Kay Carolin, MSA, BSN, RN, senior vice president of Ambulatory Care and Supportive Services at Karmanos Cancer Center, and a supporter of Dr Magnan's nomination.
Dr Magnan serves as a research sounding board for other nurses conducting research and mentors them on research design. Thanks to his support, a group of staff nurses authored an article on best practices related to blood transfusion that has been accepted for publication; 3 poster abstracts submitted by Karmanos nurses that have been accepted for the 2014 Oncology Nursing Society congress; and an advanced practice nurse was awarded $10 000 in funding for an evidence-based practice in radiation oncology.
"Due in large part to Dr Magnan, I have seen a significant increase in the number of nurses returning to school,' said Carolin. All of them have reached out to him, asking his advice on school and educational focus." Dr Magnan is the sixth Karmanos nurse to win a Nightingale Award for Nursing Excellence since 2002.
About the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. Located in midtown Detroit, Michigan, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, a subsidiary of McLaren Health Care, 1 of 41 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Karmanos is among the nation's best cancer centers. Through the commitment of 1000 staff, including nearly 300 physicians and researchers on faculty at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, and supported by thousands of volunteer and financial donors, Karmanos strives to prevent, detect, and eradicate all forms of cancer. Its long-term partnership with the Wayne State University School of Medicine enhances the collaboration of critical research and academics related to cancer care. Gerold Bepler, MD, PhD, is the institute's president and chief executive officer. For more information, call 1-800-KARMANOS or go to http://www.karmanos.org.
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION EXPLORES ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE MARKET
The staff of the Federal Trade Commission published a policy paper that calls on state legislators to carefully consider the impact of passing legislation that limits the scope of practice of advanced practice registered nurses. The policy paper, "Policy Perspectives: Competition and the Regulation of Advanced Practice Nurses," notes that by limiting the range of services, APRNs may provide the extent to which they can practice independently; such proposals may reduce competition that benefits consumers. The policy paper is part of the Federal Trade Commission's ongoing efforts to promote competition in the healthcare sector, which benefits consumers through lower costs, better care, and more innovation.
2014 NACNS SERIES WEBINAR: CUTTING EDGE INFORMATION FOR THE CNS POISED TO LAUNCH
You have asked for it and we have heard you! The NACNS is poised to open registration on the 2014 NACNS Webinar Series. All webinars are offered at a great deal for NACNS members!
Webinar series: All webinars are offered at a great deal for NACNS members!
Registration fees:
Series of 5 webinars: members, $215; nonmembers, $280; student, $125
Single webinar: member, $45; nonmember, $60; student, $30.
Times for all sessions: 3:00 pm eastern/2:00 pm central/1:00 pm mountain/12:00 noon west coast
Topics:
September 24, 2014-CNS Competencies: Taking the Lead in Clinical Alarm Management
November 12, 2014-The Cutting Edge of Diabetes Management (pharmacology CE offered)
December 10, 2014-CNS Competencies: Positioning Yourself to Close the Clinical Alarm Gap
To register (registration will open in the coming weeks), go to http://www.nacns.org. Send any questions to [email protected].
NACNS 20TH ANNIVERSARY TO BE CELEBRATED IN 2015
Yes, it has been 20 years! And the NACNS Board of Directors is planning on recognizing and celebrating our history and success throughout 2015, but specifically at the NACNS 2015 Annual Conference. This meeting is being held at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego, California. This meeting hotel will allow for an excellent educational experience as well as relaxation and exploration of beautiful Southern California. The hotel offers 3 pools, a sand beach, and a spa. So plan now for a 20th anniversary celebration that will allow you to take care of your mind and body! Plan on submitting a poster or a presentation or encourage your facility to exhibit! Visit http://www.nacns.org for details as they become available.
13TH ANNUAL NACNS SUMMIT TO BE HELD ON JULY 22, 2014, IN WASHINGTON, DC
For the last 12 years, NACNS has provided a forum for leaders from our membership and collegial organizations to come together to discuss CNS hot topic issues. This is a great opportunity for you to directly contribute your opinion to the work of the organization. The meeting is designed to bring subject experts together with NACNS members to discuss the big-picture issues facing the CNS. Planning is now underway on the agenda for the meeting-but it is anticipated that we will discuss:
* the Federal Trade Commission and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) practice,
* the challenge of finding DNP programs that offer CNS-oriented education,
* certification issues for the CNS within in the APRN Consensus Model,
* and plans to revise the CNS Core Statement.
"LIKE" THE NEW NACNS FACEBOOK PAGE!
NACNS members and other clinical nurse specialists are invited to "like" the new NACNS Facebook page to receive regular updates from NACNS staff and board members. The new Facebook page will enable NACNS's profile to be open to all Facebook subscribers; staff can tag NACNS members in photos and create and invite members to upcoming conferences, meetings, and events. If you're on Facebook, please head over to https://www.facebook.com/clinicalnursespecialists and "like" the new NACNS Facebook page.