The Alaska Nurse - Vol. 61 No. 1 - March 2011

The Official Publication of the Alaska Nurses Association Circulation 7,400 to every Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse and Student Nurse in Alaska

Volume 61 • No. 1

March 2011

photo courtesy of Lisa J. Seifert/ www.seifertphoto.com

Berner New Interim Director at UAA School of Nursing

Barbara Berner, EdD, RN, ANP Major changes are underway at the UAA School of Nursing. Perhaps the most visible and

significant change is the appointment of Dr. Barbara Berner as Interim Director of the School of Nursing. An acknowledged national leader in nurse practitioner education, Dr. Berner now assumes responsibility for providing leadership to the baccalaureate and associate degree nursing programs and for the ongoing development of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program.

When asked to comment on her vision regarding the current status of the UAA nursing programs, Dr. Berner replied, “I was extremely pleased with the latest Institute of Medicine’s Report on the Future of Nursing. I think that nursing programs can play a major role in making the IOM’s recommendations come to

Betty Dalby, RN

Page 7

January Luminaries in Juneau

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ASHNHA and AaNA Meet with Dept. of Labor

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Berner New Interim Director continued on page 9

Alaska STD Program—Update 2011

by Donna J. Cecere, BA STD Program Coordinator Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Health care providers encouraged to implement Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) Alaska ranks in the top 10 for the highest gonorrhea (GC) and chlamydia (CT) rates in the nation. The August, 2010 edition of the Alaska Nurse announced the Section of Epidemiology’s new effort to decrease rates of GC and CT by treating the sex partners of patients diagnosed with GC and/or CT infection using EPT. The recommendation followed the Section’s work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to explore attitudes, practices and beliefs of EPT among hundreds of medical providers and patients.1 Both the CDC report on the work and associated Recommendations for Providers are on the Section of Epidemiology website at http://www.epi.hss.state.ak.us/hivstd/

ept/default.htm.2 Also included on this site is a list of resources to help guide the implementation of EPT in your health care setting.3 EPT involves treating the sex partners of patients diagnosed with GC and/or CT infection by providing prescriptions or medications for the patient’s partner(s) without the health care provider first examining the partner. The state is encouraging all health care providers to consider adopting this practice, when appropriate.

“The report is accompanied by a Bulletin that provides detailed recommendations for providers as well as links to numerous online documents to facilitate the use of expedited partner therapy,” said Dr. Joe McLaughlin, state epidemiologist. “I believe we can significantly reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted disease in Alaska by getting providers to support this initiative statewide.”

“We believe expedited partner therapy will be particularly effective in many areas of Alaska where people are unable or unwilling to get to a

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Permit #14 Princeton, MN 55371

clinic on their own,” said Susan Jones, manager of the state’s HIV/STD Program. “Our study has shown that people are willing to take medication to their sex partners. We have to do all we can to curtail our gonorrhea and chlamydia epidemic in Alaska, and expedited partner therapy is one more tool we can use to help make that happen.”

2010 STD Treatment Guidelines This past December, the Centers for Disease Control issued an updated Recommendations and Reports for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (MMWR 2010;59 [No. RR-#12]). Included in these updated guidelines is new information regarding 1) the expanded diagnostic evaluation for cervicitis and trichomoniasis; 2) new treatment recommendations for bacterial vaginosis and genital warts; 3) the clinical efficacy of azithromycin for chlamydial infections in pregnancy; 4) the role of Mycoplasma Alaska STD Program continued on page 9

Inside This Issue Executive Director’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Dec. ‘10 University of Alaska Graduates . . . . . . . 10

Nurses Week 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Summary of Overtime Limitations for Nurses. . 11

Nurses in the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Alaska Board of Nursing Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

ANPA News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Upcoming Changes for Alaska Nurse

Girdwood NP Gains

Alert System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Community Service Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Heart of the Alaska Nurse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Upcoming Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The AaNA Vision Empowering Alaska nurses to be dynamic leaders, powerful in both the health care and political communities.

Page 2 • Alaska Nurse

March 2011

Author Guidelines for the Alaska Nurse The editorial committee welcomes original articles for publication. Preference is given to nursing and health related topics in Alaska.

Authors are not required to be members of the Alaska Nurses Association.

Format and Submission Articles should be Word documents in 10 or 12 point font, single or double spaced.

There is currently no limit on the length of the article. Include the title of the article and headings if applicable. Author’s name should be placed after the title with credentials, organization and/or employer and contact information. Authors must identify potential conflicts of interest, whether of financial or other nature and identify any commercial affiliation if applicable.

All references should be listed at the end of the article. Pictures in black and white or color are encouraged and may be sent

as a jpg. file, as an email attachment or on disc. Photographs sent to the Alaska Nurse will become property of the AaNA. We hope that we will be sent copies, not originals and prefer emailed files. Photos should be provided with a caption and photo credit info and be high resolution. Be sure to spell check, grammar check and second check the article, any website addresses, references or phone numbers. It is recommended you have a colleague review your article before submission.

Prepare the article as a WORD document and attach it to an email to lhartz@alaska. com. If you do not have WORD, try pasting the text of the article directly into the body of the email. You may also mail the article on disc to Editor, AK Nurse, Alaska Nurses Association, 3701 East Tudor Road Ste 208, Anchorage, AK 99507. If you have any questions email the Editor, Lynn Hartz at lhartz@alaska.com.

Executive Director’s Corner When AS 18.20.400, the act limiting mandatory overtime for RNs and LPNS in licensed health care facilities, went into effect, AaNA knew that the real work was just beginning. We believed an educational process and basic understanding of what the law does and does not do for nurses and patients in Alaska was going to be imperative.

Debbie Thompson, The legislative process BSN, CNOR taught those involved that it is give and take, some negotiations and many compromises along the way. This law is good for Alaska’s patients, nurses and provides for the safety of both. The language of the law is clear in many areas, fairly clear on others and down right muddy on some. When AaNA representatives and ASHNHA representatives met with Department of Labor we were told that there were no plans to write regulations for this law right now as it was pretty straight forward. I believe that there will come a time when the Department of Labor will need to make interpretations on portions of this law and may even end up writing regulations for the law.

In meetings with nurses and the number of calls I have received, there are a lot of questions regarding “on-call;” whether or not on-call time is exempt entirely from the law and how the law should be interpreted to cover those areas where mandatory call is a part of the job requirements.

This is one of those areas awaiting interpretation from the Department of Labor.

Some facilities have taken the new law as an opportunity to look at the way business is done in mandatory call areas and started to change their business model. These facilities are embracing a new model to run these units ultimately making the work environment and the practice of nursing safer for Alaska patients. I commend them for this brave step forward. There are some facilities that are choosing to make on-call time a burdensome part of the job for the nurses and trying to be punitive to nurses working in these units. This

response not only hurts the patients of Alaska, but the nurses who work in these facilities; it is chasing nurses out of the facility and at times out of the practice of nursing contributing to the nurse shortage in these critical areas.

Test cases will ultimately decide whether changes in practice by some facilities are within the spirit of the new law or not. Nurses have the ultimate power on whether or not this law works for their patients and themselves, as it is up to the nurse to do the reporting. I encourage any nurse working more than 14 consecutive hours in a 24 hour period to make a report to the Department of Labor. You can access the report form on the internet at http://www.labor.state.ak.us/lss/forms/ WH-nurse-complaint-form.pdf. If the link is not working, go to aknurse.org where there will be a link posted.

AaNA has made a commitment to the nurses in Alaska to help them understand what this law does and does not do and what is yet to be determined.

I have spoken with nurses from Soldotna, Fairbanks, Wrangell, Ketchikan, Anchorage, Bethel and the Mat Su Valley about the law. As one would expect, there are differing opinions on the interpretation of the law and how the law should be used. What I have seen so far are nurses who are trying to keep a good work—life balance and whose primary concern is the safety of their patients. Change is slow and acceptance of change is even slower. I read a quote by an unknown author that applies to the process of getting this law enacted and ultimately implemented.

“Remember determination, patience and courage are the only things needed to make any situation better.” I believe as we move forward with the implementation of this law we will be living this quote. There is another appropriate quote in the second sentence of the new act, “quality patient care is jeopardized by RNs and LPNs who work unnecessarily long hours in health care facilities.”

That is why the law was passed, and that is why we are committed to see this process through.

[See page 11 for a summary of AS 18.20.400, Overtime Limitations for Nurses provided by the Department of Labor]

An official publication of the Alaska Nurses Association, 3701 East Tudor Rd., Ste. 208, Anchorage, AK 99507. Tel: 907/274-0827. Web site: www.aknurse.org. Published quarterly every March, June, September and December.

Materials may not be reproduced permission from the Editor.

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Editor: Lynn E. Hartz, MSN, FNP lhartz@alaska.com AaNA Board of Directors President: Nancy C. Davis, MS, RN Vice President: Pam Embler, MSN, RN Secretary: Michelle L. Marshall, MSN, RN Treasurer: Donna Phillips, BSN, RN Directors: Labor Council (designee): Susan Walsh, RN Rural Director: Shelley Burlison, RN Greater Alaska Director: Linda Worman, D.M., RN, PHN Staff Nurse Director: Mary Stackhouse, RNC, CLNC Directors at Large: Stacey Allen, RN Patricia Barker, BSN, RN Helena Jermalovic, MSN, RN Rhonda Richtsmeier, RN, MN, NEA-BC Carol Widman, RN, BA, BSN Student Nurse Liaison: Tapia Hansen (UAA SNA President) AaNA Labor Council Chair—Mary Stackhouse, RNC, CLNC Vice-Chair—Donna Phillips, BSN, RN Secretary—Joe Peacott, RN Treasurer—Sharie Morton, RN Directors: Colleen Bevans, RN Deni Callahan, RN Lila Elliott, BSN, RN Janet Hilleary, RNC PAMC BU Rep.—Joe Peacott, RN Soldotna BU Rep.—Velinda Albrechta-East, RN Ketchikan BU Rep.—Susan Walsh, RN Affiliate Organizations: Alaska Chapter of the American College of Nurse Midwives Alaska Home Health and Hospice Association Alaska Nurse Anesthetists Association Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association Alaska School Nurses Association Forensic Nurses Association, Alaska Chapter Executive Director: Debbie Thompson, BSN, RN, CNOR For advertising rates and information, please contact Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc., 517 Washington Street, PO Box 216, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613, (800) 626-4081, sales@aldpub.com. AaNA and the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. reserve the right to reject any advertisement. Responsibility for errors in advertising is limited to corrections in the next issue or refund of price of advertisement.

Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement or approval by the Alaska Nurses Association of products advertised, the advertisers, or the claims made. Rejection of an advertisement does not imply a product offered for advertising is without merit, or that the manufacturer lacks integrity, or that this association disapproves of the product or its use. AaNA and the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. shall not be held liable for any consequences resulting from purchase or use of an advertiser’s product. Articles appearing in this publication express the opinions of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect views of the staff, board, or membership of AaNA or those of the national or local associations.

March 2011

Nurses Week 2011

Once again it is Spring and time for National Nurses Week. National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. As of 1998, May 8 was designated as National Student Nurses Day, to be celebrated annually. And, as of 2003, National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week (May 6-12) each year. AaNA would like to recognize the December graduating class from UAA School of Nursing and all our student nurses and new graduates this May 8. In addition we honor the March of Dimes Nurses of the Year for 2010. Congratulations to all these nurses building a healthy Alaska!

[Editors Note: Good news. With our new publishing calendar, we are only one month early for Nurses Week! Featured on page 2 is a special coupon generously donated by the Great Harvest Bread Company in Anchorage in honor of Nurses Week. If you make use of it, please give them a big Thank You.]

photo courtesy of Lisa J. Seifert/www.siefertphoto.com

A list of all December nursing graduates from around the state is on page 10.

2010 Alaska March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Awards

Pictured are the 2010 recipients of the Alaska March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Awards.

Every year the March of Dimes presents awards to nurses nominated by their colleagues and community in recognition of exemplary service. Below are listed the individual awards, names and practice areas of those honored: Advanced Practice, Linda Gilson, Ketchikan General Hospital Ambulatory Nursing, Meldyne Hersman, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Behavioral Health, Jill Foster, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Case Management, Bonnie Marcil, Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska Case Management, Bryen Bartgis, Southcentral Foundation Child Advocacy, Margaret Volz, Providence Alaska Medical Center Critical Care, Adults, Margaret Auble, Providence Alaska Medical Center Emergency/Flight, Shayne Pond, Central Peninsula General Hospital Friend of Nursing, Carol Davila, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Friend of Nursing, Katherine Gottlieb, Southcentral Foundation Rising Star, Angie Dendy, 3rd Medical Group, USAF, Elmendorf Rising Star, Cherry Supalla, The Children’s Hospital at Providence General Medical/Surgical, Victoria Roldan, Bartlett Regional Hospital LPN, Felicia Dunn, US Army, Bassett Army Community Hospital LPN, Jennifer Allen, Alaska Regional Hospital Maternal/Newborn, Brandy Dales, 3rd Medical Group, USAF, Elmendorf NICU, Stacy Sandoval, Providence Alaska Medical Center Nursing Admin, Sharon Gibbs, Providence Alaska Medical Center Pediatrics, Diane Long, Tanana Valley Clinic Perioperative, Shari Peterson, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center Rehab, Linda Amundson, Providence Alaska Medical Center Women’s Health, Margaret Gannono, 3rd Medical Group, USAF, Elmendorf Legend, Keiko Torgersen, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center

Alaska Nurse • Page 3

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Notice to AaNA Members—You Are Not Getting Your Email Over half of listserv email from the Alaska Nurses Association to Members are being blocked by email guards. If you wish to receive important updates and information in a timely manner, please check your junk email settings and make sure that Donna@aknurse.org is an approved address.

If you have not been getting email updates and information from the Alaska Nurses Association, or if your address has changed and you are a member, please contact Donna Phillips at Donna@aknurse.org or call 907274-0827.

Notice

Audio CD’s of recent Alaska Board of Nursing Meetings Now Available at the AaNA Office Call 907-274-0827 for copies and information Brought to you by the Alaska Nurses Association

March 2011

Nurses in the News LeMay Hupp, RN, MPH, was presented with the Alaska Health Achievement Award by the Alaska Public Health Association at the annual Health Summit in January. She was given the award for her work as Coordinator of the Alaska Nurse Alert System and the National Disaster Life Support Foundation. The Hupp Nurse Alert System has grown to over 480 nurse volunteers around the state. Her work has included seeking nurse volunteers and overseeing continuing education in disaster preparedness and response. Ms. Hupp has established the “Core Disaster Life Support” (CDLS) and “Basic Disaster Life Support” (BDLS) education program in Alaska. With financial support from the State of Alaska Emergency Programs, she found peers to become certified and assist in teaching and sought a physician sponsor for the program. Bruce Chandler, MD, stepped up to teach, and volunteer, for that position. To date, the group has taught two classes of BDLS and has plans to teach more courses during the year.

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Cathy Giessel, MS, ANP, FAANP, Anchorage, was elected to the Alaska State Senate for District P last November. Senator Giessel sits on the Committee on Labor & Commerce and the Committee on State Affairs as well as the Finance subcommittee on the Legislature.

During the session in Juneau, Ms. Giessel can be reached at 907-465-4843 or email Senator Senator_Cathy_Giessel@legis.

Cathy Giessel state.ak.us.

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Elizabeth A. Campbell, PhD, MSN, NP-C was selected as an Item Writer for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination (NCLEX®).

NCBSN, headquartered in Chicago, is responsible for developing and administering the NCLEX-RN® and NCLEXPN® licensing exams. Dr. Elizabeth Campbell, Elizabeth Campbell was Assistant Professor approved by the Alaska of Nursing at UAA Board of Nursing and selected by NCSBN to participate on the NCLEX® item development panel of subject matter experts that was held in Chicago, Illinois in January, 2011.

Dr. Campbell was one of twelve nurses from across the nation to be selected for this assignment. She was nominated on the basis of clinical specialty and nursing expertise. This is the third time in the last year she has served on the item development panel.

All nurses in the United States and its four U.S. territories must take the NCLEX®. The licensing exam identifies those candidates who demonstrate minimal competence to practice nursing at the entry level. Passing the NCLEX® exam is one of the requirements necessary for attaining a nursing license.

Nurses interested in contributing to the profession through volunteering to serve on NCLEX® item development panels, should apply by completing the application online at www. ncsbn.org.

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If you know of nurses that we may have missed recognizing please feel free to submit a notice to the editor, lhartz@alaska.com, so that their information can be listed in the next issue.

March 2011

Alaska Nurse • Page 5

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ANPA News Karen Niedermier, Secretary Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association Happy Spring from the Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association!

The ANPA has recently created a Public Relations Committee. We hope to increase the visibility of nurse practitioners throughout the state with media promotion and our presence at public events. If you are a nurse practitioner with PR savvy, please contact the ANPA to lend your expertise!

Planning is underway for the annual fall educational conference. Please plan on joining us at the Anchorage Downtown Marriott September 16-18, 2011 for this always-excellent educational event. If you would like to suggest a speaker, please contact the conference planning chair at pres-elect@alaskanp.org.

If you haven’t visited our website recently, log on to www.alaskanp.org to check out our new look. With the website revision, we have been able to move many of our transactions online: you can now apply for or renew your membership, register for the conference, update your listing in our online directory, find a nurse practitioner, or contact personnel directly online.

As the daylight grows longer, we wish you all the beauty that is spring in Alaska.

March 2011

Girdwood NP Gains Community Service Award

Kerry Dorius with husband Chuck with the Girdwood 2020 Community Service Award.

Kerry Dorius, RN, ANP, FNP, MSN received the 2011 Community Service Award from the Girdwood 2020 organization for her “tireless efforts and commitment to the community.” Dorius formed the Girdwood Health Clinic, a nonprofit entity dedicated to converting her current private clinic into a federally qualified health center. Once qualified, the clinic would be eligible for federal grants and funding.

Born and raised in Utah, Kerry met her husband Chuck at Brighton Ski resort in 1971. She moved to Fairbanks Alaska with her husband and infant son

WE NEED YOUR INPUT The 2010 AaNA General Assembly passed a resolution supporting a NO LIFT culture for the nurses of Alaska. In order to move forward with the no manual lifting culture we need your input.

Any nurses working, retired or disabled who have suffered a musculoskeletal work injury please respond to our survey at http://www. surveymonkey.com/s/BR6KTCH [all links are available at online edition of the Alaska Nurse, go to aknurse.org and click on newspaper icon]

in October of 1974 and worked as a draftsperson on the pipeline.

The family moved to Anchorage so that Kerry could go to nursing school and she graduated in 1984 with Honors and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She worked for 10 years in ICU, CCU, ER, and as a flight nurse for Alaska Regional Hospital.

She took the certification exam for flight nursing in 1993 and was one of the first 10 that passed that exam in Alaska.

While working full time as an ER and flight nurse, Kerry began working on her Nurse Practitioner degree. She graduated with her Master’s of Science in Nursing in 1994 with honors. She was one of the first 3 Nurse Practitioner’s hired to work the new Urgent Care at ANMC in the fall of 1994.

Kerry was hired by Providence in the spring of 1998 to work at the Providence Girdwood Medical Clinic on the corner of Alyeska Highway and the New Seward Highway. After Providence closed the clinic in November of 1999, Kerry and Chuck purchased the clinic and reopened it at a new location on Hightower Road in January 2000, less than one month before Stumpy’s Storm closed the highway and isolated the town for 5 days. Kerry took a helicopter back to Girdwood to open the clinic during the storm. Kerry was part of the National Library of Medicine Telemedicine project and was the most proIific user of the system from 2002 to 2004. Armed with a digital camera and digital otoscope she would send images of ear drums, mystery rashes, and X-rays to specialists in Anchorage. She presented her telemedicine experiences at the circumpolar Winter Cities conference held in Anchorage in February 2004.

In 2005 Kerry started the nonprofit Turnagain Arm Health Center and with the help of Senator Stevens and the Denali Commission, Turnagain Arm Health Center secured a grant to purchase the old post office. Kerry and Chuck remodeled the old post office into a larger clinic in March of 2006.

After 11 years as the sole practitioner in Girdwood, Kerry continues to enjoy her work treating ill and injured residents and visitors to the Girdwood and Turnagain Arm area. Besides ski injuries and infections, she has treated everything from reindeer attacks to Bot flies. She continues to actively pursue a nonprofit status for the Girdwood Clinic in order to continue her dream of a sustainable Girdwood Clinic that will outlast her time there.

Sources for this story were Deb Kiley, DNP, FNP and Kerry Dorius.

March 2011

Alaska Nurse • Page 7

Heart of the Alaska Nurse

by Marianne Schlegelmilch Who is the Alaska Nurse?

Underneath the titles and the hard won credentials, who is the person that makes up the Alaska Nurse?

In this new series, Heart of the Alaska Nurse, we will meet some of the women and men—both young and old—working, retired, or still students— who form the unique and always interesting ranks of caregivers who are the Alaska Nurse.

Betty Dalby, R.N. (retired) I first met Betty Dalby right after the beginning of this millennium, not long after 9/11. I was managing the first satellite center for the Blood Bank of Alaska in Wasilla and I needed help manning the front desk where we recruited blood donors, made appointments and otherwise tried to make the process flow.

“You’re a retired nurse and you want to volunteer? Great!” I told her. “Of course you will be a lot of help,” I insisted as she pointed out her current lack of licensure and recent experience.

“You’re a nurse, that’s all I need to know.”

When she arrived for her first day ‘on the job’, I noted her diminutive stature and the way she moved purposefully and efficiently in spite of being bent over from severe arthritis.

“My hands don’t work the way they used to,” she remarked at some point.

I looked at her hands, bent and gnarled; yet still deftly shifting through forms and piles of paper as she went about organizing her work area just as she had undoubtedly done for more years than she dared to remember. Today, my own hands are beginning to take on a similar appearance.

Perhaps that is what happens to nurses who spend the better part of their lives caring for others. Their hands just wear out. Years of wrapping wounds and inserting and removing tubes, suctioning orifices, and generally supporting the bodily functions of those too ill to maintain their own, take their toll, until one day our hands just wear out.

“Don’t worry about anything, Betty—just do what you can and stay as long as you like. You’re help is so appreciated,” I told her.

Her smile spoke volumes. She was needed and the nurse in her would rise to the occasion, arthritis or no arthritis.

Over the months that we worked together, Betty came in on time for her regular day in our office. She was never late and she never left early.

Systematically, she provided the support I needed with all the efficiency that years of nursing had taught her, even managing to keep some of the staff in line when necessary—none of the young, unlicensed staff willing to argue when Betty deemed it necessary to move them along in one way or another to keep things moving. Seeing this would always make me smile. You don’t spend years managing a floor full of twenty or thirty patients without developing the ability to keep things moving no matter what kind of inertia might be rumbling around you. When Betty was on duty, things got done.

Betty left her volunteer job after we went ‘computer’.

“That’s it for me,” she declared one day. “Once you bring in those computers, I’m out of here.” No amount of talking or reassurance could convince her to stay after the day they rolled the new computers into our office. Like all good nurses, Betty knew when it was time to go.

I ran into Betty this summer when she came to

visit me at one of my book signings in the Valley.

We sat and talked—two old nurses, albeit a generation apart, now past their prime. It was great to see her. She just got a new hip. It doesn’t seem to have slowed her down much at all.

Betty Dalby is currently 87 years old and lives in Palmer, Alaska where she spends her time working in her yard and tending to her garden. It has been my privilege to meet and know Betty Dalby and I thank her for her years of providing nursing care to countless numbers of people whose names and illnesses are now a part of history. Who knows how many lives she touched over the years that spanned her career. Like most nurses I know, who’s counting anyway ? Here is her story—in mostly her own words:

photo courtesy of Ron Dalby

Nurse Dalby pictured in front of the Hospital in Skagway, circa 1949. The hospital has since been torn down.

As of December 24, 2010, I will be 87 years old.

I entered the pre-nurse course at the University of Nebraska upon graduating from high school. This was a five-year course—two years at the University in Lincoln and three years at the University hospital in Omaha at the Medical School, ending up with a Graduate Nurse Degree and a B.S. in 1947.

Growing up in Nebraska and all throughout school, I was always fascinated by stories of Alaska and Australia—reading whatever I could about these places. So, after I passed the State Boards to become a Registered Nurse, I made my way to the west coast thinking I would probably be working in Portland, Oregon at the University hospital.

While in Seattle visiting relatives, I ran across something called a medical replacement bureau, and that is where I was hired by the White Pass and Yukon Railway for a job in Skagway, Alaska at their small 10-bed hospital. I took a first class boat trip up the coast, stopping at the many small towns along the way.

On my arrival in Skagway, I was met on the boat by the Assistant Superintendant of the Railroad, and after filling out the necessary papers, was taken to the hospital where I met the other two nurses who worked there. We each had a room in the middle of the patient’s floor. Needless to say, this hospital was very primitive by today’s standards—and even to a degree by 1947 standards.

Then, there were very few extras used in the care of patients. No defibrillator, no suction machine, no disposable supplies. We had to make our own dressings, cotton swabs, cotton balls— everything—from bolts of cotton or gauze, but the three of us had worked during the war (WWII) or trained before that and knew how to do those things. Back then we used a small autoclave in the surgery area to sterilize bandages and we cleaned the wounds with green soap and hydrogen peroxide. We also had iodine available.

During the one winter that the Railroad gave the doctor a three-month sabbatical, they sent up a replacement, but he was not prepared for our cold north wind or the working conditions. He ended up nursing the bottle—several a day—until something happened that resulted in his leaving at the request of the Railroad.

One day the school superintendant’s threemonth-old baby got very sick and the doctor decided he didn’t want to worry the baby’s parents by giving the necessary penicillin shots every three hours. When the baby got sicker, the father brought it to the hospital and called a pediatrician in Juneau that he knew. This is where all our nursing sense of observation, common sense and Heart of the Alaska Nurse continued on page 8

Page 8 • Alaska Nurse Heart of the Alaska Nurse continued from page 7 being able to make do with what we had came into play.

The Railroad sent the doctor packing and the Territorial Health Department sent a doctor up to take his place. On his arrival, he did a spinal tap on the baby and sent the results to Juneau from where Streptomycin was sent back with the pilot.

The baby had Influenza Meningitis. We nurses worked hard to save that baby, making an oxygen tent out of whatever was available and getting the railroad maintenance workers to fix us a gauge to regulate flow and run the oxygen through water.

Because we had no suction machine, we had to use a catheter and a syringe to keep the baby’s airway clear. Because of everyone’s efforts and ingenuity, the baby lived.

Shortly after the baby recovered, another serious situation took up all our attention when a snow slide hit the train at the Pass, injuring five men. We were able to care for four of them, but the fifth one, the fireman, was badly burned and had to be flown to Juneau and then to Seattle.

Soon after that, we had an unusual birth of twins, giving that young doctor from the health department a lot more trouble than he expected.

Most things in our small community, though, were business as usual, and the Railroad had the doctor and the hospital nearby if they needed them.

During my career as a nurse, it seemed like I was often cast into situations that required close observation, the ingenuity to make do, and a good dose of common sense. The last thirteen years that I worked, I served as a supervisor in a busy operating room—a job that required, among other

March 2011 things, a great deal of tact in keeping the doctors compatible.

Even at the age of 62, I was still enjoying the work, but I retired in Oregon in 1976 when my husband got cancer and I needed to take care of him.

When I returned to Alaska in 1987, I began volunteering anywhere I could that had something to do with health. At that time, the EMT’s in the Mat-Su Valley had no nurse on staff and the state ordered that all should have Hepatitis shots for their safety, so I gave everyone the first dose. By the time the second dose was needed, they were able to hire a nurse. I also volunteered for different jobs at the local hospital. I finally gave up when arthritis began to take its toll on my body. ~~~ After our interview, one of Betty’s family members suggested I ask her about working with the prostitutes in Skagway—so I did. Here is what she said: When Alaska was a Territory prostitution was legal. When the ladies hit town and wanted to set up shop, their first stop was to the doctor’s office.

He had to okay their heath and sign off on it.

When pressed about what kind of exam the doctor did in those days, Betty replies: I don’t remember exactly, but I know they had to have current lab tests. I know they had to have had a current TB test because that was so bad in those days, and I think one was the Wasserman test. If they didn’t have current proof of tests, Dr. had to draw the blood and send it to Juneau, while the ladies had to be confined to a room at the hotel or the boarding house—whichever.

And so, along with so many untold stories, was the life of a nurse in the Territory of Alaska some sixty odd years ago. Stories that by today’s standards, make the practice of nursing in those days seem somewhat primitive, just as the stories of our current practice will surely seem fifty years— or judging by the rapid advances in medicine, even fewer years— from now.

Betty Dalby’s story is as unique as are the careers of most Alaska Nurses, yet through

each of their stories runs the common thread of commitment, ingenuity and the ultimate concern for the welfare of their patients. Stories that are timeless in the spirit and dedication that set nurses of all ages apart as the caring, compassionate, souls who are THE HEART of the ALASKA NURSE. Betty Dalby graduated with a BS and a Graduate Nurse Degree in 1947, a time when many women still did not even attend college. Like many Alaska Nurses, she made her way north just for the adventure—taking a job sight unseen with the Yukon and White Pass Railway in Skagway, working the harsh climate with the bare essentials. Her story is as unique as it is similar to so many Alaskan nurses who somehow made their way to the Last Frontier.

A Diploma nurse, Marianne Schlegelmilch has spent more than forty years working as a registered nurse.

Although she is the author of five books of Alaska fiction (Solo Flite, Coho Waterboy, Raven’s Light, Gaston’s Crow’s Nest, and Feather Schlegelmilch From a Stranger), she says that she will “always first and foremost be a nurse.” The series, “Heart of the Alaska Nurse” is her tribute to her chosen profession of nursing expressed in her chosen art form of writing. If you feel there is any student, active or retired nurse you know who personifies the heart of the Alaska nurse, please contact lhartz@alaska. com and your story may be one that is featured in this exciting new series.

March 2011 Alaska STD Program continued from page 1 genitalium and trichomoniasis in urethritis/ cervicitis and treatment-related implications; 5) lymphogranuloma venereum proctocolitis among men who have sex with men; 6) the criteria for spinal fluid examination to evaluate for neurosyphilis; 7) the emergence of azithromycinresistant Treponema pallidum; 8) the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae; 9) the sexual transmission of hepatitis C; 10) diagnostic evaluation after sexual assault; and 11) STD prevention approaches.

The 2010 guidelines and accompanying information can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/ std/treatment/2010/default.htm.

April is STD Awareness month.

STD Awareness month is an annual observance to raise awareness about the impact of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) on the health of Americans and the importance of individuals discussing sexual health with their healthcare providers and, if sexually active, their partners. It is an opportunity to normalize routine STD testing and conversations about sexual health. Featured at http://www.cdcnpin.org/stdawareness/ are tools and resources to support STD prevention outreach.

Included are materials for the GYT: Get Yourself Tested for 2011 National Campaign to inform young people about STDs and promote testing and treatment.

Training: And lastly, look for news of the next available Partner Services training, Fundamentals of STD Intervention (FSTDI), which will be made available here in Anchorage in May and again in October. FSTDI, a training program designed for health care workers who conduct STD Partner Management for gonorrhea and chlamydia is a skills-building course that covers STD Partner Management from the initial interview, through the investigative process and to the successful testing and treatment of the partners. This is a no-

Alaska Nurse • Page 9 Berner New Interim Director continued from page 1 cost course and Nursing CE contact hours are free.

To register, go to http://stdhivtraining.org/class_ calender.html and click on the course you wish to attend.

[Editor’s note: Links to all websites in this article are available online at aknurse.org. Just click the newspaper icon, click on the Alaska Nurse and scroll through the .pdf version of the paper which will contain the links.]

1 Alaska Section of Epidemiology. Could Expedited Partner Therapy Work in Alaska? A Call for Health Care Provider and Patient Input.

Bulletin No. 15, June 15, 2010. Available at: http:// www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins.docs/b2010_15.pdf 2 Alaska Section of Epidemiology.

An Assessment of Expedited Partner Therapy for Enhanced Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Control in Alaska. Volume No. 14 Number 1, January 12, 2011. Available at http://www.epi.hss.state.ak.us/ bulletins/docs/rr2011_01.pdf.

3 Alaska Section of Epidemiology. Could Expedited Partner Therapy Work in Alaska? A Call for Health Care Provider and Patient Input.

Bulletin No. 15, June 15, 2010. Available at: http:// www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins.docs/b2010_15.pdf

Visit aknurse.org Online CE Nursing News “Alaska Nurse” on the web Alaska nursing links Job Listings And More!

fruition. The programs at UAA are strong and will continue to forge new ground as we work to expand the roles of nursing into the future.

We have a dedicated faculty who believe in excellence and are willing and equipped to move our curriculums in all three programs (Associate, Bachelor, and Graduate) to meet the demands of the future. We should make these moves using an evidence-based approach and we must continue to assist students to progress into higher levels of education to further strengthen our profession.”

Regarding the future of the nursing programs, Dr. Berner noted that “Our RN to BS Program is gaining strength and we hope to increase our capacity to assist with both local and rural RNs to complete their degrees. We are also ready and waiting for the green light to complete curriculum planning for the Doctor of Nursing Practice which will move us into a new era for our graduate programs.”

Inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in 2005, Dr. Berner was named the 2008 Nurse Practitioner Educator of the Year by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF).

Originally prepared as an Adult Nurse Practitioner at the Oregon Health Sciences University in 1983, where she received the Dean’s Award for Leadership, she completed a post-Masters certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner at George Washington University, where she was named the Outstanding Nurse Practitioner Graduate Student in 1999. She has been in near continuous nurse practitioner practice since 1983, and was named the 2000 Nurse Practitioner of the Year by the Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association.

Assisting Dr. Berner in leading the UAA Nursing Programs are Dr. Maureen O’Malley, Associate Director of the School of Nursing, as well as the Chairs of the three programs: graduate program—Dr. Jill Janke; baccalaureate program —Gail Holtzman; and associate degree program— Kathy Stephenson.

Page 10 • Alaska Nurse

March 2011

December 2010 University of Alaska Graduates

Last December the profession of nursing gathered a rich harvest of 86 new graduates into its ranks from UAA School of Nursing. Happy National Student Nurses Day on May 8 to all current and recent students. Welcome to our profession!

BS Program—Anchorage Marisha R. Dieters—Director’s Award earned by the student with the highest GPA Candice R. Hughes—Spirit of Nursing Award determined by faculty vote for the student they feel demonstrates the spirit of caring, science, love of learning, and compassion.

Elizabeth O. Johnson—Peer Award conferred by the senior class to a fellow classmate who has completed their nursing studies while balancing the daily demands of life.

AAS Program Director’s Award Amber M. Gross, Fairbanks

Ellen M. Sheridan, Sitka

Marlena H. Spencer, Kenai

Jennifer E. Ng Hoffert, Kodiak

Nikki C. Pollock &

Michele R. Simmons, Bethel Spirit of Nursing Award

Katie Johnson, Fairbanks

photo courtesy of Lisa J. Siefert/www.seifertphoto.com

Disa L. Congdon Heather A. Cunningham Marisha R. Dieters Christine D. Fan Kerstin T. Harrison Anna C. Hendrickson Michelle S. Hopkins Candice R. Hughes Franci M. Janisch Elizabeth O. Johnson Sumi Kim Paul E. Kotelman

Rebecca J. Morrissey Jeanna M. Nuxoll Joice G. Palo Joseph M. Powers Lynsey D. Richards Lisa B. Saft William D. Samson Jr Teresa M. Steinkopff Vanna E. Sumabat Sara M. Swanson Scott Vincik Jessica L. West

RN to BS Graduates Julie K. Palm, RN Patricia J. Wolf, RN Connie E. Wood, RN Hyun You, RN

MS Graduates

Catherine ‘Katie’ A. Butler, FNP J. Nicholas Manwaring, FNP Brian E. Erdrich, FNP Dianne K.B. Maythorne, FNP Christina M. Walrath, FNP Amber R. Shea, PMHNP

Sandra Woods, RN-C, MS, President of the Alaska Public Health Association, was the keynote speaker at the December graduation of UAA nursing students.

The University of Alaska, Anchorage conferred degrees on the following students in December.

Additional honors were bestowed on these graduates:

AAS Graduates

photo courtesy of Lisa J. Siefert/www.seifertphoto.com

Marisha R. Dieters accepts the Directors Award from interim Director of UAA School of Nursing, Barbara Berner, EdD, RN, ANP.

BS Graduates

Svetlana Y. Akulova-Briggs Justin M. Banks Pamela M. Bearden Heather M. Brinson Colleen G. Cherrier

Mei Yueh Lim S. Travis Martin Laurilee E. Martin Alex C. Mohrmann

Fairbanks Courtney Amundson Nichol Dameron Jennifer Dolan Jill Drushal Sarah Ellis Amber Gross Martha Hirt Rachel John Chistopher Johnson Katie Johnson Tanya Pepper Scott Sochocki Janet Towler Daniella Vasquez Bethel Kendra Harding Charles Lesniak Kevin Phelan Nikki Pollock Michele Simmons Sitka Sarah Corsbie Kathleen Foster Suzanne Howey Dannielle Nichols Erica Pearson Jennie Phillips Ellen Sheridan

Kenai Elizabeth Chatham Jennifer Chircop Jenipher Dobson Heather Gaines Stephanie Groeneveld Randi Hall Shari Lawrence Marlena Spencer Rhonda Torkelson Gayle Undelhoven Melissa Ziehmer Kodiak Pamela Fangonilo Erin Fisher Melissa Garner Jennifer Ng Hoffert Christa Inman William Scripter

March 2011

Alaska Nurse • Page 11

Summary of Overtime Limitations for Nurses Alaska Statute 18.20.400 - 18.20.499 Effective: January 1, 2011

Alaska Statute 18.20.400 - 18.20.499 establishes that a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse in a health care facility who is not employed in a federal or tribal facility may not be required or coerced, directly or indirectly, to work beyond his or her agreed-upon regular shift or accept overtime if in the judgment of the nurse, the overtime would jeopardize patient or employee safety.

In AS 18.20.400 - 18.20.499: • "health care facility" means a private, municipal, or state hospital; independent diagnostic testing facility; primary care outpatient facility; skilled nursing facility; kidney disease treatment center, including freestanding hemodialysis units; intermediate care facility; ambulatory surgical facility; Alaska Pioneers' Home or Alaska Veterans' Home administered by the Department of Health and Social Services under AS 47.55; correctional facility owned or administered by the state; private, municipal, or state facility employing one or more public health nurses; long-term care facility; psychiatric hospital; residential psychiatric treatment center, as defined in AS 18.07.111 or AS 47.32.900; secure residential psychiatric treatment center under AS 47.12.990; juvenile detention facility; juvenile detention home, juvenile work camp, or treatment facility as defined in AS 47.12.990.

• "nurse" means an individual licensed to practice registered nursing or practical nursing under AS 08.68 who provides nursing services through direct patient care or clinical services and includes a nurse manager when delivering in- hospital patient care.

• "on-call" means a status in which a nurse must be ready to report to the health care facility and may be called to work by the health care facility.

• "overtime" means the hours worked in excess of a predetermined and regularly scheduled shift that is agreed to by a nurse and a health care facility.

Some Exceptions to Overtime Limitations for Nurses

Overtime limitations for nurses do not apply in the following situations: [Note: The list below does not include all details of all exemptions and is provided for general information purposes] • A school nurse employed by a health care facility on a field trip; • A nurse voluntarily working overtime on an aircraft in use for medical transport; • A nurse participating in the performance of a medical procedure that has begun but has not been completed; • A nurse working during an unforeseen emergency that could jeopardize patient safety; • A nurse working during an unforeseen weather condition; • A nurse working at a rural health care facility that has declared a temporary nurse-staffing emergency; • A nurse working on-call time that was previously agreed to by the nurse and a health care facility; • A nurse who voluntarily works overtime in accordance with professional standards and safe patient care and does not exceed 14 consecutive hours;

• A nurse who voluntarily works beyond 80 hours in a 14day period, providing the nurse works no more than 14 consecutive hours without a 10-hour break; • A nurse who works the first two hours on overtime status while the health care facility secures his or her replacement, providing that nurse does not remain on duty for more than 14 consecutive hours, and, • A nurse employed at a psychiatric treatment hospital that treats only children, or at a residential psychiatric treatment center that treats only children, or at a residential psychiatric treatment center as defined under AS 47.32.900, or at a secure residential psychiatric treatment center as defined under AS 47.12.990.

Health Care Facility Reporting Requirements: • Health care facilities shall provide for an anonymous process by which a patient or nurse may make a complaint about staffing levels and patient safety that relate to overtime work by nurses; • Health care facilities are required to report overtime and on-call hours for nurses employed by a health care facility twice a year on a form provided by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, unless the facility is a primary care outpatient facility, or the nurses are employed in federal or tribal facilities, and • If a health care facility located in a rural community declares a temporary nurse staffing emergency, the facility shall notify the legislature immediately.

Employee Rights and Enforcement Procedure: • The Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) shall investigate all complaints alleging a violation of AS 18.20.400 - AS 18.20.499 Overtime Limitations for Nurses; • An employee complaint is invalid unless filed with the Commissioner of DOLWD within 30 days after the date of the alleged violation, and, • DOLWD shall provide a copy of the complaint to the health care facility named in the filing within three business days after receiving the complaint.

• Facilities found in violation shall receive an initial warning and then monetarily penalized. Each repeated offense carries an increased penalty amount from $500 to $25,000.

Enforcement and Penalties

Prohibition of Retaliation

AS 18.20.440 prohibits a health care facility from discharging, disciplining, threatening, discriminating against, penalizing, or filing a report with the Board of Nursing against a nurse for exercising rights under AS 18.20.400 - 18.20.499 or for the good faith reporting of an alleged violation of AS 18.20.400 -18.20.499.

NOTE: This is not a complete list of all requirements, definitions or exemptions to the Overtime Limitations for Nurses law.

Refer to AS 18.20.400 - AS 18.20.499. The text above is intended for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as having the effect of law. "Overtime" in this context should not be confused with Alaska's overtime pay requirements under AS 23.10.060, as these laws are unrelated.

Inquiries should be made to: Wage and Hour Administration, Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 3301 Eagle Street, Suite 301, Anchorage, AK 99503-4149, (907) 269-4900, Email: Anchorage_LSS-WH@labor.state.ak.us.

Post in a Prominent Place December 2010

Visit aknurse.org to Download the AaNA Membership Form

Page 12 • Alaska Nurse

March 2011

Alaska Board of Nursing Update February 2011 Audits are performed by State of Alaska Division of Legislative Audit.

The Board of Nursing was audited in 2010 for the sunset date of June 30, 2011. The three central, interrelated objectives of the report were: 1. to determine if the termination date of the board should be extended 2. to determine if the board is operating in the public interest and 3. to determine if the board has exercised appropriate regulatory oversight of licensed RNs, LPNs, ANPs, CRNAs, CNAs and the educational programs for nurses and for training nurse aides.

4. The report’s conclusion stated that the Board of Nursing is operating in an efficient and effective manner and should continue to regulate the professions it governs. The report states that the board is safeguarding the public’s interest by ensuring the competence and integrity of those who present themselves to the public as RNs, LPNs, ANPs, CRNAs, CNAs and the educational programs for nurses and for training nurse aides.

The report went on to say that the Board of Nursing has conducted its business in a satisfactory manner. The report recommended to the legislature the extension of the board’s termination date to June 30, 2019.

Senate Bill 12 will extend the Board of Nursing until June 30, 2019. This Bill has been introduced

by Senator Bettye Davis and has had a hearing in the Senate HSS Committee. The Board of Nursing Executive Administrator, Nancy Sanders, testified for the Board of Nursing.

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The Board of Nursing Chair, Beth Farnstrom, RN, and Nancy Sanders, Executive Administrator attended the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) APRN Summit in January 2011.

The focus of the Summit was to promote adoption of the APRN Consensus Model in all regulatory jurisdictions to oversee the standardized licensure, accreditation, certification and education of APRNs. The APRN Consensus Model formulates national standards for uniform regulation of APRNs such as titling (for example, in Alaska APRNs are called ANPs) and promotes practice to the fullest extent of their education.

The Alaska Board of Nursing has updated

some regulations reflecting the APRN Consensus Model. Statutory changes to the Nurse Practice Act are also required. Below is a news release from NCSBN about the APRN Consensus Model.

January 26, 2011 NCSBN Spearheads New National Campaign About Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Regulation FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Chicago—The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is spearheading a national campaign to promote adoption of the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education, which formulates national standards for uniform regulation of APRNs. Developed through a collaborative process with participation of regulators, nurse educators, APRN certifiers, national nursing program accreditors and representatives of many APRN professional organizations, the model provides a framework for jurisdictions to implement and oversee the standardized licensure, accreditation, certification and education of APRNs. APRNs include certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) and certified nurse practitioners (CNPs). APRNs provide care in a wide array of practice settings, including hospitals, physician offices, home care, nursing homes, schools and various types of clinics.

The consensus model seeks to eliminate the many inconsistencies that exist between jurisdictions in regard to laws and rules relating to the regulation of APRNs. These variations include everything from the actual title used by an APRN to what medications he/she may prescribe. The result is confusion for the public, as well as for other health care professionals. Additionally, an APRN may be limited in his/her ability to relocate to areas experiencing health care shortages because moving to another jurisdiction would mean being subject to different qualifications or standards of practice. In order to continue to ensure patient safety while at the same time expanding patient access to care, the education, accreditation, certification and licensure of APRNs needs to be effectively aligned.

“The ability of APRNs to provide safe, costeffective, high-quality care is well documented in many studies over the past 30 years,” NCSBN President Myra A. Broadway, JD, MS, RN,

executive director, Maine State Board of Nursing.

“Currently, barriers exist in many states that prevent APRNs from practicing to the full extent of their knowledge and skills. Adoption of the requirements in the model will ensure that people of all jurisdictions have access to care that can be provided by APRNs.” As health care continues to evolve and previously uninsured individuals are brought into the system, the demand for qualified health care providers will increase exponentially.

Many experts agree that APRNs have a valuable role to play in meeting the current and future health care needs of patients in a volatile health care environment. Just recently the Institute of Medicine’s “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” report focuses attention on the “...scope of practice barriers that hinder nurses from practicing to the full extent of their education and training,” especially as it relates to APRNs. The report further notes that the “...health care system needs to tap the capabilities of APRNs to meet the increased demand for primary care.”

For more information about the APRN Consensus Model visit NCBSN’s website at www. ncsbn.org/aprn.htm.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is a not-for-profit organization whose members include the boards of nursing in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories—American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. There are also seven associate members.

Mission: NCSBN provides education, service and research through collaborative leadership to promote regulatory excellence for patient safety and public protection.

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Board Member Changes March 1, 2011 The end of February marked the end of the appointments for two of the Board of Nursing’s members. Agnes Jack, LPN from Kotzebue served on the Board of Nursing since 6/12/2007. Janine McCready, public member from Fairbanks, served on the Board of Nursing since 12/3/2008. The Board and the residents of Alaska thank Aggie and Janine for their service.

On March 1, 2011, the Board of Nursing welcomed two new members and the reappointment of another member to complete the seven (7) member Board. Beth Farnstrom, RN and current Chair, Anchorage, has been reappointed for a second four (4) year term. New members on the Board are Robin Allen, LPN from Palmer and Julie Gillette, a public member from Wasilla.

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The Alaska Board of Nursing wishes all nurses and nurse aides a Happy Nurses’ Day! The theme for ANA Nurses’ Day for 2011 is “Nurses Trusted to Care.” This theme aligns perfectly with the mission of the Alaska Board of Nursing which is to actively promote and protect the health of the citizens of Alaska through the safe and effective practice of nursing as defined by law. Nurses in Alaska are trusted to provide excellent health care to the public in part through the Board of Nursing’s enactment of the mission by licensing safe qualified nurses, disciplining nurses who have not followed the statute and regulations, and by approving quality educational programs.

March 2011

January Luminaries in Juneau

Alaska Nurse • Page 13

Upcoming Changes for Alaska Nurse Alert System and HELP Name the New System LeMay Hupp, Coordinator

Attending the AFL-CIO Legislative Reception in Juneau are (lt. to rt.) Eagle River/Chugiak Rep. Bill Stolze (R), AaNA VP for the AFL-CIO, Kathleen Gettys RN, and Fairbanks Sen. Joe Thomas (D).

Stolze and Thomas were crucial supporters of the act limiting mandatory overtime for RNs and LPNs. Gettys was a key AaNA advocate who lobbied for passage of the act which became effective January 1, 2011.

ASHNHA and AaNA Meet with Dept. of Labor

photo by Marlene Brannen

Pictured in the back row lt. to rt., Angelina Marsh, Joe Dunham & Sandy Cannon with AK. DOL and Mark Hickey, AaNA lobbyist, Dennis Murray, ASHNHA rep. and Orville “OJ” Johnson, nurse mgr. AK Reg. OR. Middle row lt. to rt. are Debbie Thompson, Executive Director, AaNA, Gena Edmiston, CNO Fairbanks Memorial, and Vickey Phillips, Asst. CNO, PAMC. Front row lt. to rt. Nancy Davis, AaNA President, Karen Perdue, President/CEO, ASHNA and Tom Wilkenson, AaNA rep. On December, 2010, representatives of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association met with members of the Alaska Nurses Association and representatives of the state Department of Labor to discuss implementation of Alaska Statute 18.20.400, the recently enacted law limiting mandatory overtime for RNs and LPNs in some healthcare facilities.

The Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) is a federal program to establish and implement guidelines and standards for the registration, credentialing, and deployment of medical professionals in the event of a large scale national emergency. A grant was written, and awarded, to the State of Alaska to develop an ESAR-VHP program for our state.

ANAS will incorporate with other health professionals and I will continue as the ANAS Coordinator until June 30, 2011. At that time, ANAS will roll into the larger ESAR-VHP program.

I have been hired as the new program coordinator and am looking forward to future challenges.

Alaska will be better prepared, and have a greater response in time of emergency, with all licensed health care professionals working together. It will be an exciting year.

Please take a moment to express your opinion on a new name. Suggestions are below.

Votes will be accepted until April 29.

Telephone: 274-0827 Fax: 274-0292 Email: hupp@gci.net

• ESAR-VHP

• AMP (S)

• ADVANCE

• AMPERS

• AK RESPOND

• REV- AK

• REHV-AK

• SERV-AK

Emergency System Advanced Registration Volunteer Health Professionals Alaska Medical Professionals (System) Alaska Delivery Volunteers Aid/Assist Network Community Emergencies AK Medical Professionals Emergency Registration System AK Registry Emergency System Professionals Registration Emergency Volunteers Registration Emergency Health Volunteers State Emergency Registry Volunteers

Page 14 • Alaska Nurse

March 2011

Resources Scholarships/Funding/ Volunteer Opportunities ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Plan early: Volunteer hours available ALASKA HEALTH FAIR, INC. South Central/ Worksite Spring 2011 Alaska Health Fair, Inc. 549 West International Airport Rd A-12, Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone (907) 278-0234 Fax (907) 258-1848 Email ahfvol@gci.net ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Calling ANPs, RNs, LPNs! Romig Middle School is offering free sports physicals to all students who need one during school registration, the first week of August 2011. We need assistance to be able to offer this to our student population. Sports physicals allow students to participate in all school related activities and keep them healthy, active and involved in their school and community.

If you would be interested in assisting us in our effort, please contact Mark Johannes at 742-5226 or Kathy Estes (school nurse) at 742-5201. We appreciate any offers of assistance.

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Volunteers needed for the American Cancer Society Positions available are: Drivers for Road to Recovery program Cancer Resource Center volunteers to meet oneon-one with patients Breast cancer survivors to join our Reach to Recovery program Please email Mary Whalen at Mary.Whalen@ cancer.org for more information ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

DIXIE ORSINI NURSING SCHOLARSHIP District Four, Fairbanks, of the Alaska Nurses Association announces that funds are available for scholarships for area residents enrolled in a 4-year college program or graduate study in Nursing in an accredited university. Applicants who are enrolled in other programs will be considered on an individual basis.

Scholarships in amounts from $500 (“Encouragement Grants” for beginning students) to $2000 have been awarded every year since 1990.

Previous awardees are now employed in nursing in Fairbanks and elsewhere.

The fund is named for Dixie Orsini, who was an active member of the Fairbanks Nurses Association whose family and friends established the scholarship fund after her death in 1984.

The scholarship board gives special consideration to applicants who have received scholarships in the past, and those who may not meet criteria for other nursing scholarship programs.

For more information, or to make a taxdeductible contribution to the Fund, contact Ruth Benson RN at (907) 479-6912.

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New grant to support nursing research on quality improvement and patient safety Sigma Theta Tau International Foundation for Nursing & Hill-Rom co-sponsor grant The Sigma Theta Tau International Foundation for Nursing and Hill-Rom will award a US $9,000 Quality Improvement/Patient Safety research grant in order to advance the science of nursing through research focused on the implementation of outcomes-based practice and quality within U.S. health care institutions.

“We are pleased to be able to fund this important research,” said Melissa Fitzpatrick, RN, MSN, FAAN, Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Hill-Rom. “Our mission is to enhance outcomes for patients and their caregivers and this research is one tangible way in which we can fulfill our mission and drive optimal patient care delivery. We look forward to seeing the outcomes that this grant will facilitate.”

“The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) supports research that bridges the gap between the best data available and the most appropriate nursing care for patients,” said STTI President Karen H. Morin, DSN, RN, ANEF. “It’s part of our mission to provide nurses globally with the most current and comprehensive resources for developing the best nursing research, then translating the findings obtained into the best policies and practices.”

Online submissions for the 2011 Quality Improvement/Patient Safety research grant will be accepted beginning 1 April 2011. Visit www. nursingsociety.org to apply before 1 July 2011.

For additional information about this and other grant opportunities available from the Foundation, contact Tonna Thomas at tonna@stti.iupui.edu or online at www.nursingsociety.org/research.

Alaska

Those interested in subscribing to the Alaska Section of Epidemiology Bulletins including information on vaccines can subscribe at http:// www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins/subscribe.htm

General Websites of Interest: www.kff.org—The Kaiser Family Foundation has information on health care generally and the Affordable Health Care Act specifically Politifact.org—has a reputation as an accurate website to check out responses on political questions including those on health care [Retired Public Employees of Alaska Newsletter, Feb. 2011].

The National Council on Aging has multiple resources on healthy aging programs that deal with medication management. Go to http:// w w w. h e a l t h y a g i n g p r o g r a m s . o r g /c o n t e n t . asp?sectionid=70 .

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New Recommendations for Vision Screening in Children Ages 1-5.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has updated its recommendations on visions screening in children and screening for osteoporosis.

The USPSTF develops evidenced-based recommendations for primary care clinicians and provides a wealth of information regarding preventive services for consumers and clinicians.

Go to www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org.

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ANA Awards 5 Hospitals for Outstanding Nursing Quality Hospitals Recognized for Patient Outcomes, Sustained Improvement SILVER SPRING, MD—The American Nurses Association (ANA) honored five hospitals today for achieving outstanding nursing quality, based on the nursing performance measures they collect and report to ANA’s National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators® (NDNQI®), the only national database of nursing quality indicators.

The hospitals receiving the 2010 NDNQI Award for Outstanding Nursing Quality® were identified for top performance from among the more than 1,700 hospitals—one of every three hospitals nationwide—that report results to the database, which allows individual nursing units to compare their performance to similar units at other hospitals at the local, state, regional, and national levels.

The awards were announced at the 5th Annual NDNQI Conference in Miami, attended by more than 1,000 nursing and health care quality leaders. The award-winners demonstrated superior results and sustained improvement in patient outcomes and high nurse job satisfaction on the broad range of nursing-sensitive performance indicators tracked by NDNQI, such as hospitalacquired pressure ulcers, patient falls with injury, infections acquired as a result of hospitalization and nurse turnover. The winners are: • University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City, KS—Academic Medical Center • Medical Center of the Rockies, Loveland, CO —Community Hospital • Poudre Valley Hospital, Fort Collins, CO— Teaching Hospital (4-time winner) • Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, Omaha, NE—Pediatric Hospital • Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO— Rehabilitation Hospital [ANA press release, Jan. 27, 2011] ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

March 2011

Alaska Nurse • Page 15

Upcoming Events Alaska State Board of Nursing—Upcoming Meetings

Anchorage District 1 Nurses Banquet

April 6-8, 2011 Juneau agenda deadline March 16 July 20-22, 2011 Anchorage agenda deadline June 22 Oct. 19-21, 2011 Fairbanks agenda deadline Sept. 28 Jan. 18-20, 2012 Anchorage agenda deadline Dec. 28, 2011 The Alaska Board of Nursing has a list-serve that is used to send out the latest information about upcoming meetings, agenda items, regulations being considered, and other topics of interest to nurses, employers and the public. To sign up for this free service, go to www.nursing.alaska.gov Choose the “Subscribe Now” box, just above Board Staff information.

Inquiries regarding meetings and appearing on the agenda can be directed to: Nancy Sanders, PhD RN, Executive Administrator Alaska State Board of Nursing 550 West 7th Ave, Ste 1500, Anchorage, AK 99501 Ph: 907-269-8161, fax 907-269-8196, email nancy.sanders@alaska.gov To attend by audio conference call 907-269-8161 for access number.

SAVE THE DATE: MAY 6, 2011 Speaker: Dr. Stuart Robertshaw, aka Dr.Humor U of Wisconsin, President and CEO, University of Humor Impaired

Alaska Immunization Program Presents Science+Safety+Cents Making It All Add Up May 10-11, 2011 Anchorage Marriott http://events.SignUp4.com/Immunization ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

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“THE HEALING POWER OF HUMOR” Audiences say: “ Beyond hysterical presentation. Infectious joy!; My immune system has benefited from today. Bring him back!”

Call 274-0827 for tickets or email: linda@aknurse.org Exact Location and Times TBA

Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association’s 28th Annual Conference September 15-17, 2011 Anchorage Downtown Marriott www.alaskanp.org or 907-222-6847

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American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 26th National Conference The Venetian/The Palazzo in Las Vegas, June 22 - 26, 2011 www.aanp.org

Sigma Theta Tau International 41st Biennial Convention Grapevine, Texas, 29 October-2 November 2011

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around the platform topic: Leading the Global Proactive-Research Interface in the New Millennium.

For more information and to register, visit: http:// www.nursingsociety.org

22nd International Nursing Research Congress Cancun, Mexico, 11-14 July 2011 Online registration is open through 8 July 2011 Early registration discount available to attendees who register by 4 May 2011.

Attendees will benefit from presentations on industry-leading nursing research and have the opportunity to network with international attendees

Registration is open through 26 October 2011, but attendees can take advantage of the early registration discount by registering before 31 August 2011.

The Biennial Convention will feature keynote speakers Karen H. Morin, DSN, RN, ANEF and president of STTI and Kim Bouldin-Jones, an internationally recognized educator specializing in HIV, STDs and global disease prevention. The convention will also include the presentation of STTI’s International Awards.

For additional information on the 41st Biennial Convention and to register, visit: http://www. nursingsociety.org