Newsletters

CONNECTICUT NAPNAP NEWSLETTER 1/20/15
_______________________________________________________________________________Happy New Year to all of our 140 members across the state. This is the 2nd time I have been President of this group and I feel that we, as Pediatric APRN’s, have a bigger more important role in shaping the health and well-being of children, than we did even 5 years ago. According to national statistics our members are increasing by about 11% a year for the past 5 years – (10% of these are students), and the number of PNP’s graduating each year is 600. The opportunities for Pediatric APRN’s have never been greater.

I will include in this newsletter Connecticut news and some news/requests from National;

Connecticut information and news:

  • Job opportunities - Wildwood Pediatrics has filled their position: There was an opening in Ellington Pediatrics in the fall; if interested notify them at Ellingtonpeds@att.net or fax to 860- 875-1254. I have not heard of other job openings.
  • Training and CEU classes coming  this spring – We have 2 more scheduled education dinners and CEUs available this spring;
    • Tuesday March 24 in New Haven on Depression;
    • Thursday April 23 in Middletown on Hearing Assessment.  This is a very recent change to the schedule as we just heard that the AAP is offering training to all of us (to be arranged by National we hope) which has to be completed by June, so can’t wait until fall. Information on this conference will be forthcoming as we set up the meeting through our chapter coordinator.

Note that we are continuing to have meetings in 2 different locations to include more participation of our Fairfield and west Ct members.

  • Training completed this fall –
    • We had 1 dinner meeting in Middletown September 24th on CBC Interpretation by Kate Steven APRN at CCMC,  which 14 people attended.  1CEU was given for this.
    • All day conference on  Friday October 24 was held at Yale School of Nursing in West Haven and 7 CEU’s were given; This conference had 7 excellent topics – Disaster Preparedness by Tina Rickenbach APRN, Aggression in Early Preschool Children by Dr Bogin,  Technology in Complex Movement Disorders by Mr. Gorton from Shriners hospital, Infection Disease Update by DR. Sousa of CDPH, Legal Issues by Dr. K Conners, Poison Control Trends by Amy Fontanes, And Community Asthma Programs in CT by Michael Corjula and Veronica Mansfield APRNs. We had ~23 attendees.
  • By- Laws revision - The Board is meeting February 4 to look t the by laws to see if we should update them. Our November meeting got canceled.
  • Monkey survey this year – Our survey last year represented only about 1/3 of our members so we would like to have more participation this year. We are responding to the comments made last year by putting the dates out early in the fall for all meetings, using email for advertising the upcoming meetings 1-2 months in advance. If 85% of responders did not need CEU’s from our state meetings we need to know that, so we can plan appropriately.  Our dinner meetings cost over $650, and we get only about $300-400 from the attendees, so we do not want to waste money.
  • Board meeting in February – We will be discussing our financial status, legislation issues, upcoming conferences, student participation and continue the discussion of how to recruit board members. Those of us who have been on the board have made new friends, we feel a connection to other NP’s in the state, and we network at the meetings. We make these meeting important to our practice and make an effort to come and support our group. All of the state groups do make a difference in National decisions.

National news/ highlights and requests

  • The Conference in Las Vegas is in March 11-14th; now is the time to register for over 20 CEU’s and interesting topics. Early discount prices run until early February.
  • If you haven’t already done so, please do check the newly designed web site; it is easier to navigate.
  • Be a Ready Set Grow contributor – the magazine is looking for a 2-page narrative from a child on the value of volunteering. The deadline for submission is early February for this Spring/Summer magazine. Email jhuck@napnap.org if interested.
  • National will have another silent auction fundraiser this year, so visit their booth; your board will discuss what to donate at our board meeting. Last year we did donate an item. The money goes for student scholarships and research.
  • There is an On-Line E-Community now available to all members. This can help with communication and outreach with members in the state, so our board will be looking for more information about joining this in 2015.
  • There is an incentive program through National for recruiting new members; this board will order a recruiting kit to see how to apply for this. Good incentives for the current member. This program was available last year also.
  • Reminder to all members – There are specific guidelines for surveying present members for research purposes. Please do contact akahn@napnap.com for these guidelines.
  • Health Policy Update: Do any of our chapter members participate in an Advocacy collaborative with other APN or Child Health organizations?  If so please email healthpolicy@napnap.org with the names of these groups in the next 3-4 months.

Happy New Year and I hope to see many of you at our next dinner meeting in New Haven March 24; please let Rosi know if you are coming soon and save the date.

Judie Blackman-Cochran, APRN

Gold Star Pediatrics, Groton, CT.  06340

860-449-8882


CONNECTICUT  NAPNAP NEWS LETTER  2/20/13

Hello to all Connecticut NAPNAP members,


I hope this letter finds you healthy, warm and shoveled out from your house after Blizzard Charlotte! I know this year has been full of stress:  Hurricane Sandy in October, the horrible shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December and the blizzard in February. In, addition, I know many of you are embarking on the use of EHR in your workplaces which at first can seem daunting. To a quote  a physician colleague when we got our first system in 2003,  "You can do it!" If you feel the stress of it all is getting to you I hope you will consider the advice we often give our families to try stress reduction techniques that have worked for you in the past (take a walk, talk to a friend, etc) or, if necessary consider seeing a counselor.  Take care of yourself so you can then care for others.

I would like to update you on our chapter activities and news since September, 2012. We have had 2 CE dinner meetings: the obese child, 9/12/12, and voiding dysfunction 1/29/13.  We also had our all day NAPNAP/YSN conference, 10/19/12, with sessions on: concussion, pediatric orthopedics, orthopedic surgery and the obese child, cardiac issues, and  Healthy People 2020. We  have 2 more dinner meetings scheduled: Tuesday, 3/5/13, craniofacial issues, and Wednesday, 5/1/13, primary immunodeficiency. Both are scheduled for the First and Last Tavern in Middletown.  Our 3 year CE provider was approved in October, 2012, so  we continue to be able to offer CE credit for our educational meetings.

The executive board made a decision to donate $600 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief. Last year we made donations to the Community Health Service in Hartford to the Tobacco Free Campaign and  the Kentucky Chapter of NAPNAP after the severe flooding that affected that state. At  the March meeting we will be discussing donations for this spring, If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to suggest a donation please contact me or President -Elect Darlene Abbate at darleneabbate@sbcglobal.net.  At the last meeting a proposal was made to make a donation to foster mental health in children. Any suggestions in that area?

On the state level Angela Orsini-Garry is our representative to the Medication Administration Education work group chaired by another Connecticut NAPNAP member, Dr. Angela Crowley.  Kate Steven, our legislative chair, wrote a position statement in support of the SOP presented by the APRN Coalition to the State Legislature. This would allow greater ability  to increase provider services, especially in the mental health arena and the care of the elderly. Thank you, Angela and Kate, for your work in these areas.

On the national level I hope many of your will be going to the national convention in Orlando. It looks like it will be an exciting and informative event. I am especially looking forward to the Psychological First Aid intensive workshop that will be held on Tuesday, April 15, 2013. Networking with other PNPs on the national level also one of the benefits of attending the conference. As you know, Mikki Meadows-Oliver is our national President -Elect. I am a candidate for the Clinical Practice Chair and look forward to discussing my goals with you.

On the local front again, it is time to consider a of slate of officers who will provide leadership to the chapter for next year. Darlene Abbate is President -Elect and moves  into the President role. Ginny Tierney has agreed to continue as treasurer. I  have been CE chair for quite some time and would like to turn the reins over to a new person. Please consider stepping onto a leadership position to help keep the chapter viable. Contact Tina or Darlene to discuss other positions available and if you are interested in running for office.

It is also time to consider nominations for the PNP of the Year award. Please nominate  a Connecticut NAPNAP member who best exemplifies the Mission of NAPNAP: "Promoting optimal health of children through leadership, practice, advocacy, education and research." Nominations should be submitted in the form of a detailed letter describing how the nominee succeeds in supporting the Mission of NAPNAP. All nominations will be blinded, reviewed  by the nominations committee and voted upon. The winner will be honored at the May meeting. Deadline for the submission of the nomination is April 3, 2013. Nomination letters should be sent to Darlene Abbate at darleneabbate@sbcglobal.net.

As always, the chapter is open to suggestions from the membership regarding topics for CE offerings, donations or advocacy.  If any of you have been working on the state or local level in any way advocating for children please contact me about your work.  I look forward to hearing from you and hope to see you at future meetings. Have a great day!

Tina Rickenback, President

Connecticut NAPNAP  

tinar5@sbcglobal.net