It's fall! Have a happy Thanksgiving!
And, as the weather turns blustery and outdoor activities decrease, it's a great time to register for CNE programs to bolster your CV and prepare yourself for license renewal. Peruse KCNA offerings below, and register early as participant numbers are limited. More information and registration is available here.
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- Sue Vermeulen & Rose Williamson
KCNA Staff
P.S. We are thankful for YOU!
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News2Use is published monthly for KCNA members and other nurses throughout King County. To comment or submit content, email [email protected].
To register to receive the newsletter, click here. |
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Support your local nursing student
Even if you've been a nurse for a long time, chances are you remember how tough it was in nursing school. Some nursing students still struggle to make ends meet, balancing tuition, books, uniforms, supplies, food, prescriptions. . . well, you get the point. Are you in a position to help deserving King County nursing students via the KCNA Scholarship Program? Any sized donation is welcome and will help a student balance competing needs while finding time to study hard and become the best nurse he or she can be. To donate, click here. AND THANK YOU!
Help choose theme for 2018 National Nurses Week
The American Nurses Association wants YOUR help selecting a theme for this year's National Nurses Week in May. Please complete this short
survey; it will only take a minute! Thanks.
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| CONTINUING NURSING EDUCATION |
REGISTER FOR UPCOMING KCNA PROGRAMS:
CNE CREDIT AVAILABLE, REGISTER AT
Substance Use Disorder - I
t Can Happen to You
Wednesday, December 6 * 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
1.5-hour Certificate of Completion
This dinner seminar will address substance use disorder within the general population and among health care providers. Participants will learn about signs and symptoms, treatment options, legislative actions, and the role of nursing in addressing this national crisis. Speaker Heather Stephen-Selby, BSN, MSN ARNP-BC, RN is assistant executive director of nursing practice, education and research at WSNA. Register by December 4.
Dinner Seminar: Human Trafficking 
Thursday, January 25, 5:30-8 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
2-hour Certificate of Completion
This session will raise awareness regarding the prevalence, risk factors and health consequences of sex trafficking, with speaker Kelly Martin-Vegue, RN, MSW, The Center for Children & Youth Justice. Register by January 22.
Seminar: Ethics Conversations & Health Equity
Saturday, February 10, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
4-hour Certificate of Completion
This workshop will feature three interactive sessions exploring ethics, upscaling social justice practice for health equity and value-based care, and mindfulness. Speakers include: Anne Poppe, PhD, MN, BSN, BA, RN; Doris M. Boutain, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC; and Christine Prenovitz, MSW, E-RYT. Register by February 5.
District Meeting:
Conversation with new WSNA Executive Director
Wednesday, February 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
1.5-hour Certificate of Completion
Sally Watkins, PhD, RN, executive director of Washington State Nurses Association, will speak about current WSNA activities and provide legislative updates for 2018. There will be time for Q&A as well. Register by February 22.
Dinner Seminar:
Health Care Ethics: Henrietta Lacks and Beyond
Wednesday, March 28, 5:30-8 p.m.
Good Shepherd Center, Wallingford
2.0-hour Certificate of Completion
Join Bridget Carney, PhD, RN, healthcare ethicist, to discuss the bestselling book
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in light of related issues of healthcare ethics. Register by March 1 and KCNA will mail you a free copy of the book! Final deadline to register is March 19.
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| ONLINE TRAINING FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS |
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Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours
CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) offers an online training program
to educate nurses and managers about the
health and safety risks associated with shift work, long work hours,
and
related workplace fatigue
. Included are strategies for the workplace and in the nurse's personal life to
reduce these risks.
Part 1 is
designed to increase knowledge about the wide range of risks linked to
these
work schedules and promote understanding about why these risks occur.
Part 2
is designed to increase knowledge about personal behaviors and workplace systems to
reduce these risks. Content for this training program is derived from scientific literature on shift work,
long work hours, sleep,
and circadian rhythms. More information here.
Care Coordination: Enhancing The RN Skill Set Blended Online Course
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is offering an interactive six-week course on care coordination, combining independent study and live instructor-led sessions (learners should plan to spend 1 to 1.5 house per week). Care coordination is not a new idea, certainly not to RNs. It has been proposed as a solution to many of the seemingly intractable problems of American health care: high costs, uneven quality, and too frequently disappointing patient outcomes. The demand for improved coordination of health care will only increase as providers seek to implement more patient-centered and cost-effective services at both state and national levels.
With these new skills, learners will be positioned to bring more value to their practice settings. Click
here
for more information and to register.
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| NATIONAL HEALTH AWARENESS RECOGNITIONS |
November is National Diabetes Month
We all know someone with diabetes; it is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. (one of 10 Americans has been diagnosed with the disease). Also, 84 million adults in the U.S. are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The good news is that those at high risk for Type 2 can lower their risk by
changing their lifestyle to eat healthier foods, increase physical activity and lose weight. The American Diabetes Association uses their November recognition to reiterate that there is a hero inside everyone affected by the disease. Read more.
National Nurse Practitioner Week is held annually to celebrate these exceptional health care providers and to remind lawmakers of the importance of removing outdated barriers to practice so that NPs are allowed to practice to the full extent of their experience and education. Currently, more than 234,000 NPs offer high-quality, cost-effective, patient-centered care in the U.S., including writing prescriptions in all 50 states. The faith that patients have in the care they receive from NPs is evidenced by the more than 1.02 billion visits made to NPs annually. Get more information about the AANP and National Nurse Practitioner Week here.
Year of the Healthy Nurse:
November theme is Mental Health and Wellness
With the days getting shorter and darker, it can be challenging to maintain mental health and wellness. Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD) is estimated to impact 10 million Americans with another 10 to 20 percent suffering mild symptoms. In addition to seeking out natural sunlight whenever possible, there are other steps that nurses and others can take to maintain mental health. Information and tips about SAD and other conditions are available here.
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NURSING NEWS AND CLINICAL ISSUES
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Apple Care institutes policy to help curb opioid addiction
In an effort to prevent the misuse of and addiction to opioids,
Washington state's Medicaid health plan, Apple Health, has set limits on the quantity of opioids
that may be prescribed.
With the exception of cancer treatment, palliative care, hospice, end-of-life care and established
chronic (ongoing) opioid therapy, the policy sets these limits:
* f
or people ages 20 or younger: 18 tablets or capsules (about a three-day supply)
* for people ages 21 or older: 42 tablets or capsules (about a seven-day supply).
Details about this clinical policy are available here.
CDC reports on vaccination coverage of young children
The CDC has published a report on the vaccination coverage among children 19-35 months old. In a summary, the authors wrote "
Vaccination is the best way to reduce illness and death from vaccine-preventable diseases in young children. Data from the 2016 National Immunization Survey-Child (NIS-Child) were used to assess vaccination coverage with recommended vaccines among children aged 19-35 months. . . Based on the data, coverage with recommended vaccines for children aged 19-35 months continues to be high and stable, but remains below 90 percent for vaccines that require booster doses during the second year of life and for more recently recommended vaccines. Differences in coverage by race/ethnicity, poverty status, and insurance status indicate that improvements are needed in the immunization safety net."
Study looks at potential of sound waves to manage Parkinson's
Researchers at the University of Virginia have performed an initial test, with encouraging results, to determine whether a scalpel-free form of brain surgery can reduce tremors in Parkinson's disease. This idea warrants further research, according to the authors of the paper published in
JAMA Neurology. Click
here for more information.
70,000 Washingtonians face higher insurance costs after Trump order
Trump's latest effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act has led 18 states - including Washington - to sue to keep subsidies that reduce health insurance costs for some consumers, according to The Seattle Times. Trump's orders will "result in higher premium payments for consumers and force insurers to determine whether they will remain in an unstable market," said state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreisler. Read article here.
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New medical marijuana form required for 2018
According to the Department of Health Medical Marijuana Program, all
health care practitioners will be required to use the new 2018 authorization f
orm beginning January 1. The form is printed on seal tamper-resistant paper
and is available from vendors that supply prescription tamper-resistant
paper. Details and training resources available here.
UW training website responds to increasing rates of STD
The UW STD Prevention Training Center has developed an innovative, federally funded website about the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted disease. According to the CDC, 2016 saw the highest number ever of reported STDs -- more than two million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. In response, the UW STD center has launched the National STD Curriculum website, with free, up-to-date information on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, management and prevention of STDs. This resource is recommended for health care professionals with an interest in STD diagnosis and management, and each completed module offers CNE credit. Click here to visit the site.
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4649 Sunnyside Avenue North Room 352 Seattle, WA 98103
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