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Members on the Move
Honors
Janie Heath, RN, MS, CS, CCRN, ANP, ACNP, is the
recipient of a $100,000 grant from the American Legacy Foundation to implement a
�Summer Institute for Tobacco Control Practices in Nursing Education� at
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. The institute will be a place where
selected acute care nurse practitioner faculty from throughout the country can
obtain the tools and skills they need for their curricula. Heath, a newly
elected member of the AACN Board of Directors, is assistant professor and
coordinator of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist
Program at the Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies,
Heath�s research into this area began when she received a $1,000 AACN Data
Driven Practice Grant for 2000. Her funded study was titled �Tobacco Dependence
Curricula in Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) Education.� Her completed
research was presented at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioners
Faculty Conference and published in the American Journal of Critical Care.
Lisa Pettrey, RN, MS, is the recipient of the
2002 Midwest Great Lakes Nursing Leadership Award from NurseWeek. Current chair
of the AACN Leadership Development Work Group, Pettrey was chosen for the honor
because of her exceptional leadership in nursing and patient care services.
Academic
Joe A. Flores, RN, MSN, CCRN, FNP, JD, has
received his law degree from South Texas College of Law. He is now practicing in
Corpus Christi, Texas, specializing in cases involving medical malpractice,
nursing home negligence and product liability. In addition, Flores speaks to
nursing students about how to avoid liability and lawsuits.
Jeanne Papa, RN, MBE, CCRN, RRT, received her
master�s degree in bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Michelle D. Fails, RN, MSN, APRN, of Pittsburgh,
Pa., received her master of science in nursing degree and a master�s degree in
education from the University of Pittsburgh. She completed the acute care nurse
practitioner program.
Theresa �Terry� DeVeaux, RN, MS, CCRN, ACNP, of
Pasadena, Md., graduated from the University of Maryland with a master of
science degree as an advanced practice nurse in trauma, critical care and
emergency nursing. She also received the Trauma/Critical Care and Emergency
Nursing Alumni Award. In addition, DeVeaux completed her certification as an
acute care nurse practitioner. She currently is an ACNP at the Maryland Vascular
Center at North Arundel Hospital, Glen Burnie, Md.
Cindi D. Harding, RN, MS, CCRN, CEN, received
her master of science degree as an adult critical care clinical nurse specialist
from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She is the program
coordinator for the Maryland Express Care critical care transport program in
Easton, Md.
Andrea M. Cardis-Sorbello, RN, MSN, BC, ARNP,
graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a master of science nursing
degree as a pediatric critical care nurse practitioner. She also achieved
certification as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Cardis-Sorbello is currently
practicing in a pediatric cardiac program in Orlando, Fla.
Sally Urban, RN, ADN, CCRN, received her
bachelor of science in nursing degree from Humboldt State University, Arcata,
Calif., and was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of
Nursing. As part of her academic coursework, Urban was able to re-establish the
Redwood Empire Chapter of AACN. She is assistant manager in the ICU at Mad River
Community Hospital, Arcata.
Robin A. Lewis, RN, MSN, CCRN, received her
master of science in nursing degree from West Virginia University and was
awarded the Outstanding Graduate Award. She has accepted a position as an
assistant professor of nursing at the University of Charleston, Charleston, W.
Va.
Are You a Member on the Move?
Tell us about your recent promotion, honor,
accomplishment, volunteer activity or academic achievement.
Send to AACN News, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA
92656; phone, (800) 809-2273, ext. 502; fax, (949) 362-2049; e-mail,
aacnnews@aacn.org.
Photos are welcome.
In Memory
Rosemary Nash
Rosemary Nash, RN, of Croatan, Va., died June
17, following a lengthy illness. A graduate of the University of Virginia School
of Nursing, Mrs. Nash was the first CCRN-certified nurse in Virginia Beach and
the youngest manager of the former Virginia Beach General Hospital ICU.
Annielynn Regodon
Annielynn Regodon, RN, BSN, president of the
Palm Beach County (Fla.) Chapter of AACN, died Sept. 6 after suffering a
grandmal seizure.
A tribute to Mrs. Regodon was attended by
chapter members and others from the nursing community on Sept. 10.
A scholarship fund, which will be administered
by the chapter to send qualified recipients to the NTI, has been established in
her memory. Contributions can be sent directly to the chapter for the Annielyn
Regodon Scholarship Fund at Palm Beach County AACN, P.O. Box 30494, Palm Beach
Gardens, FL 33420-0494.
Former Dean of Nursing Named First
Provostat Marquette University
Madeline Wake, RN, MSN, PhD, FAAN, former dean
of the College of Nursing at Marquette University, Milwaukee, became the
university�s first provost on Aug. 1.
In the position as chief academic officer for
the university, Wake is responsible for academic affairs and institutional
planning. Marquette's 10 academic deans and the dean of libraries report to her.
Wake was instrumental many years in
strengthening AACN�s continuing education initiatives. She joined Marquette in
1977 and was promoted to associate professor and associate dean in 1992. She was
named dean of the college in 1993.
Wakes was one of the first nurses in the country
to chair a hospital board of trustees, a position she held at Trinity Hospital,
Cudahy, Wis., Wake was one of the first nurses to
AACN CFO Elected to 3-Year Term on
Unemployment Services Trust Board
AACN�s chief financial officer, Michael Willett,
has been elected to a three-year term on the Unemployment Services Trust Board
of Trustees. Willett has been a member of the UST Investment Committee and Trust
Advisory Council for several years.
Clinical Applications Team Applies
Creative Approach to Save a Life
Nurses Use Household Items to Make Electrodes
By Sara McMannus, RN, BS, BSN
Was it fate, destiny or just plain luck? In
July, members of the GE Medical Systems Information Technologies clinical
systems clinical applications team, including eight AACN members, had all these
things working in their favor as they were called on to use their training and
creativity to help save a life.
For the past three years, these specialized
nursing professionals, led by Dottie Lutz, RN, have gathered for a team-building
exercise at a campground in the Catskills outside Newburgh, N.Y. Although
changing the meeting to another site had been discussed this year, fate seemed
to intervene.
An Emergency
On the final afternoon of the meeting, the
park�s caretaker, Ron, rushed in to say that his wife Jean needed immediate
medical help. Without hesitation, several team members followed the caretaker to
his home on the grounds.
Discovering Jean in severe respiratory distress,
the team members leaped into action and called 9-1-1. After finding out that the
paramedic team would not arrive for 20 minutes, one of the nurses began
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while the others took Jean�s medical history from
Ron. One team member returned to the meeting room to retrieve a patient monitor
to track Jean�s vital signs. However, it was discovered that the ECG electrodes
needed to hook up the monitor, which had been used for training, were missing.
No Electrodes, No Problem
At the main campsite, team members found a blood
pressure cuff but still no electrodes. So, they applied some quick thinking and
ingenuity to come up with alternative methods.
Using household items, including cotton balls,
alcohol and tape, they created makeshift electrodes. They tried saturating the
cotton balls with rubbing alcohol, then placing the leads from the monitor on
the cotton balls and holding them in place with tape. It worked and, as a
result, the team was able to obtain sufficient information to react to Jean�s
distress.
Help Arrives
When the ambulance arrived, the EMT was amazed
to find not only that Jean had been resuscitated, but that such a large number
of skilled nursing professionals were caring for her. Team members relayed
Jean�s medical history to the EMT and helped transport her to the ambulance. Two
team members, Jim Ostmann, an RN and a former paramedic, and Jackie Olson, RN, a
critical care nurse, accompanied her in the ambulance, while three others
accompanied Ron to the hospital.
Later that evening, Ron visited the team at the
campsite to report that Jean had been stabilized and airlifted to Albany Medical
Center. Within a few days, she was up and walking around. Ron said he believed
Jean would have died without the intervention of the GE Medical Systems team.
�What we as a team did for Jean, is what anyone
would have done if they would have seen the face of Ron frantically asking for
someone to help his wife,� said AACN member Judy Knipp, RN, BSN, a clinical
applications specialist. �This is something that will stay with all of us for a
while.
�I don�t think that any of us ever realized how
resourceful you can be when you are forced into action.�
Other members of the clinical applications team
who contributed to this life-saving effort were Page Latham, RN, BSN, Faye
Horsens, RN, BSN, Cathy Brielmaier, RN, BSN, Ed DePhillippo, RN, BSN, Sharon
Deis, RN, BSN, CCRN, Mark Miner, RN, BSN, CCRN, Rafael Negrete, RN, Marja
Alaniva, RN, BComm, Duane Hadley, RN, BSN, and Heather Brandenburg, RN, BSN.
Brielmaier, Horsens, Latham, Hadley, Miner and Deis are all members of AACN.
Dies� husband Jim, who is a firefighter, was also present at the scene.
Sara McMannus is new business development
manager for GE Medical Systems Information Technologies. The clinical
applications team provides training on GE Medical Systems Information
Technologies� monitoring equipment, as well as education on medical topics.
Jim Dies was one of the chief cooks at the
team-building retreat of the GE Medical
Systems Information Technologies clinical
systems clinical applications team.
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