PENS
Reporter
VOL 32
President’s Report In This Issue 1 President’s Report 3 N ew Faces of PENS Leadership 4 PENS Award Winners 5 C ongratulations to our Nurse Leaders 6 P ENS Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice 7 Highlights from PENS 2020 National Conference 8 Membership Task Force 9 Nomination Committee 10 Research Committee 11 R eflections on 2020: The Year of the Nurse
It’s been over a month since our First Virtual PENS National Conference. It was AMAZING! Over 280 participants registered for the conference and many sessions had over 100 nurses watching the live sessions on November 3-5. We had so much fun at the virtual line dancing. Thank you all for visiting our sponsors and exhibitors. They are very important to our organization and they appreciate the visits to their pages, downloading information and chatting live. Please remember to take the time to learn from the on-demand sessions and the live sessions that are now posted on the conference site. You can apply and receive CEs until the beginning of February. There is so much to learn and I’m watching a session at a time to make sure that I see everything. As COVID-19 continues to rage on, it becomes very important to educate our patients and families. There is so much misinformation in the news media and as our patients they depend on us to help them sift through the information. The most common question recently has been about the vaccines. It’s up to us to help them understand studies, what do the results mean and help them in making a decision when the time comes. It is still frustrating for me how many families decline a flu vaccine. Thanksgiving has passed and we are on to the Christmas season. 2020 has been a challenge but I am thankful for each of you and I want to remind you how special you are. Keep on the lookout for information about our next PENS National Conference currently scheduled for April 21-24th in Baltimore. “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible” – Christopher Reeve
4400 College Blvd., Suite 220, Overland Park, KS 66211 913.222.8657 877.936.7367 FAX: 913.222.8606 PENS@kellencompany.com www.pens.org
Cathy Flynn , RN, MSN, APRN, CDCES PENS President
An annual publication of the Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society
PENS Reporter
Special Edition 2020
2020-2021 President Catherine Flynn, RN, MSN, APRN, CDCES President-Elect Rebecca Crespi, BA, RN, MSN, CPNP, CDCES Treasurer Margaret (Meg) Keil, PhD, CRNP Secretary Kelly D. DeGrote, BSN, RN-BC Director Jan M. Foote, DNP, ARNP, CPNP, AP-PEN Director Tamara Nenadovich, RN Director Linda J. Steinkrauss, RN, MSN, CPNP Executive Director JerrieLynn Kind The PENS Reporter is published twice a year by the Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society (PENS). Views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of PENS. Copyright © 2020 Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society Editor Kelly DeGrote, BSN, RN-BC PENS Executive Office 4400 College Blvd. Suite 220 Overland Park, KS 66211 Direct: 913.222.8657 Toll Free: 877.936.7367 Fax: 913.222.8606 Website: www.PENS.org Copy Submissions Please submit all future articles or items by e-mail to Kelly DeGrote at KDegrote@monument.health Subject: PENS Reporter Item
2021 National Conference April 21-24, 2021 Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor Baltimore, MD
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PENS Reporter
Special Edition 2020
New Faces of PENS Leadership The following members were elected in our 2020 Election, Terms began Spring, 2020:
Board of Directors Members Secretary: Kelly D. DeGrote, BSN, RN-BC
Director: Linda J. Steinkrauss, RN, MSN, CPNP
Nominating Committee Member Michelle Marowitz, PNP-PC, CRNP Philadelphia, PA
Barb Lightner, APRN-CNP, CDCES Hudson, OH
Thank you for taking the time to select your PENS leaders! Current Board Members President Catherine (Cathy) Flynn, RN, MSN, APRN, CDCES
Treasurer Margaret (Meg) Keil, PhD, CRNP
President-Elect Rebecca Crespi, BA, RN, MSN, CPNP, CDCES
Director Tamara Nenadovich, RN
Secretary Kelly D. DeGrote, BSN, RN-BC
Las Vegas, NV
Director Jan M. Foote, DNP, ARNP, CPNP, AP-PEN
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Director Linda J. Steinkrauss, RN, MSN, CPNP
Executive Director/ Ex-Officio Board Member JerrieLynn Kind
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PENS Reporter
Special Edition 2020
Congratulations to all the PENS Award Winners honored at this year’s Conference! During this year’s award presentations, we recognized several special members:
Excellence in Clinical Practice Award Fran Waite, BS, RN, APN 2020 Excellence in Clinical Practice The Excellence in Clinical Practice Award honors outstanding professional performance by a PENS nurse involved in the direct care of children with endocrine disorders and one who demonstrates expertise as expressed through direct care, team building, child advocacy activities, and mentoring of other professionals in the care of children and families affected by endocrine disorders. Fran Waite truly exemplifies these qualifications and more. See more on Page 6.
Advanced Practice Pediatric Endocrine Nurse Portfolio Jan M. Foote, DNP, ARNP, CPNP, FAANP, AP-PEN Individuals who earn the Advanced Practice – Pediatric Endocrine Nurse (AP-PEN) credential go beyond routine, entry-level pediatric endocrinology nursing practice, and contribute to the art and science of the specialty. Congratulations on this achievement, Jan!
Outgoing Board Members: Maureen Dever, MSN, RN, CRNP, CDCES Director Cheryl Switzer, CPNP, CDCES Immediate Past President
Committee Chair Thanks: Shaylyn McDaniel, RN Education Committee Cheryl Switzer, MSN, RN, CPNP, CDCES Nominating Committee Rebecca Crespi, RN, MSN, CPNP, CDCES Membership Task Force Andrew A. Dwyer, PhD, FNP-BC Research Committee
The following individuals received 2020 PENS Conference Scholarship Awards: CLINICAL EXEMPLAR Michelle Marowitz, CRNP, PNP-PC Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Melissa Andrews-Rearson, MSN, CRNP Dresher, Pennsylvania Catherine Metzinger, AAS, RN, CDCES West Melborne, Florida Jennifer Morone, MA-ATR, BSN, RN Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Amy Gilliland, RN, MSN, CDCES, PEN San Antonio, Texas Mako Sather, MSN, RN, CPNP Centennial, Colorado
Sheri Luke, RN, MSN, FNP-C Conference Planning Committee
POSTER ABSTRACTS Lauren Robb, BSN, RN St. Louis, Missouri
Mabel Tan, MSN, RN, AP-PEN AP-PEN Commission Chair
Jennifer Stefanich, BSN, RN, CCRN Medina, Ohio
Thank you to these outgoing members of the Nominating Committee:
Rebecca Jensen, MS, CHES Bountiful, Utah
Informational Abstract Award 03 – Alternative, NonPharmacological Treatments for Adolescents Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Could Vitamins, Minerals or Omega Oils Be Beneficial? Khristan Heagle, RN, JD
Nursing Research Award 08-School Personnel’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Management Practices about Diabetes Care in Shelby County, TN and Surrounding Counties in Arkansas and Mississippi La Tonya Ivy, MSN, BC-ADM, CDCES, CDTC
Novice Award 02-Promoting Early Identification of 47,XXY Based On Emerging Early Intervention and Treatment Options Jennifer Stefanich, MSN, APRN
Lisa Richards, MSN, CPNP-PC Amy Blumling, RN
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PENS Reporter
Special Edition 2020
Congratulations to Our Nurse Leaders Congratulations to three of our PENS leaders. It was recently announced that Andrew Dwyer, PhD, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN was selected to join the American Academy of Nursing 2020 Class of Fellows. In 2019, both Meg Keil, PhD, CRNP, FAAN and Carol Howe, PhD, RN, CDE, were selected for this honor. The AAN states that, “induction into the Academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career in which their accomplishments are honored by their colleagues within the profession.” PENS is proud to recognize these achievements and thanks you all for your commitment to being champions of health and wellness. Kelly DeGrote PENS Secretary
We Are PENS and We Are Noteworthy! SO STAND UP AND BE RECOGNIZED AND SHARE YOUR NEWS! WE ARE BRINGING BACK AN OLD COLUMN CALLED “MEMBERS IN THE NEWS” in our Insider Newsletter • Have you recently changed positions or received a promotion? • Have you recently received an award related to your professional responsibilities or an academic honor? • Have you recently been published? • Have you recently made a presentation at a professional conference or a meeting? • Are you serving in an elected or an appointed position in a professional or governmental organization? IF YOU CAN ANSWER “YES” TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS ... PLEASE TELL US ABOUT IT! SEND YOUR NEWS FOR THE NEXT INSIDER NEWSLETTER TO PENS@kellencompany.com.
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PENS Reporter
Special Edition 2020
PENS Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice Meg Keil, PhD, CRNP, FAAN It is my great pleasure to present the PENS Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice to Fran Waite. As we celebrate the year of the nurse and midwife, it is a perfect time to reflect on our nursing careers and recognize those who are our role models and mentors and be mindful of how we can pay it forward. As I reflect on my nursing career and the nurses who had a significant impact on my professional growth, I count Fran Waite as one of my mentors. When I came to my first PENS meeting in 1997, I met Fran and she made me feel welcomed to this wonderful community. I quickly realized we shared many of the same interests and priorities. • • •
A passion for nursing research A commitment to excellence in patient care, education, and advocacy. And a dedication to mentoring and supporting our nursing colleagues.
Over the course of her nursing career, Fran has been a tireless advocate for children and their families. She has served in several leadership roles in PENS, including President, and has served as a mentor to many nurses new & not so new to endocrinology. Fran’s talent for education is evident in her educational presentations —that are invaluable to nurses at all levels of experience. Fran has dedicated her career to improving the health care of children, especially children affected by an endocrine diagnosis. She is always willing to reach out to help a colleague and share her expertise.
to see Fran in action and her passion for research. Fran served as Research Committee Chair also as Grant Director. If you’re not familiar with the history of PENS’ first multi-center study, please see the references listed below. Fran was part of the research team of PENS’ members that identified barriers to accurate linear height measurement and secured research grants to design and test an intervention to improve linear height measurement techniques in clinical practice. The results of this novel research are used worldwide to improve the health care of children. In her current role as Appeals Coordinator for the Magic Foundation, Fran utilizes her knowledge and experience of pediatric endocrinology nursing to serve as an advocate to appeal insurance denials to improve access for growth hormone patients. Her colleagues describe her as a leader, a pioneer, a teacher, a mentor, someone of genuine kindness, who is diligent, and generous with her time and expertise, AND last but not least a lot of FUN to hang out with. On behalf of PENS, I am proud to present Fran Waite with the Award for Clinical Excellence. Congratulations Fran and thank you for your commitment and service to PENS and pediatric endocrinology nursing. Meg Keil, PhD, CRNP, FAAN
I mentioned Fran’s passion for research. Soon after I joined PENS I signed up with the research committee where I got
References: Lipman TH, Hench KD, Benyi T, Delaune J, Gilluly KA, Johnson L, Johnson MG, McKnight-Meni H, Shorkey D, Shults J, Waite FL, Weber C. A multicenter randomized controlled trial of an intervention to improve the accuracy of linear growth measurement. Arch Dis Child. 2004. PMID: 15033843. Hench KD, Shults J, Benyi T, Waite F, Weber C, Lipman TH. Effect of educational preparation on the accuracy of linear growth measurement in pediatric primary care practices: Results of a multicenter nursing study. 2005. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. PMID: 15815566.
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PENS Reporter
Special Edition 2020
Highlights from the PENS Virtual 2020 National Conference The PENS Virtual 2020 National Conference was the first of its kind in the history of PENS, and we hope that those who attended during the ‘live’ conference days were able to learn and connect with others! As a reminder, for those who registered for the conference, all of the content will be on-demand for 90 days from the start of the conference. Although we could not all meet in person in our original location of San Antonio, TX due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the virtual conference was well attended, and participants were able to interact virtually in real-time. All of the sessions were pre-recorded; however, speakers were also present in real-time to answer questions after their respective sessions. We even were able to keep our Wednesday evening social event, with many of our members joining the live virtual line-dancing event! We saw some great dancing and enthusiasm!
The transition from the initially planned in-person conference in April 2020 to a fully virtual conference in November 2020 was a challenge that the conference planning committee took head-on. We did our best to ensure that all time zones across the US could participate at an acceptable hour and worked to reconstruct the conference to limit the time spent online and prevent “Zoom fatigue”. We were very lucky in that almost all of the speakers were willing to transition to a virtual setting!
This year’s conference planning committee included Sheri Luke as chair for the 2019-2020 season, and myself for the 2020-2021 season, along with Josie Hong, Christin Morell, and Amanda Patterson. Jane Torkelson was a valuable committee member for the 2019-2020 season, and Jennifer Anisko joined the committee in the spring of 2020 for the 2020-2021 season. Thank you to Cathy Flynn, who has been our incredible board liaison. We are also so grateful for the assistance from both Christie Ross, PENS educational program coordinator, Caitlin Arnold Condie, PENS meeting manager, and JerrieLynn Kind, PENS Executive Director. Thank you to everyone who put in an enormous effort to make the PENS Virtual 2020 National Conference a success! Please do not forget to complete your 2020 conference evaluations! As always, the feedback that you provide in your evaluations will be thoroughly reviewed and will help the conference planning committee to ensure that we do our best to put together future conferences with content that you want to see. You also will receive your credit for continuing education from the evaluations.
This year, there were 288 attendees (including exhibitors) with up to 162 attendees logged in for the ‘live’ conference. There were 20.5 CE credits offered via 23 sessions including a variety of endocrine and diabetes-related subjects.
With the 2020 Conference completed, the Conference Planning Committee is now working on planning the 2021 conference. The call for presentations and case studies was sent out in September 2020, and the deadline extended to November 30, 2020. The call for abstracts for poster presentations was sent out in October 2020. We are close to selecting a keynote speaker and have identified two potential pre-conference workshops.
The initially planned pre-conference workshops for the 2020 National Conference were unfortunately not suited to transition to the virtual setting, therefore this year, preconference workshops were not offered, however be sure to look out for the offerings for the 2021 National Conference!
Please remember to mark your calendars for our 2021 National Conference, which is scheduled for April 21-24, 2021 in Baltimore, MD at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor, and be sure to tell your endocrine & diabetes colleagues!
We were very fortunate to have continued support from many sponsors. This year we had 23 exhibitors, as well as 3 product theatres.
Wishing you health and happiness, Leigh Pughe, RN, CPNP 2020-2021 Conference Planning Committee Chair
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PENS Reporter
Special Edition 2020
Membership Task Force 2019-20 Report The membership task force has been created to help retain current members and recruit new members to our awesome organization! As a PENS member you too can help us recruit and retain members! Tell your pediatric endocrine and diabetes friends/ colleagues about our conference! Tell your pediatric endocrine and diabetes friends/colleagues about the great people you met at the PENS conference! Tell your pediatric endocrine and diabetes friends/colleagues about our leadership opportunities! Tell your endocrine and diabetes friends/colleagues about our research grants! Tell your endocrine and diabetes friends/colleagues about our scholarships to attend the conference! Don’t forget about the PENS Facebook page! Find us on Facebook and join our group! We have also started PENS PALS through the Basecamp app. This is a place for PENS members to ask questions, have conversations and network with other PENS members. If interested, click the PENS PALS link and join us. We are looking for current members to help us recruit new members! Please let us know if you would like to help! Rebecca Crespi, CPNP, CDCES
Accessing PENS PALS Instructions: Getting started chatting with PENS PALS is easy! Just click this link, https://3.basecamp.com/4204262/join/Gq9PgVe6U7Td and sign up!
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PENS Reporter
Special Edition 2020
Nominations Committee 2019-2020 Report Chair: Cheryl Switzer, MSN, RN, CPNP, CDCES Board Liaison: JerrieLynn Kind Committee Members: Amy Bluming, BSN, RN Lisa Richards, MSN, RN, CPNP-BC Margaret Garner, RN, CCM Courtney Robertson, RN
Purpose of Committee: The PENS Nominating Committee is responsible for recruiting candidates, and slating of the ballot for the PENS annual election. The following are the responsibilities of the committee members: • Oversee the annual elections • Present a session on leadership at annual conference which meets the following objectives: o Review PENS mission, goals and purpose o Gain a shared understanding of basic responsibilities of nonprofit organizations and their leaders o Discuss the financial responsibilities of a nonprofit organization o Become acquainted with participant colleagues & learn what inspires others to volunteer • Make recommendations to the board of any suggested change in the elections process.
Summary of Projects: Candidates for positions of Director, President Elect, Secretary, and Nominating committee members (2 positions). The voting results were as follows: President elect: Rebecca Crespi, BA, RN, MSN, CPNP, CDCES Secretary: Kelly Degrote, BSN, RN-BC Director: Linda Steinkrauss, RN, MSN, CPNP Nominating Committee: Barb Lightner, APRN-CNP, CDCES Michelle Marowitz, PNP-PC, CRNP Thank you to all the members of the Nominations Committee and Membership Task Force for their work on this years’ projects. Anyone interested in running for a position, please notify PENS and/or one of the 2020/2021 committee members!!!!
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PENS Reporter
Special Edition 2020
PENS Research Committee Report November 2020 Chair: Andrew A. Dwyer, PhD, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN The 2020 PENS National Conference was expected to be in San Antonio Texas. However, as with much of life in 2020, we were forced to pivot. Thankfully, the leadership team did a remarkable job in shifting our meeting to an online format. The Research Committee was pleased to review 19 abstracts submitted for the meeting. Committee members provided constructive feedback and coaching to help members publish their abstracts in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing. Based on overall excellence and relevance to pediatric endocrine nursing practice, the Committee selected two abstracts for oral presentation at the virtual meeting. Drs. Angela Northrup, PhD, RN, FNP and Christen Cupples Cooper, EdD, RDN from Pace University presented their interprofessional work “Understanding Parental Beliefs and Practices toward Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Their Young Children”. Dr. Jennifer Morone, PhD, MA-ATR, BS-RN presented “The Influence of Social Determinants of Health on Family and Self-management of Type 1 Diabetes in Black, Single-Parent Families”. This work was partially supported by grant fudging from PENS during Jennifer’s doctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania. The Committee would like to congratulate Dr. Morone on her new position as a Fellow in the National Clinical Scholars Program at the Yale School of Medicine. We thank the presenters for sharing their work with the PENS membership and we look forward to hearing more from them at future meetings. Three Poster awards were given at the virtual meeting: • Best informational poster: Khristan Heagle, RN, JD “Alternative, Non-Pharmacological Treatments for Adolescents Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Could Vitamins, Minerals or Omega Oils Be Beneficial?”
The COVID-19 pandemic changed many plans over the past year and the Research Committee looks forward to a future face-to-face meeting where we can continue on the success of the pre-conference workshop in Long Beach CA. The sequel will be a preconference workshop: ““Evidence to Practice: Preparing Kids with Chronic Endocrine Health Conditions to Care for Themselves” along with a concurrent session offering “Bringing Evidence into Practice for Improving Transitional Care: Demystifying Implementation”. The committee is also undertaking an update of PENS position statements that is anticipated to be completed in spring 2021 with harmonized documents. As research projects screeched to a halt, PENS provided an extension to the currently funded grant: “Racial Disparities in the Use of Technology in Children with Type 1 Diabetes: Focus on Parents’ Perspectives”. We look forward to hearing about the study findings from Drs. Lipman, Howe and Morone and invite them to present their study results at a future PENS Annual Meeting. The Research Committee solicits abstracts in the following categories: research, informational, case study, and product-based/industry. Please submit an abstract and share your work with PENS members! Committee members are available to guide, support and coach you through this process. Check our website to learn about the evidencebased practice (EBP) and research grants - submissions due February 1st. Contact Sharron Close with any inquiries. Be well and stay safe! Andrew A. Dwyer, PhD, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN
• Best research poster: La Tonya Ivy, MSN, BC-ADM, CDCES, CDTC - “School personnel’s knowledge, attitudes, and management practices about diabetes care in Shelby, County, TN and surrounding counties in Arkansas and Mississippi” • Best novice poster: Jennifer Sefanich - “Promoting Early Genetic Screening for 47,XXY Based On Early Intervention and Emerging Treatment Options”
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PENS Reporter
Special Edition 2020
Reflections on 2020: The Year of the Nurse Jan M. Foote, DNP, ARNP, CPNP, AP-PEN The year 2020 was designated as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife by the World Health Organization (2020) to recognize the critical contributions that nurses and midwives make to global health and to highlight the need to invest in the nursing workforce. The designation honors the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of both modern nursing as a profession and formal nursing education. Nursing is the lifeblood of every health system and nurses accounts for more than half of the global healthcare workforce. Nurses around the world are often the first and sometimes the only health care point of contact for individuals and communities, providing evidence-based care from birth to end-of-life. As nursing organizations prepared to celebrate Florence’s birthday and the vast contributions of nursing to humanity, the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe. The convergence of the Year of the Nurse with the pandemic represents a poignant coincidence. Florence’s contributions to public health and epidemiology are clearly recognizable today in the measures advocated to contain coronavirus disease. During the Crimean War, Florence witnessed even more communicable diseases (e.g., dysentery, cholera, typhoid fever, and typhus) than battle wounds. In her book, Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not (1860, 2020), Florence understood the human-environment relationship and offered guidance on creating an environment to prevent disease and support healing. Among her canons of nursing are those related to infection control including, but not limited to, clean air and ventilation (currently reflected in mask wearing and physical distancing), personal hygiene and the importance of hand washing, and environmental sanitation. Although much is known about Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory of nursing (the first nursing theory), she was also a pioneering statistician, social reformer and founder of hospital epidemiology. Florence is renowned as “the lady with the lamp” owing to her devotion, compassion and diligence in making night rounds in the barracks while holding a lamp. However, Florence is also recognized by some as “the lady with the data” because she used statistics and groundbreaking data visualization techniques to drive improvements in sanitation and health
care which led to better health outcomes and decreased mortality rates (American Statistical Association, 2020). She advocated for scientific data to inform health care decisions, the early beginning of a change in health care known today as evidence-based practice. As of this writing, the United States has had over 10 million cases of coronavirus and nearly a quarter of a million deaths. On November 5, 2020, 49 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam reported over 927,000 children have tested positive for COVID-19 with nearly 74,000 new child cases this week, the highest since the pandemic began (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2020). As pediatric nurses, we are focused on the health of children and their families. Severe illness and death related to COVID-19 appears to be less common among children compared to adults. However, more data is needed on the physical health effects, including long-term effects, of infection and multisystem inflammatory syndrome on children as well as the overall economic, social, developmental, educational, and psychological impacts of the pandemic on children and families. Nurses are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes without enough personal protective equipment, risking their personal health and safety to care for COVID-19 patients. The pandemic has amplified the nursing shortage and highlighted the importance of cross-training. Some nurses have traveled across the country, come out of retirement, and/or volunteered to work on units where they had never practiced before. As hospitals found it necessary to expand inpatient capacity to care for COVID-19 patients (mostly adults), some pediatric nurses and pediatric nurse practitioners have been reassigned to acute care and critical care units (Philips et al., 2020; Renke et al., 2020). Nurses are also working behind the scenes to promote public health, lessen health disparities, and fight against the pandemic (e.g., testing, contact tracing, and educating communities). Some PENS nurses have shared their experiences of practicing during this pandemic. For example, there has been rapid expansion of telehealth services and redesign of both clinic spaces and clinic processes to provide innovative, developmentally appropriate ways to safely care for children. PENS nurses are working harder than ever to promote pediatric and adolescent adherence and self-management. As always, they are encouraging and administering influenza vaccines while the world awaits a COVID-19 vaccine(s). They continue to coordinate care for children with endocrine diseases even as some children continued on page 12
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become infected with COVID-19. For hospitalized children with COVID-19, many are coaching hospitalists as they care for those with coexisting diabetes, adrenal insufficiency, and other chronic endocrine diseases. Notably, PENS nurses are supporting patients and caregivers by answering their questions about the pandemic while steering them away from misinformation and toward reputable sources. The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife has evolved into more than was originally intended. There is heightened awareness about the nursing role and the importance of investing in the nursing workforce as nurses have become central to combating the worst health crisis of our time. It’s never been more important for nurses to lead, to practice to the full extent of their education, and for nursing voices to be heard in health policy decision-making. As I reflect on the profession of nursing in 2020, I am thankful for the pioneering work of Florence Nightingale and inspired by my fellow nurses who are caring for the ill, bringing comfort to the dying, and promoting public health around the world. I am also grateful for Loretta Ford, an internationally renowned nursing leader and co-founder of the first nurse practitioner program, who is celebrating her 100th birthday in December 2020. Let us honor all nurses and midwives who have contributed to humanity, especially those whose lives were lost during this pandemic.
Four PENS members and two other nurses (L-R Pam Mohr, Maggy Miller, Sherry Trunnel, Jan Foote, Susan Lathrop, Elaine Sullivan) visited in 2014 the Florence Nightingale Museum, which sits at the site of the original Nightingale Training School for Nurses in London.
References American Academy of Pediatrics. (2020). Children and COVID-19: State-level data report. Retrieved from https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/ American Statistical Association. (2020). Florence Nightingale: The lady with the data. Retrieved from https://thisisstatistics.org/florence-nightingale-the-lady-with-the-data/ Nightingale, F. (2020, first published in 1860). Notes on nursing: What it is, and what it is not. (160th anniversary edition). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer. Philips, K., Uong, A., Buckenmyer, T., Cabana, M. D., Hsu, D., Chhavi, K., Hametz, P. (2020). Rapid implementation of an adult coronavirus disease 2019 unit in a children’s hospital. Journal of Pediatrics, 222, 22-27. Renke, C., Callow, L., Egnor, T., Honstain, C., Kellogg, K., Pollack, B., ‌ Sinicropi, N. (2020). Utilization of pediatric nurse practitioners as adult critical care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A novel approach. Journal of Pediatric Healthcare, 34, 490-494. World Health Organization. (2020). Year of the nurse and midwife. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/campaigns/year-of-the-nurse-and-the-midwife-2020
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