FNPN February-March 2012 Newsletter Bullets
Posted about 12 years ago by ENP Admin
Good Morning!
We would like to bring you up to date on what’s new in your own backyard of Florida. In this newsletter you will find the following:
Contents
- From the Board of Directors
- Coalition for Advanced Practice Nursing needs your help
- Education Updates
- Message from AANP
- Membership Update
- Job Announcement
- FNPN PAC Update
- Around the State and Around the Nation
- News You Can Use
Quote of the Month:
"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."
- Theodore Roosevelt
From the Board of Directors
Doreen Cassarino , President
As leaders in the healthcare system, Nurse Practitioners (NPs) need to be continuously aware of the economic, political, social and cultural forces that affect our practice. NP's need to work actively and consistently to influence these forces and shape the environment to improve our patient’s access to care. Historically NPs have stepped up to fill critical gaps in care and we continue to do so to this day. We would not be able to do so if our visionary leaders, such as our very own Florida resident Loretta Ford, had not been offended at the disparities that existed in our healthcare system and chose to be disruptive and fight for significant regulatory and policy changes. Moving forward we must continue to be involved in the negotiations that are shaping our healthcare system and our profession.
Reflecting on the legislative session that has just come to an end I would like to share the following statements: “If you are not at the table, you are on the menu.” Nurse practitioners in clinical practice have distinctive insights and stories that need to be shared with our legislators. These stories lead to the initiation of policy change which are necessary change to remove barriers to care. To be politically effective, we need a strong, unified network and we need to be at the table shaping policy, working with stakeholders and legislators. We have the necessary skills to forge partnerships with other stakeholders as we work towards ensuring that our patients will have access to the care that they so desperately need. It is estimated that 1 in 6 voters is a nurse, that is power. Unfortunately, like me, most NPs have primarily clinical roles that leave us little or no time to work on policy development. Ideally, NPs who see patients on a daily basis should be involved in policy development because we are on the front lines of patient-related health care issues.
I challenge you to ask yourself, should policy matters be left to a few? Shouldn’t we all be involved in shaping the regulatory and policy environment in which we care for our patients? Why would busy, practicing NPs want to be involved in this process?
The answer is simple: our patients cannot afford us not to be.
Let’s work together to advance our profession. Join your professional nurse practitioner organization, contribute to your political action committee fund, and now is always a good time to get involved.
Coalition for Advance Practice Nursing needs your help
Chris Saslo, co-chair of CAPN
In an effort to help move our profession forward, it is critical to help us understand the impact we have made regarding the goals and mission of our profession to date. Please take a moment to share your knowledge of current legislative issues, practice challenges and your ability to advocate for your profession. The survey below takes less than five minutes of your time but the information you submit will be incredibly valuable to our future goals.
Please follow the link to help us understand your needs: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22EXKHN8RRQ
Education Updates:
Apr 15
NPACE Primary Care Conference & Workshops
Sunday, April 15 2012 at 1:00pm ET in Lake Buena Vista, FL
Apr 21
First Annual ASPC Southeastern Conference
Saturday, April 21 2012 at 7:00am ET in Boca Raton, FL
Apr 25
International Symposium on Osteoporosis
Wednesday, April 25 2012 at 2:00pm ET in Orlando, FL
May 02
NADNP Inaugural Conference
Wednesday, May 02 2012 at 8:00am ET in Clearwater, FL
Jun 20
AANP 27th Annual Convention
Wednesday, June 20 2012 at 9:00am ET in Orlando, FL
Message from AANP
Be an Early Bird! AANP full, student, and recognized NP student members are encouraged to register now for the AANP 27th National Conference and make hotel reservations at a conference hotel by Monday, March 19, 2012, to be eligible for one of the two (2) “Early Bird” drawings for valuable prizes. The conference will be held on June 20-24, 2012 at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida! A copy of the registration brochure is available at: http://aanp.org/NR/rdonlyres/41263C3D-0C92-484D-B410-3F12D26550EB/5424/2012RegBroch.pdf We encourage you to register early to be eligible for a drawing, and for best selection of workshops and sessions! Workshops have limited attendance and fill quickly. For details regarding the drawings’ specific eligibility requirements, go to: http://aanp.org/AANPCMS2/publicpages/2012EarlyBirdDrawing.pdf
Job Announcements!
There have been many new job postings around the state on our web site at www.fnpn.org for those of you that may have an interest. On our new website, the most recent postings are on the front page. A new feature will allow postings to be visible for 90 days. Please feel free to pass this along to your colleagues who may be interested in it as well, or who may have an interest in finding out more about our network. For those of you that have found jobs on our website, please be sure to let us know!
Do you know an employer who might find the FNPN Job posting a worthwhile site? If so, please be sure to tell them about the website and the fact that on average 20 or more jobs are posted each month. The traffic to our website is incredible and we have more and more folks seeking employment through this site than ever before. Let them know you saw it on the FNPN Website!
Membership Update
Armando Riera-Membership Chair
Dear Members,
In order for us to have our voices heard in Tallahassee, we will need to increase our membership, at the same time working hard to retain current members. One of our goals this year will be to actively work on recruiting new members to FNPN to make our organization stronger.
Renewal Reminder-Membership in FNPN runs on an annual basis Jan-Dec. Please renew your membership today. Membership in FNPN can be as a group or individual member.
Individual members belong and receive many benefits as part of their membership-frequent communication during the legislative session (or special sessions), a paid lobbyist based in Tallahassee, access to posted job opportunities, access to posted upcoming conferences and many more benefits. If you belong to your local NP group you are not an FNPN member until you join FNPN individually, group and individual membership are two separate levels of membership. I encourage you to visit our newly redesigned web page today www.fnpn.org and while you're there you can renew online.
Group Presidents- please renew today and continue to be an integral part of our growing organization. We value our group members as this creates a vital network of NP groups throughout the state. These groups help disseminate information about trends, issues and changes impacting NP's at the state and national level. As a group member we will also assist with conference planning and obtaining approval for CEU's if offered. We will also assist with promoting your conferences and activities and can provide assistance or link you with support in web design.
FNPN now has several options for membership:
$70.00 - New Member /Renewing
$120.00 - 2 Year Membership Special (Through December 2013)
$45.00 - Student / Retired Member
$80.00 - 2 year Membership Student/Retired (Through December 2013)
$120.00 - NP Group Member
$120.00 - Organization Member
Student Group Membership "First Year Free!"
To pay by check click here
To pay by credit card click here
As the Chair of the Membership Committee I am always open to suggestions and new ideas. If you have any questions, please contact me. This year, when joining/renewing, we also ask you to consider ‘bringing a friend’ to the registration table and helping build our organizations to where they should be. With the numbers of Advanced Practice Nurses nearing 15,000 in Florida, we should have a strength that can overcome any push from our medical community. We hope you will let us nurture that side of you if you need it and engage those around you to do the same. Please be sure to contact us should you have questions about legislation, membership, education and more. Our Executive Assistant, Regina, is always available either by phone, computer and even skype!
Thank you in advance for all your support.
Respectfully,
Armando Riera, MSN, ARNP-BC
FNPN, Membership Committee Chair
ARiera@jhsmiami.org
FNPN PAC Update
FNPN would like to congratulate Dr. Laureen Fleck on becoming the new FNPN PAC chair. There is much hard work ahead and we thank you in advance for your time and effort, we appreciate it!
The purpose of the FNPN-Political Action Committee (PAC) is to promote the ARNP profession through advancing the outcome of political issues or legislation. This is accomplished by contributing to the support of worthy candidates for State or Local offices who we believe have demonstrated their support of the principles to which this professional organization is dedicated. To further their purpose the PAC is empowered to solicit and accept these voluntary personal contributions (up to $500 per year per person). These contributions are used to attempt to influence the selection, nomination, or election of any individual to any State or Local office. Your decision to make a PAC contribution will help to continue our efforts wherever possible. Contributions can be made @ www.FNPN.org via Pay Pal…or your check payable to FNPN-PAC.
If anyone is interested in volunteering their time, please contact Dr. Fleck at laureenfleck@yahoo.com
Let’s make things happen together! Thank you for your support!!
Around the State and Around the Nation
Loretta C. Ford Award for Advancement of the Nurse Practitioner Role in Health Care
Dr. Loretta C. Ford has devoted her career to practice, education, research, consultation and the delivery of healthcare services. Dr. Ford is recognized as co-founder of the nurse practitioner model. Her contributions have been acknowledged by a number of honors, including the prestigious Princess Srinagarindra Award; the Gustav Lienhard Medal from the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences; the Living Legend Award from the American Academy of Nursing; the American College of Nurse Practitioner’s Crystal Trailblazer Award; and the Elizabeth Blackwell Award, in addition to six honorary doctorates. Dr. Ford was inducted into The National Women’s Hall of Fame September 30, 2011, distinguished as “An internationally renowned nursing leader”. The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame will induct her in March 2012, as founder of the nurse practitioner movement and women’s health advocate.
In recognition of her induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the Fellows of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP) developed the Loretta C. Ford Award for Advancement of the Nurse Practitioner Role in Health Care. The Loretta Ford Award will be bestowed annually to a nurse practitioner who demonstrates participation in health care policy development at an international, national or local level; sustained and specific contribution to clarification of the role and scope of practice of Nurse Practitioners; and/or demonstrates a creative and effective action to turn a challenge to the nurse practitioner role into an effective opportunity to advanced practice and improved patient outcomes. To see the Award criteria please click here. For questions, please email faanp@aanp.org.
News You Can Use
The Florida NP Network has taken the next step to keep our members informed. Keep abreast of changes in your practice around the state and around the nation. You can join us today on Facebook under Florida Nurse Practitioner and Twitter under FloridaNP. We hope to hear from you.
Send us your articles
It is wonderful to spotlight Nurse Practitioners and highlight happenings in your area. Please submit names and events to floridanpnetwork@gmail.com. FNPN newsletter welcomes your input!
Inability to practice to the full extent
RWJF is looking to do a health policy brief on nursing Scope of Practice issues, but wants to broaden the definition to include inability to practice at the full extent of education and experience at all levels for all nurses. Given that, they are soliciting concrete examples that can be used to show how there are barriers to all nurses practicing to the top of their education and training. They want examples at the APRN (including, NP, CRNA, CNM), BSN, ADN, LPN levels and examples in hospitals, home health care agencies, school nursing, physician offices, etc. The example of barriers can be legal, sociocultural, or institutional.
Please send concrete examples by replying to this message. I will collect information for Florida and pass it on as a composite response. Thanks you in advance. Mary Lou Brunell, RN, MSN, Executive Director, Florida Center for Nursing, Co-Lead, Florida Action Coalition, www.FLCenterForNursing.org MaryLou.Brunell@ucf.edu 407-823-0980
Nurse Preceptorships Becoming More Formalized
By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
February 13, 2012 - Not that many years ago, after a couple weeks of classroom orientation, new hires began working on nursing units and either survived or gave up on a rewarding career. Fortunately that is less likely to happen today, as hospitals and other employers realize properly trained preceptors can help nurses make a smoother transition from school to practice or from one specialty to another. To read more click here .