GNP Faculty Dr. Joyce Black wins award.

Winning an award is usually enough of a surprise for the recipient. But for Joyce Black, PhD, one of her recent awards came with an extra element of surprise – it was named after her.

Dr. Black, a professor in the UNMC College of Nursing-Omaha Division, was named the inaugural winner of the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel’s Joyce Black Award, at the organization’s annual conference in February. It is given to individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to advancing pressure injury evidence-based practice through educational initiatives.

Dr. Black was honored for “extraordinary efforts in disseminating evidence-based knowledge and her unwavering commitment to educational initiatives have set a high standard for excellence,” according to a release issued by the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel.

Not only did Dr. Black not know she was up for the award, she didn’t even know it existed until the awards ceremony at the organization’s conference.

“They started talking about a new award and how they named it for me because of all the teaching I had done,” she said. “I was just sitting in the audience, looking at who would be a good person for the award, and the next thing I heard was they were giving to the person it was named for.

“I was so flattered to get an award in my name. I didn’t see that coming at all.”

While it was unexpected, Dr. Black said she’s excited about the new tradition and the chance to hand it off to the next winner.

“The next time this is given out, I’ll be the person handing it to someone else,” she said. “That means they’re an excellent teacher.

“I’m already thinking about the next award winners in my head.”

Providers and Pressure Injuries

Join RN HUDDLE for a new series with the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel. In this episode, we welcome back Renee Paulin, MSN, RN, CWOCN, as she joins a member of the NPIAP Board of Directors and Chair of the NPIAP Education Committee, Dr. Lee Ruotsi. Renee and Dr. Ruotsi discuss the essential responsibility all providers and clinicians  have to combat pressure injuries. Keep an eye out for future episodes with others from NPIAP.

https://rnhuddle.unmc.edu/national-pressure-injury-advisory-panel-npiap-podcast-with-dr-lee-ruotsi-providers-and-pressure-injuries/

Learn more about the National Pressure Advisory Panel by going to https://npiap.com/

Introducing – RN HUDDLE!

The new podcast from the UNMC College of Nursing – Continuing Nursing Education department bringing you the latest on hot nursing topics!

Have you ever helped a patient, taken care of them properly and end up getting sued anyway? Join Dr. Joyce Black, of the UNMC College of Nursing, and malpractice attorney Kathryn Cheatle as they discuss the impact of lawsuits on nurses’ actions.

 

CNE Announces New Program!

A new wound care program is now available through the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  UNMC’s College of Nursing, Continuing Nursing Education department (creators of Gero Nurse Prep) is proud to host the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) program, developed by the WOCN Society using internationally-recognized leaders and educators in wound management and prevention, and augmented by our resident CWOCN expert.

The evidence based WTA program is a 12-week self-paced online program covering 14 wound care and prevention topics. Participants will have access to our Course Coordinator; an experienced and Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse (CWOCN), throughout the program and during the one day, on-site group competency testing /simulation day, which provides an invaluable hands on training experience. On program completion, participants will receive 24.0 nursing contact hours and will also be prepared to take the WTA-C certification exam (not required).

The inaugural group is scheduled to start in February 2019 and space is limited. Registration closes February 1, 2019.

 

Please visit the website for more details https://app1.unmc.edu/cne/19wta001/.

UNMC CON CNE Helps Plan the AHCA/NCAL Annual Meeting.

In January, Gero Nurse Prep faculty Heidi Keeler and Staff Member Anji Heath traveled to Baltimore to help plan the AHCA/NCAL Annual Meeting. UNMC College of Nursing Continuing Education Office will provide ANCC nursing contact hours for the event. Shown here, from left to right,  are  planners Hari Namboodiri, Margie McLaughlin, Anna Fisher and Heidi Keeler.

 

Are you prepared?

UNMC’s Brittany Nordby BSN, RN, EMT, shares her thoughts on how to be ready for disasters.

You are walking down the hallway doing your routine checks and you start to smell natural gas.  You are sitting at the nurses station charting and the power goes out.  You are in a tornado warning and you need to move your patients.  You answer the phone and get a bomb threat.

Do you know what to do? What does preparedness mean to you?  Do you feel prepared if a disaster were to hit your workplace or the community you work in?   Will you shelter-in-place or execute your facility’s evacuation plan?

Disasters come in all forms and can occur in an instant.  Biological, chemical, radiological, and natural disaster emergencies are all types of emergencies that can occur in the environment around us.  As nurses, we are the frontline providers to protect our patients in the event of a disaster.  We must ask ourselves if we have the skills and knowledge to effectively care for our patients during these tragic events.  Educating yourselves and your fellow nurses is the best way we can prepare for disasters that can occur in our workplaces and communities.

Planning, training, and exercising are all ways to assist in preparing for a disaster.  We must become familiar with our workplace disaster plan.  What do I do in the event of a fire, tornado, active shooter, flood, etc.?  Pull out that binder and make yourself familiar with the procedures that should be followed.  Recognize the vulnerable populations within your facility and the special considerations that may need to take place for those patients.  Participation in mass causality drills that may take place in your community, workplace, or even statewide is an excellent way to practice the plan you have educated yourself on.  Testing these plans allow us to see how well our original plan works and identifies any changes that need to be made.  Finally, exercising allows for communication and community connections you will need when a real disaster occurs.  Below you will find some helpful sites to visit.

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/SurveyCertEmergPrep/Emergency-Prep-Rule.html

http://app1.unmc.edu/nursing/heroes/index.cfm

https://emergency.cdc.gov/

https://training.fema.gov/

It is never fun to think about a disaster occurring in your workplace or community.  Regardless of this fact, we must prepare ourselves in the event tragedy does strike.  Educate, plan, and utilize your resources to keep yourself and your patients safe and to provide the best care you can for your patients in the event of a disaster.


Brittany is the Project Coordinator for HEROES, which offers Emergency Preparedness training and education for healthcare providers and students across the state of Nebraska, and beyond. HEROES is an interdisciplinary approach to biological, chemical, radiological and natural disaster emergencies. Spearheaded by the UNMC College of Nursing, they collaborate with the College of Medicine, College of Allied Health Professions and the Center for Preparedness Education.

Respite needs expected to grow with aging population

Currently, there are 43 million adults in the United States who serve as a caregiver of an elderly parent or a family member with a disability or chronic condition. As the baby boomer generation continues to age, more people than ever will become caregivers, increasing the need for education and awareness of respite services. Find out more by going to:

https://www.unmc.edu/news.cfm?match=20602&pk_campaign=email&pk_kwd=Respite_needs_expected_to_grow_with_aging_population