ENA Connection January 2012 by ENA Connection

the Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

connection January 2012 Volume 36, Issue 1

2012 ENA Career Guide • New Job Opportunities

• Research

• Consulting

• Working for Your Association

• Returning After Retirement

Your All-in-One Resource for Broadening Your Role as an Emergency Nurse

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT |

Gail Lenehan, EdD, MSN, RN, FAEN, FAAN

This Is the First Day of the Rest of Your Career Each New Year brings new resolutions: We’re going to lose weight, quit bingeing on chocolate and go to the gym every day. Then February comes, and the convictions we held so strongly are now less important than that piece of chocolate that is going to get you through your shift, or the comfortable couch after your shift. There is one resolution I encourage all of you to keep. Make a resolution to give your career a check-up. Are you where you thought you would be by now? Have you found the emergency department where you feel both challenged and right at home? Do you know what options are out there for you? Emergency

nursing is a perfect background for international nursing, cruise ship nursing, homeless shelter clinic nursing or teaching resuscitation to nurses on in-patient floors. This is not just the time of year to step on the scale; this is the perfect time of year to make plans for your career. As the 2012 ENA president, I encourage you to take full advantage of everything that ENA has to offer your career. Our new, robust ENA Career Center at www. ena.org is a great place to start. Thousands of jobs from around the country, online résumé posting, in-depth search capacity and the ability to save searches all make your job search easy and productive.

Having spent my entire career in emergency departments, I know that it isn’t just about finding jobs. It’s about being good at your job. In order to be the best at what you do, take advantage of everything that your ENA membership has to offer. The courses, the great listservs, the educational offerings, the networking possibilities and national meetings like the ENA Leadership Conference in New Orleans next month are all great ways to help build the career you have always wanted. Don’t forget to check www.ena.org for grants and scholarships. Last year, for example, the ENA Foundation International Exchange Program awarded $1,000 to Charlotte Continued on page 16

ENA Connection is published 11 times per year from January to December by: The Emergency Nurses Association 915 Lee Street Des Plaines, IL 60016-6569 and is distributed to members of the association as a direct benefit of membership. Copyright© 2012 by the Emergency Nurses Association. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at the Des Plaines, IL, Post Office and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ENA Connection 915 Lee Street Des Plaines, IL 60016-6569 ISSN: 1534-2565 Fax: 847-460-4002 Web Site: www.ena.org E-mail: connection@ena.org

Member Services: 800-900-9659 Non-member subscriptions are available for $50 (USA) and $60 (foreign).

Chief Communications Strategist: M. Anthony Phipps Editor in Chief: Amy Carpenter Aquino Assistant Editor, Online Publications: Josh Gaby Writer: Kendra Y. Mims Editorial Assistant: Dana O’Donnell Board of Directors Officers: President: Gail Lenehan, EdD, MSN, RN, FAEN, FAAN President-elect: JoAnn Lazarus, MSN, RN, CEN Secretary/Treasurer: Deena Brecher, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CEN, CPEN

Immediate Past President: AnnMarie Papa, DNP, RN, CEN, NE-BC, FAEN Directors: Kathleen Carlson, MSN, RN, CEN, FAEN Ellie Encapera, RN, CEN Mitch Jewett, RN, CEN, CPEN Marylou Killian, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, CEN Michael Moon, MSN, RN, CNS-CC, CEN, FAEN Matthew F. Powers, MS, BSN, RN, MICP, CEN Karen Wiley, MSN, RN, CEN Executive Director: Susan M. Hohenhaus, MA, RN, CEN, FAEN

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR |

Susan M. Hohenhaus, MA, RN, CEN, FAEN

Nurses Work in Associations, Too! Some of us have great runways already built for us. If you have one, take off! But if you don’t have one, realize it is your responsibility to grab a shovel and build one for yourself and for those who will follow after you. –Amelia Earhart In November, three members of the ENA board of directors and I attended the Nursing Organization Alliance (a coalition of nursing organizations) meeting in Miami. Though NOA does not speak for any one nursing organization, it brings leaders together to share best practices that address current and emerging nursing and healthcare issues. What was striking for me as a first-timer at this meeting was the number of nurses around the table who lead these nursing organizations. Yet most nurses have no idea that the skills we develop as nurses, especially emergency nurses, are perfectly suited to a career in a nursing association. As the executive director of ENA,

I routinely triage projects; board some in the hall; continually assess and reassess; develop documentation principles, policies and procedures and work to ensure that technology supports the work we do. ENA has several professional nurses who work in the national office. Their roles range from chief nursing officer to director positions for our Institutes for Quality Safety and Injury Prevention and Emergency Nursing Research and for our education department, as well as nurse editor and practice priority positions. In 2012, in order to more fully address our strategic priorities of emergency nurse wellness and technology support, we are adding more nursing positions with expertise in public health and injury prevention and nursing informatics. I believe nursing associations have the power to transform society for the better. Working at ENA means having the power to influence health-care policy, organizational structure and

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

emergency nursing practice. My passion as ENA’s executive director is to help the association achieve previously unimaginable levels of performance. We will continue to do this by recruiting talent and nurturing a community of smart, creative and interesting people. As in the emergency care setting, we look for people who are self-starters, motivated, ambitious, conscientious, creative and innovative. ENA provides a work environment of mutual trust, respect and teamwork where people are free to air their ideas and speak their mind. We believe that this can be done by striking work-life balance and incorporating playfulness, with a commitment to working smart and making time for personal pursuits and activities. We’re looking for passionate, achievement-oriented emergency nurses who are prepared to challenge themselves and others and to stand up for what’s right in emergency care. Are you one of them?

Pediatric Update | E lizabeth Stone Griffin, BS, RN, CPEN

One Member’s commitment to care Emergency nurses always have interesting stories to tell. Barry Hudson, BSN, RN, CPEN, the ENA Texas State Council president, is no exception. He began his health care career in the 1960s and has been witness to many changes in the field of nursing and health care in general.

Witnessing Change In high school in the 1960s, Hudson worked as an orderly, filling ice carts on four different hospital floors and conducting surgical preps. Patients scheduled for inguinal hernia repairs had to be shaved from the nipple line to mid-thigh (on both legs) and then receive enemas “until clear.” “Enemas in those days would be written in the physician’s orders as ‘Triple H enemas until clear,’” Hudson said. “Triple H stood for ‘high, hot and a hell of a lot.’” Hudson also spent many hours autoclaving items such as surgical gloves, enema cans, rectal tubes, foley catheters and even biopsy needles and glass syringes. Almost everything was reusable—or, in today’s terms, recycled. Another major difference Hudson recalls from his early years in health care was the absence of Emergency Medical Services.

“Before EMS existed, most funeral homes actually had ambulances which responded to MVCs,” he said. After high school, Hudson joined the U.S. Navy and fought in Vietnam. He was a corpsman with the Marines and special operations forces and was the only medical person on board an anti-submarine destroyer during his last 14 months in the service. These were his initial experiences taking care of major trauma and critically ill and injured patients. Later, while working in the petrochemical industry, Hudson earned a nursing degree as well as

Barry Hudson, BSN, RN, CPEN, of Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas

degrees in occupational health and environmental technology/industrial hygiene. Motivated by a passion to help others, the thrill of being involved in the care of the acutely injured or ill and by concerns regarding job security, he decided to pursue a career in EMS and emergency nursing. “I have never regretted it,” Hudson said. His nursing career has been varied, with positions ranging from staff nurse in the emergency department, obstetrics and intensive care units to supervisor, flight nurse, charge nurse and manager. He has worked in Level I trauma centers and rural hospitals that were “the only game in town.” “Currently and by my choice, I am a ‘stretcherside nurse,’” Hudson said. “There is no more gratifying experience than to witness the best of outcomes or to be part of a family’s most tragic loss, knowing that your presence made a difference to them. Nothing is more powerful than the simple thank you or soft hug you get in those situations. You get that at the stretcherside.”

Remaining Inspired One of Hudson’s most memorable moments as an emergency nurse

January 2012

occurred years ago when he was coaching pee-wee football. One of his 8-year-old players was brought to the emergency department after being accidentally shot with a pellet gun. The pellet penetrated his skull, crossed both hemispheres of his brain twice and stopped in the frontal lobe. The child’s trauma care was rapid and he went straight to the operating room. After about nine months of rehabilitation, he had a full physical recovery, with his only long-term disability being the loss of inhibitions, which resolved after further rehab. “This was one of the countless miracles I have had the privilege to participate in,” Hudson said.

What Hudson enjoys most about his career is the ability to pass such experiences on to others; to be able to mentor and precept other nurses, knowing that many times in their careers they will participate in the miracles and share the sad moments, and at each end of the spectrum they will gain knowledge, strength and expertise to share with others.

ENA Involvement Hudson attended his first local ENA meeting in the early 1980s. He was impressed with the high level of involvement of his Tarrant County ENA Chapter. The dedication of this small chapter inspired Hudson to

join and to become an active ENA member. “I strongly encourage every emergency nurse to be an active member in their professional organization,” he said. “This is where the action is! ENA has made differences in the practice of emergency nursing through position statements, legislative changes and practice guidelines through work groups, committees and evidencebased practices. As a member, each nurse can participate in the continuous improvement of practices and patient outcomes. We make a difference. Join us and you, too, can make a difference.”

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2012

ILLUMINATE & EMPOWER FEBRUARY 22-26 • NEW ORLEANS

Offering Educational and Networking Opportunities for Current and Future Emergency Nurse Leaders. For more information visit www.ena.org.

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Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

12/20/2011 10:50:46 AM

Supporting Emergency Nursing Through Education and Research Application Deadline: June 1, 2012 The mission of the ENA Foundation is to provide educational scholarships and research grants in the discipline of emergency nursing. The foundation achieves its mission by accepting contributions to fund academic scholarships, continuing education and research grants. The ENA Foundation has awarded more than 1.5 million dollars in academic scholarships, continuing education and research grants since 1991. Have you recently returned to school to advance your education? Are you considering returning to school in 2012? Applications are now available for academic scholarships to emergency nurse in four categories; non-RN, undergraduate (RN to BSN), master and doctoral. The application deadline for all scholarships is June 1, 2012. Recipients are notified in early August. With the exception of the non-RN category, all applicants must be ENA members for the previous 12 months to qualify. Scholarship applications and qualifications are available at www.ENAFoundation.org.

These scholarships are made possible through the generous donations received in 2011. Non-RN Category New York State ENA September 11 Scholarships

Two at $2,500 each

California State Council - Bryan Stow Scholarship

One at $5,000

Undergraduate (RN to BSN) Category Charles Kunz Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship

One at $3,000

Betty J. Smith, RN (Lt. ANC, WWII) Memorial Scholarship

One at $3,000

Board Certification of Emergency Nursing (BCEN) Scholarship One at $3,000 Graduate/Master Category Stryker Scholarship - Masters in Healthcare

One at $5,000

AnnMarie Papa Stretcherside Miracle Scholarship

One at $5,000

Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) Scholarship One at $5,000 Colorado Rocky Mountain Scholarship (CO)

One at $5,000

Kentucky ENA Founders Scholarship (KY)

One at $5,000

Maryland ENA State Council Scholarship (MD)

One at $5,000

Minnesota “Pathways IV” Scholarship (MN)

One at $5,000

Sonja O. Adkins Mississippi State Council Scholarship (MS)

One at $5,000

New Jersey Emergency Care Scholarship (NJ)

One at $5,000

New Jersey State Challenge Scholarship (NJ)

One at $5,000

Mary Kamienski Scholarship (Northern Chapter-NJ)

One at $5,000

Jeannette Ash Memorial Scholarship (West Central Chapter-NJ) One at $5,000 Antoinette Ruff-Johnson Memorial Scholarship (SC)

One at $5,000

Tennessee State Challenge Scholarship (TN)

One at $5,000

Vicki Patrick Texas Legacy Scholarship (TX)

One at $5,000

ENA Foundation State Challenge Scholarships

Seven at $3,000 each

Physio-Control, Inc. Scholarships

Two at $3,000 each

Gisness Advance Practice Scholarship

One at $3,000

Karen O’Neil Memorial Scholarship

One at $3,000

Doctoral Category Pamela Stinson Kidd Memorial Scholarship

One at $10,000

Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) Scholarships Two at $5,000 each

ENA Foundation State Challenge Scholarships

Three at $5,000 each

Hill-Rom Doctoral Scholarships

Two at $4,000

January 2012

The Future Looks Bright for Nurses By Kendra Y. Mims, ENA Connection

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of registered nurses is predicted to increase by 22 percent from 2008 to 2018; 581,500 new jobs will result from this increase, along with thousands of job openings to replace experienced nurses who will retire from the profession. Whether you are looking to transition to a new career or you want to know the projected growth of jobs in your profession, the following are several high demand careers in the nursing field: References Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-11 – Registered Nurses. (2009). Retrieved from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site: www.bls.gov/ oco/ocos083.htm#oes_links. NursingSchools.net. (2011). Retrieved from www.nursingschools.net/profiles/. Salary Wizard. (2011). Retrieved from Salary.Com Web site: www1. salary.com/Staff-Nurse-RNFlight-Transport-salary.html. What Are the Qualifications for a Cruise Ship Nurse? (2011). Retrieved from eHow Web site: www.ehow. com/about-us.html.

Career Outlook

Average Salary

Emergency Nurse: Despite the predicted slower employment growth in hospitals due to the decrease in the number of inpatients, statistics show the career outlook for emergency nursing is still positive, as emergency nurses still will be in high demand due to the current nursing shortage and the nursing field’s projected fast growth in the next several years.

$50,000–$60,000 annually

Travel Nurse: Travel nurses are in high demand, with agencies competing for recruitment. The pay and benefits are expected to increase, with cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago paying higher wages.

$50,000–$60,000 annually

Flight/Transport Nurse: According to NursingSchools.net, the growing need for flight transport nurses has resulted from the increase in the aging population of the U.S. and natural disasters.

$68,000 annually

Nurse Educator: With a rising shortage of nurse educators and a growing student population, those who pursue this career can experience job security and mobility.

$54,437 to $77,753 annually

Trauma Nurse: The career outlook for trauma nursing remains positive because of the job security and opportunities for advancement that are available.

$60,000 annually

$40,000–$75,000 annually Critical Care Nurse: Many facilities are seeking qualified critical care nurses, as they are specialized in disciplines and use a specialized skill set. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse: Statistics report that there are more than 200,000 APRNs employed in the U.S. The job possibilities for APRNs are very high in comparison to other nursing professions due to their high level of clinical training and education.

APRN/Nurse practitioner: $78,000 - $89,634 annually

Cruise Ship Nurse: Nurses on cruise ships $64,000 annually often have emergency or critical care backgrounds, as most medical teams on board prefer RNs with emergency nursing experience.

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

Retirement Can’t Keep This Emergency Nurse Away By Kendra Y. Mims, ENA Connection ENA member Nicki Carlton discovered it was hard to leave emergency nursing. Since entering the nursing profession in 1978, Carlton, BSN, RN, CEN, held multiple positions over the course of her career, from staff nurse to transport nurse, manager, director and emergency preparedness coordinator. Today, Carlton has six job titles at St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri—even though she retired from the profession six years ago. The 71-year-old emergency nurse has no plans of slowing down. “Not as long as I can keep going,” said Carlton, whose work hours range from eight to 59 every two weeks. “I think emergency nursing gets into your blood,” she said. Three months after Carlton retired, she returned to St. Joseph as a part-time instructor for Trauma Nursing Core Course, Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Hazmat Awareness and Hazmat Operations Courses. Her duties also include patient placement and assessment, a house supervisor role and emergency preparedness. She also is involved with the disaster medical assistance team, which responded when a tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, in May 2011. Carlton’s passion for the emergency nursing profession

and patient care motivated her to return. “I came back after retirement because I really liked working in the emergency preparedness field,” she said. “It has always been what I loved.” Carlton said there are a variety of opportunities for older nurses who do not want to work 12-hour bedside shifts but who are not ready to leave emergency nursing. “I think it’s hard to leave the emergency field all together,” Carlton said. “Older nurses can go into teaching at universities. I think teaching becomes easier with the more experience you get. They can also go into home health or patient placement. A lot of departments also have individuals who audit charts for correct documentation. You spend a lot of time documenting in emergency nursing, and I think some of the older nurses might be intimidated by some of the computer work and documentation. As long as they can keep up their skills, a lot of those experienced nurses can also work in triage.” Carlton’s career advice to younger nurses who are just entering into the emergency nursing profession is to learn as much as possible from the experienced nurses. “When I started, I latched on to

Nicki Carlton, BSN, RN, CEN

everyone that I could. I latched on to more experienced nurses and learned so much from them,” said Carlton, who recalls learning from a nurse who was a retired Army sergeant. “I really think it’s important to glean all of the information you can out of the older and experienced nurses. You don’t learn everything in school. You learn from your experiences.” For Carlton, age is just a number. Whether she is responding to patients’ requests to have an older nurse start their IVs or to a disaster, Carlton is relishing her nursing career at St. Joseph after 34 years, with no plans to fully retire in the near future. “I love patient care,” she said. “I love working with the staff. It’s a wonderful place to work. That’s why I’m there.”

January 2012

Deb Zirkle, ENA Director of Online Services

…to Boost Your Career in the New Year Thinking about making a change in your career? Looking for a new environment? Looking for the right emergency nurse for your department? Help is a click away when you visit ENA’s Career Center, easily found on the home page of www.ena.org Are you seeking a new job? Every aspect of career assistance is available, from posting résumés to searching for employers looking to hire: • Upload your résumé to the Career Center to store it with other documents that you can easily attach to your job applications. • Make your résumé public or private. • Easily make changes to your résumé using the online tool at

any time. •N eed help putting your résumé together? A handy online builder tool takes all the hassle out of creating one as it takes you through the process. • Keep track of all the applications you’ve submitted to various employers with the convenient “Apply History” tool. • Save potential employers for future reference. • Check out the “Featured Jobs” at the top of the Career Center home page. These change regularly, so check often. You don’t want to miss a great opportunity. Looking for someone to fill an opening in your emergency department? All the tools to hire the best candidate are right here:

•P ost your job instantly online. Reach out to nearly 40,000 ENA members who have access to the Career Center. • Do a quick résumé search to get started. • Create an account and get more in-depth detail about the nurses out there looking to make a change. • Manage your job postings and potential candidates. • “Employer Resources” offers help with government compliance and EEOC. The ENA Career Center is your one-stop shop for both job seekers and employers. Don’t delay—the right person or opportunity could be waiting for you right now!

84% Associate Nurses With Truth, Ethics The most trusted profession in America is hardly a surprise: Nurses were ranked “very high” or “high” in honesty and ethical standards by 84 percent of Americans responding to an annual Gallup poll conducted Nov. 28-Dec. 1. The 84 percent ties the highest rating nurses have received. They have consistently been on top since they were first included in the poll in 1999. Pharmacists (73 percent) and doctors (70 percent) were second and third this year, as in previous years. At the other end of the poll were members of Congress, who were ranked “very low” or “low” by 64 percent of those responding. Congratulations to you, our emergency nurses, for continuing to set the bar for virtue and integrity in the eyes of those you serve.

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

One Woman’s Drive to Make a Difference for Tired Truckers By Josh Gaby, ENA Connection

Call it Karen Heaton’s awakening. Thirty-two years ago, when Heaton, PhD, CEN, FNP-BC, was a student nurse, a friend from high school (also a nurse) died in a sleeprelated crash in rural Alabama while driving home from a night shift. Heaton later cared for another emergency nurse in a similar accident who died from his injuries, and she had some close calls behind the wheel herself. Her husband, Tim Dickerson, was a long-distance truck driver when they first met, so she has long known about those drivers’ sleep issues and their complicated access to health care. And that’s how the road to research began for Heaton, who first helped to explore sleep deprivation as a crash-risk factor while she was a doctoral student at the University of Kentucky in 2003. Her studies on fatigued driving and obstructive sleep apnea continued during her year as a Kentucky faculty member and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she’s been an assistant professor at the UAB School of Nursing since 2008. Last summer, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health awarded her $380,900 in funding for a two-year study that will expose about 80 truckers to an Internetbased program designed to teach

Karen Heaton, PhD, CEN, FNP-BC

and manage safer sleep habits. Fewer than 15 percent of research applicants receive NIOSH funding. It has been a fruitful career trek for Heaton, who started in intensive-care nursing, progressed to the emergency department, spent time as a flight nurse and a family nurse practitioner and still works two shifts a month at a Birmingham-area emergency department to keep her skills sharp. For many nurses, research may be a career destination, she said. “I started out green as grass in the emergency department, scared to death that I was going to make a mistake at triage and miss something that was going to hurt someone, and with a lot of learning and a lot of opportunities, I’ve come to this point in my career,” Heaton said. “For me, the greatest achievement of all has been earning

my doctorate, my PhD, and learning the techniques to do research where you could potentially influence the safety and health of hundreds of thousands of people.” That’s precisely where her NIOSH-funded research is headed. Government regulations prohibit commercial truckers from driving more than 11 hours in a 24-hour period, with a 10-hour off-duty period. Factor in other tasks such as paperwork, maintenance and loading, and there’s a 14-hour work limit in a 24-hour period. That can leave minimal time for sleep, and the pressures on drivers to keep going are huge. “When they’re moving, they’re making money. When they’re sitting still, they’re not making money,” Heaton said. While most do their best to follow regulations, Heaton said it is estimated that up to a third of the 1.5 million commercial heavy truckers in the United States routinely violate the rules and drive on reduced or interrupted sleep. Sleep deprivation has the same effect on driving as alcohol intoxication, she stressed. Previous educational programs targeting truckers have been lecture- and classroom-based, not exactly the best method for men and women constantly on the move. So Heaton and her research-

January 2012

ers will connect with drivers through their laptops and cell phones for 12-week periods starting this summer, during which they’ll receive a series of online modules about “sleep hygiene,” interact through self-checks and quizzes and log their sleeping time and conditions. Participation is voluntary; the truckers will be recruited largely at trade shows and divided into two study groups to see if the Internet delivery method works and if their sleep habits improve. “If this method of health information is useful and effective with

them, the implications for it are tremendous,” Heaton said, “and it could potentially help not only this group of workers but many other folks out there as well who either prefer Internet-based information or have limited access to information delivered via other methods, such as the traditional classroom.” The opportunities to get into research are “marvelous,” she said, noting that fewer than 1 percent of nurses are doctorally prepared with either research preparation (PhD) or clinical practice/systems expertise (DNP). There will be roles to fill as older faculty members

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

approach retirement. Emergency nurses have the right makeup because they’ve already been exposed to patients of all ages and populations, and they have a broader world view of health issues that lend themselves to research. “It’s important for emergency nurses to use their voices,” she said. “I’m trying to use my voice to advocate for this group of folks, truck drivers, through research, but all of us, regardless of what we do in emergency nursing, need to use our voices to advocate for the people whom we’re caring for.”

Career Focus: Emergency Consultant

Making a Difference Wherever You Land

By Jim Hoelz, MS, MBA, RN, CEN, FAEN, Chief Nurse Executive/Managing Partner, Blue Jay Consulting, LLC

I am writing this on an airplane at 34,000 feet, halfway through my six-hour flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles after an hour-and-a-half delay at the gate. I’ve been up since 4 a.m. to catch the first flight to the West Coast. I never sleep really well when I know I have to get up at dark o’clock. Here’s to the glamorous life of consulting. Although I have been an emergency nurse for close to 28 years, I have spent the last 15 years as an emergency consultant. Despite the travails of airport security and flight delays, I have enjoyed it immensely. As an emergency consultant, I have had the opportunity to travel to almost all 50 states, working with emergency departments of all sizes and scopes—university, urban, community and rural settings. The departments have ranged from 10,000 to more than 120,000 annual visits, and each had a unique character. My firm, like most, offers two types of consulting: interim leadership and performance optimization. Interim leadership is fairly straightforward. If an organization finds itself without an emergency department director or manager, it may choose to use an interim leader.

The engagement varies. Some engagements allow for weekly travel home, so the interim leader is onsite four to five days a week. Other firms allow for bimonthly or monthly travel. The interim leader is usually responsible for day-to-day operations of the emergency department, including financial and human resource management. The other predominant type of consulting is performance optimization or performance improvement. This model typically uses the consultant as a change agent and facilitator, working with the departmental and organizational leadership to support transformational change. The consultant maintains a laser focus on the change process, facilitates team work groups and garners support from key stakeholders. Like interim leadership, the engagement and project length may vary. It may take the form of a full-time, onsite project or entail a mix of onsite and offsite time. One of the benefits of consulting is the opportunity to interact with nursing colleagues around the country and potentially the world. Each client offers new ideas about emergency practice and allows the consultant to continue to grow as

an emergency nurse. Another benefit is the opportunity to make a difference in a variety of settings. I found as an emergency department director that I really enjoyed fixing things, but once things were under control, I got a little bored. Consulting allows me to go into organizations and help them fix some of the major issues, but I get to move on to the next emergency department and set of problems, much like emergency nurses like to move on to the next patient and the next challenge. I’m often asked what type of person makes the best consultant. Clearly, clinical and leadership experience are a must. But beyond that, a consultant needs to be someone who is comfortable being independent and a self-starter. Traveling to a new site to start a project is literally traveling to a new job several times a year. Finally, I think the most important characteristics of a successful consultant are passion and perseverance. It can be a very rewarding experience, but the consultant is away from home a significant amount of the week. Successful consultants must possess both the perseverance to push for change in an environment that may be resistant and the passion to want Continued on page 16

January 2012

Internship at ENA National Office ‘Relit the Fire’ for Kansas Member By Amy Carpenter Aquino, ENA Connection “Dream big” was the advice Mike Hastings, BSN, RN, CEN, received from his master’s program leadership practicum instructor at the University of Kansas School of Nursing early last year. Hastings, already working full-time at the University of Kansas Hospital while pursuing his master’s degree in nursing and organizational leadership and serving as the president-elect of the Kansas ENA State Council, was no stranger to ambitious goals. He immediately contacted fellow Kansan Mitch Jewett, RN, CEN, CPEN, of the ENA board of directors, outlining his vision for an opportunity to create a role at the ENA national office. A few weeks later, Hastings received an e-mail from Susan M. Hohenhaus, MA, RN, CEN, FAEN, another emergency nurse adept at big leaps. Hohenhaus, director of the ENA Institute of Quality, Safety and Injury Prevention at the time, was interviewing for the position of ENA executive director. She assumed the role on September 12, 2011. Hohenhaus accepted Hastings’ proposal, but said that he would be an active participant at the national office throughout the internship, not just a shadow. “She ended her e-mail with, ‘Are you ready for the challenge?’” Hastings said. “And that’s how I always think—What’s the challenge? What’s the next step?” Hastings took the challenge and

spent three weeks working with Hohenhaus and other ENA leaders between July and October at the national office in Des Plaines, Ill., and at the 2011 Annual Conference in Tampa, Fla. He essentially served as Hohenhaus’ aide in Tampa, taking notes at meetings and offering his analysis of top-level discussions. “It was an amazing experience,” Hastings said. “It was nice to actually put a face to a name for board members and to see them as a person instead of just a picture on the Web site and in the publications. I actually got to know them and make connections.” Working up close with Hohenhaus was another unique opportunity. “It’s just an amazing experience to be with her,” he said. “I thought, ‘Man, if I could have just a fraction of that knowledge and passion that she has.” One of the biggest benefits of his time at the ENA national office was networking and connecting with people, with plans to continue those relationships once he returned to Kansas. Meeting staff of the ENA Foundation, the Institute for Quality, Safety and Injury Prevention, Member Services and other departments opened this member’s eyes to all that ENA does on a national level. “We’re trying to move forward with a workplace violence initiative

Mike Hastings, BSN, RN, CEN

at the state level, and I was able to establish some helpful connections for what we can do to benefit our process,” he said. “I met with the IQSIP folks and thought, ‘Wow— what amazing work they do with such limited resources.’ It gives you a new sense of understanding and appreciation for them.” Hastings added that his interactions with ENA Foundation staff helped him better understand what the foundation does for the membership. “I used to ask, ‘What does the foundation do for me?’” he said. “It wasn’t until actually meeting with [Chief Development Officer] Pierre Désy and sitting down with him and talking to him about it that I really connected it. Now I can go back to my state and really push the State Challenge and how we can tap into resources we haven’t tapped into before. That was one of the biggest eye-openers for me, because that question of ‘Why should I support the foundation?’ is one that I heard from members.” Continued on page 16

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

Important Dates to Remember ENA Board of Directors Meeting.....February 22 State and Chapter Leaders Conference...February 23 Presessions..............February 23 Educational Sessions............February 24 – 26

Enhance Your Career: Attend ENA Leadership Conference 2012 Are you trying to enhance your career and make yourself more valuable to your institution? If the answer is yes, here is one opportunity you won’t want to miss: Attend ENA Leadership Conference 2012 in New Orleans, Feb. 22-26. This conference can help you advance your knowledge and leadership skills. Leadership Conference 2012 offers numerous advantages, including: • A chance to earn more than 17 contact hours in one place. • Expert faculty providing the latest in leadership techniques. • Inspiring keynote speakers who offer new ways to look at health care politics, work-life balance and how to leverage networking at any event. • Power Hours, where you get just the information you need on two related topics, all in one hour. • Opportunities to network with friends, colleagues and emergency care experts, available throughout the entire conference, from special events to chance meetings in line to get coffee. • The ability to demonstrate your knowledge and provide feedback about the newest products and services to manufacturers and service providers in the Exhibit Hall. Many ENA members believe that ENA conferences have assisted them with their careers. Here is what a few have to say about ENA conferences:

I’m so fortunate to have been mentored by talented colleagues met by attending ENA’s Leadership Conference. They’ve challenged me personally and professionally and have helped me to establish and achieve goals I never thought I’d be able to attain. There’s no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be who I am and where I am in my nursing career today without ENA and its incredible educational opportunities, like the Leadership Conference. — Jack Rodgers, BSN, RN, NREMT-P ENA Leadership Conferences have given me outstanding opportunities to network with other emergency nurse leaders. These connections have enabled insights and collaboration on multiple projects over the years that have been extremely valuable in my work setting. The Leadership Conference has also provided an excellent venue to formally present lectures on concepts and innovations that have demonstrated value in my own emergency department. Most important, the ENA has enabled me to develop an ongoing association with a group of professional colleagues—a peer group—whom I’ve come to know as good friends. — Linda Laskowski-Jones, RN, MS, ACNS-BC, CEN, FAWM

January 2012

I’ll been attending and speaking at Leadership since 2008. It’s a different feel than Scientific Assembly in that there’s a lot of intense problem solving when managers and educators get together. I’ve gotten great “people” tips and fantastic conversations about educational modalities. — Lisa Wolf, PhD, RN, CEN, FAEN I have attended the last 12 Leadership conferences since 2000 when I was chapter president of Tidewater Virginia ENA. Becoming active in ENA at local, state and national levels has afforded me many wonderful opportunities. ENA has helped me network as an emergency nurse for over 26 years. Attending this conference will help you understand that the problems that you may have, others have tackled and there are solutions to assist you in making your department a better workplace. Join us in New Orleans as we illuminate and empower you to make a difference in your life. — Cathy Fox, RN, CEN, CPEN

ENA Leadership Conference 2012 will help you illuminate and empower your career and your practice.

How Healthy Is Your Career? By Bridget Walsh, ENA Chief Talent Officer Every day nurses encourage patients to take care of themselves. Their advice is to invest time and attention into personal wellness, including annual checkups, eating right, exercising and general proactive care of their bodies for the future. The goal of these wellness activities is to keep yourself healthy so you can live the life you want. That same advice holds true for your career. You need to focus on career wellness to prepare for the unexpected. If your career, like your body, is healthy and fit, you can achieve your career goals. The concept of career wellness incorporates a proactive approach to focusing on your career, including the following: • Maintaining an updated copy of your resume. • Conducting an annual checkup of your accomplishments. • Taking the temperature of your current position. These basic checkup activities should be performed annually, regardless of whether you are looking for a new opportunity or are happy with your current position. As your professional organization, ENA supports your professional development and provides opportunities to focus on your career wellness. Throughout 2012, you will start to see new opportunities to help you focus on keeping your career fit so you can achieve your personal career goals. Stop by the Discovery Pavilion at ENA Leadership Conference 2012 and I will be happy to discuss ways you can keep your career healthy.

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

Letter From the President

Continued from page 16 Schnakenberg, BSN, RN, CEN, for a one-week international exchange opportunity. As your president for the next 12 months, I pledge to work diligently to bring members the support and opportunities they need. The goal of the ENA leadership and the professional staff at ENA headquarters is to help you so that you can

help others. Our motto, “Safe Practice, Safe Care,” is not just lip service. We are your professional partners. This special Career Guide edition of ENA Connection is just the beginning of my New Year’s resolution. I resolve to make the very most of the next 12 months and my position at ENA to provide each of

you with the right tools to help you be the nurse you want to be. I want to make sure that ENA’s voice, your voice, stays strong. I resolve to make ENA the best professional partner it can be. As far as that chocolate goes, I’m making no promises!

variety of consulting firms, from large multi-service companies to small boutique firms. Or you could choose to become an entrepreneur and strike out on your own. Whichever road you choose, enjoy. It’s a great way to share the skills

and expertise you have acquired over the years. Sorry, I have to close my computer. I have been warned to discontinue the use of all electronic devices and return my tray table. Safe travels!

ENA someday,” he said. “This is what I want to do now, and I’m just focusing on how I move forward. It just kind of relit the fire inside me.” Hastings is issuing a challenge back to the ENA leadership: How does ENA provide the same internship opportunity to more members? To that end, he took on the project of developing a toolkit that

provides steps for using interns at the ENA national office. “It’s just been a great opportunity to see things behind the scenes that most members don’t get to see,” he said. “Who knew that our national organization did all this?”

Making a Difference Wherever You Land Continued from page 12

to make a difference. If you like the idea of traveling to different locations and different settings to make a difference in the lives of your colleagues and the patients they serve, consider becoming a consultant. There are a

Internship ‘Relit the Fire’

Continued from page 13 The experience was so rewarding for Hastings that he picked up a badge ribbon from a vendor that said “I Can Be President” to wear throughout Annual Conference. “Without these experiences, I would never think that some guy from Kansas could run for the national board and be president of

January 2012

Recruitment page

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

Recruitment page

January 2012

Recruitment page

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

Recruitment page

January 2012

Recruitment page

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

Recruitment page

January 2012

Recruitment page

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

Recruitment page

January 2012

Recruitment page

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

Recruitment page

January 2012

Recruitment page

Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association

Your next career move could be out there Find it on ENA’s Online Career Center

Your one-stop resource for lifelong career

development

Job seekers: • • • •

Post your resume Search via job title Save favorite listings Browse featured jobs and employers

Employers: • Post job openings • Target recruiting by specific qualifications • Preview applicable resumes • Get insight into meeting your staffing needs

ENACareerCenter.ENA.org Whether you’re looking for a new job or looking for that perfect employee, the ENA Career Center can help you find the opportunity that’s right for you.