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QUA R T E RLY i n d y s t a r . c o m /n u r s i n g
Mastering nursing informatics YOUR WORLD:
Caring for loved ones at home Q&A with:
Rita Fiorentino
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YOUR EDUCATION
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Indiana Wesleyan University provides education options for nurses: IWU Online • Post-licensure (RNBSN) • MSN in Administration and Education • Certificate in Parish Nursing
5 Clips & Tips
8 On the Pulse Nurse bullying
Cover Story
Education Centers in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio* • Post-licensure (RNBSN) • MSN in Primary Care Nurse (Family Nurse Practitioner)
10 Nursing informatics: Technology + patient care = better outcomes
Your World
17 Organ donation 20 Nurses as caregivers at home 22 Q&A with Rita Fiorentino
IWU campus in Marion, Indiana • BSN Degree – traditional 4-year program • BSN Degree – Transition to Nursing * Not all programs available at all locations
Linda Hainlen is manager of the Learning Solutions department at IU Health.
Cover photo: Marc Lebryk
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YOUR CAREER
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Salute to Nurses - Indy Star
Cindy Adams, Chief Nursing Officer, Community Health Network
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WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS, WE’RE FIRST TO OPEN THE DOOR. Nurses are right there on the front lines of care and at Community, they also happen to be right there on the front lines of change. The Institute of Medicine recommends advanced education for nurses and suggests they should be in full partnership with physicians and other professionals in redesigning
health care. At Community, we couldn’t agree more and are opening doors to help our nurses advance in this direction. By providing more educational opportunities and fostering interdisciplinary partnerships, we strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional care. And that’s a pretty strong argument for change.
Make plans to be part of our advanced-practice nursing seminar in mid-January. Learn more at eCommunity.com/nursing.
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LEADING FROM THE FRONT. w w w . A m e r i c a n S r C o m m u n i t i e s . c o m
OPPORTUNITIES EXIST THROUGHOUT INDIANA.
American Senior Communities, the largest senior healthcare and housing provider in Indiana, has built a solid reputation of staying at the forefront of their industry. ASC’s leadership has long been aware of the simple fact that to provide the best care, you need the best caregivers. We’re growing. With over 61 locations and more coming, we’re looking for frontrunners with the decision-making, focus, and drive to join our team of talented and skilled professionals. If you’re looking to lead the way in senior care, it’s all happening right here.
Nurses - All Shifts Nurse Consultants DNS We offer competitive compensation and affordable benefits, including: • Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance • Employee Assistance Program • 401(k)
• Tuition Assistance • Paid Time Off • Six Paid Holidays • Short-term Disability
For more information regarding our current opportunities, please visit our website at: www.AmericanSrCommunities.com Or send your resume to: American Senior Communities, 6900 South Gray Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46237; Call: 317.787.6454 x313; Email: hrjobs@americansrcommunities.com EOE
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■ Appointments ISNA officers
Content Indiana Nursing Quarterly is a product of Star Media, 307 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, Ind. It’s distributed electronically to registered nurses throughout central Indiana. Submit news items to pubs@indystar.com. Editor
A ngela Parker (317) 444-7039 angela.parker@indystar.com
Contributing editor
Manda Newlin
Contributing writers
rooke Baker, Karen Murray, B Ashley Petry
Graphic designer
Joe Soria
Photos
Marc Lebryk
You comfort. You help heal. You educate. What Will you do next to change lives? Are you ready to see where your nursing career can take you? At Medtech you can have the opportunity to: Become an instructor – We’re always looking for fresh faces to share their knowledge in our classrooms Gain new skills quickly – Our short-term medical courses can boost your skill set Advance your career – You could move ahead with our Practical and Registered Nursing programs
The Indiana State Nurses Association named the following officers: Jennifer Embree, Campbellsburg, president; Diana K. Sullivan, Greenwood, vice president; Mary Cisco, Indianapolis, secretary; and Michael Fights, Lafayette, treasurer. Cisco New board members are Christine Delnat, Terre Haute; Vicki Johnson, Seymour; and Monica Weissling, Tell City.
■ Recognition Indy Black Nurses recognize St. Francis Health
The Black Nurses Association of Indianapolis presented its 2011 Distinguished Community Service Award to Franciscan St. Francis Health. The award recognizes the organization’s exemplary record of volunteer community (DH) service based on AD PROOF: its achievements Proof Due Back By:for 01/27 2pm Adimproving #: P21113-f-13680-3x4 the health Deadline To Pub: 01/27 5pm and social conditions First Run: 02/01/12 of individuals, families and Publication: Spec communities. Section: n/a Citing the many programs through which Specs: 2.25 x 4.75 Franciscan St. Francis provides outreach, is. St. Francis team theApproved BNA said:as“The Approved with to lead healthier lives encourages othersrevisions. community partnerships, educational through Revise and resend. programs in school and churches, health Initial _________ Date __________ screenings and public seminars presented by the medical staff.”
AC-0216 AC-0217 AC-0262
Fort Wayne • Greenwood • Indianapolis
medtech.edu
Ask about our short-term courses • Day and evening courses available • Financial Aid Available to Those Who Qualify • Not all programs available at all locations. • For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our website at http://www.medtech.edu/consumerinfo.
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pubs@indystar.com.
Daisy Awards recognize extraordinary patient care
The DAISY Award is a national award in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died at 33 from an auto-immune disease. The care he and his family received inspired Barnes’ family to found the DAISY Foundation and create the DAISY Award in recognition of nurses who make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. Recent DAISY Award winners include: Hendricks Regional Health Leann Brown, CMSRN Franciscan St. Francis Health-Beech Grove Lisa Binger, RN, acute inpatient rehab Mickey Sullivan, RN, surgical unit Monica Lee, RN, oncology Franciscan St. Francis Health-Mooresville Joan Frith, RN, intensive care Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis Taren Popovich, RN, adult inpatient Becky Teising, RN, surgical intensive care Michael Painter, RN, surgical intensive care Eric Balka, RN, surgical intensive care
■ Noteworthy Franciscan St. Francis Health names operations director for Carmel facility
Stephen J. Wheatley, RN, BSN, has been named operations director of Franciscan St. Francis Health’s new Carmel hospital. He comes to the position after serving nearly 10 years as administrator of Wheatley the Franciscan Surgery Center in Indianapolis where he was responsible for overall direction of all clinical and non-clinical activities. Wheatley received his bachelor’s degree in nursing from Indiana University School of Nursing in 1980.
Clips & Tips
Research, trends, tips
Reducing radiation exposure
St. Vincent Seton Specialty Hospitals in Indianapolis and Lafayette use a device called Sapiens TCS to place PICC lines near the heart. Instead of using a chest X-ray to guide the catheter, the Sapiens TCS relays the patient’s cardiac electrical activity on the screen of an electrocardiogram. The system is faster, allows more accurate placement and eliminates radiation exposure from the X-ray. Source: WIBC
Eldercare in a home-like atmosphere
Most people think of institutional settings when they think of nursing homes, but that’s starting to change thanks to the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The Villas of Guerin Woods are fashioned more like regular homes, with individual bedrooms and bathrooms located off a common living area and kitchen.
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“It’s small, it’s cozy, it’s comfortable,” said Sister Barbara Ann Zeller. “The beauty of it is, because we have only 10 elders per villa, we can maximize each person’s interests and capabilities.” The villas don’t have certain characteristics of an institutional setting such as nurse’s stations Zeller and room numbering. Another important feature is self-directed care, which means that residents determine their own schedules including when to get up, bathe and eat. Source: Public News Service - IN
Creating a patient-safety ‘blanket’
The Indiana Action Coalition hopes to improve patient safety through a network of 10 patient-safety coalitions. The coalitions will help implement recommendations from the 2010 Institute of Medicine report, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change,
Advancing Health” related to engaging frontline nurses in interdisciplinary improvement efforts. The goal is to reduce things like readmissions, infections, falls, pressure ulcers and medication errors that occur in hospitals. After coalitions identify common topics of patient safety, they typically send teams to work on those issues. “Work teams typically have frontline nurses working with pharmacists and others Lee to try to solve those patient-safety issues for a community or region,” said Betsy Lee, RN, BSN, MSPH, a member of the IAC steering committee and director of the Indiana Patient Safety Center at the Indiana Hospital Association. “There’s so much that happens in the work environment, we have to create safer systems of care.” Source: Nurse.com
pubs@indystar.com.
GET YOUR NURSING TRAINING AT A COLLEGE THAT FOCUSES ON CARING.
Are you currently considering an Associate RN program? Or maybe you’re looking toward a BSN? Either way, Harrison College is the perfect place to take your nursing career to new heights. Our caring faculty and staff impart real world skills while affording you hands-on experience. And our low instructor-to-student ratio means you’ll never get lost in the crowd. Visit Harrison.edu for more information. Or better yet, call 1-800-401-1497 and talk to a program specialist.
harrison.edu For required program disclosure information, please go to harrison.edu/disclosure
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REGISTERED NURSE OPPORTUNITIES Come talk with us about a specialty certification as CCRN. We offer competitive wages and excellent benefits. Please visit our website at www.rhin.com to see our current job listing and complete an online application.
REHABILITATION HOSPITAL OF INDIANA 4141 Shore Drive | Indianapolis, IN 46254
RHI provides personalized, compassionate care that enables individuals to regain hope and independence after lifechanging injury or illness Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana opened in 1992 and we are proud of our many years of outstanding service. RHI is one of the largest freestanding inpatient physical rehabilitation hospitals in the Midwest. We offer comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care to those with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, orthopedic intervention and strokes.
With our program model, we focus on our centers of excellence and can offer you opportunities to work with other clinical experts and newly emerging information, technology and treatments. We invite you to join our team of healthcare professionals as we assist our patients in achieving their highest potential.
E M P O W E R I N G
P R O F E S S I O N A L S
At Johnson Memorial Hospital, when we hire you, we give you the support, technology, and training you need, and then we let you get to work. You won’t run into the kind of red tape you’re used to. We believe in our people and want them to grow. Enjoy the feeling of empowerment that comes with a career at Johnson Memorial.
Director of Surgical Services
We are a not-for-profit hospital seeking a proven leader to direct our expanding Surgical Services Department. Reporting to the Chief Nursing Officer you will be responsible for insuring the quality of patient care, managing finances, maintaining department policies/procedures and promoting a harmonious team. Current Indiana RN license and BSN required. MBA and CNOR are preferred. 5 years of clinical experience in surgical services including 2 years in a leadership role and CPR and ACLS are required.
Charge Nurse - Critical Care
Critical Care Unit; Full-time nights; 6pm-6:30am with rotating weekends; 72 hours per two-week pay period. Requires current IN RN licensure; BSN preferred. Minimum 18 months current critical care nursing experience. BLS and ACLS required.
Located just minutes south of Indianapolis, in Franklin, IN Johnson Memorial Hospital offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. We invite you to go to our website for more information and to see our current employment opportunities: www.johnsonmemorial.org or call our toll-free Jobline at: 877-695-4561. EOE 1125 West Jefferson Street, Franklin, IN 46131 | Phone: (317) 736-3440 | Fax: (317) 738-7858
www.johnsonmemorial.org
A hospital you can believe in.
Discovering the needs of
nurses
Congratulations to the three winners who received a $50 Marsh Gift Card for completing the November issue survey.
Kristine C.| Holly R. | Stefanie C. Thank you to everyone that took the time to complete the survey, we plan to utilize the helpful feedback and will continue to improve the Indiana Nursing Quarterly.
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On the Pulse
Guest columnist Ruby McBride, RN, MSN, CS, is Administrative Resource to Practice Alliance at Marion General Hospital.
Let’s stop bullying and belittling
■ As professional nurses, we pride ourselves on being portrayed as nuturing and care-giving individuals. But have you ever heard the phrase “nurses eat their young?” It describes behaviors that professional nurses and educators don’t like to admit exist. It is exhibited through demeaning glances, degrading statements, avoidance and negative comments. As a nurse for more than 41 years, I not only have been the recipient of such McBride behavior, I regrettably have participated in and witnessed other professional nurses and
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physicians involved in this behavior. Subordinate nurses often perceive seasoned nurses as cliquey, meanspirited and intimidating. This behavior seems to give them a sense of power. Senior nurses who behave this way not only degrade the profession, but also reinforce to junior nurses that they are substandard and without power. At the end of the day, it is the patients who suffer, because nurses who berate co-workers are neglecting their own job responsibilities. On the other hand, student nurses and graduate nurses at times appear over-confident by behaving as if
• Winter 2012
they know everything when, in fact, they have knowledge but very little experience. They are perceived as overbearing and consequently are ignored. The way to avoid this perception is to come out of post-graduation with a clean slate, listen to experienced colleagues and learn from them. Being an expert nurse comes with years of experience, exhibited by sound clinical expertise, problem solving and outstanding communication skills. Seasoned nurses need to receive student and graduate nurses in a positive manner, recognizing that
On the Pulse
they often have knowledge of recent theories, research and practices. Marion General Hospital has incorporated practices to promote an environment that positively impacts not only student nurses, but also all hospital personnel. These practices can be applied at any health care facility and include posting photos of new nurses in their units, extending orientation, providing an extensive mentor/preceptor program, and promoting a positive-behavior standard of the month. As professionals, nurses need to examine what they want, choose their roles and determine how they want their professional relationships to develop. All nurses should be able to walk out on the floor or unit each day knowing they can make a difference. They should never be put
in a position where they don’t feel valued, recognized or appreciated for the talents they bring to nursing every day. Nurses must respect those functioning in levels below theirs and be humble to those in levels above. Nurses can make choices in the workplace that will transform their work environment. To do this, they must be willing to recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They must assist each other when the environment becomes overwhelming not only for new nurses, but also for seasoned nurses. We need to recognize that our ultimate goal is to demonstrate professionalism not only in practice, but also in our conduct. Then and only then will we be recognized and respected by patients, peers and other professionals. ●
All nurses should be able to walk out on the floor or unit each day knowing they can make a difference. They should never be put in a position where they don’t feel valued, recognized or appreciated for the talents they bring to nursing every day.
Difference Makers Taking care of people and making a difference. These are our daily goals at CarDon & Associates, where we believe in the dignity and potential of every resident. Join us today and begin a career in which you can achieve personal success and make an important contribution to the care and well-being of our residents. The CarDon senior living communities and Health & Living Centers provide a full range of lifestyle and care options from independent living, assisted living and full-service continuing care retirement communities to rehabilitation, long-term care and memory support services CarDon locations can be found throughout Central and Southern Indiana. We offer a variety of excellent Company benefits and our associates matter because they are the Difference Makers! Apply online at
www.cardon.us Locations and contact information may also be found on our website. Indiana Nursing Quarterly
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Cover Story
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By Ashley Petry
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Nursing informatics:
Technology + patient care = better outcomes J
ust as iPhones and Kindles have changed the way we live our personal lives, new technology is changing the professional practice of nursing. In the past decade, many nursing schools have developed a new specialty track called nursing informatics to help nurses manage the integration of information technology and patient care. “Nursing informatics is about information management in nursing,” said Josette Jones, PhD, associate professor of nursing and health informatics at IUPUI. “It’s not just about using computers. It’s about how you deal with the massive amount of information and make decisions with it.” The Indiana University School of Nursing includes an informatics course as part of the core curriculum for its master’s degree in nursing administration. Other MSN candidates can take a nursing informatics practicum and introduction to nursing informatics.
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Another option is to earn a graduate certificate in health informatics from the IU School of Informatics. “We cover the three focus areas of informatics, which are information competency, leadership competency and computer skills,” Jones said. Similarly, the College of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of Southern Indiana offers health care informatics as a core course for the MSN concentration in nursing management and leadership. In general, informatics courses tend to address potential ethical and social issues in informatics, as well as data acquisition, management, representation and presentation.
Generally, nurses with informatics training serve as liaisons between the IT department and the nursing leadership.
Informatics career paths | Nurses with a specialty in informatics are in high demand, although job titles aren’t yet well defined and often vary from one employer to another. “In 2002, I would say, there was about one person per hospital or per unit,” Jones said. “Now there are several, and our program is growing exponentially.” Generally, nurses with informatics training serve as liaisons between
Josette Jones, (second from left) is associate professor of nursing and health informatics at IUPUI. She said nurses with informatics training are placed in leadership roles.
the IT department and the nursing leadership. They also might help implement new systems such as electronic medical records. “Very often, I have seen them get the leadership role at the unit level to communicate with the higher-ups,” Jones said.
A new mindset | As the field of nursing informatics grows, so does the list of available resources for nurses. One is the Online Journal of Nursing Informatics, ojni.org, which was launched in 1996. The professional, refereed journal covers the theoretical and practical aspects of nursing informatics. Another resource is the TIGER project, which stands for Technology Informatics Guiding Educational Reform. More than 1,500 nurses with expertise in informatics have joined the project, which identifies nursing informatics best practices and works to integrate them into nursing practice and nursing education.
A valuable tool | The Alliance for Nursing Informatics is another leader, serving as an umbrella organization
Marc Lebryk / Custom Publications
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Linda Hainlen manages the Learning Solutions department at IU Health where she trains nurses on the use of technology in medicine.
for other nursing informatics organizations. It also offers training programs for emerging leaders in nursing informatics. Despite the rising profile of nursing informatics, some nurses continue to resist the integration of new technology into their nursing practice. Jones said nurses often say they would rather focus on working with patients than working with computers. Eventually, though, they come to realize that new technology can help improve the delivery of patient care. “It makes [the practice of nursing] more intensive but also better,” Jones said. “We have more data to make our decisions, so we can be more precise and help patients better.” Linda Hainlen, manager of the Learning Solutions department at IU Health, said hospitals spend a
significant amount of time training nurses on technology used within their health care systems — and nurses themselves are participating more than ever in the implementation of that technology. “The approach has really changed,” Hainlen said. “It used to be that you went and took care of a patient, came back and documented it in your computer. Now, as we get newer devices that we can take into patient rooms, it’s part of the care instead of something we do afterward.” That leads to more accurate documentation, Hainlen said, partly because health care professionals no longer have to decipher each other’s handwriting. “I want [nurses] to see technology not as an enemy but as a really valuable tool,” she said. ●
Marc Lebryk / Custom Publications
Get the credentials
In addition to pursuing master’s degrees and certificate programs in health informatics, nurses can sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s exam in informatics nursing. Candidates must have at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing or a relevant field and must hold a current RN license. They also must have practiced for the equivalent of two years as full-time RNs, must meet certain informatics practice requirements, and must have completed 30 hours of continuing education in informatics within the past three years. For more information, visit www.nursecredentialing.org.
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Careers & Training
Nursing on the upswing
IWU offers dual degree
Indiana Wesleyan University has recruited 11 students in the first cohort for a three-year online program that will award students both an MSN and an MBA. This is the first dual-degree program for IWU. The dual degree is for nurses who are interested in mid- to uppermanagement positions. It will have a strong emphasis on finances as well as leadership in the health care setting. MSN/MBA recipients could become hospital chief nursing officer, department director or unit manager, Drake said. The degree will include graduate-level courses in finance, economics and accounting; organizational behavior, nursing management and health care finance; and nursing theory, health care policy and ethics, among others. IWU decided to offer the program after hearing from representatives of the health care community in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio that hospitals in the region need more broadly educated nurse administrators.
A recent study found that between 2002 and 2009, the number of women aged 23 to 26 who became full-time nurses increased by 62 percent. That’s a turnaround from the 1980s and 90s when there was a nursing shortage. Many believe that number will continue to increase. “The profession has evolved over the last century,” said Dr. Marcee Everly, chairperson of the Department of Baccalaureate Nursing at Indiana State University. “There’s now a lot more knowledge, a lot more autonomy.” Experts say the biggest reason for the employment increase is because of the job security nursing offers.
Source: My Wabash Valley.com
Gift will help train nurse educators An anonymous gift to the Indiana State University Foundation will help the university address a nationwide shortage of nurses by providing scholarships to students who plan to become nurse educators. The $50,000 gift will fund scholarships for up to 10 students during the next two to
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four years. The students must agree to teach in the College of Nursing, Health and Human Services after completing a PhD, Doctor of Nursing Practice or Doctor of Education. Nationwide, only one-third of nurse educators hold doctorates, compared with 60 percent of all post-secondary faculty members.
By Karen Murray
Organ donation:
Your World
Giving and receiving a second chance In1954, when a Massachusetts man donated a kidney to his ailing twin brother, it functioned for a year, establishing an organ transplantation milestone. In the 1960s, tissue typing and the introduction of drugs to suppress the immune system (thereby decreasing the potential for organ rejection) advanced organ transplantation further. Today, kidneys are by far the most frequently transplanted organ and can come from living or deceased donors. The United Network for Organ Sharing manages a national database of more than 110,000 patients awaiting transplants. Nearly 1,500 of those are Hoosiers.
Deceased donation | The Bureau of Motor Vehicles gives drivers the option to indicate on their licenses their desire to become organ donors after their death. Deceased organ donors can give kidneys, pancreas, livers, lungs, hearts, intestinal organs, tissue and corneas. Typical circumstances that render a person’s organs suitable for donation after death include accidents, strokes and aneurysms in which the brain is damaged beyond recovery. To be viable, a deceased person’s organs must
have blood and oxygen flowing through them until they are removed.
Living donation | Living donors successfully donate kidneys, lungs and portions of their liver and intestines. Compatibility testing takes 30 to 60 days and investigates blood and tissue typing and other health concerns. A nondirected living donation is Because people made by a stranger; a directed living have two kidneys donation is made by someone the recipient knows. Directed living but can live donations of kidneys are on the rise with only one, at St. Vincent Health, where six they are the such transplants were performed in most frequently 2010. That number doubled in 2011, and the 2012 total is expected to transplanted surpass that mark. Tami Rader is St. organs. Vincent’s first transplant coordinator dedicated solely to working with living donors. “Our goal is to protect the donor,” Rader said. “We look for indications that donors are healthy and not at risk for complications later in life. We have [them] talk to someone who’s donated already. Donors can decide to withdraw at any point, even up to the day of surgery.”
Nurses who have been there Marital compatibility | Kari and Chris Nodine share more than high school memories, a young family and a home in Pendleton. Chris is the living donor who saved Kari’s life. When she was four months old, doctors removed Kari’s left kidney because of a nephroblastoma or Wilm’s Tumor. Follow-up treatment for this kind of “I was getting cancer includes sicker and chemotherapy and radiation. sicker, waiting By the time she for this kidney was 36, Kari’s remaining kidney to function” started to fail. — Kari Nodine “My right kidney’s slow decline in function was likely due to the radiation during my treatment,” Kari said.
By 2010, Kari, an RN and EMT at Community Hospital Anderson, was undergoing peritoneal dialysis every eight hours. Though she loves her job, her health forced her to reduce her schedule. Kari’s blood relatives were tested for compatibility as kidney donors, but all were rejected. Her co-workers tested, too, with no luck. Chris, a firefighter/ paramedic, was well aware of his wife’s dire status. Without Kari’s knowledge, he tested for compatibility, too. “There was no hesitation on my part,” Chris said. “I hoped to surprise Kari with good news.” That good news came via cell phone as Chris, Kari and her mother were having dinner at a restaurant. When his mother-in-law let out an ecstatic “Whoop!” Chris explained the happy commotion to the other diners.
The six-hour transplant took place on Feb. 15, 2011, but the kidney didn’t work right away. For the next four weeks, Kari underwent hemodialysis three times per week.If the new kidney failed to work, dialysis would continue until another donor was found. “It’s called a sleepy kidney,” Kari said. “It had to be coaxed into fully working. In the hospital, I was getting sicker and sicker, waiting for this kidney to function.” On March 10, the couple’s 10th wedding anniversary, Kari noticed a need to urinate more often. Tests confirmed success. “That’s how organ donation goes,” Chris said. “[In my job] I often see death and dismemberment, so it’s good to have happy endings.”
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Your World
Patients on the Indiana waiting list: 1,432
Diabetic effect | Lisa Stiffler, RN, CNN, a certified nephrology nurse for IU Health, knows kidneys. She counsels diabetics with kidney disease, steering them to kidney transplants when dialysis loses effectiveness. Stiffler, 48, also “ I don't intimately knows have that diabetes: She was constant diagnosed with I diabetes worry ... Type at age five. She I just live empathizes with the my life” varied challenges her — Lisa Stiffler diabetic patients face: meal planning, blood glucose monitoring, and the desire to avoid inconveniencing loved ones. At an early age, Stiffler adopted healthy habits that include daily athletic activity and eating a balanced diet. Diabetes didn’t damage her kidneys, but it threatened her life in another way. Starting in 2006, she noticed that she was becoming insensitive to extreme blood sugar swings. Blackouts became common. “All diabetics get lows and manage lows — but my lows had become bad
and frequent,” she said. “I was having two or three episodes a day. Once, I woke up on the kitchen floor with my child standing over me, offering me a Pop-Tart. I had no memory of how I got there.” Despite a blood sugar monitor and an insulin pump embedded in her mid-section, Stiffler’s diabetes was uncontrollable. “I didn’t want to die, lying on the kitchen floor with my daughter standing over me trying to wake me up and save my life,” she said. “But that’s where I was headed.” One day in 2008, Stiffler read an article about the success of kidney transplant patients who also had pancreas transplants several months later. “This made me think: ‘Why can’t I get a new pancreas?’ ” She researched that possibility and learned that her frequent, plunging blood glucose levels qualified her for the pancreas transplant list. In 2009, a 21-year-old Albuquerque man who’d been killed protecting his roommate during an armed robbery provided
Kidney: Liver: Lung: Kidney/pancreas: Heart: Pancreas: Intestine:
1,220 86 76 65 43 32 13
Living donors to date: 1,536 Deceased donors to date: 2,652
Stiffler with a pancreas and partial bowel. “My life on a day-to-day basis is so different from what it was before,” she said. “I don’t have that constant worry. I can run or water ski without having to stop to make sure my blood glucose levels aren’t getting dangerously low. I just live my life.” Now, Stiffler said, the only monitoring she does is voluntary. “Since the transplant, I’ve checked my blood sugar every day because it just makes me feel so good that it’s normal. Every time.”
It’s a 3-peat.
We couldn’t have done it without your hard work and dedication. With three consecutive honors from both Modern Healthcare Magazine’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare AND Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s Best Place to Work, it’s no secret that Hancock Regional Hospital boasts the best nurses in the business. We want to thank you, our nurses, for our consistent winning streak. We are currently accepting applications from
Registered Nurses
For more information or to apply online, visit the Careers section of our website:
www.hancockregional.org
801 N. State Street, Greenfield, IN 46140 EOE
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Your World
Twice blessed | Romma Woodward, RN-BC, MSEd, MSN, director of clinical education for Community Health Network, has a large extended family. In 1996, they united around a life-and-death crisis for Woodward’s great-niece, Morgan Dale, who was born with a rare disorder that affected her heart. When she was seven weeks old, Dale went into surgery with doctors prepared to replace her heart valves. What they found shocked them. “They opened her chest and, instead of heart valves, found clots,” Woodward said. “Surgeons told us that she was on “ Even when a waiting list for a heart transplant and that all we you’re familiar could do was wait.” Dale came out of surgery with her chest not with what’s sutured together, and was put on life support, but going on, her condition weakened with each passing hour. “I knew when she was out of the first surgery it’s still that she might not get a newborn heart in time,” overwhelming. Woodward said. “I didn’t want to say anything — Romma Woodward that would cause my family to give up hope for the best outcomes.” After five days, Dale received a strawberry-sized newborn heart, which served her well for a decade. Because a transplanted heart doesn’t grow at the normal rate, another transplant when she was 10 years old gave Dale an adult-sized heart. Today, the vivacious 15-year-old promotes the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization and raises funds for Riley Hospital for Children. Through it all, Woodward viewed her great-niece’s successes and setbacks through the lens of her vocation. “I was the only medical person in the family, so I acted as interpreter for the medical jargon,” she recalled about Dale’s dire early days. “Even when you’re familiar with what’s going on, it’s still overwhelming.” ●
For more information about organ donation: Indiana Organ Procurement Organization, Inc. www.iopo.org Donate Life Indiana www.indianalastwishregistry.org United Network for Organ Sharing www.unos.org
Patients on the national waiting list: 112,570 Kidney: Liver: Heart: Kidney/pancreas: Lung: Pancreas: Intestine: Heart/lung:
90,563 16,074 3,122 2,112 1,671 1,326 278 63
Living donors to date: 115,154 Deceased donors to date: 260,934
BE PART OF SOMETHING GREAT. At the Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital, our nurses deliver extraordinary patient-focused care and receive exceptional rewards for doing so. If you are a nurse looking to be challenged, rewarded and recognized for the exceptional care you deliver everyday, then it’s time you make the move to the Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital. Check out the opportunities waiting for you at
OrthoIndy.com
and be a part of something great! Equal Opportunity Employer
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Your World
By Ashley Petry
In addition to caring for patients at Hendricks Regional Hospital, Wendy Denton cares for her 16-year-old son, Mack, at home. Mack was born with Down syndrome and has insulin-resistant diabetes.
Marc Lebryk / CUSTOM PUBLICATIONS
Pulling double duty:
Some nurses are caregivers both at work and home When she was pregnant with her first child, Wendy Deaton, RN, BSN, CNML, had a mother’s intuition that something was wrong with her baby. Sure enough, an hour after her son, Mack, was born, a nurse from the NICU told her that the child had Down syndrome. It would take two weeks to get the final confirmation, but Deaton and her husband, Andy, knew they had a tough road ahead. At the time, Deaton told her mother:
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“I’m kind of numb. I don’t really know how I should feel.” To which her mother replied, “This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. Don’t let the devil steal your joy.” Since then, the Deatons have operated on that principle, focusing on the positive aspects of their situation and remembering that many other families face worse situations. Mack is now 16, and able to manage many daily-living tasks on his own. But he also has insulin-dependent diabetes and hypothyroidism, so Winter 2012
the Deatons must be vigilant about managing his medical conditions. “I don’t know that he will ever live independently or work without a job coach,” Deaton said. “He has to be supervised all the time.”
A better advocate | Deaton, who has worked for 23 years as a laborand-delivery nurse, is just one of many nurses who serve as dual caregivers, ministering to their patients at work and caring for loved ones at home. “I think by nature women are caregivers, so whether they work
Your World in the home or outside the home, they’re all struggling with balancing that,” Deaton said. The dual-caregiver role can be exhausting mentally, physically and emotionally, and Deaton admits that she sometimes struggles to be more patient at home. On the other hand, she said, being a nurse makes her a better advocate for her son. “It’s a blessing for me, being a nurse, because I understand how health care works,” she said. “Some people dealing with the health-care system might get frustrated, but that doesn’t happen to me. I’m not afraid to ask questions.”
More intuitive | Many baby boomer nurses find themselves in what is called the “sandwich generation,” still raising children at home but also caring for aging parents. One is Peggy Whitlow, ASN, a medical-surgical nurse at Wishard Health. Her 92-year-old mother has advanced dementia as the result of a stroke and recently moved in with
Whitlow, her husband and 16-year-old son. “I’m really good at separating,” she said. “When I’m at work, I’m at work. When I’m at home, I’m at home. It’s sometimes challenging, just because you feel like you don’t have enough time or energy to do what you need to do.” On the plus side, Whitlow said she is now more sensitive to her patients’ needs, especially their nonverbal cues. “A stranger could come in here and see my mom and say, ‘She’s looking good,’ whereas I can look at her and say, ‘She’s having some pain,’ ” she said. “I’m a lot more careful now, and I talk to families if I have a patient who is in my mom’s shoes.”
Coping with dual responsibilities | Being a dual caregiver takes patience and stamina, but Deaton and Whitlow say it can be done, if caregivers are willing to ask for help when they need it. “I think that because a person is a nurse, people think, ‘Oh, she can do it, she’s a nurse,’ ” Deaton said. “Try not
to take it all on yourself, and make sure you’re clear with those who are helping you.” It also is important, they say, to take a break every now and then — although they both admit they don’t do this often enough. “We don’t really ever truly get away,” Deaton said. “Our son is very attached to us, and he gets upset when we go out of town. That’s something I could be better at.” Whitlow said she rarely leaves the house when respite care is there, but she takes the time to read a book or enjoy a quiet meal with her husband and son. With support and a positive attitude, she said, being a dual caregiver can become a positive experience. “This is my immortality,” Whitlow said. “What I do for my mother, taking care of someone and being kind, this is what is going to make me live forever. A million years from now, the world will be a little bit better place because I can be kind and care for someone.”●
jobs.stvincent.org
HerO. Healer. Nurse. We’re looking for nurses who exceed expectations. At St.Vincent, we bring cutting-edge technology to faith-based care. And we know that a dedicated nurse brings much more to the job than education and experience. We’re looking for the best and brightest nurses to join our growing family. Did you know that St.Vincent: • Offers flexible scheduling • Has values steeped in faith-based tradition • Supports your clinical advancement goals • Is centrally located for an easy commute To learn more about working for St.Vincent, visit jobs.stvincent.org.
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Your World
By Holly Wheeler
with Rita
Fiorentino
About me Position:
Founder, The Gathering Together in Plainfield
Education: A SN, New York Regents College Experience: Hospice nurse
Marc Lebryk / Custom Publications
You worked in real estate for years and went into nursing as a second career. What moved you to do that? “I was 41 when I went into nursing. I had recently graduated from a Bible college and I was doing missionary outreach in the Virgin Islands. I had this clear sense of giving back in service to the world for the second half of my life
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because I had so much fun in the first half. “My mom had been in the hospital and she had some problems that I think could have been handled [with fewer complications]. There’s a saying: ‘The next thing that God puts in front of you is the thing to do.’ And it just popped up. When my mom had those problems, God just put it on my heart that this was what I had to do.”
Winter 2012
You’re from the San Francisco area. What brought you to central Indiana? “I had a friend in Indiana who was looking for someone to take care of their house while they were out doing ministry things, so I decided to move here. I was here for a couple of years and then moved back home because my parents were getting older and had
Rita Fiorentino (left) and an assistant, visit a patient at The Gathering Together.
some health issues. I stayed there for a number of years and started working in hospice care. I came back to Indiana in 2001 to visit friends, and when I went to church on Sunday I just heard the Lord say ‘Come back. This is home for you now.’ I bought this building, which is my home, the very next day.”
What prompted you to found The Gathering Together? “Working as a hospice nurse, I saw that there was a need in hospice care for this sort of place. I don’t call it a hospice, because it’s not. It’s a home for the terminally ill. I wanted to step in as a surrogate family and offer a safe and comfortable place where families or individuals who don’t have anyone can come and get the help they need to care for the dying.”
How has The Gathering Together grown since you founded it? “It used to be just me, but now we have more people who help, so I’m not just doing it by myself. In the past
Tell us about your world
few years, we’ve gotten a very active board of directors and committed volunteers. Many of our volunteers are people who have been touched by the hospice experience. Some of our strongest volunteers have had family stay here. In 2010 we had nine patients, and in 2011 we had 19 patients.”
What are some of the rewarding parts of the work you do? “These people are undergoing a crisis in their lives, and they just open up and let me be a part of it. I think it’s a miracle that they can allow me and The Gathering Together and the volunteers into their lives and let us share in what they’re going through. “Being able to care for patients oneon-one is hugely rewarding, because that doesn’t happen a lot in nursing, being able to spend as much time as you need to with someone. I’ve laughed and cried with a lot of people and rejoiced with them as well. It’s amazing. God is good.”
Send an email to pubs@indystar.com
Marc Lebryk / Custom Publications
The Gathering Together was founded in 2002. Its mission is to provide a comfortable home environment where the terminally ill and their families can spend their last days, free of charge.
Lettuce Gather Together fundraiser
When: Sunday, April 29 Where: The Gathering Together, 147 N. Center St., Plainfield More information: (317) 837-9570 Website: www.thegatheringtogether.org
What are some of the challenges? “Being tired is probably one of the big challenges. I work at night as a phone triage nurse for a hospice, which allows me to support myself and remain at home to run The Gathering Together. I can get tired, especially if we have patients one right after the other and patients who don’t sleep well at night. “Finances are always a challenge as well. It takes a lot more than I have to maintain this home. People make donations and they’re very generous.” ●
Join our mission. Work alongside the greatest healer of all time
At St. Francis Health, we believe delivering healthcare is more than a job. It’s a calling.
The people, the faith-based ministry, professionalism and compassionate care are what make St. Francis Health a great place to have a rewarding career in health care. We are currently seeking candidates for the following positions:
Beech Grove Campus Nurse Practitioner – Oncology
The qualified candidate must be a graduate of MSN accredited program, accredited Nurse Practitioner, eligible for prescriptive privileges within Indiana. Oncology experience required.
RNs – Emergency Department, Intensive Care, Resource Center, Operating Room Current Indiana RN license is required. Previous experience within designated specialty is needed.
If you have an angel’s touch and a servant’s heart, we invite you to join our mission.
Indianapolis Campus RNs – Emergency Department, Intensive Care, Labor & Delivery, Resource Center, Operating Room Current Indiana RN license is required. Previous experience within designated specialty is needed.
Unit Manager – Labor & Delivery
The qualified candidate must possess a BSN from an accredited school of nursing and a valid Indiana RN license. MSN is preferred. Previous management experience is required. A background in business is ideal.
Unit Manager – Medical Progressive Care
The qualified candidate must possess a BSN from an accredited school of nursing and valid IN licensure. Master’s preferred. A minimum of 3-5 years management experience and experience in project management, budgets & productivity; cardiac experience is required.
Carmel Campus RNs – Operating Room
Current Indiana RN license is required. Previous experience within designated specialty is needed. Please visit our website at
www.stfrancishospitals.org/careers
for a list of additional opportunities and to apply. St. Francis Health is part of the Franciscan Alliance. Equal Opportunity Employer