www.nursingmattersonline.com

May 2015 • Volume 26, Number 5

NursingmattersINSIDE:New “What If?”

column

2Opinion page

5Heard it through

the Grapevine

8

PR

ST

STD

US

PO

STA

GE

PAID

MA

DIS

ON

WI

PE

RM

ITN

O. 1

723

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently announced that the Wisconsin Action Coalition, co-led by the Wiscon-sin Center for Nursing Inc. and the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, has been awarded a second two-year grant through the Future of Nursing State Implementation Program. The $7.65 million initiative is help-ing states prepare the nursing profession to address our nation’s most pressing health-care challenges — access, quality and cost. This award follows a successful first grant, “Taking the LEAD for Nursing in Wisconsin: Leadership, Educational Advancement and Diversity.”

The Wisconsin Action Coalition is part of the “Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action,” a nationwide movement to improve health and healthcare through nursing. An initiative of AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the campaign includes Action Coalitions in 50 states and the Dis-trict of Columbia working to implement the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing recommendations.

Match funding for the Wisconsin award was made possible by contributions from multiple stakeholders.

“We are tremendously proud to be continuing with this program and look for-ward to doing even more to implement the Institute of Medicine Future of Nursing rec-ommendations here in Wisconsin,” stated Judith Hansen, MS, BSN, and Wisconsin Center for Nursing executive director. “The work we are doing to transform nursing improves healthcare for everyone. We are grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foun-dation and our many partners here in Wis-consin for this generous support.”

The funding will support the next two-year project, “Wisconsin Nursing LEADs the PACC – Partners in Action for Community Care,” which began Feb. 1. The PACC grant addresses two of the Institute of Medicine report’s key recommendations: “Increase proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent by 2020,” and “Expand opportunities for nurses to lead and dif-fuse collaborative improvement efforts.” Diversity will again be infused into all grant activities.

Activities to advance academic progres-sion will include annual surveys of Wiscon-sin nursing programs to monitor Bachelor of

Science in Nursing completion enrollment, and development of a plan to retain asso-ciate degree students to graduate. The goal is to increase associate-degree completion by 10 percent and overall enrollment of bachelor’s-degree-completion students by 18 percent, to include 5 percent from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in nursing. A statewide media campaign will be created to promote bachelor’s-degree completion and Wisconsin nursing-educa-tion programs.

To support life-long learning for nurses, the PACC project will advance previous activities with additional board-service training, and new offerings on philanthropy education. The goal for this part of the proj-ect is to provide educational sessions for no less than 50 participants, with 10 percent from minority groups. Web-based modules for board-service training and a mentor repository on the Wisconsin Center for Nursing website will also be developed.

A new focus area in PACC will be the facilitation of team-based inter-professional collaboration for community-based models of care. This will include the establishment of employer-educator partnerships to develop these models. Key strategies include an employer-educator summit, provision

of educational offerings on regionally identified needs, and development of a community team-based care model for dissemination. A statewide conference on care coordination is scheduled June 12 at the Richard T. Anderson Conference Center on the Waukesha Technical College campus. Visit www.wisconsinnurses.org/education/conferences/wcn for more information.

Wisconsin has been recognized as a national leader in diversity initiatives and these initiatives will continue within this project. The PACC project has also set a goal to double the number of American Assem-bly of Men in Nursing chapters in the state.

The PACC project will be guided by an Advisory Council for both the grant work-plan and the Wisconsin Action Coalition, which will also serve to vet other related projects in Wisconsin.

Leadership will be provided for the proj-ect by Judith Hansen, Wisconsin Center for Nursing executive director and project director; Carol Sabel, PhD, RN, CNE, project manager; and Barbara Nichols, DNSc (hon), MS, RN, FAAN, diversity coordinator. Molly Gottfried will serve as the administra-tive assistant.

Contact Carol Sabel at carol@wicenter fornursing.org if interested in participating.

Wisconsin awarded second grant

CONTRIBUTEDManaging the grant program will be, from left, Carol Sabel, PhD, RN, project manager; Judith Hansen, MS, RN, Wisconsin Center for Nursing executive director; Carolyn Krause, PhD, RN, Wisconsin Center for Nursing Board president; and Barbara Nichols, DNSc, MS,RN, FAAN, diversity coordinator.

NursingmattersPage 2 May • 2015

Brenda ZarthFor Nursing Matters

I’ve been a nurse for 28 years and I think I’ve seen a lot. I went into nursing because I love people; I want to see them smile. I’ve always prided myself on being a good nurse and given it my best. I have often wondered, though, if there isn’t more to healthcare when I listen to my patients say they don’t feel good but their lab work comes back normal. They tell me they have had stomach pain for more than 20 years and no one can figure out why.

We have accepted medications with side effects that can be severely debilitating and even cause death. I wonder about the state of healthcare; is this really the best we can do?

Sandy made me think.Sandy was 29 years old; she had been

admitted to the hospital for pain manage-ment and generalized weakness. After hos-pitalization, home healthcare was ordered to give her Physical Therapy and walker training due to severe weakness. She had burning pain associated with a rash on her arms and legs. No one knew where the rash had come from or how to treat it. Most of her lab tests came back normal.

She was diagnosed with rash unknown etiology, uncontrolled pain, unsteadiness of gait, narcolepsy, hypothyroidism, depression, anxiety and gastro-esophageal reflex. She was discharged from the hospital with a Fentanyl patch, Percocet, Flexeril, Naprosyn, Dextroamphet-amine, Effexor, Synthroid, Topamax, Prevacid and Zomig. She had been seen by the departments of Dermatology, Rheuma-tology and Infectious Diseases, but none of them could come up with a diagnosis. The final decision, she was told, was that it must be all in her head; the hospitalist ordered a Neuropsychology evaluation.

I was to be her Home Health RN Case Manager, but I didn’t have any nursing visits approved by the insurance company because they didn’t have a clear diagnosis or need for teaching. My role was just to case-manage her chart. I was intrigued by Sandy’s case, so I called her on the phone weekly to discuss her pain, rash and symptoms, and to case-manage her care. She was determined to find the cause of her pain. She had two young children and a disabled husband who depended on her, and she was not going to let them down. She thought there must be something negative written in her chart that made her doctors not want to listen to her, or maybe they thought she was crazy. She said they were tired of trying to figure out what was wrong with her.

Because Sandy didn’t have faith in her current doctor, I helped her find a new primary physician. But still, the only significant finding on her initial

nursing assessment was that she had not had a bowel movement in three weeks. I questioned her about this, but she said when she did have a bowel movement it took three hours of sitting on the toilet; it was painful and there was a lot of bleed-ing, until she finally passed a hard black rock. She didn’t want a bowel movement more frequently because of the pain. She had tried every laxative on the market and nothing worked. She did not like talking about it; she had been constipated for as long as she could remember.

So her new primary MD did a thorough workup, but all her laboratory tests

came back normal. We sent her to every specialist we could find

looking for answers to why she had the rash and severe pain. A total of 22 doctors said she was

within normal limits. The neu-ropsychologist said she was not

crazy, that there was something phys-ically wrong causing her rash, and to go back to her primary MD. After two months of calling her my time was up but I wanted to lay eyes on this woman for myself and see if she looked sick. I went to see her to discharge her from my care and say good-bye. She was thin, her legs were purple and cold, she looked like a concentration camp victim and we cried. She said I was the only one who had listened to her and now there was no one else.

I had nightmares of guilt and desertion for a month. I had no one I could think of to call or follow up with her care, and she was obviously dying. Then I watched the movie “The Passion of the Christ” and decided if Jesus Christ could die for me, I could make sacrifices for this woman. I couldn’t live with the guilt of desertion.

I called Sandy the day after Easter and asked how she was doing. She said she hadn’t had a bowel movement in five weeks. If a Twinkie was unwrapped she would eat it, but she was too tired to open it. She was urinating once a day. Her family was wait-ing for her to die; every night her husband came home wondering if she would be alive. I asked if she would let me take her to a naturopathic doctor and she said yes.

I called a naturopathic doctor who had been referred by a friend of a friend, and literally carried this girl to the appoint-ment. She couldn’t remember the names and birthdates of her children; she couldn’t write her address. The naturopathic doctor looked at her and then yelled at me. As a healthcare provider, how dare I let someone sink into this state?

They gave her colon hydrotherapy for a few hours and she passed a couple of large black rocks followed by a large amount of blood. After the session she did feel better. Her color was improved and she was able to walk with the walker and help. She wanted to continue. She was given a list of vitamins and herbs to take every two hours. One set was to detoxify and clean her out, and then two hours later she took supplements to build her up.

She had colon hydrotherapy every day for a week; it was like watching her come back from the dead. The first day she was so weak she couldn’t think or walk by her-self. The third day she talked non-stop like a cork had been pulled out of her brain. The seventh day she walked without her walker and we all cried again. It was like Lazarus coming back from the dead.

Today she is happy, healthy and raising her children. Her problem was constipa-tion, which was not seen as significant

but nearly killed her. Had I taken her to the ER she most likely would have required surgery – and given her debilitated state I don’t think she could have tolerated it. She could have had IV fluids, which she may have been able to tolerate, but her kidneys were shutting down. Our healthcare system had let her down and she had no faith

What if there is more to healthcare?

More than 22 doctors say there is nothing wrong with a woman deathly ill.

This month we are starting a new food for thought column entitled “What If.” Brenda Zarth, with 28-plus years of nursing experience, will share her stories and convictions about how to improve the healthcare system by using nurses to the full extent of their education. Zarth will demonstrate how the essence of nursing – looking at the total patient, body, mind and spirit – fosters healing, is more effec-tive and less expensive.

We welcome comments and ideas.

Editor’s note

Nursingmatters is published monthly by Capital Newspapers. Editorial and business

offices are located at1901 Fish Hatchery Road, Madison, WI 53713

FAX 608-250-4155Send change of address information to:

Nursingmatters 1901 Fish Hatchery Rd.

Madison, WI 53713

Editor .......................................... Kaye Lillesand, MSN608-222-4774 • kayelillesand@gmail.com

Managing Editor .................................. Julie Belschner 608-250-4320 • jbelschner@madison.com

Advertising Representative...................Andrew Butzine 608-252-6263 • abutzine@madison.com

Recruitment Sales Manager ......................Sheryl Barry608-252-6379 • sbarry@madison.com

Publications Division Manager ................. Matt Meyers608-252-6235 • mmeyers@madison.com

Nursingmatters is dedicated to supporting and fostering the growth of professional nursing. Your comments are encouraged and appreciated. Email editorial submissions to klillesand@sbcglobal.net. Call 608-252-6264 for advertising rates.

Every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy, but the publisher cannot accept responsibility for the correctness or accuracy of information herein or for any opinion expressed. The publisher will return mate-rial submitted when requested; however, we cannot guarantee the safety of artwork, photographs or manu-scripts while in transit or while in our possession.

EDITORIAL BOARDVivien DeBack, RN, Ph.D., EmeritusNurse ConsultantEmpowering Change, Greenfield, WIBonnie Allbaugh, RN, MSNMadison, WICathy Andrews, Ph.D., RNAssociate Professor (Retired)Edgewood College, Madison, WI

Kristin Baird, RN, BSN, MSHPresidentBaird Consulting, Inc., Fort Atkinson, WIJoyce Berning, BSNMineral Point, WIMary Greeneway, BSN, RN-BCClinical Education CoordinatorAurora Medical Center, Manitowoc CountyMary LaBelle, RNStaff NurseFroedtert Memorial Lutheran HospitalMilwaukee, WICynthia WheelerRetired NURSINGmatters Advertising Executive, Madison, WI Deanna Blanchard, MSNNursing Education Specialist at UW HealthOregon, WIClaire Meisenheimer, RN, Ph.D.Professor, UW-Oshkosh College of NursingOshkosh, WISteve Ohly, ANPCommunity Health Program ManagerSt. Lukes Madison Street Outreach ClinicMilwaukee, WIJoyce Smith, RN, CFNPFamily Nurse PractitionerMarshfield Clinic, Riverview CenterEau Claire, WIKaren Witt, RN, MSNAssociate ProfessorUW-Eau Claire School of Nursing, Eau Claire, WI

© 2015 Capital Newspaperscontinued on page 3

May • 2015www.nursingmattersonline.com Page 3 Alverno/Advantage Media Services; 2 x 12.5; Color; 2310998; Nursingmatters

Book ReviewStopping by the Side of the Road: A Tale about Dying

By the Rev. Jody WheldenReading this unique, powerful, heartwarming – and sometimes heart-wrenching – tale of dying transported me back to my days as a bedside nurse. It is a MUST-read for every nurse. But more than that, it is a must-read for anyone wishing for a beautiful, peaceful death.

— Kaye Lillesand, RN, MSN, Editor of NURSINGmatters

What ifcontinued from page 2in it. Since her constipation was chronic, her body had learned to adapt and she was stooling through the second largest organ of elimination – her skin.

What was the cause of her illness? Her body was missing the lubrication she needed to move waste through her bowels. She now takes Aloe Vera capsules daily and has a frequent regular bowel movement.

Due to her overall weakness and illness, she couldn’t work and was on Social Secu-rity Disability and Medical Assistance; her medications alone were more than $500/mo. Medical assistance paid for her to see 22 doctors who were not able to find the problem, but tried to the best of their ability with the tools they had. I would estimate the federal government easily paid more than $100,000, not including Social Security benefits, lost wages and stress on her family.

Sandy’s naturopathic treatments cost $2,000, which I privately paid for, and she now spends about $15 per month for Aloe Vera capsules. What I learned from this case about healthcare alternatives made me nearly quit nursing. I felt like I had been in a closet my whole nursing career and someone opened the door.

First I was disgusted and angry – angry with my nursing education that I didn’t know about Natural Medicine, angry that I was told it was quackery, angry with the American Medical Association and the limited education her doctors had received, and angry with pharmaceuticals that nearly contributed to her death.

Sandy wanted to sue her doctors. The lawyer said he sympathized, but because 22 doctors told my patient she was fine, he

would need to find a doctor to go against 22 colleagues. The lawyer also told her he had gone to Europe for his knee proce-dure because he could have a much better recovery time there, rather than having a knee replacement in the United States. He even said that following the procedure on his knee, he was so excited he approached an Orthopedic Surgeon in the United States to suggest we do the procedure here; the surgeon didn’t want to hear it.

Doing surgery provides income and support for hospitals, and counteracts the financial drain of the chronically ill medi-cal population admitted to hospitals. The reality is our healthcare system would not survive without money-making surgeries we perform.

I realized we have a systems problem and we need an upgrade. Because Sandy did not have nausea, vomiting and abdom-inal distention, her constipation was not seen as significant by the physicians that evaluated her.

As an infant Sandy was constipated and routinely had a bowel movement only once a week. So she didn’t see the significance of her slow bowels; she thought she must have some horrible disease. It wasn’t until her mid-20s that her system began to be unable to cope with inadequate colon function. As her body filled with toxins and waste, she developed severe burning pain. She started on narcotic pain medications, further decreasing her bowel function and increasing her constipation. Her ability to cope was overloaded.

How can we stop this from happening again? Who are the Sandys in your life?

Please email BrendaZarth@gmail.com or visit brendashealthplan.blogspot.com to send stories or comments.

May • 2015 NursingmattersPage 4

Midwest College ofOriental Medicine

Expand your scope of practice by learningevidence-based acupuncture & TraditionalChinese Medicine.

Holistic nursing is continuously growingbecause patients are asking for an alternativeapproach to their health problems.

You may be eligible for up to $14,300 intransfer/ tuition credit based on your priornursing education.

Learn Acupuncture &Grow Your Holistic Nursing Skill Set

Next Quarter Begins June 27th800-593-2320 or acupuncture.edu

Approved by the Wisconsin Educational Approval Board and Illinois Board of Higher Education. Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine programsaccredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, an agency approved by the Secretary of Education.

REGISTEREDNURSES

Mile Bluff Medical Center hasfull time and part time

Registered Nurse positions availableat our Crest View Nursing Home in

New Lisbon andFair View Nursing Home in Mauston.

Please apply onlineby visiting our website at

www.milebluff.comor email your resume to

humanresources@milebluff.com

Mile Bluff Medical Center1050 Division St., Mauston

Crest View Nursing Home612 View St., New Lisbon

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Thankyou.

chw.org

To our nurses:When we promise parents that their children are in the very best

hands, it’s often your hands that we’re talking about. From all of

us at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, thank you for your hard

work, passion and unwavering dedication to the patients and

families you see every day.

Happy Nurses Week!

Karen Klemp, RN, and Cheryl Manning, RN

Crossing the International Date Line can be confusing. At a precise moment, today becomes tomorrow and yesterday is two days ago. Fortunately, the rest of our group’s trip from Madison to Manila, Phil-ippines, was more understandable.

There were seven volunteers in the Phil-ippines to teach and to be taught – Karen Klemp, Carolyn Terry, Nancy Comello, Jane Krogstad, Cheryl Manning, Dr. Jamie Lim-joco and her 10-year-old daughter Caiden, and Limjoco’s mother, Edna Limjoco, a retired NICU RN. We were to roll out for the first time in the Philippines the American Academy of Pediatrics global initiatives of “Helping Babies Breathe” and “Essential Care for Every Baby.” We had been invited by Vicki Penwell of Mercy in Action, a birthing center in Olongapo City. Penwell was already committed to giving mothers and babies healthy life experiences at her clinic.

Penwell’s well-trained Filipino midwives were quick to pick up information to add to their practices. They were evaluating for abnormal birth conditions and starting resuscitation efforts, using mannequins and practice equipment in the neo-Natalie kits that our group had brought along in our suitcases. The midwives then taught the same information to five healthcare workers from the local community. Those students enthusiastically received the train-ing. Just what the American Acad-emy of Pediatrics

had hoped would happen, happened. The information on how to decrease maternal and infant mortality is being shared across the Philippines.

Penwell in turn taught the seven of us disaster preparedness for mother and infant, because the Philippines experience more natural disasters than most of the rest of the world. On average the country has 24 typhoons each year. There was an earth-quake while we were there; floods are com-mon. Philippine volcanoes have changed the country’s landscape and weather around the world. This will be knowledge we will share in the future.

Besides leaving a part of our hearts there, we also left medical supplies — such as syringes, needles, gloves for the clinic and many kits for newborns and their mothers.

After crossing the International Date Line on the way home, we once again weren’t sure if we were com-ing or going. But we were sure that we had been and went on a life-chang-ing mission.

Mission changes lives – both volunteers and students

CONTRIBUTED

CONTRIBUTED

May • 2015www.nursingmattersonline.com Page 5

Kaye LillisandNursing Matters editor

At the recent NURSINGmatters Career EXPO, we showed a film produced by Car-olyn Jones. Carolyn followed several nurses at work for a year. When she spoke at lunch, she listed five characteristics of nurses that she observed and admired. I would like to share them with you and give you a nurse’s perspective of them.

• No façade – an ability to be presentA huge part of nursing is being present

for the patient and family. It emanates from a deep caring about the individual and the knowledge that people know when it is real and respond accordingly. Being present helps nurses know when to be gentle or tough, patient or energetic, nutty or sweet, or what-ever the situation demands. If a nurse tries to be someone he or she is not or to force a patient to be someone he or she is not, it does not work. Integrity and caring are cru-cial to good nursing care. Without it there is no satisfaction in our work and no satisfac-tion and healing for the patient.

• Extremely well-educated

The essence of nursing is based on healing the whole person – body, mind and spirit. So a nurse’s education includes physiology, pathophysiology, mental health and illness, and spiritual health and illness. The unique gift we offer to patients is to help learn how these three parts – body, mind and spirit – are influencing one another in the healing pro-cess. Physicians are the experts in curing the body. Psychiatrists are the experts in working with the mind. The clergy are experts in working with the spirit. It is only nurses who are educated to look at all three at once so that patients can heal or have a peaceful death.

• Ability to work without judgmentNurses believe in the inherent worth and

dignity of human beings. The American Nurses Association’s “Code of Ethics for Nurses states,” “The need for healthcare is universal, transcending all individual differ-ences. The nurse establishes relationships and delivers nursing services with respect for

human needs and values, and without prej-udice. An individual’s lifestyle, value system and religious beliefs should be considered in planning healthcare with and for each patient. Such consideration does not suggest that the nurse necessarily agrees with or condones certain individual choices, but that the nurse respects that patient as a person.”

• Ability to use personal experience to make life better for others

Our personal experiences help us to be empathetic rather than just sympathetic. I can immediately think of two personal experiences that reflect this. First when I was in labor with my first child thinking that if some nurse comes in here and tells me to relax – like I had suggested to women in labor – I think I’ll scream. I learned that there are many other ways to help someone in labor relax. “Would you like a backrub?” or “Can you take a few deep breaths?” are much more effective. Second, in my Pedi-atrics Nursing class we were taught never to take a child from a parent when admitting the child. We were to wait until the parent handed the child to us. I always did that because I trusted our instructor. It wasn’t

until I needed to admit my child that I really felt what a parent would feel like if a nurse just took the child from the parent.

• BraveWhether it is working with high-tech

machines, powerful drugs, mentally ill or con-fused patients, spiritually deprived patients, home-health patients, public-health situa-tions, or anywhere nurses practice, it takes courage because the quality of someone’s life is dependent on the nurse’s skills and knowl-edge. Besides taking care of patients, advo-cating for them also takes courage. I know nurses who have taken on judges, attorneys, physicians, administrators, legislators and many others in positions of power in order to protect and advocate for a patient. Nurses are courageous because they believe in what they are doing and who they are doing it for!

The film is being shown in some public venues and is available at americannurse-project.com – I urge everyone to see it.

Nurses admired — five traits

continued on page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the editorThe Home Health Planning and

Improvement Act 2015 – S. 578, H.R 1342 – has been introduced for consideration by the 114th Congress. Thanks to the sup-

port from Sen. Susan Collins(R-ME) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR),

Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), and Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), this bill if approved will amend a section of Medicare law that has kept advanced-practice nurses – a group that includes nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse mid-wives – from signing home-health plans of care and certifying Medicare patients for home-health benefits.

These healthcare professionals coordi-nate the majority of skilled care for home-health patients and this outdated prohibi-tion has led to delays in healthcare delivery. These delays in care not only inconvenience patients and their families, they result in increased cost to the Medicare system when patients are unnecessarily left in more expensive institutional settings. The Home Health Planning and Improvement Act would eliminate this barrier, permitting advanced-practice nurses to be recognized for services they are currently providing without added physician intervention.

We need your help! We need you to take action and contact your member of Con-gress to ask them to cosponsor the Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2015. Thanks for your continued support.

Ruling good for nursesThe U.S. Supreme Court’s Feb. 25 decision

in a state dental board anti-competition case has far-reaching implications beyond dentistry and will have a significant, positive impact for nursing practice. It ensures nurses can work to the full extent of their education and training, unrestricted by unlawful anti-competitive interference.

The American Nurses Association, which joined an amicus – friend of the court – brief in the case, is pleased the court ruled that the actions of the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners to prevent non-dentists from offer-ing teeth-whitening services were an unlawful attempt to suppress competition. Though the case pertained to dentistry, the association con-tends anti-competitive practices that restrict advanced-practice registered nurses or other healthcare professionals from practicing to the full extent of their education and training diminishes access to care for patients, increases healthcare costs and reduces healthcare quality. (The American Nurses Association) believes the court’s decision benefits consumers. (The Amer-ican Nurses Association,) along with others who joined in the amicus brief, expressed concern that unsupervised state regulatory boards comprised largely of professionals practicing in the field they are regulating may be prone to act in their own economic self-interest by protecting their eco-nomic markets through methods that run counter to state policy and principles of competition.

(The American Nurses Association) com-mends the (Federal Trade Commission’s) vigi-lance and pursuit of enforcement initiatives to ensure fair economic competition benefits all Americans in the healthcare sector.

SILVER SPRING, MD – The American Nurses Association applauds Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rep. Jan Schakow-sky (D-IL) for their leadership in intro-ducing the “Improving Veterans Access to Quality Healthcare Act of 2015.” The bill, H.R. 1247, allows Advanced Practice Registered Nurses who work in Veterans Health Administration facilities “full practice authority.” Full practice author-ity means allowing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to practice to the full extent of their education and training, and provides a common-sense solu-tion to the challenges associated with ensuring U.S. veterans have access to high-quality healthcare services.

“This legislation will make a big dif-ference in meeting the healthcare needs of our nation’s veterans,” said American Nurses Association President Pamela Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “As the Veterans Administration works to address staff shortages that have contributed to delays in veterans’ access to care, an important first step is to remove barriers that prevent Advanced Practice Registered Nurses from provid-ing a full range of services.”

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses are advanced-practice registered nurses who have completed formal graduate education leading to at least a master’s degree in nursing, and increasingly to a doctor of nursing practice degree, in one of four Advanced Practice Regis-tered Nurses roles that provide primary,

preventive and chronic care – nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, clinical nurse specialists and certified regis-

tered nurse anesthetists.Currently, Advanced Practice Reg-

istered Nurses who work in Veterans Health Administration facilities are subject to the laws of the state in which the facility is located. While some states have removed restrictive practice regulations, in other states Advanced Practice Registered Nurses face regula-tions that limit their scope of practice, with veterans’ access to care suffering as a result.

By recognizing these nurses to their full practice authority, the Veterans Health Administration can make the fullest use of these critical members of their healthcare workforce, maximize care delivery, and minimize waits and delays for care. The bill is consistent with the recommendations of the Insti-tute of Medicine report “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” and with proposals under consideration in the Veterans Health Administration.

Additionally, Veterans Health Administration recognition of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses full practice authority would make the Veterans Health Administration consistent with the models already practiced by the U.S. Armed Forces, Indian Health Service and Public Health Service systems

Veterans bill supported by ANA

May • 2015 NursingmattersPage 6

Veteranscontinued from page 5where veterans can now use their Veter-ans Health Administration health benefits under the Veterans Access Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-146).

The American Nurses Association joins other national nursing organiza-tions, representing more than 240,000 Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, in calling on members of Congress to support this important legislation. These include the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, American Associ-ation of Colleges of Nursing, American

Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation’s 3.1 million registered nurses through its con-stituent and state nurses associations and its organizational affiliates. The American Nurses Association advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on healthcare issues affecting nurses and the public.

This column originally appeared in Nurs-ing Matters in August 1992

Marcia Gates 1915-1970Two scrapbooks and other memorabilia

relating to the World War II nursing career of Marcia Gates are in the archives of the Wisconsin State Historical Society. She was one of 67 nurses held as prisoners of war by the Japanese in the Philippines during the war. Gates, from Janesville, was one of five Wisconsin women held at Santo Tomas Camp in Manila; the others were Winiferd Madden of Montello and Alice Hahn of Cleveland, both nurses, and phys-ical therapist Brunetta Keulthau of West Bend and Red Cross worker Marie Adams of Milwaukee.

A graduate of Milwaukee Hospital School of Nursing, Gates entered the Army Nurse Corps in February 1941 and was sent to the Philippines – a U.S. dependency – in October of that year. She worked in two

different hospitals, but as the enemy came nearer she was sent to work in the hospi-tal in the Melinta Tunnel in Corregidor. In spite of efforts to evacuate the nurses, Gates and her colleagues were taken May 9, 1942, by the Japanese and sent to Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila, where they were held for nearly three years.

The camp contained more than 3,000 internees, mostly American and British. With limited supplies and equipment, and few medications, nurse internees cared for the ill in the camp’s hospital. During much of the time, Gates worked in the hospital’s laboratory.

One of the scrapbooks contains an undated clipping from the Milwaukee Journal in which she was quoted as saying, “Santo Tomas was perfect for the first couple of years. We had money and a mar-ket... That lasted until the Japanese knew they were losing... Then the military took

over and it was pretty terrible... We lived on a thin rice mash that was mostly water, pigweed and the tops of potato plants for greens, and soybeans once or twice when we all came down with beriberi.

“There were lots of epidemics – diph-theria, chicken pox, tuberculosis, dengue, malaria and amoeba. But I was fortunate.”

After the Philippines were liberated, she returned to this country Feb. 24, 1945. She and the other nurses who had been interned were awarded the Bronze Star medal and the Presidential Citation with two oak leaf clusters. The citation for the Bronze Star noted that it was presented “for meritorious achievement while in the hands of the enemy, in caring for the sick and the wounded.”

After the war, Gates’ career was in public health nursing. Her last position was on the staff of the Janesville Health Department. She died of a malignancy June 25, 1970.

Remembering a WWII hero

Marcia Gates

Josephine Balaty

Reprint in a series written by Signe Cooper and introduced by Laurie Glass in Nursingmatters

May 6, 7, and 8: Labor and Delivery: The Latest Interventions for Childbirth Challenges

May 6 – AppletonMay 7 – MadisonMay 8 – BrookfieldPESI HealthCarewww.pesihealthcare.com or 800-844-

8260May 8: Managing Psychotropic

Medications for Older AdultsUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

Continuing StudiesMadisonwww.continuingstudies.wisc.edu/aging

or 608-262-2451May 11: Pharmacology

Updates SeminarWaukesha County Technical CollegeWaukeshawww.wctc.edu or 262-691-5578

May 12 and 13: Pediatric Problems, Emergencies and Lab Interpretation

PESI Health CareBrookfieldwww.pesihealthcare.com or 1-800-

844-8260

May 22: Care That Matters: Providing Person-centered Dementia Care

University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies

Madisonwww.continuingstudies.wisc.edu/aging

or 608-262-2451

June 12: Wisconsin Center for Nursing annual conference

Wisconsin Center for NursingWaukeshawww.wisconsincenterfornursing.org

Gary L. Welton

Guest editorial: The basic problem with Amer-

ica’s educational system is not that college is too expensive. Nor is the basic problem that pub-lic-school teachers are underpaid or that educators are poorly trained. The basic problem with Ameri-ca’s educational system today is that far too many children are given the implicit message at home that education is not a

priority. “Perhaps the nerds and the geeks need these educational skills, but in our home, they just are not that important.”

Our schools face a huge challenge today, because the educational message that teachers are trying to inculcate into their students is far too often dismissed

at home. If you live in a subculture where education is not valued, it is unlikely you will come to value your own educational

An educational culture — the right angle

Gary Welton

continued on page 7

May • 2015www.nursingmattersonline.com Page 7

Happy NursesWeek

Exceptional FacultyTop Rated Programs of Research

Largest Nursing Program in WI

Top 10%byUSNews&World Report

85% of our Graduates stay inWI

Join UWMCollegeofNursing

www.nursing.uwm.edu

Anglecontinued from page 6

opportunities. We cannot expect our schools to inculcate values of learning when there is little to no reinforcement at home.

The reality of life is that education and learning is not always fun. I was, and still am, an eager learner; nevertheless, some topics were uninteresting and seemed point-less when I first learned them. Some things are not intuitive; being sick and missing math class the day we were introduced to right angles, I was totally confused the day I returned to school. I could not figure out whether a right angle was the opposite of a left angle or the opposite of a wrong angle. That, of course, was an easy fix with a few questions that evening around the dinner table – an easy fix because my parents and my older siblings cared about education.

No college opportunity was available to my father-in-law, but one of his primary goals in life was to enable his children to be college graduates. In order to fund this educational goal, he worked a factory job in addition to farming his own property. He only liked one of these jobs, but he worked them both because he wanted to make sure his children had every educational opportunity. In “Look Homeward, Angel,” Thomas Wolfe says, “He loved a farm better than anything in the world except a school.” My father-in-law communicated that value to his children.

My father-in-law saw both his children succeed in college and recently celebrated

the diplomas of all four of his grandchil-dren. He fostered an educational culture in which education was important. His chil-dren and grandchildren were motivated by his own continuing love of learning.

President Obama has sought to increase the number of college graduates in America, and is currently proposing that federal and state governments pay the tuition for com-munity college students. As Michael Horn recently stated in a CNN column, however, community colleges have not been particu-larly successful. Only 22 percent of students complete their two-year degree within three years and 28 percent within four years – in spite of the fact that tuition is already heavily subsidized. He concludes that 60 percent of tuition is already covered by federal, state, and local programs, and, for needy students, the remaining 40 percent is entirely covered by Pell Grants.

Horn argues that providing free tuition will not fix the educational system. Indeed, the problem begins in American homes. When parents and caregivers commu-nicate that education provides access to jobs and opportunities, and when parents demonstrate that college tuition is high on their list of priorities, students will come to value their educational opportunities. President Obama’s current proposal will not fix the problem unless the core issue of educational value becomes the focus.

If we want to improve our educational system, creating an educational culture is the essential and right angle.

May • 2015 NursingmattersPage 8

msoe.edu • (800) 332-6763

MSOEWhySchool of Nursing?

Und

ergrad

uate

Gradu

ateMeeting the needs of

mid-management andexecutive level nurses,

and nurse entrepreneurs who must be ableto lead teams, manage financial resources,analyze large data sets, understand complexorganizational systems, and ensure quality andsafety, all through the lens of nursing practice.

Graduate Program ShowcaseMay 12, 5–7 p.m.

M.S. in NursingHealth Care Systems

Management

• Direct entry in B.S. in Nursing

• Guaranteed placement in clinical sequence

• 96% graduate placement rate

• Direct patient care starts as sophomore

• Accelerated B.S. inNursing for thosewith a BS or BAlooking for anew career

For more than 160 years, nurses have enjoyed a rewarding career at Columbia St.Mary’s. That includes all the benefits of a strong, stable organization. But our nurses

are also part of a team of healthcare providers who receive our full support indelivering the highest quality and most personal care to their patients. And that

means we’re not the only ones showing our appreciation for a job well done.

How rewarding can it be to practice nursing at Columbia St. Mary’s?To begin to find out, visit PASSIONFORPATIENTCARE.ORG

Amanda Verbrick

In celebration of National Nurses Week, the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation wants to take the time to recognize our dedicated volunteer nurses of the Grape-

Vine Project.Since 2002, Grape-

Vine nurses have provided free wom-en’s health education to more than 6,000 women in 41 Wisconsin counties. These are women who are not connected to the health resources they need.

Women who participate in the program often live in rural communities, do not have easy access to healthcare information, and might feel stigmatized by their health issues. GrapeVine-Project nurses gener-ously donate their time and expertise by organizing community health-education sessions. They aim to connect women with the information and resources they need to truly impact their health and well-be-ing, as well as motivate them to adopt healthy habits.

Ardyce McMillen, a GrapeVine nurse

from Marquette County, attested to the personal-ized attention the program offers its audiences.

“Doctors and nurses are so busy that it seems like patients have less and less time with them, so it’s nice when we are able to take the time to talk to individuals about their health concerns during

GrapeVine sessions,” she said. “Sometimes people just need someone to listen to them.”

GrapeVine sessions encourage a dialogue surrounding important health issues.

The program’s volunteer nurses help women make positive lifestyle changes, gain confidence in healthcare providers and understand their own bodies. Grape-Vine nurses also affect many more people than just those who attend their sessions, because women most often make healthcare decisions for their families. To reach differ-ent communities of women, current nurses

Celebrate volunteer GrapeVine nurses

Amanda Verbrick

GrapeVine unit topics � Bone Health

– Osteoporosis � Breast Cancer � Breastfeeding � Diabetes Prevention � Domestic Violence � Gynecologic

Cancers � Healthy Aging Brain

– prevent Dementia � Heart Health � Mental Health � Oral Health

www.nursingmattersonline.com Page 9May • 2015

Marian University Of Fond Du Lac; 2 x 6; Color; 2311006; Nursing-matters

Pro Health Care-Bvk; 2 x 12.5; Color; 2312727; Maywww.nursingmattersonline.com Page 9

have talked at churches, hospitals, retire-ment homes, libraries – and even a hockey rink while moms awaited their sons’ game.

“It makes sense to me to reach women where they’re at,” said Sue Richards, a Dane County GrapeVine nurse. “I admit, the idea of holding a health-education session at a hockey rink sounded odd at first, but it worked! GrapeVine has provided me with some structure so that my clinical expe-rience can translate into healthy behavior changes for women. I love being present with women as they commit to becoming advocates for their own health.”

Get Involved!Anyone who is a nurse looking to give

back, consider joining GrapeVine. The program is currently recruiting nurses and retired nurses to join the team to educate women about health topics that disproportionately affect women. The GrapeVine Project is holding a conference June 1-2 in Madison to train new and existing nurses. Contact Nora Miller at

nmiller@wwhf.org or visit wwhfblog.com for more information.

Amanda Verbrick has a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Community and Nonprofit Leadership. She currently works at the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation as the program assis-tant to the GrapeVine Project.

Ardyce McMillen was trained for the GrapeVine Project in April 2008 and has presented nine educational sessions in Reedsburg. She is a Parish Nurse at the Reedsburg Bible Baptist Church.

May • 2015 NursingmattersPage 10

Thank You,Nursing Faculty & Staff

In the spirit of Nurses Week, the Henry Predolin School of Nursingat Edgewood College thanks its nursing faculty and staff for their

outstanding contributions to educating future nurses and nurse leaders.

connect.edgewood.edu

Margaret Noreuil, DeanJenna AlsteenCathy AndrewsRuth Baier

Martine Banda-WolkMary Elizabeth Bathum

Chris BellLena BlakesleeGerrie Bleifuss

Mary BrueggemanJacinda BurdonNancy ComelloBridget CountsPamela CraryCarrie Croft

Heidi Deininger-KinneyKathy DineenTom DohertyVicki EvensonBarb GalloglyTaylor Garcia

JoAnne GranquistColleen Gullickson

Erika HelmerJulie HudziakJoan Jacobsen

Mary Kelly-PowellAngela Krey

Betsy Laessig-StaryTish LaffertyJane Lucht

Jeneile Luebke ClearyKristen MenningenBrenda MerrellPamela MindenKimMorelandTara MorrisLottie Most

Quinn MullikinNancy PatrickRoberta PawlakNancy Pullen

Katrina Pycha-HolstClaude RochonBethany Saddler

Katie SelleYulia SemeniukLori SevertsonBeth StraussTracy Towne

Kimberly WalkerKaril WaltherBritt Wanta

Jennifer WeitzelElaine WheelerMaria Yelle

Wisconsin League of Nursing Inc., which promotes nursing education to enhance the quality of health and healthcare in Wiscon-sin, is receiving a two-year $60,000 grant from the Helen Bader Foundation. The grant supports Wisconsin League of Nurs-ing’s efforts to promote advanced nursing studies, with an emphasis on gerontology, in rural areas of Wisconsin.

Based on an extreme shortage of nurses and individuals who are able to care for older adults, particularly in rural Wiscon-sin, the league will offer tuition support to individuals who will focus on gerontology as they pursue an advanced-practice nursing degree or post-master’s certificate of edu-cation degree. The program allows individ-uals located in rural communities who are currently employed full-time or part-time an opportunity to update their required aca-demic degrees. Applicants are screened for evidence of intended academic enrollment via a structured validated search; tuition support is disbursed directly to the school of nursing of the applicant.

Certification Nursing Scholarships to support post-graduate candidates whose intent is to seek certification in adult geron-tology and advanced-practice gerontology through the American Nursing Creden-tialing Center will also be awarded. These scholarships will be for Generalist Specialty Certification, Clinical Nurse Specialist Cer-tification and Nurse Practitioner Certifica-tion, all with an emphasis in Gerontology.

“The (Wisconsin League of Nursing) is committed to making an impact on the future of nursing and healthcare delivery in Wisconsin,” said Maureen Greene, Ph.D., RN, CNS-BC, ACNP-BC, recent past president for the Wisconsin League of Nursing, and Advanced Practice Nurse and Researcher at Wheaton Franciscan Health-care, Milwaukee. “Through the generous support from the Helen Bader Foundation, (Wisconsin League of Nursing) can increase the number of healthcare professionals in the field to meet the increased needs of Wisconsin’s aging community.”

Visit www.wisconsinwln.org for more information.

The Helen Bader Foundation also, in its fight against Alzheimer’s disease

throughout Wisconsin, recently granted $1.082 million in funding to various Alzhei-mer’s and aging organizations throughout the state. With an emphasis on enhancing the quality of life for older adults in rural communities, the new grants will help cre-ate, expand and bolster a variety of efforts to address various challenges that greatly improve the quality of life of Wisconsin’s aging community.

Since opening its doors in 1992, the foundation has led with Helen Bader’s vision – to play a key role in supporting statewide initiatives and collaborations aimed at finding innovative approaches to assist those affected by Alzheimer’s, dementia and aging. This recent list of grant awardees represents the foundation’s con-tinued commitment to provide an average of $1.5 million annually to support organi-zations that provide solutions for families struggling with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as creative- and healthy-aging projects, according to foundation officials. To date, they say the foundation has given nearly $43 million in related grants to make it the larg-est private funder of Alzheimer’s and aging in the state.

“With the rapidly increasing number of older adults, we have been hearing from communities across Wisconsin on how to address the various health, wellness and social needs of Wisconsin’s aging commu-nity,” said Helen Ramon, program officer and manager of the foundation’s efforts to address Alzheimer’s and aging. “We at Helen Bader Foundation are continually striving to keep our home state a national leader in how we serve older adults, and we’re impressed by the dedication of indi-viduals and communities that share that vision for an elder-friendly Wisconsin.”

The foundation’s approach to addressing Wisconsin’s aging community involves working with organizations to assure that programs and resources are available to meet the increased demand for services. Visit hbf.org for more information.

Foundation gives grantsHelen Bader with sons, 1963

May • 2015www.nursingmattersonline.com Page 11

Froedtert Health/NAS Recruitment Communications; 2 x 9.25; Col-or; 2310907; Nurses

BETTER TOGETHERSM

Thank you To our nursing andPaTienT Care serviCes sTaff for The suPerb

member Care Provided eaCh day.For a complete and accurate listing of all our patient care

career opportunities, visit ghcscw.com

ghcscw.com

MK07-107-3(4/15)AGroup Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin (GHC-SCW)

P.O Box 44971 Madison, WI 53717-1962

(608) 251-4156 (800) 605-4327

TDD (608) 828-4815

EOE-Minorities/Females/Disabled/Vets

MADISON – Lori Anderson, the daugh-ter of an Oconomowoc school nurse, saw the daily challenges of school nurses even as a kid: not enough time, too few resources and isolation from peers.

As a clinical professor at UW-Madison’s School of Nursing, Anderson helped tackle

those problems by creating a Web-based tool that school nurses in 30 Wis-consin counties and across West Virginia are now using to treat and better understand kids’ chronic illnesses. Called eSchool-Care, the tool allows school nurses to go online to tap

into expertise from the School of Nursing and the American Family Children’s Hos-pital to help treat children with asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, cancer and mental health disorders. Another module, on caring for kids with epilepsy, is under develop-ment.

After graduating from nursing school, Anderson recalls her first job as a school nurse in Mukwonago and the professional isolation she felt.

“That feeling stuck with me, of being out in a school, the only healthcare person and people were counting on me to know a lot of things,” she said. “But I could always pick up my phone and call my mom.”

In a similar – but digital – way, eSchool-Care helps school nurses stay current, confident and connected, with the goal of improving children’s health and their classroom performance. Bolstering aca-demic success is key because children with chronic conditions are three times more likely to miss significant amounts of school and are nearly three times more likely to repeat at least one grade, compared to healthy children.

“School nurses are increasingly asked to take care of kids with complex health problems,” Anderson said. “It’s not just

Band-Aids.”She said 18 percent of school-aged

children have or are at-risk for a chronic health condition.

The mobile-enabled eSchoolCare plat-form provides updated, research-based guidance on treatments in modules written in each subject area by physicians and advanced-practice nurses at American Family Children’s Hospital. The nursing modules receive independent quality reviews by national experts and are rou-tinely updated with new information.

School nurses using eSchoolCare – which has been endorsed by the National Association of School Nurses – find it a helpful, easy-to-navigate tool for nurses who are often on the move.

“The videos help me teach students how to use their medications as they learn self-management skills,” said Valerie Hon, district nurse in the Portage Community School District. “The tools show how other students, similar in age, are doing. Another benefit is that I can really delve into pro-fessional development by using resources identified for each of the topics. If I have questions, I can pose them to others on the community forum, to learn how others are approaching the same topics.”

The effectiveness of eSchoolCare helps remove learning barriers for kids with chronic conditions, Hon added. The pro-gram, developed with a 2011 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser-vices, is now supported by school district subscriptions and gifts. Anderson hopes to expand the use of eSchoolCare. The pro-gram was in the inaugural class of Discovery to Product, which helps commercialize UW-Madison innovations.

“We’re nurses, not business people, so we’re trying to figure out a business model so we can make it as successful as possible,” Anderson said. “It’s a great example of using the university’s healthcare expertise and literally taking it out into the state.”

New tool removes school-nurse isolation

A new nursing tool will help school nurses deal with chronic illness.

Lori Anderson

May • 2015 NursingmattersPage 12

Go to http://www.mcw.edu/diabetessymposiumformore info

Thursday,May 14th &Friday,May 15th, 2015

at theItalian Community Center,

Milwaukee,WI

8th AnnualDIabetes

syMposIuMofWisconsin

aMedical College of WisconsinCMe program

RN’s, are you looking for a new and excitingcareer opportunity to use your knowledgeoutside of a clinic or hospital environment?

Our positions allow you to use your nursingknowledge in an office setting! You’ll lovehaving your weekends and holidays free

while enjoying a set work schedule!

Complete our on-line application atwww.wpsic.com and we will actively reviewyour resume for opportunities that come up

throughout the year!

We offer competitive salary, comprehensivebenefits and an opportunity to grow

professionally!

EEO/AA

Home Health Unitedextends heartfeltgratitude to ourskilled nursingteam for theirexceptionaldedication, devotion& professionalism.

We recognize andappreciate theextraordinaryefforts they extendevery day to help ourpatients accomplishtheir goals forhealth, safety &independence.

We are focused on our mission - to promote optimal health andquality of life to those we serve with exceptional, comprehensivecare.

We offer a competitive compensation/benefit package which in-cludes medical & dental insurance, a retirement plan with companymatching contribution, and generous paid time off.

Apply online at HomeHealthUnited.orgJulie Jacobson • 608-241-6929 • JJacobson@hhuvns.org

Fax: 1-866-553-0710

NURSING OPPORTUNITIESAVAILABLE

Thank YouHome Health United Nurses

Care ComesHomeExceptional

Providing our patients continuity of care...

Home HealthPalliative Care

Hospice

1-800-924-2273HomeHealthUnited.org

EDGERTON, WI (AP) – Angie Stone has an unusual combination of passions.

Her love for the elderly and her back-ground as a dental hygienist has led her to start HyLife, a caregiving business aimed at addressing a problem most never consider – nursing home residents’ poor oral health.

Stone’s new book, “Dying from Dirty Teeth,” outlines the issue: Dependent senior citizens aren’t being given proper oral care, and they’re dying because of it. Poor oral hygiene can lead to heart attacks, lung disease and strokes, Stone said.

Though oral care is required for nursing-home residents, staff members don’t have as much training in the area as Stone. Cer-tified nursing assistants receive about an hour’s worth of oral care training, Stone said.

Stone has 30 years of experience.“We do oral care, but obviously staff

aren’t trained to do what needs done,” said Melissa Sugden, Huntington Place resi-dent-service coordinator. “She’s very thor-ough, and she’s always getting lots of things we don’t see.”

A typical cleaning takes about 15 min-utes. Stone brushes and flosses clients’ teeth and then lines their mouths with xylitol, a natural sugar substitute that makes it harder for bacteria to produce plaque.

“It seems so simple, but when you read my book, you’ll see why it’s not simple,” Stone said.

Her eye is trained to pick up potential problems, such as the broken teeth she found in Huntington Place resident George Schmidt’s mouth. With Stone’s help, he was able to have his problems addressed, adding quality to his life.

His wife, Mary Jane Schmidt, thinks what Stone does is wonderful.

Growing up in a large family without a huge calcium intake, her husband has always had problems with his teeth, Mary Jane Schmidt said.

“I think it means a lot to George,” she said. “It means a lot to me. It’s very import-ant.”

Mary Jane Schmidt came into contact with Stone through a rec-ommendation from her husband’s Stoughton-based dentist, Richard Albright. As a result, Stone has been seeing George Schmidt every week since August 2013.

“She does an amazing job,” Sug-den said. “She’s great with the staff here and other residents. She’s a

huge inspiration to me.”Stone and George Schmidt have formed

a bond. Stone spoke to him throughout the entirety of a recent cleaning, and when he wasn’t sleeping, he spoke back.

After the procedure, Stone rubbed his hand and whispered, “You did good, George.”

A passion is bornStone had a great experience with an

orthodontist back when her teeth were “all over the place,” she said. It pushed her into dental hygientistry.

“That care changed my life,” she said. “I was just fascinated with how having good oral care, a good smile, could affect some-one’s life.”

Stone’s inspiration to start HyLife began with two women: her mother-in-law, Gladys Stone, and her grandmother Helen Schrantz.

Gladys Stone entered a nursing home with lung disease. Without a dentist or

Edgerton woman takes aim at dental hygiene

APAngie Stone of HyLife oral care services greets George Schmidt, 88, before caring for his teeth at Huntington Place in Janesville.

Angie Stone

May • 2015www.nursingmattersonline.com Page 13

Assistant Professor of Nursing

The Henry Predolin School of Nursing at Edgewood College announces the opening fortwo full-time tenure track faculty positions beginning with the academic year 2014-2015.Responsibilities include teaching at the undergraduate and graduate (MSN and DNP) levels.Graduate concentrations include Nursing Administration and Leadership.

Qualifications:• Earned PhD in Nursing (preferred), or doctorate in related field with a Master’s degreein Nursing; DNP may be considered

• Eligible for RN licensure in the State of Wisconsin• Evidence of teaching, scholarly and community services potential• Knowledge and skills in contemporary practice issues related to the AACN Essentials• Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalcompetence

To Apply: Send a letter of application, resume, and references to:Edgewood CollegeHuman Resources – APN11000 Edgewood College DriveMadison, WI 53711www.edgewood.eduE-mail: humanresources@edgewood.edu Equal Opportunity Employer

Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745

PROBIOTIC for Daily Use

for the Whole Family!Appropriate for the entire family starting at twomonths of age†1

Perfect for travel and active lifestyles; it’s practical,it’s portable, and it doesn’t need refrigeration

Works with antibiotics and offers more completeprotection over some bacterial probiotics†2

Made with all natural ingredients that arevegetarian and gluten-free

Supports a healthy immune system †3;70% of yourimmune system is located in your digestive tract

Whatmakes Florastor probiotics unique?

www.florastor.com

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

1. Vandenplas Y, Brunser O, Szajewska H (2009) Saccharomyces boulardii in childhood. Eur J Pediatr 168: 253-265. 2. Klein SM, Elmer GW, McFarland LV, Surawicz CM, Levy RH (1993) Recovery and elimination of the biotherapeutic agent, Saccharomyces boulardii, in healthy humanvolunteers. Pharm Res 10: 1615-1619. 3. Martins FS, Silva AA, Vieira AT, Barbosa FH, Arantes RM, et al. (2009) Comparative study of Bifidobacterium animalis, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus casei and Saccharomyces boulardii probiotic properties. Arch Microbiol 191: 623-630.

Available at yourlocal retailer

Contact your localrepresentative,Melissa Stoeger,for samples andinformation.

Phone: (541) 743-1662(541) 743-1662

May • 2015 NursingmattersPage 14

RN Management in Assisted LivingGreater Milwaukee Area

EOE

Join anorganizationthat is arecognizedleader in theindustry.

Considering a change to assisted living? Seeking a management position with aprogressive organization that will support your personal development?

Laureate Group, a leading provider of senior housing and assistedliving services in the greater Milwaukee area is seeking anenergetic RN to join our team. This is a great position forsomeone who is looking for a good balance of both managementresponsibilities and care time duties.

Candidates for this hands on position will be organized andresults-oriented with prior supervisory/management experience.Must be able to implement systems, effectively interact with

residents and families and have proven problem-solvingand leadership skills. Alzheimer’s/Dementia experiencepreferred. Computer skills essential. This is a Full TimeDay Position. Join an organization that is a recognizedleader in the industry.

This is a challenging yet rewarding position in aresidential setting. We offer a competitive salaryand comprehensive benefits package includinghealth and dental insurance as well as matching401(k) contributions. Apply conveniently onlineat www.laureategroup.com or send resume toapply@laureategroup.com

1805 Kensington Drive, Waukesha, WI 53188

LPN opportunitiesalso available

Edgewood CollegeHenry Predolin School of Nursing

Position DescriptionEdgewood College Henry Predolin School of Nursing (SoN) is seeking a .50 FTE nursing faculty memberwith expertise in clinical practice to serve as Simulation Education Specialist. Faculty member will provideoversight and teaching as well as assessment of students’ learning. The Simulation Education Specialistcollaborates with faculty to develop and implement simulation-based educational experiences designedto enhance patient safety and quality in health care delivery. This person reports to the Dean, SoN.

Responsibilities:Curriculum

• Assumes leadership role in working with faculty and lab manager to develop curriculumfor Patient Care Areas which includes health assessment, clinical skills, low, medium andhigh-fidelity simulation;

• Determines the most effective simulation experiences to assist students in developingcompetencies;

• Actively contributes to the development, conducting and evaluation of simulation-basedexperiences with particular emphasis on creating life-like scenarios for educationalpurposes;

• Leads small group learning sessions and encourages reflection of simulation experiences.Faculty Partnerships

• Collaborates with faculty to integrate simulation experiences (e.g. The Neighborhoodsoftware experiences) into the learning environment of theory courses;

• Collaborates with faculty in identifying learning needs, and developing andimplementing creative learning environments;

• Orients new faculty, staff and students to simulation.• Collaborates with faculty in orienting new faculty to the Patient Care Areas of the SoNas well as the Center for Healthcare Education and Simulation (CHES);

Knowledge, skills and abilities• Knowledge of curriculum design and evaluation;• Maintains current expertise in clinical skills and with standards of practice;• Effectively teaches with individuals and small groups;• Works collaboratively with faculty in identifying learning needs, and developing andimplementing creative learning environments;

• Maintains current expertise in use of equipment including but not limited to simulationmodels;

• Possesses effective written and verbal communication skills;• Organizes, prioritizes and multitasks on a daily basis; and

Operations/Management• Establishes and maintains current and long term planning, including expenditures andprojected budgetary needs for patient care areas and activities. Submits plan to SoNDean annually in preparation for budget planning;

• Works collaboratively with faculty and staff to maintain safe, current, interactive,equipped learning labs.

Qualifications:• A master’s degree in nursing is required; DNP preferred.• Certified in Simulation Education preferred (Certified Healthcare Simulation Education (CHSE)• Current Wisconsin RN license required.• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.• Leadership and organizational skills.• Recent teaching experience in clinical and/or nursing simulation/skills laboratory preferred.• Experience with patient simulations strongly preferred.• Computer skills in Word, Excel, and online learning systems.

School of Nursing Simulation Education Specialist

dental hygienist on staff, Angie Stone watched as plaque built up in her mother-in-law’s mouth. Her lung disease continued to worsen at an alarming rate despite the antibiotics she took, Angie Stone said.

“I know her mouth played a role in infect-ing her lungs,” she said. “When she died, I vowed I was going to do something to help.”

At the time, Angie Stone had no idea what it would be.

Schrantz also entered a nursing home late in life. In two years, she lost 60 percent of her teeth, Stone said.

“I buried her with no front teeth,” Stone recalled, “and as a dental hygienist, that haunts me. It should have never happened.”

At the time, Stone was seeing a client like George Schmidt once a week. In her time with him, the client never had bleeding gums, tooth decay or pneumonia, and his blood sugars were well maintained, Stone said. She said she might leave the nursing home crying if he had a bad day. It can be sad, hard work, she said, but wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“I look forward to seeing them (the Schmidts), and they look forward to seeing me,” she said. “You gotta have that connec-tivity. If it’s in your heart and you love the population, it’s worth it.”

“I love it,” Mary Jane Schmidt said of Stone’s compassion and work. “I love her,

too. She’s precious. Her personality speaks for itself.”

A growing businessHyLife is still in its infancy. The oral-care

component of the company began last July; HyLife currently employees 10 caregivers in four Midwestern states and Florida.

Families of nursing-home residents hire HyLife employees to provide oral care, Stone said. Though each of HyLife’s 10 employees is a licensed dental hygienist, they operate as certified caregivers under HyLife. That limits what they can do in terms of using equipment or removing plaque, but being trained dental hygienists gives them a leg up when it comes to thorough oral care. Should a HyLife caregiver notice a problem with a client’s teeth, he or she will notify the facility’s staff and refer the client to a local dentist, as Stone did when she found George Schmidt’s broken teeth.

George Schmidt’s oral issues aren’t uncommon for people his age. Stone said dependent nursing-home residents suffer the worst oral hygiene and have the worst oral health of any population in the country.

“There’s already a workforce that can handle this problem, and that’s the dental hygienists,” Stone said. “When we’re acting as caregivers, we can help put a dent in that statistic. We can help get rid of that

statistic.”HyLife hasn’t done any marketing,

because its mission right now is to plant seeds and put the word out, Stone said.

“Right now, we’re in education mode to really sound the alarm of what’s going on,” she said.

Besides a dedication to keeping elders’ mouths clean, Stone’s company aims to offer autonomy and extra income to dental hygienists, many of whom don’t work full time, Stone said. HyLife also is a support network of like-minded professionals who can help each other when needed.

Stone’s company might be small right now, but her ambitions are huge.

“My dream is to have a team all over the country acting as caregivers and taking care of this population so they’re not dying from dirty teeth,” she said.

People don’t always understand what Stone’s doing because it’s different.

“I’m in front of the curve, and in front of the curve can be a lonely and scary place sometimes,” she said.

Despite the challenges and enormous task ahead, Stone will keep pushing ahead.

“In the U.S. in 2015, should people die from dirty teeth?” she said. “No. I don’t think so. We’re doing something, and we’re absolutely helping.”

May • 2015www.nursingmattersonline.com Page 15

INDIANAPOLIS – The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau Interna-tional, will induct 19 nurse researchers into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame July 23-27, 2015, at Sigma Theta Tau International’s 26th Inter-national Nursing Research Congress in Puerto Rico. These 19 individuals, representing the countries of Australia, Belgium, Canada and the United States, will be presented July 25, 2015, with the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame award and participate in a conversa-tion with Sigma Theta Tau International President Hester C. Klopper, PhD, MBA, RN, RM, FANSA.

Created in 2010, the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame recognizes nurse researchers who have achieved sig-nificant and sustained national or inter-national recognition and whose research has improved the profession and the peo-ple it serves. The honorees’ research proj-ects will be shared through the Virginia Henderson Global Nursing e-Repository, enabling nurses everywhere to benefit from their discoveries and insights. The award presentation is sponsored by Wiley.

“These 19 honorees have achieved life-changing results through their research,” Klopper said. “In keeping with the Sigma Theta Tau International mission to celebrate nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service, I congratulate the 2015 Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame honorees. I look forward to learning more about their contributions and sharing them with our members worldwide.”

Kassie Stovell, Wiley Publishing man-ager for nursing, said, “We are honored to sponsor Sigma Theta Tau International’s International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame awards and congratulate each recip-ient. Wiley recognizes the contributions of these 19 inductees for their outstand-ing research, leadership and efforts in advancing health around the world. Their insight, expertise and integrity have greatly impacted the profession and improved the lives of the patients they serve.”

Sigma Theta Tau International’s annual international nursing research congress attracts nearly 1,000 nurse researchers, students, clinicians and leaders, who learn from evidence-based research presenta-tions. The theme for the 26th congress is Question Locally, Engage Regionally, Apply Globally. Visit http://congress.nursingsoci-ety.org for more information.

2015 International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame Honorees

Ruth Anderson, PhD, RN, FAANVirginia Stone Professor of NursingDuke University School of NursingBeta Epsilon Chapter #051, Epsilon

Theta Chapter #126USA

Elizabeth R. A. Beattie, PhD, RN, FGSA

Professor, Aged and Dementia CareQueensland University of TechnologyPhi Delta-at-Large Chapter #482AustraliaStijn Blot, PhD, MNSc, RNResearch ProfessorGhent UniversityRho Chi-at-Large Chapter #428BelgiumWendy P. Chaboyer, BSc(Nu), MN,

PhD, RNProfessor, Griffith UniversityPhi Delta-at-Large Chapter #482AustraliaGreta G. Cummings, PhD, RN,

FCAHS, FAANCentennial Professor, University

of AlbertaMu Sigma Chapter #304CanadaSusan G. Dorsey, PhD, RN, FAANAssociate Professor and Depart-

ment ChairDepartment of Pain and Translational

Symptom ScienceUniversity of Maryland School

of NursingPi Chapter #015USACarol J. Farran, DNSc, RN, FAANProfessorThe Nurses Alumni Association Chair in

Health and the Aging ProcessRush University College of NursingGamma Phi Chapter #091USAMary Beth Happ, PhD, RN,

FAAN, FGSADistinguished Professor of Critical

Care ResearchDirector, Center of Excellence in Critical

and Complex CareThe Ohio State University College

of NursingEpsilon Chapter #004USADiane Holditch-Davis, PhD,

RN, FAANMarcus E. Hobbs Distinguished Profes-

sor of NursingAssociate Dean, Research AffairsDuke University School of NursingBeta Epsilon Chapter #051USA

Tonda L. Hughes, PhD, RN, FAANProfessor and Associate Dean for

Global HealthUniversity of Illinois at Chicago College

of NursingAlpha Lambda Chapter #033USAChristine E. Kasper, PhD, RN, FAANProfessor and Senior Research ScientistDepartment of Veterans Affairs and Uni-

formed Services UniversityNu Beta Chapter #312USAGail Melkus, EdD, C-NP, FAANProfessor and Associate Dean for ResearchNew York University College of NursingUpsilon Chapter #018USAChristine Miaskowski, PhD,

RN, FAANProfessorUniversity of California, San Francisco

School of NursingAlpha Eta Chapter #029USADianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD,

FAANP, FNAP, FAANDean, University of South Florida Col-

lege of NursingSenior Associate Vice President,

USF HealthUniversity of South FloridaDelta Beta-at-Large Chapter #096USAKaren Frick Pridham, PhD,

RN, FAANHelen Denne Schulte Professor EmeritaUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

School of NursingBeta Eta-at-Large Chapter #053USABarbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP,

FAAN, FAANPProfessor Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz

Chair in GerontologyUniversity of Maryland School of NursingPi Chapter #015USABarbara Riegel, DNSc, RN,

FAHA, FAANEdith Clemmer Steinbright Professor of

GerontologyUniversity of Pennsylvania School

of NursingXi Chapter #013USA

Margarete J. Sandelowski, PhD, RN, FAAN

Cary C. Boshamer ProfessorUniversity of North Carolina at

Chapel HillAlpha Alpha Chapter #023USAAntonia M. Villarruel, PhD,

RN, FAANProfessor and Margaret Bond Simon

Dean of NursingUniversity of Pennsylvania School

of NursingXi Chapter #013USAThe Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma

Theta Tau International is a nonprofit orga-nization whose mission is advancing world health and celebrating nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. Founded in 1922, it has more than 135,000 active members in more than 85 coun-tries. Members include practicing nurses, instructors, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and others. The organi-zation’s 499 chapters are located at 695 institutions of higher education through-out Armenia, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, England, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Swaziland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanza-nia, Thailand, the United States, and Wales. Visit www.nursingsociety.org for more information.

Wiley is a global provider of con-tent-enabled solutions that improve out-comes in research, education and profes-sional practice. Its core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services, and online applica-tions; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners.

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons Inc. (NYSE: JWa, JWb), has been a source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired com-panies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley’s global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada and Australia. Visit www.wiley.com for more information.

Nurses inducted into 2015 Hall of Fame

May • 2015 NursingmattersPage 16

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Academy of Nursing has launched an Insti-tute for Nursing Leadership. The institute houses the academy’s work to place more nurses on governing boards, commissions and task forces, with an emphasis on fed-eral and gubernatorial appointments and governing boards of national organizations aligned with the academy’s strategic plan.

The creation of the Institute for Nursing Leadership was made possible in part by Pfizer Inc.’s $50,000 contribution that was matched by academy fellows.

“We are pleased to support the Insti-tute for Nursing Leadership,” said Pfizer Senior Director, Paula R. DeCola, MSc, RN. “Nurses have a unique perspective within our health systems that should be more pervasively channeled to advance policies and regulations that will further support public health. An imperative exists for nurses to be more fully integrated into forums where these impactful discussions are taking place

The academy’s institute will increase nurse appointments to national and select state governing boards of health-related

entities, councils, commissions and task forces; prepare academy fellows and emerging nurse leaders for such appoint-ments; and evaluate the impact and value of nurse appointments on the work of the decision-making bodies on which they serve.

“The Institute for Nursing Leadership will serve as a springboard for nurses to drive positive change in healthcare and health policy,” said Academy President Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN. “In addi-tion to increasing nursing appointments, the institute will also seek to fill the gaps in development by connecting qualified nurses with opportunities to prepare them for leadership.”

The institute will be led by a National Advisory Council comprised of for-ward-thinking leaders. The members of the National Advisory Council include:

Angela McBride, PhD, RN, FAAN, distinguished professor & University Dean Emerita, Indiana University – Chair

Stephanie Ferguson, PhD, RN, FAAN, ICN Leadership For Change Pro-gramme consultant, Nursing & Health

Policy, ICN – Co-ChairSheila Burke, MPA, RN, FAAN,

adjunct lecturer, Harvard UniversityDarlene Curley, MS, RN, exec-

utive director, Jonas Center for Nurs-ing Excellence

Paula R. DeCola, RN, MSC, director, External Medicine Affairs, Pfizer Inc.

Patrick DeLeon, PhD, JD, MPHJoanne Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN, Pro-

fessor ad Honorem, University of Minne-sota School of Nursing

Alicia Georges, EdD, RN, FAAN, professor and chairperson, Lehman College Department of Nursing

Catherine Gilliss, PhD, RN, FAAN, Helene Fuld Health Trust Professor of Nursing, Duke University School of Nursing

Jan Heinrich, DrPH, RN, FAAN, associate administrator, Bureau of Health Professions, HRSA

Randy Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN, direc-tor, Baccalaureate Programs, associate pro-fessor, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Ramon Lavandero, RN, MA, MSN, FAAN, senior director, American Associa-tion of Critical-Care Nurses

Christopher Lee, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN, associate professor of nursing,

Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing

Susan Reinhard, PhD, RN, FAAN, senior vice-president, Public Policy Insti-tute, AARP

Cory Rieder, EdD, executive direc-tor and treasurer, The John A. Hart-ford Foundation

Rita Wray, MBA, RNC, FAAN, CEO, W.E. Inc.

Colleen Conway Welch, PhD, CNM, RN, FAAN, FACNM, Dean Emeritus, Van-derbilt University School of Nursing

The Institute for Nursing Leadership is part of the academy’s effort as a founding member of the newly formed Nurses on Boards Coalition to reach the goal of plac-ing 10,000 nurses on boards, commissions and task forces by 2020.

The Institute for Nursing Leadership aligns with the Institute of Medicine’s report, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” and its recom-mendation on increasing nurse appoint-ments to decision-making bodies related to healthcare. Currently, many academy fellows hold positions within federal commissions, health-system boards, and other health-related governing entities at national, federal, state and local levels.

Academy launches Institute for

Nursing Leadership

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent for the American Nurses Credentialing Center Certification through Portfolio credentialing process. Certification through Portfolio provides registered nurses and advanced-practice registered nurses an alternative assessment methodology to achieve American Nurses Credentialing Center board certification with no exam required.

Currently five American Nurses Credentialing Center certifications are assessed using the Certification through Portfolio method:

• Advanced Forensic Nursing• Advanced Genetics Nursing• Advanced Public Health Nursing• Emergency Nurse Practitioner and

• Faith Community Nursing.Two more certifications assessed

through portfolio are in development — Hemostasis Nursing and Rheumatol-ogy Nursing.

“(The American Nurses Credential-ing Center) has developed high-quality individual credentialing programs for more than 40 years and continues to

revolutionize nursing excellence with the patented portfolio certification,” said Linda C. Lewis, MSA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, and executive vice-president and chief Amer-ican Nurses Credentialing Center officer. “Our renowned team of nursing talent col-laborated to invent this alternative meth-odology that employers and nurses alike can be confident is a sound assessment

of nursing knowledge and skills. We are delighted to pioneer the next generation of certifications for the nursing profession.”

The U.S. patent, issued March 3, 2015, ensures nurses can feel confident in seeking American Nurses Credentialing Center cer-tifications through portfolio. Nurses cre-dentialed through the Certification through Portfolio assessment are established as experts in their specialties and rank among the highest-qualified nurses in the world.

“We are thrilled (the American Nurses Credentialing Center) was granted the patent for Certification through Portfo-lio – an outstanding demonstration of the organization’s continued innovation

Credentialing certification earns patent

continued on page 17

May • 2015www.nursingmattersonline.com Page 17

The University of Wisconsin–MadisonSchool of Nursing extends its sincere appreciation to the nurse

preceptors and other health care professionals who have sharedtheir valuable time and expertise with our undergraduate and

graduate nursing students. Thank you for the formative role youplay in educating future nurses and nurse leaders.

Thank you!

Doctor of NursingPractice (DNP) in Leadership

Blended online!Prepares for formal managerial, director and executive level roles.

Masters of Science inNursing Administration and Education

Post-Masters Certificates inNursing Administration and Education

www.edgewood.edu

GRADUATENURSING

PROGRAMS

Contact Jenna Alsteen608.663.4255, gps@edgewood.edu

Patentcontinued from page 18 in credentialing,” said Theresa A. Kessler, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, CNE, chair of the American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Certification and professor at the College of Nursing and Health Pro-fessions at Valparaiso University. “Through this new assessment method, (the Amer-ican Nurses Credentialing Center) leads the way in offering opportunities for nurses to be credentialed for their exper-tise and excellence in improving health-care outcomes.”

The Certification through Portfolio application process is completed entirely online. Eligible applicants submit an online portfolio of evidence to document their specialized knowledge and skills, under-standing, and application of professional nursing practice and theory. Applications must articulate performance in four domains of practice: Professional Devel-opment, Professional and Ethical Nursing Practice, Teamwork and Collaboration, and Quality and Safety.

Inventors contributing to this pat-ent include:

• Nancy J. Robert, PhD, MBA, BSN, ANCC, EVP and chief product and mar-keting officer;

• Marianne Horahan, MBA, MPH, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, American Nurses Credentialing Center director of certifica-tion;

• Vicki Lundmark, PhD, American Nurses Credentialing Center director of research;

• Diane L. Thompkins, MSN, RN, American Nurses Credentialing Center

senior certification program analyst;• Stephanie L. Ferguson, PhD, RN,

FNAP, FAAN, international consultant;• Karen Drenkard, PhD, RN,

NEA-BC, FAAN, former American Nurses Credentialing Center executive director;

• Ellen Swartwout, PhD, RN, NEA-BA, former American Nurses Cre-dentialing Center senior director of certifi-cation and measurement services;

• David Paulson, PhD, CAE, former American Nurses Credentialing Center director of measurement services;

• Patricia R. Deyo, MSN, BA, RN, former American Nurses Credentialing Center product manager, certification; and

• Christine Depascale, MS, former American Nurses Credentialing Center research scientist, measurement services

Visit www.nursecredentialing.org/certification to learn more about American Nurses Credentialing Center certification.

Visit www.nursecredentialing.org/Cer-tificationPortfolioRequirements to learn more about Certification through Portfolio requirements.

The mission of the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association, is to pro-mote excellence in nursing and healthcare globally through credentialing programs. The American Nurses Credentialing

Center’s internationally renowned cre-dentialing programs certify and recognize individual nurses in specialty practice areas. The American Nurses Credentialing Center recognizes healthcare organizations that promote nursing excellence and qual-ity patient outcomes while providing safe, positive work environments. In addition, the American Nurses Credentialing Center accredits healthcare organizations that provide and approve continuing nursing education. Visit www.nursecredentialing.org for more information.

May • 2015 NursingmattersPage 18

MERITER HOSPITALS; 2 x 6; Color; 2306324; Nursingmatters

Viterbo is . . .NursingBSN Program• Offered on campus

BSN Completion• Classroom format, onemorning a week in fourWisconsin locations

• 100 percent online format

Doctor of NursingPractice (DNP) Program• BSN to DNP

Family NPAdult-Gero NP

• MSN to DNPFor practicing NPs

• Hybrid course delivery

1-888-VITERBO • www.viterbo.edu/nursing • La Crosse,Wisconsin

Celebrating National NursesWeekMay 6–12, 2015

The National Association of Clini-cal Nurse Specialists has presented its prestigious Affiliate of the Year Award to the Wisconsin Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. The Award recognizes a National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists affiliate that has sustained membership growth, offered educational opportunities, built clinical nurse spe-cialist leadership, contributed to National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists’ growth, and advanced the clinical nurse specialist role.

The Wisconsin Association of Clin-ical Nurse Specialists has worked hard to ensure advanced practice registered nurse title protection in Wisconsin. The affiliate has a lobbyist and also conducted grassroots efforts to ensure passage of the legislation. The affiliate developed and distributed toolkits to help its mem-bers urge the legislature to support the advanced practice registered nurse uni-formity act.

During its annual conferences and other meetings, the affiliate regularly holds ses-sions and workshops on cutting edge top-ics. It also works to promote awareness of the clinical nurse specialist role with other health professionals and the public through a Chief Nursing Officer- clinical nurse specialist shared governance breakfast. In collaboration with a community organi-zation, Wisconsin Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists will provide a clinical nurse specialist to lead a walk and health education activity as part of an annual

“Walk with a Doc” program.“The Wisconsin Association of Clinical

Nurse Specialists has done a remarkable job of increasing awareness of the clinical nurse specialist role with health care pro-fessionals, policy makers and the public,” said Peggy Barksdale, MSN, RN, OCNS-C, CNS-BC, National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists 2015 president. “Their outreach and education efforts are making a difference, not only for clinical nurse specialists in Wisconsin, but also for the patients they care for and in the state’s overall health care.”

Founded in 1995, the National Associ-ation of Clinical Nurse Specialists is the only association representing the clinical nurse specialist. Clinical nurse specialists are advanced practice registered nurses who work in a variety of specialties to ensure high-quality, evidence-based, patient-centered care. As leaders in health care settings, clinical nurse specialists pro-vide direct patient care and lead initiatives to improve care and clinical outcomes, and reduce costs. National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists is dedicated to advancing clinical nurse specialist practice and education, removing certification and regulatory barriers, and assuring the public access to quality clinical nurse special-ist services.

Association recognizes Wisconsin

May • 2015www.nursingmattersonline.com Page 19

Gina Duwe/AP

JANESVILLE (AP) – “I said, ‘When I’m dead, let me stay that way,’” he told his family and physicians.

Lawrence, 73, of Janesville started his advanced-care directive discussion with his heart doctor, who referred him to Dr. Kelly Fehrenbacher, hospice and palli-ative care medicine physician at Mercy Health System.

She worked with him to put his wishes in writing and start him on hospice care. He now wears a bracelet to let paramedics and healthcare workers know not to resuscitate him. He encourages everybody to consider the tough decisions in end-of-life care and to let their wishes be known.

“Nobody knows how long they have or what’s going to happen,” he said.

A statewide initiative called Honoring Choices Wisconsin encourages anyone 18 and older to participate. The Wiscon-sin Medical Society launched Honoring Choices in 2012 to promote the benefits of and improve processes for advanced-care planning across the state. The initiative is starting as a pilot program at Mercy North and Mercy Milton Medical centers. The program offers additional resources and training to Mercy’s previous advance-care

planning efforts.Twenty Mercy nurses, social workers,

chaplains, volunteers and some physicians have been trained as facilitators. Those facilitators will help patients through two appointments – the first to start talking about the patient’s wishes and goals, and the second to complete the legal document.

The form:• Designates up to three healthcare

agents, then asks “yes” or “no” questions about what authority the patient wants to give to the agents.

An agent should agree to the patient’s wishes, which is sometimes difficult when close family members are chosen, Feh-renbacher said. She and other healthcare workers described difficult situations when decisions hadn’t been discussed in advance or when agents wanted to go against the patient’s wishes.

• Has patients check boxes to provide instructions on life-prolonging treatments, pain and comfort, CPR and actions upon death such as an autopsy. It also includes spaces to write about other wishes.

• Requires two witness signatures.• Should be copied and given to all

named healthcare agents after completion. Patients should also keep a copy where it can easily be found. A copy should also

be given to healthcare providers to have on record.

Mercy plans to add the documents to patients’ electronic health-records system; any health system nationwide that uses the Epic health records will be able to access the files.

While such conversations are more critical for elderly patients or those with chronic medical problems, Fehrenbacher said it’s important for anyone 18 and older.

“You could have just a car accident or some serious neurologic injury – diving accident –anything can happen to anyone that makes you unable to make those deci-sions,” she said.

The process takes the burden off family during a stressful time, and families and patients who have completed the paper-work feel relieved, Fehrenbacher said.

“I think a lot of people are scared. They don’t want to talk about it,” she said.

Fehrenbacher asks patients about what they would want if they weren’t breathing and their heart stopped. A lot of people say they wouldn’t want to be resuscitated or put on a ventilator.

“I say, ‘Well if that’s your wish, then there’s some things we need to do,’” she said.

A lot of people think their wishes will be followed without making them legally

known, she said. But patients who do not want to be resuscitated need to complete “Do Not Resuscitate” orders, have them signed by a physician, and they must wear a bracelet stating the wishes, she said. The bracelet is the only tangible way for paramedics to know not to go into “full code,” or full resuscitation, which can include CPR, chest compressions, shocks and ventilation for breathing, she said. If a patient isn’t wearing the bracelet, he or she is technically revoking their wishes, and life-saving measures could be taken.

Some patients mistakenly worry that if they’re wearing the bracelet, they won’t be given any care, Fehrenbacher said. But, she said, “Do Not Resuscitate” orders on the bracelet only apply to a full cardiac arrest. The patient’s heart has stopped and he or she is not breathing.

“You’re already dead, technically,” Feh-renbacher said.

Patients with the bracelet having a heart attack or stroke, or who passed out or fell, will receive the same care as someone without the bracelet.

Honoring Choices program tackles DNR

Gina Duwe/AP

JANESVILLE (AP) – Retired Health Officer Karen Cain said officials across all health services have spent years studying Rock County’s health problems.

“One thing we haven’t done a good job of doing... (is) really changing what we’re doing – because it’s easier to do the

status quo,” said Cain, who retired April 10 from the Rock County Health Department.

A new community health-improvement plan by the major health orga-nizations in Rock County has the potential to help improve health in a county

that has consistently ranked low, she said. The Affordable Care Act requires hospitals to complete a regular community health-needs assessment, and the health depart-ment has worked with Rock County’s four hospitals to do one study. Over the next few years, organizations will be encouraged to not just have these reports that sit on the shelf, she said.

“For many years, that’s kind of what happened,” she said.

No health department can solve all problems itself but must rely on commu-nity partners and services, she added.

Cain will remain on the county health-needs assessment team, now as a volunteer, working to address four problems the team prioritized: access to dental services, access to mental services, lifestyle choices and preventative health screenings.

Cain had served as health officer since 2008 and worked in public health since 1977. She started at the Rock County Health Department in 1986, working for 15 years as the nursing supervisor for public health before leaving to teach. She came back in 2006 for three months to help the city of Beloit’s health department merge with the county department.

She ended up staying for good.Her replacement, Marie-Noel Sandoval,

started in mid-April. Cain said Sandoval is inheriting a great team of public-health nurses, sanitarians and health educators. Cain also credited the county’s board of health, which oversees the department, for being a great group of supporters.

Cain reflected on her career and the future of public health.

Q: How has public health changed over your career?

A: When she started in 1977, seven vaccines were available for kids, compared to 15 now. “The beauty of having all those vaccines is it really has reduced disease outbreaks in children.” Health officials are finding vaccines don’t necessarily protect

for a lifetime, so they need to look at adult vaccine initiatives, she said. When the flu vaccine first came out, it was only recom-mended for high-risk individuals. Now officials recommend everyone be vacci-nated.

“The proliferation of vaccines, I think, has been really a change.”

Q: What are your biggest accom-plishments at the health department?

A: “We have so many good public-health programs. It’s an accomplishment and it’s a challenge. I think people are more aware of the health department and health-depart-ment services.” Public health has been in the limelight a lot in the past decade for things such as H1N1 and Ebola, she said.

She also pointed to improvements in restaurant inspections that cut the number of food-borne illness outbreaks reported to the health department from 40 in 1988-1990, to five in 2012-2014. Rather than having inspectors point out violations, they work with food-service employees to reduce violations and provide education, she said.

The department also started a beach-sampling program that’s become popular because residents can see the results online to know whether to avoid a beach for safety concerns.

Q: What does the future hold for public health?

A: She thinks more services will be

available in the community that will be seen as public health, but not necessarily run through health departments. She also predicted service changing to more popu-lation-based as opposed to home visits and individual-based services.

While public health is changing, it’s sort of a “disease of the day.”

“It’s no longer tuberculosis; it’s Ebola. That communicable disease is always going to be among us,” she said.

Protection of groundwater and surface water also will be important, she said.

She said she hopes for advocacy for public-health funding. The health depart-ment doesn’t receive state funding for pro-grams that it is mandated to deliver, such as communicable disease follow-up, which the department spent $86,000 on last year, she said.

Wisconsin is toward the bottom nation-ally for supporting public health, she said, though the county has made a great com-mitment.

“As long as they’re willing to do that, they’re going to see some good things,” she said of the county.

Health officer reflects on career

What is the future of public-health care?

Karen Cain