S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 SWANN Newsletter National Association of Neonatal Nurses NANN is pleased to once again offer registration scholarships to attend the 32 nd Annual Educational Conference taking place in Palm Springs, CA. Supported by a grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition, these scholarships are open to NANN members who have an interest in advancing their career and involvement in neonatal care, management and/or research. The application deadline is Friday, June 24 th, 2016. Wednesday, October 26 th thru Saturday October 29 th, 2016 NANN s Educational Conference is the must-attend meeting for neonatal nurses and neonatal advanced practice nurses. With customized content tailored to every career stage, you ll learn from respected neonatal leaders and return to your NICUs or educational settings with critical information you can use to make a difference right away. Grow your professional network while collaborating with fellow NANN members and neonatal nurses from all over the world. And just as importantly, have some much needed fun relaxing and reconnecting with your neonatal peers. Join us for hot educational topics such as: Neonatal abstinence syndrome, nutrition: donor milk, long-term cardiac care, palliative care, skin care, pharmacology: sedatives & narcotics (ELBW), long-term follow-up care, nurturing in the novice NNP, writing effective test questions and practical approaches to performance improvement
Are you ready to become certified? 2016 March for Babies The weather did not disappoint again this year at the March for Babies. As usual, it was a balmy 40 degrees and windy at the lakefront on April 30th, 2016. Despite the weather, a handful of members represented SWANN at our Teddy Bear Clinic (in our winter coats). At the clinic, kids took their stuffed animal through different stations that stressed the importance of different aspects of newborn care. The children started by making a birth certificate for their teddy bear including the name, weight and length. Then, they took their bear through a variety of stations where they immunized their bear, talked about newborn screening, provided kangaroo care and demonstrated car seat safety. Each of these stations were supervised by a SWANN member to help the kids and families learn about each topic. The booklets that the kids took through each station to be stamped also had informative information for parents on healthy pregnancy and well-baby care. This was SWANN s 2nd year working at the Teddy Bear Clinic at the March for Babies. Continuing to work at this tent not only allows SWANN the opportunity to help educate the community on well baby care and the role of the March of Dimes, but also allows us to get our name out as an important local organization. 1. Late decelerations of fetal heart rates are due to: A. Cord compression B. Uteroplacental insufficiency C. Fetal immaturity Answers on page 7 2. Which of the following is the most limiting factor related to enteral feeds for premature infants? A. Gastric capacity B. Gastroesophageal reflux C. Gastrointestinal motility 2
Featured SWANN Member: Beth Hultman 1. How long have you been a nurse in the NICU? And where? I have been a NICU RN for 16 years, since graduating college in 2000. I have primarily practiced at Aurora Sinai Medical Center, however have helped out with the opening/staffing of the other Aurora level III NICUs in the system. 2. What inspired you to go back to school to become a neonatal nurse practitioner? I needed a professional change for a few years prior to returning to school, but the timing wasn't quite right, so when both my girls were in school, I knew it was time to take the plunge. 3. Where do you currently work? Where will you be practicing as a NNP? I have graduated and am preparing for boards right now, so I still work at Sinai. When I pass boards I will be an NNP at Aurora Sheboygan Medical Center, along with having some time at Sinai. 4. What do you love best about your new role as a NNP? For what I have experienced through school, I love the ability to create plans of care based on my new-found knowledge of neonatal management, yet continue to promote patient-centered (and family-centered) care. It's the art of nursing intertwined with the medical management that makes the NNP role diverse and satisfying. I can't imagine my life without being able to work with and hold babies. 5. How long have you been a member of NANN? I have been a member of NANN for 3 years. 6. How long have you been a member of SWANN? Once I joined NANN I wanted to be part of the local chapter as well, specifically to collaborate and meet nurses that work in other systems. It is great to see how others practice and what evidence-based practices are being brought to the bedside elsewhere. 7. What is your favorite thing about belonging to SWANN? I guess I just answered that one! In addition, I look forward to being more involved in SWANN now that grad school is complete. I hope to engage more nurses from Aurora, especially as the nursing profession is promoting certification which will hopefully further increase interest in SWANN. 8. Tell us something fun or amusing about yourself that not many people know. Well, I used to be (and technically still am) a Les Mills Body Combat instructor. Although I no longer teach at my gym, I continue to take my favorite class and love the stress relief it provides. There is nothing like throwing some elbows and cross jabs to start off the day just right! 3
2016 SWANN Conference The 3rd annual SWANN conference Neonatal Nursing: Creating a Culture of Compassion was held on April 11th 2016 at Country Springs Hotel and Conference Center in Pewaukee, WI. The conference was a huge success, with attendees representing NICUs from all over the southern Wisconsin area. We had over 110 people attend as well as a variety of great speakers that talked about breast milk properties, respiratory distress, trauma informed care, and caring for ourselves, our patients and their parents. Also for the first time, we had a poster session allowing more information to be presented on various different topics. Thank you to the conference planning committee who worked so hard over the last year to make this conference a success! If you would like to get involved in conference planning for 2017 please let us know, we are always looking for new ideas to make our conference bigger and better each year. Save the dates for next year s SWANN conference, March 26-27th, 2017. 4
SWANN NEWSLETTER - JUNE SUMMER 2016 News and Updates Call for Abstracts Members of the 4th Annual Southern Wisconsin Chapter of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses Conference Planning Committee would like to invite you to start thinking about submitting an abstract for the 2017 SWANN conference poster presentation session. Neonatal Nurses Day T-shirts Coming in August 2016! Plan ahead J More details to follow! Call for 2017 Conference Planning Members If you are interested in enhancing your professional involvement, consider volunteering to be a part of the 2017 SWANN conference planning committee. There are many different committees we are sure there is one in which you can offer your expertise. Please email swannofwisconsin@gmail.com if you are interested in helping in any way, big or small! 5
Words from the President Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field. Dennis Waitley I believe now is a good time to take a moment for professional self-reflection. We are reaching the mid-point of 2016, beginning our summer holidays and hopefully slowing down a bit as the evenings last longer. The work of a NICU nurse is hard. It is not by accident that most people, when told what you do for a living, say oh I could never do that. It is because they never could. Our work is emotionally, mentally and at times physically challenging. We have all chosen a career where the stakes are high and the rewards can leave you wanting. Part of what keeps me going is professional goal setting. I have found in the past that by setting professional goals for myself the feelings of reward are much greater. And while nothing can compare to the feeling of reward like a hand-written note from a family touched by your care, there are many ways to fill the need of professional satisfaction. SWANN has become a big part of my professional self and I have been fortunate to utilize the resources of NANN and SWANN to move my career forward. One avenue of this movement is the creation of original ideas and research that affects other NICU nurses and then taking the time to share them in a professional forum. A great example of this is a poster session at a conference. We all have small projects, big questions, or research that deserves to be shared with colleagues but we don t have the time to put together big presentations. A poster session is a succinct mode of communicating your professional accomplishments with your colleagues. I would challenge all of you who have a lingering questions about your work to take this year to find the answer. I would challenge all of you who have QI projects that are making a difference to share your findings. I would challenge all of you to take the time to systematically develop your ideas, research and conclusions and share them with your deserving colleagues. SWANN will be hosting a one and half day conference in March 2017 and I would be inspired to learn more about what other NICU nurses in Southern Wisconsin are doing to better the care of the neonate and improve the work of the NICU nurse. Please consider making this year the year you take your professional self to the next level and submit an abstract for our poster session. You have already set yourself apart by making a choice to be a part of our local professional association. Now is the time to challenge your professional self and find the rewards it can bring. Please consider aiding in the continual learning of your NICU colleagues. Katie Malin, SWANN President 6
Join us on our website By enrolling in our website you will be able to: Receive news & announcement notifications Receive event invitations Receive group/personalized messages RSVP for your conferences, events and meetings Access bylaws and minutes Access members only sections https://www.facebook.com/pages/southern-wi-chapter-of-national-association-of-neonatal- Nurses-Swann/152774394808442 Test your knowledge 1. Answer is B: Late decelerations are a result of uteroplacental insufficiency (UI). UI occurs when gas exchange is restricted anywhere between the uterus, placenta and fetus, resulting in fetal hypoxia. When late decels are a result of maternal circulation, the underlying cause can include PIH, diabetes, anemia, cardiac disease, respiratory disease or anesthesia. 2. Answer is C: Although gastroesophageal reflux is common and gastric capacity is small, the main limiting factor in enteral feeds for premature infants is gastrointestinal motility. Please send any ideas and photos you would like to see in future newsletters to: swannofwisconsin@gmail.com Southern Wisconsin Association of Neonatal Nurses Katie Malin President Rachael Edjou Secretary/Newsletter Elizabeth Orloski Educational Dinner Coordinator Stephanie Nelson Promotions Board of Directors Heidi Riegel President Elect Jennifer Schuster Treasurer Alayna Braun Advocacy Rep Anne Mussatti Website Director