"I think the National Nurse Office is a great idea. I would just hope that if there are state coordinators and teams (it was not clear if these are volunteer positions or paid) that they would coordinate closely with exisiting local and state public health efforts already undertaken by state and local health departments so that there is not duplication of effort and that efforts in promoting health are coordinated. Perhaps even contracting with exisiting health departments and provide funds so that their own local staff, who are already familiar with the community, would help them to expand their outreach and education efforts."
Answer: Yes, the state coordinators would be federally paid positions. These individuals most likely already work in the public health system in their own state and would take over this job, leaving the job they have now to be filled by another public health nurse. The state coordinator would absolutely work alongside the existing state and local health departments to avoid duplication and better coordinate the volunteer National Nurse community teams. A member of the community team may be a nursing student, a retired or currently working nurse. This individual may only wish to participate in one of the four community educational programs available to the public or may choose to do all four. This is strictly their decision.
Nurse from California replies:
"Some states have a director of nursing at the state level for public health (Calif. does not though we would like one). For
those states that do have such a nurse, it would be important to have this new "state nurse" have a clear role that coordinated with the existing director of nursing at the state level. There is already such a lack of understanding among the public and politicians about what public health nursing is and does that further confusion should be avoided. Also there is a great need to move these efforts at health improvement from the individual level (interacting with people one by one) to the
community and systems level of practice. We have been greatly influenced by our Minnesota colleagues articulation of public health nursing practice at 3 levels. Historically, improvements in health for the whole population have come from improvements in the physical and social environment rather than attempting to influence people one by one. Public health nursing is playing a stronger role in this especially related to "creating healthy communities". I would hope that the National Nurse effort would tie into the achieving of the goals of Healthy People 2010 and would allow for customization at the state level given that states have varying degrees of the severity of certain problems and varying degrees of health disparities."
Response:
The already existing state nurse would work with the National Nurse state coordinator and help to disseminate information from the Office of the National Nurse to the community level.
The National Nurse will complement the work of the Surgeon General as well as the Director of the CDC and the HHS Secretary. The weekly broadcasts coming from the Office of the National Nurse will heighten the public's awareness and knowledge about nursing and public health. Maybe some politicians will watch or listen to the broadcast too.
The National Nurse is one solution to a complex problem-the present crisis in our healthcare system. It is not meant to solve every problem, but to be one pragmatic and cost effective solution.
Healthy People 2010 would have more chance of succeeding with the Office of the National Nurse than without it.
We, the National Nurse team, welcome your emails, comments, and suggestions. Nursing is teamwork, and when we work together, our patients win.
Rabu, 04 Januari 2006
National Nurse Update
Thanks to Teri's friends in Illinois and Detroit, we now have our new National Nurse logo available in buttons and teeshirts-www.cafepress.com/nationalnurse.
Chuck Baker, a radio talk show host from Colorado, will feature a thirty minute segment about the National Nurse on his Colorado show tomorrow afternoon from 2:30-3:00 pm. Be sure to listen in and call with your questions.
Teri and Alisa will be traveling to Massachusetts the end of March to keynote a statewide convention. We look forward to traveling around the country and educating others about the National Nurse. Please email teri@nationalnurse.info if you would like to submit an idea for a conference you believe should hear about the Office of the National Nurse.
Thank you for your many emails, comments, and support. We try to read and respond to all of them and we value the time it took you to write to us.
Senin, 02 Januari 2006
National Nurse discussed on nationally syndicated radio show
National Nurse advocate Teri Mills was a recent guest of Thom Hartmann on his nationally syndicated radio talk show. Click on the link above to listen to a recording of the 12/28/05 interview.
3rd Annual Golden Lamp Awards
America's Nurse, the op/ed published in the New York Times on May 20, 2005 that began the Campaign For A National Nurse, was awarded a tie for fourth place in the 3rd Annual Golden Lamp Awards. According to Sandy Summers, Center Executive Director, the Golden Lamp Awards highlight media portrayals from around the world that the Center for Nursing Advocacy and the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) believe deserve attention, for better or worse. The awards will be featured in the January issue of AJN.
Jumat, 16 Desember 2005
Nurses Running for the Hill
Nurses have always been a powerful force in healthcare, promoting the welfare of their patients. Now members of the nursing profession are flexing their political muscle by running for Capitol Hill. Running for their first term in the U.S. House of Representatives are Paula Hollinger (D-MD), John Russell (D-FL), and Sheila Sorensen (R-ID). Rosalind Kurita (D-TN) is running for the U.S. Senate, and if elected, she will be the first nurse to serve as a U.S. senator. U.S. Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) are nurses currently serving on Capitol Hill, and are running for re-election in 2006. 
John Russell
Sheila Sorenson 
State Senator Rosalind Kurita 
U.S. Representative Lois Capps For further information about nurses running for national office, read "Running for the Hill" by Terri Polick here.
Nurses can shape U.S. health care policies by financially supporting nurse candidates and by going to the polls to vote.
John Russell
Nurse practitioner, John Russell, says he is running for Congress because he can't stand by and watch what's happening to our nation's healthcare system. Russell favors national healthcare coverage and would support a bill to repeal the recently passed Medicare drug plan.
Sheila Sorenson
Former Idaho State Senator Sheila Sorensen believes her background as a nurse practitioner and state legislator has given her a greater understanding about healthcare issues. Sorensen supports medical care savings accounts and giving tax credits to small businesses that provide health insurance to their employees.
State Senator Rosalind Kurita
U.S. Representative Lois Capps
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson was the first nurse elected to the Texas House of Representative, the Texas Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. She believes the Medicare drug plan is a farce, and wants to overhaul current legislation. During the 107th Congress, she served as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy says her understanding of healthcare, by way of her nursing career, helps her make informed decisions on pending legislation. Currently, McCarthy and her colleagues are working on the legislation that would help get more nurses into teaching and forgive loans for those going into nursing or for individuals advancing their nursing careers.
Selasa, 13 Desember 2005
Extracurricular Surgery, then Finals.
Well, finals are over and I'm still alive. I managed four B's and three A's this semester... though 3 of those B's were 90 or 91% (remember, 92% is the lowest A). Not complaining though, I'm just glad to be on vacation!
The faculty was really nice during the last week. They brought us breakfast every day; sometimes donuts, sometimes catered stuff. My instructor made her delicious "chess cake"... which is basically tiny little cheesecake squares dusted in powdered sugar. Heavenly.
Last Saturday I had the most awesome experience.
A nurse anesthetist from my church asked me if I'd like to come shadow him at his job. I accepted and got up at 0600 to meet him at the hospital, and then stood next to him for four hours while two surgeons performed a hysterectomy. This nurse anesthetist showed me everything he was doing and explained all the equipment. He told me the names of the drugs he injected, what they acted on, what he was watching for to be sure all aspects were balanced. I gained a really detailed overview of his work. And on top of the learning, it was a very interesting surgery. I got to see this lady's uterus and intestines and stuff, it was so awesome!
I don't believe I mentioned the surgical observation experience that I had through the nursing school. Throughout the semester, students are rotated out for a single day in the OR. When I arrived for my assignment, all my classmates had already picked the most interesting cases. So I ended up observing 3 cataract surgeries, and was actually made queasy by the needle they used to inject the local anesthetic into the eye. I spent most of that morning sitting off to the side while the staff ignored me. A very boring day.
(I have no idea why the needle bothered me and the open abdomen didn't. I'm not squeamish, but they say at good third of students feel unexpectedly ill the first time they set foot in an OR. A large percentage faint, but thankfully I wasn't one of those.)
How awesome to get another chance to learn! And from someone with an advanced license! I know I want to go to grad school eventually, and while the lack of patient interaction in the OR seems a bit boring to me, I was really excited to see something new.
I gotta remember to write a thankyou note.
The faculty was really nice during the last week. They brought us breakfast every day; sometimes donuts, sometimes catered stuff. My instructor made her delicious "chess cake"... which is basically tiny little cheesecake squares dusted in powdered sugar. Heavenly.
Last Saturday I had the most awesome experience.
A nurse anesthetist from my church asked me if I'd like to come shadow him at his job. I accepted and got up at 0600 to meet him at the hospital, and then stood next to him for four hours while two surgeons performed a hysterectomy. This nurse anesthetist showed me everything he was doing and explained all the equipment. He told me the names of the drugs he injected, what they acted on, what he was watching for to be sure all aspects were balanced. I gained a really detailed overview of his work. And on top of the learning, it was a very interesting surgery. I got to see this lady's uterus and intestines and stuff, it was so awesome!
I don't believe I mentioned the surgical observation experience that I had through the nursing school. Throughout the semester, students are rotated out for a single day in the OR. When I arrived for my assignment, all my classmates had already picked the most interesting cases. So I ended up observing 3 cataract surgeries, and was actually made queasy by the needle they used to inject the local anesthetic into the eye. I spent most of that morning sitting off to the side while the staff ignored me. A very boring day.
(I have no idea why the needle bothered me and the open abdomen didn't. I'm not squeamish, but they say at good third of students feel unexpectedly ill the first time they set foot in an OR. A large percentage faint, but thankfully I wasn't one of those.)
How awesome to get another chance to learn! And from someone with an advanced license! I know I want to go to grad school eventually, and while the lack of patient interaction in the OR seems a bit boring to me, I was really excited to see something new.
I gotta remember to write a thankyou note.
Senin, 05 Desember 2005
National Nurse: December newsletter
Happy Holidays!
The National Nurse Team has much good news to report.
First, a new website, www.nationalnurse.org, will soon be launched. It will have many features including the means to contact politicians and nurse leaders in support of the National Nurse. We also plan to have a map of the United States that will contain contact information for each of the state nursing associations. Nurses will be invited to call and email their state and national leaders to express their support for a National Nurse.
Numerous nurse writers are excited to spread the word about our National Nurse initiative. Christina Orlovsky featured stories in Nurse Zone: http://www.nursezone.com/job/MedicalNewsAlerts.asp?articleid=14479 and Travel Nursing http://www.travelnursing.com/News.aspx?ArticleID=14526.
Annie Nowlin, RN from Illinois, is writing an article for ADVANCE. Karen Dahood, a writer from Tuscon, AZ, has also called us with questions about the National Nurse . And Lillian Gonzalez, from Nevada has contacted each State Nursing Association to request publishing information about the National Nurse in their Associations' publications. She has received very positive responses from several states. So far she has submitted exclusive articles to Vermont and Iowa and is working on one for Nevada.
We have referred all of these writers to Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) for statements, as it is her wonderful work and leadership that will one day turn the National Nurse from an idea into a reality. To one writer she responded, "I am very supportive of efforts to create a national nurse position and am currently working on legislation to do so. I am pleased to see this idea is generating public support. This type of grassroots advocacy will be essential once we have a bill to introduce to Congress."
Alisa and Teri spoke to the Oregon Nursing Leadership Council in mid November and will be working with three of their members who graciously volunteered their time to assist them.
Alisa and Teri also wrote and videotaped a script of what a National Nurse and "expert nurse" broadcast might look like, talking about ways to live healthy and it will be invaluable to take with us when we make future presentations. This videotape was sponsored by Portland Community College who advocate with us for better education of the public on preventive health practices.
Momentum is building and we are encouraged by what we have accomplished and by the support we have received. However, more support is needed and here are ways you could help:
1. Forward this email to those you feel may want to know more about the National Nurse campaign. Ask them to visit our website, www.nationalnurse.info and sign up for our newsletter.
2. This holiday season, visit www.cafepress.com/nationalnurse to purchase National Nurse token to help spread the word.
3. Contact us and give us your feedback on how we are doing. We value and take very seriously any and all suggestions.
We are working very hard to establish an Office of the National Nurse. It's our profession and our nation's health that we value. And by succeeding in our mission, nurses will have an opportunity to help save our nation's healthcare!
May this holiday season be blessed with good health, happiness and peace to you and your loved ones.
Teri, Terri, and Alisa