The Alaska Nurse - Vol. 64 Iss. 4 - August 2014

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THE

The Official Publication of the Alaska Nurses Association.

Circulation 9,000.

Distributed to every Registered Nurse and Licensed Practical Nurse in Alaska.

Volume 64, Issue 3 • June/July 2014

Celebrating Nurses

THE official publication of

THE Alaska Nurses Association

3701 E Tudor Rd., Ste. 208 • Anchorage, AK 99507

907.274.0827 • www.aknurse.org

Published bimonthly: Feb., April, June, Aug., Oct., Dec. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission from the Editorial Committee: Contact editor@aknurse.org Advertising: Contact salesaknursepub@gmail.com • 907.223.2801

AaNA Board of Directors • President:

Jana Shockman, RN, CCRN-CSC • Vice President:

Jane Erickson, ADN, RN, CCRN • Secretary:

Kristin Fahey, RN • Treasurer:

Jennifer Hazen, BSN, RN • Staff Nurse Director:

Arlene Briscoe, RN-BC • Rural Director:

Julie Serstad, MSN, BSN, RN • Greater Alaska Director:

Colleen Bevans, RN

• Labor Council Chair (Designee):

Donna Phillips, BSN, RN • Directors At Large:

Shelley Burlison, RN-BC Janet Pasternak, BA, BSN, RN Paul Mordini, MS, BSN, RN-BC Kimberly Kluckman, RN Yvette Le Sueur, BSN, RN

• Student Nurse Liaison:

Leanne Pizzi

• Past President:

Susan Walsh, RN AaNA Labor Council • ChaiR:

Donna Phillips, BSN, RN • Vice-Chair:

Jana Shockman, RN, CCRN-CSC • Secretary:

Janet Pasternak, BA, BSN, RN • Treasurer:

Jennifer Hazen, BSN, RN • Directors:

Arlene Briscoe, RN Lila Elliott, BSN, RN Yvette Le Sueur, BSN, RN Jane Erickson, ADN, RN, CCRN

• PAMC BU Rep:

Jennifer Hazen, BSN, RN • soldotna BU Rep: Shelley Burlison, RN-BC • KETCHIKAN BU Rep: Susan Walsh, RN • Affiliate Organizations:

Alaska Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives Alaska Home Care & Hospice Association Alaska Association of Nurse Anesthetists Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association Alaska School Nurses Association Alaska Clinical Nurse Specialist Association 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 AaNa. 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. Photos are encouraged and may be sent as a .jpg file, as an email attachment or on disc. Photographs send 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 double check the spelling, grammar, and content of your article. It is highly recommended that you have a colleague review your article before submission.

Prepare the article as a Word document and attach it to an email to andrea@aknurse.org. You may also mail the article on disc to: The Alaska Nurse, AaNA, 3701 E Tudor Road, Suite 208, Anchorage, AK 99507. If you have any questions, please email andrea@aknurse.org.

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President’s Letter Jana Shockman, RN, CCRN-CSC

Alaska Nurses Association President • Anchorage, AK Spring has sprung in Southcentral Alaska – and I don’t know about you all – but I’m suffering from a severe case of spring fever and looking forward to summer. I love my job as a nurse and my position as President of AaNA, but I can’t wait to hit the trails with my dog, Duffy.

As this issue goes to press, we are winding down on a very busy National Nurses Week. The Alaska Nurses Association had several successful events throughout the week. One of our Board members, Paul Mordini, was interviewed for a local morning show. Paul spoke about nursing in our great state, the reasons for Nurses Week, and what it means to us as nurses. We showed our appreciation for student nurses with a coffee truck event at the UAA School of Nursing and the Charter College nursing program students also received gift card “prescriptions” for a cup of joe. Nurses Week events culminated in our Annual Nurses Week Banquet. Attendees enjoyed networking, socializing, had a great meal, and earned two contact hours for the night. The continuing education event at this year’s banquet was the very popular “Designer Drug Update.” I enjoyed a successful collaboration with my co-presenter, Jennifer Messick, an attorney from Anchorage, to add a more medicallyoriented perspective to the presentation.

We will be making this presentation into a webinar in the near future so that nurses from all across the state can receive this important information. I’m very excited about it!

Even as we finish one event, we are looking forward to the next event. Save the dates for October 3-5, 2014. On the 3rd

and 4th the AaNA will be hosting a 2-day statewide conference, the 2nd Annual Trending Topics in Nursing Conference. We are in the process of confirming presenters and determining the program. It’s shaping up to be a great conference with a diverse and entertaining program with something for everyone. Look forward to Nurses Night Out on October 4th. On October 5th we will hold our annual General Assembly to report on 2014 progress and set goals for 2015.

We also wrapped up this year’s Legislative Session. Overall, I believe that we had a successful session on issues that affect nurses.

The spring meeting of the Board of Nursing convened in Juneau during the first week in April. Members of the Board and I were introduced on the floors of the House and Senate. The Alaska Nurses Association and the Alaska Board of Nursing have spent several months collaborating on the issue of nurses administering Ketamine for pain control on adult patients who are opioid tolerant. Based on this work, the Board of Nursing approved an advisory opinion of the nurse’s role in Ketamine administration in this very specific situation.

The last two months have been busy and productive for AaNA. We are keeping the momentum strong as we move on into summer. If you haven’t yet joined our membership, please consider doing so. We are accomplishing great things for the nurses in Alaska and we would love to have you join us. It’s easy, affordable, and honestly very fun to belong to the AaNA. Come on! Join us and have an impact on nursing in Alaska!

Inside This Issue

2 President’s Letter 3 Meet the Board 4 Deanna Guthrie Recognized 4 Sandra Haldane Recognized 6 Thank You, Legislators!

6 Legislative Session Final Report 8 AFL-CIO Organizing Institute 8 Funding Opportunity

8 Alaska Heart Run 10 Vaccine Assessment Program 10 2014 Nurses Week Banquet 12 Nurse Visits Daisy Scouts 12 Adventures of a New Nurse 13 National Student Nurse Day Treat 14 Congratulations UAA Graduates 15 Calendar of Events

Cover Photo: AaNA Labor Council Chair Donna Phillips, BSN, RN teaches first aid to a local Daisy Scout troop. See story, page 12.

T h e o f f i c i a l P u b l i c at i o n o f t h e A l as k a N u r s e s A s s o c i at i o n

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Meet the Board:

Introducing the Alaska Board of Nursing Beth Farnstrom, RN Member, Alaska Board of Nursing

by Jana Shockman, RN, CCRN-CSC This is the second article in the series “Meet the Board” which will introduce you to individuals who make up the Alaska Board of Nursing.

The Alaska Board of Nursing is the governing body for CNAs, LPNs, RNs, and Advanced Practice Nurses in Alaska. The Board is responsible for nursing licensure, professional practice, education, CNA certification and education programs, and discipline. Most of us have little contact with the Board except for our licensure renewal every two years. Behind the scenes, however, the Board is working hard to protect our nursing practice and to keep the public safe. The members of the Board are all working nurses except for two public members.

Beth Farnstrom, RN, has been a nurse member on the Alaska Board of Nursing for seven years. She has an enviable nursing career spanning 35 years, with the last 14 years here in Alaska.

Beth was inspired to become a nurse at a young age. She very much admired her aunt who was a nurse and when she was old enough she volunteered as a candy striper. While she enjoyed her hospital volunteer work, she longed to be able to do more to help people. She knew she wanted to be a nurse.

Beth has spent her career helping people working in the nursing specialties of thoracic surgery and perioperative nursing. She likes the fast pace of the PACU and seeing her patients improve quickly. She also relishes the challenge of having such a variety of patients, from pediatrics to elderly, with innumerable diagnoses and surgical procedures. Her work in PACU gives her a chance to work with a blend of nursing specialties and a variety of physicians. One of the things she most likes about her job is providing a personal touch in an environment that can seem overwhelming and scary for patients and their families.

One thing that Beth feels is very important about the Alaska Board of

Nursing is that the Board’s nurse members are all practicing nurses. Because of this, the Board can relate to the issues and circumstances that nurses deal with on a day-to-day basis. She states, “The [members of the] Board walk in their shoes and can relate and are familiar with bedside issues.”

In her time on the Board of Nursing, Beth has served as the Secretary, Vice Chair, and for the last four years as Chair of the Board. As Chair of the Board, Beth worked closely with the Executive Administrator and chairs the quarterly meetings of the Board of Nursing.

Board members may serve on the Board for 7 years, and at the April meeting of the Board, she passed her gavel over to her Vice Chair and stepped down as Chair for her final year on the Board.

Beth feels fortunate to have been able to serve her full appointment to the Board.

The Board members serve at the pleasure of the Governor, and can be removed from the Board if a new Governor is elected and chooses to place their own Board.

When asked what the most difficult aspect of being a Board member is, she became very thoughtful as she answered.

She feels that while difficult to do, it is important for the Board member to be able to separate personal values from issues and to do the research to make the most informed and unbiased opinion. This something she takes very seriously. She also feels badly that

“there is a perception the Board is only a disciplinary body, when in fact discipline is really a very small portion of what we do.”

This legislative session, Senator Cathy Giessel worked with the Board to pass legislation to update some of the regulations that govern nursing practice (SB 166). Beth worked especially hard with the Senator on this bill. She feels that it was an incredible learning experience and feels that passage of the bill is a high point of her role as Chair of the Board of Nursing. At press time, the bill is awaiting the Governor’s signature.

Beth is proud to be a nurse. She feels fortunate to belong to a profession that is so highly respected and has such a good reputation. “Everybody loves nurses.”

I asked Beth if she has any advice for her successor, and her reply was good advice for all of us nurses. “Be available, and develop work life balance.” If we follow this advice, we can all be better nurses and hope to have an as enduring and successful career as Beth Farnstrom, RN, outgoing Chair of the Alaska Board of Nursing.

Outgoing Chair Beth Farnstrom, RN hands over the gavel to Denise Valentine, RN, ANP, who took the reins as Chair of the Alaska Board of Nursing during the April 2014 meeting.

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Deanna Guthrie, LPN recognized as Childhood Immunization Champion for Alaska urgent immunization clinics to In Alaska, where inclement protect the community against weather often interferes potential disease outbreaks with deliveries, keeping an and meet special needs. In adequate vaccine supply addition, Ms. Guthrie leverages on hand is a challenge. For her role as a nurse leader in the Ms. Deanna Guthrie, this is community by collaborating all in a day’s work to ensure with state agencies and other immunization coverage organizations to bring outside for the children of Annette resources into her isolated Island, which is an island bush community that promote community. disease prevention.

On top of her routine Ms. Guthrie’s exceptional nursing duties at the Annette standards and professionalism Island Service Unit, Ms. Guthrie have helped her community coordinates the immunization achieve high immunization program. She maintains rates. Her collaborations and vaccine stocks, monitors Deanna Guthrie, LPN, Childhood outreach efforts have brought children’s immunization status, Immunization Champion Alaska Public Health Nursing reminds parents when their into the community for the first time in 5 years children are due to receive vaccines, ensures to participate in a variety of preventive health that catch-up plans are developed for children activities. who have missed immunizations, and works Ms. Guthrie coordinates pediatric specialty with families who need additional vaccine clinics in the medical department of the education.

Annette Island Service Unit in Metlakatla, an The Alaska Immunization Program island bush community in Southeast Alaska. is proud to announce that Deanna Guthrie, She has provided excellence in nursing care in a licensed practical nurse, has been named the community as a nurse leader, immunization the 2014 Centers for Disease Control and coordinator, and pediatric nurse specialist.

Prevention (CDC) Childhood Immunization She maximizes opportunities for educating Champion for Alaska. This annual award, given parents and families about immunizations, by the CDC Foundation and the CDC, honors monitors patients to notify them when they are exemplary childhood immunization advocates due to receive an immunization, and ensures across the 50 U.S. states, 8 U.S. Territories and catch-up plans are written for parents. Most Freely Associated States, and the District of importantly, she supports and promotes new Columbia during National Infant Immunization and innovative strategies to immunize children Week (April 26–May 3, 2014). This year, they are in various age groups as well as identifies and recognizing 31Champions. provides “cocooning” for those at risk who are Recipients of the Childhood unable to be immunized, helping to ensure Immunization Champions award are optimal coverage for the community. individuals who work tirelessly to improve the Ms. Deanna Guthrie is an inspiration to all health and lives of young children by ensuring of us who care passionately about children’s that immunization is a priority. Deanna was health in Alaska. We are pleased and honored nominated by her peers, and selected as to congratulate her on this well-deserved a Champion among healthcare professionals, award. community advocates, and other immunization To read Deanna Guthrie’s profile on leaders for making a significant contribution the CDC’s website, and to learn more about to public health in Alaska through her work in CDC’s Childhood Immunization Champion children’s immunization.

Award program, please visit: Ms. Guthrie is always on the lookout for http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/ innovative strategies to encourage vaccination champions/index in different age groups, and she coordinates

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T h e o f f i c i a l P u b l i c at i o n o f t h e A l as k a N u r s e s A s s o c i at i o n

Sandra Haldane Recognized For A Career Of Excellence Sandra Haldane was recognized for the professional excellence she has demonstrated over the course of her career when she accepted the Theta Omicron/ Tina DeLapp Professional Excellence Award at the annual Theta Omicron Induction Ceremony. The award was established in 1995 to recognize professional excellence demonstrated over time; Ms. Haldane is the 15th recipient of the award, which is not presented every year.

After earning her BS degree in nursing from Baylor University in 1981, Ms. Haldane worked in clinical nursing positions in New Mexico, Texas, and Alaska. It was while she was working at Alaska Native Medical Center that she had the opportunity for what she has called a “career changing” experience when she became a Capitol Hill Fellow; in that role, she worked with the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs,

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with mentoring from Dr. Patrick DeLeon, chief of staff for Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI).

It was that experience that convinced her that she wanted to be involved in a higher level of policy making than her nursing roles to date had allowed.

She returned to work in Alaska, filling progressively higher levels of institutional responsibility until she eventually became the chief nurse executive at the Alaska Native Medical Center. In that role, Ms. Haldane provided a small grant to UAA for the production of a video to promote the recruitment of Alaska Natives to a nursing career; the result was a Student Nurses Association produced video that earned national accolades from both the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) and Sigma Theta Tau. After pausing to earn a MS degree in nursing with a specialty in Health Care Administration from UAA, her next career stop was a chief nurse of the Indian Health Service (IHS). In that role, Ms. Haldane provided support to IHS and Tribal facilities to achieve Baby Friendly designation. Under her leadership, initiatives to enable those facilities to respond effectively to domestic assault and violence. Currently Ms. Haldane is Director of the Maternal Child Health Service Line at Alaska Native Medical Center; she is currently focused on facilitating the hospital’s achievement of national Baby Friendly designation.

Sandra Haldane, MS, RN, 2014 Recipient of the Theta Omicron/Tina DeLapp Professional Excellence Award with Patricia LynesHayes, PhD, RN, outgoing President of the Theta Omicron Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau (Photo by John R. DeLapp)

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Thank You, Legislators!

The Alaska Nurses Association would like to thank the following legislators for their leadership on health care issues important to nurses.

Senator Cathy Giessel – for sponsoring the Board of Nurses needed statute updates and for helping to make sure Alaskans have ready access to affordable vaccines.

Senator Donny Olson – for making monies available to help support school nurses and working to reinstate cut SHARP loan repayment funds. Senator Olson also sponsored the bill reauthorizing the Health Care Commission.

Retiring Representative Peggy Wilson – for her years of active support of nurses and her help with getting legislation passed to prohibit mandatory overtime for nurses.

Senator Berta Gardner – for her unwavering support of issues of importance to women and children.

Representative Bob Herron – For being willing to work with the Nurses Association to develop a compromise on the issue of background checks for CNAs. Senator Peter Micciche – for working hard to keep Alaskans from being exposed to tobacco smoke in public places.

Representative Charisse Millett – for incorporating nurses suggested changes into her bill dealing with the physical restraint and seclusion of students in schools.

Representative Geran Tarr – for sponsoring a bill to fund mental health first aid training in Alaska and for sponsoring the Erin’s Law bill

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regarding education of children about sexual abuse.

Representative Mia Costello – for sponsoring the bill that would have required the Department of Health and Social Services to pay for the cost of making up medisets for Medicaid patients.

Retiring Senator French – for his long time support of nurses and for being a defender of human rights.

Senator Lesil McGuire – for making sure the Board of Nursing update bill and the Immunization bill came to the Senator floor for votes. And for sponsoring legislation that would have required education for young students on inappropriate sexual behavior by adults.

Representative Pete Higgins – for working on a compromise that allowed the immunization bill to be passed by the legislature.

Representative Steve Thompson – for incorporating our proposed changes into the law exempting out of state health care providers volunteering their time to treat Alaskans from liability.

Senator Pete Kelly – for his efforts to bring to the forefront the need to assist women to abstain from drinking while they are pregnant to prevent children being born with FASD. Senator Kevin Meyers – for his work on the bill outlawing cyber bullying.

Representatives Paul Seaton and Tammie Wilson – for their insightful and probing questions of bills related to health care.

T h e o f f i c i a l P u b l i c at i o n o f t h e A l as k a N u r s e s A s s o c i at i o n

Final Report for the 28th Alaska Legislative Session Nurses Make a Difference!

by Patricia Senner, MS, RN, ANP In the 28th Session of the Alaska Legislature, the Alaska Nurses Association was involved in more legislative issues than at almost any other time in the past. Nurses testified at many hearings and their insightful comments affected the outcome of many pieces of legislation. There were times when we were biting our nails as to whether certain bills would receive hearings and come to the floor for a vote, but in the end the bills we cared most about passed.

We give special thanks to our lobbyists, Caren Robinson and Mark Hickey, for their calm and experienced guidance. The AaNA would not have been as successful this year without their hard work and shared commitment to providing Alaskans with quality health care services.

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Budget Issues

Bills that Passed

The AaNA engaged in several key funding issues this year: Because we think that school nurses are a very important part of Alaska’s health care system, and we don’t want school districts to have to choose between nurses and teachers, we lobbied for an increase in the base student allocation. The final increase approved by the Legislature was $150 per student for this year, and an additional $50 on top of that for the next two years.

Thanks to the efforts of Senator Donny Olson from Barrow an additional $500,000 was added to School Nursing/School Health Program in the Department of Health and Social Services. The AaNA and the Alaska School Nurses Association will follow up to see how the department plans to spend this money.

The AaNA was successful in its lobbying to get $985,500 of the $1.2 million cut in the House from the SHARP loan repayment program restored by the Conference Committee. This program helps health care providers who work in rural areas and with underserved populations pay their student loans. About 20 RNs and ANPs were recipients of these grants this year. The House originally cut the funds because they felt the grant recipients weren’t rural enough. Not incidentally, this raises a question: In Alaska, how does one define “rural?”

Several items cut from the budget by the House were not restored by the Conference Committee. These included the $100,000 needed to keep the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program operating. This program is run by the Board of Pharmacy and allows health care providers to see whether a patient previously has had prescriptions filled for controlled substances. The program’s goal is to prevent patients from shopping among doctors and nurse practitioners for pain medications. As of press time, the fate of this program is unknown.

Unfortunately, $360,000 was cut from the Department of Health and Social Service’s Chlamydia Campaign designed to reduce rates of this disease in Alaska. Advocates for this program were perplexed by the cut because Alaska has the highest chlamydia infection rate in the country. Some of the money from this campaign was being used to replace federal funds for chlamydia lab testing, which had been cut.

Finally, in case you were wondering, the Legislature did not fund pregnancy tests for bars.

The AaNA’s two top-priority bills—SB 166 and SB 169–both passed this Legislative Session. Both bills were both sponsored

by Senator Cathy Giessel. SB 166 updates the Nurse Practice Act, including creating a designated seat on the Board of Nursing for an Advanced Practice Nurse and requiring that the Executive Administrator of the Board of Nursing hold a Master’s degree in nursing.

The Department of Labor tried to get this latter provision struck from the bill because they thought it would be hard to find a nurse with a Master’s degree in Alaska. The AaNA testified that all 800+ licensed Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in the state hold at least a Master’s degree in nursing, as do many nurse educators and many public health nurses.

There was an effort by the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association (ASHNA) to amend SB 166 to allow the Board of Nursing to accept background checks for CNA’s done by the Department of Health and Social Services. Instead of amending the bill, a letter of intent was adopted which stated that the Board of Nursing, the Department of Health and Social Services, ASHNA and the AaNA will convene a summit this summer to look into the issue of background checks.

More on this will be covered in later issues of The Alaska Nurse.

The AaNA’s top priority bill was SB 169, the bill establishing a State Vaccine Assessment Council. This bill would allow the state to take private insurance funds and state and federal funds to purchase vaccines at the discounted federal contract rates for use by Alaska health care providers. SB 169 was vigorously opposed by PhRMA, the national lobbying arm of the pharmaceutical manufacturers. PhRMA, of course, felt that Alaska health care providers should have to pay top dollar for their vaccines. Thanks goes to Nurse Practitioner and Senator Cathy Giessel for having the will to stand up to this strong lobby.

Two bills passed that were modified after nurses’s testimony and lobbying. First,

HB 210, an act relating to crisis intervention training for school personnel and to restraint and seclusion of students, was modified after mental health and school nurses testified and lobbied on the bill to exclude a section dealing with medications and reducing the time that schools had to notify parents that a student had been restrained or secluded at school.

HB 269, which would provide malpractice immunity for out of state health care providers with temporary licenses who volunteer in Alaska, includes language recommended by AaNA that out-of-state practitioners must provide the Alaskans they care for with a name of an Alaskan provider with whom the patient can follow up once the out-of-state provider is gone.

Bills that didn’t Pass Two bills that the AaNA supported in testimony did not pass. The Mediset Medicaid Payments Act, HB 134, made it all the way through to the House and Senate committees, but died in Senate Rules. This bill would have required the Department of Health and Social Services to reimburse pharmacies for putting together medisets for Medicaid patients. HB 151, an Act relating to chemicals that are of high concern for children and the manufacture and sale of products containing certain flame retardant chemicals, made it out of only one committee.

Two bills that AaNA lobbied against also did not pass. HB 187, an act relating to professional and occupational licensing fees, which would have used state general funds to pay for investigators for regulatory boards, never came to a vote. Likewise, HB 53, which would have established a consultation requirement with respect to the prescriptions of opiates, never made it out of House Health and Socials Services Committee.

We heartily thank all the nurses who took time to testify and write letters and send emails on bills that affected their patients and practice. For a more detailed summary of the Legislative Session, go to the legislation link on the AaNA web page and then to 2014 Capitol Currents.

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Labor Lines Collective Bargaining Unit Nurses of AaNa

Union Nurses Attend AFL-CIO Organizing Institute

by Jane Erickson, RN, CCRN Vice President, AaNA Board of Directors Recently, three local leaders from the AaNA Labor Program traveled to Portland, Oregon for an intense training on labor organizing by the AFL-CIO. Boy, was it intense! We started on Friday morning learning the basics of what organizing entails; the types of communication techniques, the importance of one-on-one communication, the importance of listening, and the value of asking questions pertaining to the problems were all explored and evaluated.

The importance of finding out what problem workers are facing is paramount. The value of having union stewards (labor union members who defend the interests of their fellow employees) in every unit was discussed and the role they play is crucial in having successful communication regarding the issues that the staff is experiencing. We focused on collecting the information, building relationships, getting support, educating the workers, and establishing the leaders/stewards in the units.

It became very apparent that we need to have stewards in every unit represented by a collective bargaining agreement. The union is only as strong as its members. The more involved we are, the stronger our union will be!

We learned about the ‘Union Difference’: We have a voice at the job site, we have job security (not at-will employment), we have fair rules, we have conflict resolution processes, we have benefits and salaries and raises in our contracts, and we have representation and safer working

conditions. This was all covered on Friday – Saturday was even more intense!

On Saturday we learned that every opportunity is an organizing opportunity!

We learned how to promote the issues, how democracy is working (or not working) in our job areas, how the USA is an at-will employer, and how the union can bring in Democracy.

It was intense and every bit a challenge. We had to put aside our differences and really focus on the issues that were laid out before us to concentrate on those issues and come up with solutions that would benefit the workers we represented. WOW! That was an eye opener.

On Sunday we focused on organizing, using all the material we learned on Friday and Saturday. We broke out into small groups and talked with an employee about the union: the employee’s thoughts about the union, the pros and cons of being represented by a union, and what the union could do better to represent employees at the next contract negotiation meeting.

I learned a lot about the role of what a union should be doing and am very excited about the next step of getting union stewards to represent their units. I urge every able body to sign up for a steward position to represent their unique medical floor. We will soon visit a floor nearest you to update you on the latest and greatest of the happenings of your local union.

Thank you for all you do as a nurse, and Happy belated Nurses Week!

Funding Opportunity – Call For Proposals The Alaska Nurses Foundation seeks proposals for its 2014 grants. Do you have a small project that needs a bit of funding to become reality? Perhaps you need just a bit of money to complete your research project? Or maybe you’re involved in planning a conference and need some help covering speaker expenses? Or there is an intriguing continuing education opportunity that you’d like to pursue? If this is you, consider applying for a small grant from the Alaska Nurses Foundation. Two broad categories of grants are available – Public Health Nursing Grants and General Nursing Grants.

Applications can be found at http://www.aknurse.org/index.cfm/About/About-theFoundation-/ (go to the AaNA website [www.aknurse.org], click on the “About” tab and then on “About the Foundation”) and are due by August 1, 2014; successful applicants will be notified in December 2014.

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T h e o f f i c i a l P u b l i c at i o n o f t h e A l as k a N u r s e s A s s o c i at i o n

Nurses Join Together for Alaska Heart Run

by Andrea Nutty The 2014 Alaska Heart Run, a fundraiser to benefit the American Heart Association, took place on Saturday, April 26th in Anchorage. The Heart Run is the biggest 5K in Alaska – with over 5,000 participants running, jogging, and walking across the finish line in the name of heart health.

This year’s Heart Run brought in over $273,000 for cardiovascular research and community programs to combat heart disease and stroke!

Committed to reducing the risk of heart disease among Americans, the American Heart Association takes a multi-prong approach to fighting for improved health – initiating public education and outreach programs, advocating for healthier communities, providing CPR training, encouraging healthy eating and participation in physical activity, and investing millions in heart and stroke research.

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The Alaska Nurses Association sponsored the race for the third year in a row, raising money to combat the war against the nation’s number one and number four killers – heart disease and stroke.

‘Team Alaska Nurses Association’ laced up their running shoes and made donations to support the quest for healthier lives. Our team was the largest ever thanks to all the nurses and health care professionals who joined our quest to support the American Heart Association!

Manned by AaNA staff members, nurses from around the community, and student nurses, the AaNA booth quenched the thirst of tired-out runners by handing out cups of water donated

by Alaska’s Best Water. The Providence Registered Nurses donated healthy snacks to the hungry participants and their families. The AaNA race booth also provided free blood pressure checks and first aid to fix skinned elbows and knees.

The Alaska Heart Run serves as a great reminder that, as nurses, we are the leaders of our communities when it comes to healthy living.

We need to join together on the front lines of the heart disease battle – for the health of children, families, patients, and for ourselves and our fellow nurses.

Make sure to mark your calendars and join us for the 2014 Anchorage Heart Walk on Saturday, September 13th. To see more photos from the 2014 Alaska Heart Run, check out http://heartrun.kintera.org.

Experience a new system of health care health care organization located on the Alaska Native Health Campus. Our awardwinning Nuka System of Care is based on customer-ownership and relationships.

SCF is seeking dynamic Registered Nurses to act as Case Managers in our OB/GYN, Pediatrics and Primary Care Clinics in the Anchorage Native Primary Care Center.

Experience the opportunity to practice population based case management in our award-winning Nuka System of Care, a designated medical home model.

SCF offers competitive salaries, an excellent benefits package, a 401K retirement plan, a sign on bonus and relocation assistance. Please visit our website and apply at www.southcentralfoundation.com or call Tess Johnson at (907) 729-5011 or email at tjohnson@southcentralfoundation.com.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation www.bbahc.org

Located in beautiful Southwest Alaska, in the town of Dillingham, BBAHC has many employment opportunites. Come and enjoy the Alaska Native Cultures of the Aleut, Eskimo and Indian. Our town is 2,460 strong and we serve a 44,000 square mile region of 34 villages with a total population of 8000.

Please contact Human Resources at (907)842-5201 or by email at personnel@bbahc.org or refer to our website at www.bbahc.org for more information

Join Our Heart Walk Team September 13th www.aknurse.org

BBAHC is an equal opportunity employer operating under the Alaska Native and American Indian Preference in Hiring provisions of PL93-638. Pre-employment drug screening and a completed background investigation and determination that the applicant meets the eligibility criteria of the Alaska Barrier Crimes Act and, where applicable, the Indian Child Protection Act, are prerequisites to hiring.

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SB 169’s Vaccine Assessment Program How will it Work in Alaska?

by Patricia Senner, MS, RN, ANP

vaccines were given. If the purchased vaccines expired before they could be used, the provider had to absorb the cost of those vaccines. Some large pediatric practices had to go so far as to purchase two refrigerators – one for the state-supplied vaccines and one for the privately-purchased vaccines.

To create a long-term solution to the vaccine purchase issue, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Section of Epidemiology researched what other states were doing to address the issue of vaccine purchases and came up with the idea of creating a vaccine assessment account program. The program essentially pools money from various sources – state and federal funds, health care insurers, health benefit plans, and third-party administrators – to purchase vaccines at a discounted bulk rate. Health care providers would receive these vaccines free of charge and then only bill insurance companies for their administration costs. All vaccines given are to be recorded in the State’s VacTrAK data system.

The Vaccine Assessment program will determine how much each type of insurance group will contribute to this purchasing pool based on the number of insured individuals they cover and their ages. Health care providers can purchase vaccines from the assessment program for uninsured individuals at a reduced rate. In order to cover the maximum number of Alaskans through this program the State hopes Providers to eventually bring in TRICARE, vaccinate the VA, Medicare and Medicaid covered patients and only bill into the system. payers for vaccine The Vaccine Assessment administration costs Account Program hopes to be up and running

by January 1, 2015.

Thanks to Senator Ted Stevens, for 30 years, from 1980-2010, Alaska was fortunate to receive over $4 million in federal funds each year to provide immunizations to all Alaskans. Starting in 2010 this federal funding began declining. By 2014, our state was only receiving $200,000 per year. In order to make up the difference, in 2012 Senators Cathy Giessel, ANP and Donny Olson, MD introduced legislation to appropriate $4.5 million in state general funds for each of three years to provide vaccines to uninsured and underinsured children and adults. This was viewed as a temporary fix.

The loss of federal funding made things very difficult for private health care providers in Alaska. Prior to 2010, a provider received their vaccines from the state free of charge to be used for their patients. The documentation paperwork was quite reasonable. After 2010 providers had to keep two sets of vaccines, one provided by the state for eligible Alaskans, and the other purchased by the providers for their insured patients.

Each patient receiving a vaccine had to be assessed as to whether they were eligible for the free state vaccine. Providers had to front the considerable cost of buying vaccines for their insured patients at full price and hope that they would be adequately reimbursed by the insurance companies Vaccine is shipped once the Vaccine is shipped from manufacturers to the Alaska Vaccine Depot The Alaska Immunization Program orders discounted vaccine off of a bulk contract

SB169 Statewide Immunization Program Alaska Division of Public Health

Payers pay their portion to the vaccine account

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from the depot to providers statewide

The Vaccine Assessment Council determines how much money payers owe to the vaccine assessment account

Providers report all vaccines administered into VacTrAK

The Alaska Immunization Program reports vaccination data back to the Council to help determine future assessment rates

Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska has already committed to working with the assessment program.

Nurses should educate the facilities they work for about this program so that they will ready to become enrolled once it is started in 2015.

For more information, visit: www.epi.hss.state.ak.us

T h e o f f i c i a l P u b l i c at i o n o f t h e A l as k a N u r s e s A s s o c i at i o n

Celebration and Education at the 2014 Nurses Week Banquet

by Andrea Nutty On May 9th, the Alaska Nurses Association held the 2014 Nurses Week Banquet to celebrate Alaska’s nurses during National Nurses Week, which began May 6th and ran until Florence Nightingale’s birthday on May 12th. The Banquet was held at the beautifully-renovated Port View Banquet Room of the Alaska Experience Theater in downtown Anchorage.

Delicious food from An Appetizing Affair was enjoyed by attendees. AaNA was able to give out generously donated door prizes from Airmed Medical Apparel and Skinny Raven.

Airmed Medical Apparel also held a two-week sale for Nurses Week, and Skinny Raven held a shoe-fitting event and sale for nurses at Providence Alaska Medical Center.

Nurses were treated to a fantastic continuing education session. Jennifer Messick, JD and AaNA President Jana Shockman, RN, CCRN-CSC teamed up to educate the audience about synthetic illegal drugs in their “Designer Drug Update.” Jennifer Messick is a vibrant and dynamic speaker who infused laughter into the information-packed session. Jana Shockman spent hours researching the health effects of

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designer drugs and expertly shared her research with attendees. The nurses who attended are now able to recognize and respond to symptoms of synthetic drug use in their patients.

Nurses Week is about celebrating our dedication to and passion for our profession, as well as educating the public about the role of nurses in health care delivery and why nurses are integral to quality health care. Thank you to all the nurses and students who took time to relax and attend the 2014 Nurses Week Banquet. To all of Alaska’s great nurses: thank you for everything you do – for each other, for your families, for our patients, and for our communities. Alaska’s nurses are important! – and I hope that message was heard loud and clear during your Nurses Week celebrations across the state. To the Alaska Nurses Association, you each are valued professionals who deserve recognition for all your tireless, selfless work. Thank you for choosing to be a nurse.

Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital (SSMH) in Barrow, Alaska is a facility unlike most others; it is located in the northernmost city of the United States and serves a population that spans across a region larger than the state of Washington.

» Inpatient Med/Surg » RN Case Managers Serving the North Slope, a region that is colored by rich cultural diversity and » RN Phone Advice beauty of the Inupiat people, Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital works to » Emergency reserve the health of the region as well as the culture. » LDRP/OP By joining SSMH, you’ll be embarking on the adventurous journey as enriching as it is

rewarding. Here you’ll have the unique opportunity to provide healthcare to a vibrant community ready to share its culture and heritage. More than a once in a lifetime opportunity, you’ll provide care in a small community environment, partner with a familial, professional staff, and truly touch—and be touched by—the Inupiat people. It’s an experience you won’t forget. So join us today!

visit us: www.arcticslope.org Phone: 907.852.9204

Mail: PO Box 29, Barrow, AK 99723 Fax: 907.852.3365 | hr@arcticslope.org

Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital is an eligible IHS loan repayment site. For more information visit www.ihs.gov

NSRH is a Joint Commission accredited facility with 18 acute care beds, 15 LTC beds serving the people of the Seward Peninsula and Bering Straits Region of Northwest Alaska. New hospital now open!

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W h at are y ou d oin g in y our C o m m unit y ?

Nurse Visits Daisy Scouts

by Donna Phillips, BSN, RN, AaNA Labor Council Chair Recently, I was asked to meet with a local Daisy Scout troop in order to teach the young girls about First Aid. What a fun experience to have those young scouts attentively listening about cleaning wounds, applying bandages, and how to call for help if someone is in trouble! I was surprised at how much the Daisy Scouts already knew about 911. We talked about physicians and nurses, and they all had a story of a “shot” to tell me.

Daisy Scouts are the Grade K-1 level of the Girl Scouts. The information I was able to teach the Daisy Scouts helped them to receive their First Aid Learning Petal. The Daisy Scouts is their introduction to learn about nature and science, and explore the arts and their communities.

Nurses have the opportunity to impact so many lives, young and old. I have spent the last 35 years working in the hospital, impacting families and lives everyday at work. It was a nice change of pace to meet with these girls and hopefully make a small difference in their young lives.

Let us know what you are doing within your communities! Please submit photos and a brief story to editor@aknurse.org.

The Adventures of a New Nurse

by Julia Gluth, BSN, RN, CCRN Imagine you have just spent four long years taking college Spanish classes. You feel confident in your abilities after years of hard work, so you decide to reward yourself with a trip to Spain. Upon arriving in Spain, you exit the airplane, grab your bags, and go outside to hail a taxi cab that will take you to your hotel, which you booked ahead of your arrival. After two frustrating hours of toting your bags all the way across the airport, you realize the taxi cabs are on the opposite side of the airport and they don’t accept credit cards.

Unfortunately, you did not bring any cash and you have become so stressed out that you have forgotten all of your Spanish. You are quickly coming to the sinking feeling that this whole trip might have been a gigantic mistake.

This angst and feeling of displacement was how I felt almost every single day during my first year as a Registered Nurse.

My first two years as a nurse were spent on a medical floor, and there was an endless supply of things to learn. I had to decide how to react, how quickly to react, how to determine who has to wait, and how to apologize for making those patients wait. I felt like I was lost in Spain: Nursing school had only shown me the Lonely Planet highlights of how 12

to survive my adventure.

Becoming familiar with the unit language was mindboggling alone. Physicians would come to me to discuss a patient and I could not understand half of the things they were telling me. “KUB? Is that a type of x-ray?” I asked one physician. I remember another physician asking my opinion on a very impulsive elderly lady. He wanted to know if I believed she was competent enough to go home and take care of herself. I had nothing to which I could reference my response.

What could of “trouble” could she potentially be faced with at home? I had no idea how to begin to answer that question. Slowly, I became more competent in this new culture, so I decided to move my adventures to critical care.

Working in the critical care unit, I was now like a mother-figure to every patient I came across, regardless of age. Like a mother, my work was directly reflected in my patient outcomes. I also became a gatekeeper of information to visitors and had to learn to distinguish how much information was shared and which loved ones received the information. I had to facilitate the meetings of the minds within the multi-disciplinary teams managing each patient. I now had the

T h e o f f i c i a l P u b l i c at i o n o f t h e A l as k a N u r s e s A s s o c i at i o n

job of helping families process their grief.

Compile these new responsibilities with the expected gain in medical knowledge that was demanded of me, on top of the fear that at any moment my patient could possibly code, in addition to the revolving door of family members and the unending and unanswerable questions each brought up: I was clearly in over my head, and I wasn’t really sure how I got there. I was definitely in Spain with no Spanish.

Learning the world of nursing has been the hardest, yet most amazing experience I could ever imagine. It has opened my eyes to the realities of life and given me an understanding of purpose. It has allowed me to be a part of some really important moments of complete strangers’ lives – and that is a beautiful thing. There are endless bumps in the road as a nurse and they are all a part of the adventure. Each adversity, as hard as it was to go through, is invaluable and has shaped who I am as a nurse and as a person.

I’m happy to report that my Spanish is mostly fluent now, as I have grown more confident in my abilities through practice, picking up on the nuances of my chosen language. And, as it turns out, my trip to Spain was worth it, after all.

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A Surprise Treat for National Student Nurses Day

U-MED BRANCH OPENING 2014

by Andrea Nutty Nursing students at the University of Alaska and Charter College were in for a surprise treat on May 8th as the Alaska Nurses Association celebrated Nurses Week. Starting in 1997, May 8th was designated as National Student Nurses Day by the American Nurses Association.

The Alaska Nurses Association wanted to make sure that the nursing students – the future of our profession – were recognized for their commitment and diligence in their studies as they work to enter the nursing profession. It was also important to us to be able to recognize the fantastic nursing faculty and staff at both UAA and Charter College. These nursing students, professors, and staff members work year-round to prepare the next generation of nurses for Alaska.

Nursing students and faculty at Charter College received gift cards for Kaladi Brothers Coffee and a “prescription” for a cup of joe in order to help their “summer school” diagnosis.

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, AaNA staff handed out the “prescriptions” to nursing students, staff, and faculty and directed them to the Kaladi Brothers Coffee truck in the Health Sciences Building parking lot where they received free coffee treats.

Take a few minutes out of your day to reach out to a student nurse or recent graduate in your life. Give them a well-deserved congratulations and a hearty thank you for entering the rewarding and noble profession of nursing!

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T H E A L AS K A N U R S E • J U N E /J U LY 201 4

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MAY GRADUATES

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Congratulations UAA Nursing Program Graduates

Master’s Degree Program Graduates Sarah Bilak-Larson, RN Track: Family Nurse Practitioner Chair: Dr. Sharyl Toscano Title: Review and evaluation of evidence based tools and interventions for caregiver burden in caregivers of family members with dementia ___ Becky Boye, RN Track: Family Nurse Practitioner Chair: Dr. Lorna Kendrick Title: Grief in elderly widowers: A description qualitative study ___ Martha Carver, RN Track: Education Chair: Dr. Maureen O’Malley Title: Progressive muscle relaxation to decrease anxiety in high-intensity simulations

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Amber Virden, RN Track: Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Chair: Professor Angelia Trujillo Title: Young adult females’ perceptions of high risk social media behaviors: A focus group approach ___ Sherry Wolf, RN Track: Family Nurse Practitioner Chair: Dr. Sharyl Toscano Title: Homeless young adults: Caring for their health ___

Baccalaureate Degree Program Graduates

Anita Hunsucker Jaclyn Huston Kayli Janigo Tillie Kaiser Amy King Michelle Libis Rhenierose Mercado Elisabeth Michlin David Morse Marjorie Naval Devon O’Hara Eryn Petrucci Stephanie Phillips Hannah Renner Sara Seffrood Caitlyn Serwat Jamie Silas Natasha Skar Pollyanna Stewart Mary Grace Villasin Charlene Viray Nicole Weir Donna Wilson

Michelle Acoba Adell Albright Maria Alejandro Jessica Beck Aimee Castle Ginger Chapman James Chapman Kerri Cramer Carmen Duff Angela Everson Stephanie Frankson Jonathan Genziano Gwyneth Gestole Lottie Gottsche

T h e o f f i c i a l P u b l i c at i o n o f t h e A l as k a N u r s e s A s s o c i at i o n

Associate Degree Program Graduates Daniel Alsdorf Jackie Alvarado Melissa Barber Nicole Bon Angela Bottom Joshua Brown Valerie Carlson Kimberley Carr Moneak Cline Amy Doogan Maqana Fret Nicole Gallien Gretchen Glade Alexandria Gleason Vanessa Glenn Casey Griffith Paula Hansen Megan Hathcoat Melissa Houp Jamie

Johanson Asmita K.C. Lamichhane Stacy Kendrick Amanda Marr Aubrey Rhoades Stephen Sammons II Elizabeth Smith David Stanley Diedra Sutton Rhonda Thompson Charles Tyrrell Amanda Woods Angela Zigarlick ___

Director’s Award Awarded to the student with the highest GPA. BS – Hannah Renner AAS – Charles Tyrrell

Spirit of Nursing Award

Awarded by faculty vote for the student they feel best demonstrates the spirit of caring, science, love of learning, and compassion.

AAS – Joshua Brown ___

Peer Award

Awarded by the senior class to a fellow classmate who has completed their nursing studies while balancing the daily demands of life.

Sponsored by AaNA. BS – Hannah Renner AAS – Charles Tyrrell ___

Evidence-Based Practice Award MS – Sarah BilakLarson, RN

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Calendar of Events Save the Dates!

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AaNA Board of Directors Meeting Fourth Wednesday of each month

Alaska Nursing Action Coalition Summit June 24, 2014

4:30 to 5:30 pm

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AaNA Labor Council Meeting Fourth Wednesday of each month 5:30 to 6:30 pm

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AaNA Professional Practice Committee Contact for times: andrea@aknurse.org

or 907-274-0827

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AaNA Legislative Committee Contact for times: andrea@aknurse.org

or 907-274-0827

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Providence Registered Nurses 3rd Thursday of each month

4:00 to 6:00 pm

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RN’s United of Central Peninsula Hospital Contact for times: 907-252-5276 .............................................................................

KTN Ketchikan General Hospital Contact for times: 907-247-3828 .............................................................................

Alaska State Board of Nursing – Meeting July 9-11, 2014 • Agenda deadline 6/18/14 Oct 22-24, 2014 • Agenda deadline 11/1/14

The Alaska Board of Nursing has a listserv 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, visit www.nursing.alaska.gov 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

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Healing Our Heroes June 23, 2014 – Soldotna, AK July 31, 2014 – Bethel, AK September 19 – Ketchikan, AK Veterans’ Mental Health: Competencies for Health Providers and Community Advocates.

Provided by AaNA Register online at www.akcache.org .............................................................................

Anchorage, Alaska Register online at www.aknurse.org Email aknursingaction@gmail.com for more information ...........................................................................................

Alaska Nurses Foundation Grant Application Deadline August 1, 2014 Visit www.aknurse.org for more information

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2014 World Congress of Epidemiology August 17-21, 2014 Anchorage, Alaska www.epidemiology2014.com

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9th Annual Alaska Asthma & Allergy Conference September 5-6, 2014 Girdwood, Alaska www.aafaalaska.com

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Inter-professional Simulation Workshop September 13, 2014

Anchorage, AK • Provided by AaNA www.akcache.org .............................................................................

Alaska Sleep Conference September 13-14, 2014 Anchorage, Alaska www.ganesco.com

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Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association - 31st Annual Conference September 18-20, 2014 Anchorage, Alaska anpa.enpnetwork.com

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Maternal Child Health & Immunization Conference

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Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse Review - Alaska ENA State Council September 29-30, 2014 Anchorage, Alaska www.alaskaena.org

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Alaska State Chapter, Emergency Nurses Association 2014 Annual Conference Interactive Trauma Review October 1, 2014 Anchorage, Alaska www.alaskaena.org

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Alaska Nurses Association Fall Conference October 3-4, 2014

BP Energy Center Anchorage, Alaska www.aknurse.org .............................................................................

Alaska Nurses Association General Assembly October 5, 2014

Anchorage, Alaska www.aknurse.org .............................................................................

2014 Alaska Child Maltreatment Conference November 17-19, 2014 Anchorage, Alaska www.akchildrensalliance.com

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March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Awards Banquet November 21, 2014 Anchorage, Alaska

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Contact Hours www.aknurse.org/ Remember to visit:

index.cfm/education for frequent

updates and information on local nursing contact hour opportunities and conferences!

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— S AV E T H E D A T E —

Alaska Nurses Association Fall Conference

October 3-4 | Anchorage, Alaska BP Energy Center

“Advancing Wellness Across the Lifespan”

October 4 - Nurses Night Out! October 5 - General Assembly

Anchorage, Alaska www.alaskamchconference.org

For more information visit www.aknurse.org or call 907.274.0827

September 24-25, 2014

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T H E A L AS K A N U R S E • J U N E /J U LY 201 4

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