J.J.'s areas of interest and knowledge are not limited to healthcare and FNA feels confident that she will serve her constituents as a well-rounded, informed legislator. For more information on Ms. Juliano, please visit her official campaign website at julianoforstaterep.org. You may also contact her directly at 941-626-4659.

Consumer Access to Healthcare Act - SB 1488/ HB 1435 by Senator Dean and Representative Zapata
This bill will require that hospitals provide each patient with an estimate of the costs of services for elective procedures, as well as an itemized bill of services. The bill will also require hospitals to report cost information on the top 100 most frequently conducted procedures, as well as the top most frequently used medications and supplies. The information will be reported to the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) and then posted on a website for public review. FNA looks forward to working with the Florida Retail Federation, the League of Women Voters, AARP, Florida PIRG, Florida Insurance Council, Humana, Inc., National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Florida Petroleum Marketers on this important bill. The bill has passed out of all of its committees of reference in the House and Senate and should soon be heard on the Floor of both Chambers.

Previously released FNA priority issues include:

Over one hundred nurses were nominated for this professional recognition and thirty submitted exemplars, sharing their personal stories of how they made a difference in their clinical practice. The exemplars were given to a panel of professional nurses from the nursing spectrum and sixteen were selected for presentation at the conference.

The 21st Annual Ingeborg Mauksch Clinical Excellence Conference will be held on May 2nd at Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando, Florida. Leu Gardens is located at 1920 North Forest Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803. Click here for more information or to register or email conferences@floridanurse.org.

FNF was established by members of the Florida Nurses Association (FNA) in 1983 and first grants were awarded in 1986. The FNF focus has evolved over time to include support of nursing education and research and to provide assistance to nurses in need. Funding for FNF initiatives comes from FNA member donations, entrusted FNA member funds and FNF fundraising efforts.

For more information on FNF or to access the online applications, please visit www.floridanurse.org/foundationgrants. Completed applications are due on June 2, 2008. Additional questions can be directed to foundation@floridanurse.org.

Click here to download a flyer about FNF research grants and scholarships.

2008 Lobby Days conference attendees were also on hand to watch three FNA priority bills be presented on the Senate Floor. The Senate also acknowledged the nurses and their contribution to Florida with a standing ovation. These bills are:

Click here for photos of the 2008 FNA Lobby Days conference.

Six years have passed since Cherokee Uniforms first began recognizing healthcare professionals through its Inspired Comfort Awards program. Since that time, the leading designer and manufacturer of healthcare apparel has awarded nearly 60 healthcare professionals from across the country for their exceptional service, sacrifice and innovation. Although winners have had diverse backgrounds, all of them have one thing in common - a sincere passion for bettering the lives of others.

Beginning on March 1st, Cherokee Uniforms will be accepting nominations for the 2008 Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award until May 31, 2008.

To nominate a healthcare professional, please visit www.CherokeeUniforms.com or pick up a nomination form from a Cherokee Uniforms retailer. Candidates may be nominated in two of the following categories but can only win in one: Registered Nurses (RNs); Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs); Licensed Practical Nurses/Licensed Vocational Nurses (LPNs/LVNs); Students enrolled in schools of nursing; and other Non-Physician Healthcare Professionals.

The grand prize winner in each category will receive an all-expense-paid Caribbean cruise for two. Additional winners in each category will receive all-expense-paid trips to a 2009 U.S. medical conference of each winner's choice, an annual membership to their preferred clinical association and a donation of $500 to the nonprofit organization of their choice.

Every award winner will receive a trophy, a medical wardrobe of Cherokee scrubs and Rockers footwear worth more than $1,000 and a profile in the nationally distributed Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award 2009 calendar. Additionally, those who nominated the grand prize winner in each category will each receive a Cherokee medical wardrobe and a donation of $500 to the nonprofit organization of their choice. Winners will be announced in September 2008.

Also, Cherokee Uniforms will make a donation for every healthcare professional who is nominated for the award through May 31, 2008, to Nurses House, a national fund that provides short-term financial assistance to registered nurses facing serious hardship.

It is the position of the Center for American Nurses that there is no place in a professional practice environment for lateral violence and bullying among nurses or between healthcare professionals. All healthcare organizations should implement a zero tolerance policy related to disruptive behavior, including a professional code of conduct and educational and behavioral interventions to assist nurses in addressing disruptive behavior.

Background

Lateral violence (also known as horizontal violence, horizontal hostility, and intergroup conflict) is a specific type of violence that occurs between individuals at the same level of the organizational hierarchy. In nursing, it is nurse-to-nurse aggression. Lateral violence may be verbal or non-verbal and either overt or covert. The most common forms of lateral violence include non-verbal innuendo, verbal affront, undermining, withholding information, sabotage, infighting, scapegoating, backstabbing, failure to respect privacy and broken confidences.

Bullying is generally associated with individuals at different levels of power and authority, but can also occur nurse-to-nurse. Examples of bullying include undermining an individual’s right to dignity at work, humiliation, intimidation, verbal abuse, victimization, exclusion and isolation; intrusion by pestering, spying and stalking; repeated unreasonable assignments to duties which are obviously unfavorable to one individual; repeated requests giving impossible deadlines or impossible tasks; and implied threats.

“Lateral violence and bullying have profound and measurable negative effects on nurses, healthcare organizations, and patients,” said Carrie Houser James, MSN, RN, CNA, BC, CCE, President of the Center for American Nurses. “The Joint Commission has recognized the negative effects of disruptive behavior on staff morale and turnover as well as on patient care and has proposed new standards for 2009 that will require organizations to have a code of conduct that defines disruptive and inappropriate behaviors and require a process for dealing with them. We applaud The Joint Commission for this effort and support the proposed standards.”

Lateral violence and bullying affect the nurse as an individual, the nurse’s colleagues, and ultimately patient care. Nurses who are the target of the violence and bullying as well as their colleagues may experience decreased job satisfaction, increased stress and both physical and psychological effects. This can lead to negative outcomes for organizations including increased absenteeism and turnover. The problem of lateral violence and bullying is broad reaching and has clear implications in the current and future projected shortage of nurses, as well as the safety and quality of patient care.

Solutions

The Center for American Nurses has adopted a position statement which includes recommended strategies that nurses, employers/organizations, continuing education and academic programs and nursing researchers can employ to eliminate lateral violence and bullying. A template for a zero tolerance policy and procedure has been developed as a part of the position statement.

“Zero tolerance must become a reality,” said Dennis Sherrod, EdD, RN, President-Elect of the Center for American Nurses. “This issue demands the immediate attention of every healthcare organization and every nurse.”

Additional Information

Click here for a copy of the Center's position statement.

For interviews with Carrie Houser James or Dennis Sherrod, please contact Terri Gaffney at 703-655-2872 or by email at Center@GannettHG.com.

This position statement has been approved by a majority of the delegates who represent the Center’s 42 organizational members which include 41 state nursing associations and by the Center’s Board of Directors.

Lateral violence and bullying are also topics which will be addressed at the Center for American Nurses national meeting which will take place in Washington, DC on June 23-24, 2008. Additional information can be found at www.LEADSummit2008.org.

The Center for American Nurses is a national professional nursing organization that educates, equips and empowers nurses to advocate for themselves, their profession and their patients. The Center offers evidence-based solutions and powerful tools to navigate workplace challenges, optimize patient outcomes, and maximize career benefits. Established in 2003, the Center partners with its 42 organizational members, comprised of over 47,000 registered nurses nationwide, to develop resources, strategies, and tools to help nurses manage evolving workforce issues and succeed in their careers. Additional information about the Center can be found at www.centerforamericannurses.org.

Using the theme, “Nurses Making A Difference Every Day,” the American Nurses Association (ANA) and its 54 constituent associations, including the Florida Nurses Association (FNA), will highlight the diverse ways in which registered nurses - the largest healthcare profession - are working to improve health care. From acute bedside nursing to long-term care, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession is meeting the expanding healthcare needs of American society.

National Nurse Week begins on May 6, marked as RN Recognition Day, and ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, founder of nursing as a modern profession.
ANA and FNA, through its members, advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting economic and general welfare, promoting a positive and realistic view of nursing and lobbying Congress and regulatory agencies on healthcare issues affecting nursing and the public.

For ideas on how to celebrate Nurse Week in your community, please click here.

President: Andrea C. Gregg, RN, DSN, Jacksonville, FL
First Vice President: Bonnie C. Sklaren, ARNP, Gulfport, FL
Second Vice President: Debra Hunt, ARNP, Clermont, FL
Secretary: Judith L. Davies, RN, West Palm Beach, FL
Treasurer: Michael W. Nilsson, RN, Dunedin, FL
Director-at-Large: William D. Ahrens, RN, Jacksonville, FL
Director-at-Large: Cynthia B. Boucher, RN, Gainesville, FL
Director-at-Large: Deborah D. Brabham, RN, Jacksonville, FL
Director-at-Large: Edward T. Briggs, ARNP, St. Petersburg, FL
Director-at-Large: Ann-Lynn Denker, ARNP, PhD, Miami, FL
Director-at-Large: Susan Hartranft, ARNP, Clearwater, FL
Director-at-Large: Mavra Kear, ARNP, Lakeland, FL
Director-at-Large: Marsha Martin, RN, Gainesville, FL

Safe Patient Lifting - SB 508/ HB 471 by Senator Saunders and Representative Patronis
The Health Innovation committee members unanimously passed the Safe Patient Lifting bill out of the committee last week, requiring hospitals to establish policy concerning safe lifting & handling of patients, establishing a committee to develop policy and requiring evaluation of the policy. This bill is the product of a cooperative effort on the part of the Florida Hospital Association, FNA and Service Employees Union International Local 1991.

Clinical Laboratories Bill - SB 716/ HB 695 by Senator Fasano and Representative Garcia
This bill will add Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs) to the list of providers from whom clinical laboratories are mandated to accept specimens. The bill was passed unanimously out of Senate Health Regulation and will next be heard in Senate Judiciary.

Improving Patients' Access to Care - SB 972/ HB 515 by Senator Saunders and Representative Zapata
Intended to improve patient access to care, this bill will permit controlled substance prescriptive privileges for Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs) whose practice location is in medically underserved areas and medically underserved populations, as defined by Health and Human Services. The bill was referred to the House Health Innovation Committee and has also been referred to Senate Health Regulation.

HIV/AIDS Educational Requirements - HB 153/ SB 646 by Senator Margolis and Representative Cusack, RN
A couple of years ago, the requirement that health care providers take HIV/AIDS continuing education courses every two years was amended because the medical care of HIV and AIDS is not changing as rapidly as it once was. However, the law which governs certain types of facilities was not changed and the employees of the facilities must still take the HIV/AIDS course every two years. This bill passed out of Senate Health Regulation last week.

School Nurse Services - HB 495 by Representative Grimsley, RN
This bill would allow school nurses to have certain amounts of epi-pens on hand for use in case of emergency in schools. FNA supports this bill, which will make it easier for school nurses to meet the needs of the children they serve.

FNA has long been a strong voice for healthcare advocacy in the state of Florida. For over 32 years, the FNA legislative program has served as the “go to” organization for issues related to nursing, access to healthcare and many other important issues. FNA has served as the watchdog, as well as the defender of nursing practice, and practice related issues. Much of FNA’s influence and power comes from the fact that nurses not only advocate for their own work environment, but also for the patients they care for. This year, issues of nursing interest include: safe patient lifting, the clinical nurse specialist bill, the clinical laboratories bill, increasing access to health care in underserved areas by permitting ARNPs to prescribe controlled substances and epi-pen usage for school nurses.

Both FNA member and non-members are encouraged to attend the 2008 Political Action Lobby Days Conference. For more information or to register via email, please contact conferences@floridanurse.org. To learn more about the FNA legislative program, please visit www.floridanurse.org/legislative.

With nearly thirty years of nursing experience, Ms. Hogan became a Registered Nurse (R.N.) at the Mastin School of Nursing, received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) at the Medical School of Georgia and achieved her Master’s (Degree) in Public Health (M.P.H.) at the Tulane School of Public Health. She has worked for universities, school systems, children’s medical services and health departments. Currently, Ms. Hogan is employed by the Palm Beach County Health Department as the Nursing Supervisor for the Community Immunization Program.

Deborah Hogan, RN, MPH has held both local and state leadership roles with FNA, her FNA district, Florida Association of Public Health Nurses and the School Health Advisory Council for Palm Beach County. Ms. Hogan was a FNA board member from 2001-2005.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced a new scholars program to develop the next generation of nurse leaders in academia and boost the stature of junior faculty in nursing schools. The RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholars program will provide $28 million over the next five years to outstanding junior nursing faculty to help them advance in their fields and seek faculty positions earlier in their careers by providing mentorship, leadership training, salary and research support.

Despite a rise in applicants, nursing schools around the U.S. turn away thousands of prospective students from baccalaureate and masters programs because of an acute shortage of faculty and clinical preceptors, training sites, space and funding constraints. Since the stature of nursing schools and the promotion of nursing faculty are dependent on the quality of the nursing faculty's scholarly and/or research pursuits, the Nurse Faculty Scholars program will work to strengthen the link between institutional reputation and faculty success by providing career development and other opportunities for outstanding junior faculty.

Scholars will be given opportunities to develop a research program and other scholarly activities; work closely with institutional and national mentors; participate in leadership training; and network with scholars, experts and colleagues in their field and other related fields. Scholars also will be able to gain much-needed protected time to get the critical skills needed for a successful career in academic nursing.

"Universities are turning away thousands of qualified applicants to nursing schools each year because they lack the faculty to teach them. We have a pipeline problem. We need to fill that pipeline or we all will suffer the consequences," said RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A. "We're committed to supporting the next generation of nursing leaders and encouraging more nurses to seek faculty positions earlier in their careers. Recruiting more nurse educators to the classroom and retaining them in academia is critical if we want to successfully address the nursing shortage."

There are also not enough nurses lined up to fill positions that will be vacated by retiring faculty, and the Nurse Faculty Scholars program will aim to encourage junior nurse faculty to continue on in their roles as educators.

"Our intent is to retain the most talented junior faculty we have and create outstanding role models so that more nurses might choose nursing academia as a career," said RWJF Senior Program Officer Susan Hassmiller, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.

The program will be run out of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Jacquelyn C. Campbell, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Anna D. Wolf chair and professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, respectively, will direct the five-year program.

"The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) is proud to be the national program office of the RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholars program, and I am excited to have the opportunity to direct the program," Campbell said. "As one of the leading schools of nursing in the country, JHUSON holds among its highest priorities the development of nursing faculty as academic leaders-leaders who combine excellence in research, teaching, practice and service.

"This program is exactly what Schools of Nursing like JHU need to develop our young, promising faculty members so that they continue to teach the future nurses of this country," Campbell added.

The program will award up to $350,000 for three years to each RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholar; up to 15 scholars will be selected each year. Applicants must be junior faculty members with at least two but no more than five years of experience in a faculty role. Candidates who completed their doctoral degree within 10 years of receiving their initial nursing degree are encouraged to apply.

Click here for more program information in the Nurse Faculty Scholars Call for Applications. The deadline for applicant registration is April 1, 2008.

(SILVER SPRING/MD/NOVEMBER 2007) - The American Nurses Association (ANA) reaffirms its long-standing support for advanced practice nurses to serve as independent providers of health care services, particularly in retail clinics. Recently, the American Medical Association (AMA) called for investigations of ‘potential conflicts of interest posed by joint ventures between store-based health clinics and pharmacy chains’ as it relates to ‘patients’ welfare and risk’. ANA believes nurse practitioners are a critical component to the health care delivery system and opposes any action that creates barriers to their practice or denigrates the standard of care they provide.

The AMA resolution states that their concern over retail based clinics hinges on the belief that those clinics serve to drive more business into the stores in which they are housed. ANA’s Code
of Ethics for Nurses states that the nurse’s first priority is to preserve and protect the patient’s right to make an informed judgment regarding health care. To that end, nurse practitioners have
an obligation to provide a patient with accurate, complete and understandable information which allows that patient to determine the desired method of treatment. A nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, and ANA objects to any suggestion that nurse practitioners would put the goals of their employer above the goal of providing quality health services.

AMA suggests that the standard of care could be compromised in a store-based health clinic; however numerous studies have shown that advanced practiced registered nurses (ARNPs) including nurse practitioners, provide high quality health care services. A study published in the Jan. 5, 2000 Journal of the American Medical Association compared the outcomes of patients randomly assigned to medical doctors (MDs) and nurse practitioners within the same managed care organization and found that “patient’s outcomes were comparable”.

In its Health Care Agenda, ANA calls for more community based and preventative care. Retail clinics serve in that capacity by meeting the health care needs of the population. In the May/June
2005 issue of The American Nurse which examined retail clinics, approximately 50 percent of clinic patients did not have primary care providers. Working parents often are unable to pursue urgent care until after work or school hours. This necessitates seeking health care during evening and weekend hours which too few primary care physicians provide. Nurse practitioners in retail clinics provide convenient and cost effective health care to an increasing number of Americans who would otherwise delay seeking care. Medical professionals would better serve their patients by improving and expanding their health care access and working as colleagues with nurse practitioners and other independent health care professionals.

ANA is dedicated to fostering the highest professional standards for registered nurses. ANA remains committed to the principle that all persons are entitled to ready access to affordable, quality health services. ANA will pursue legislative and regulatory action that protects the rights of APRNs, including nurse practitioners, to practice fully within their scope of practice, in retail clinics or other health care services.