From the Desk of
the President...
April/May 2007 President’s Message
Dear Nurses,
I enjoyed our annual educational conference, ENA by the Bay, that
was held April 13th-15th with our EMS colleagues. We had some
amazing speakers!
Gail Lenahan, the editor of the Journal of Emergency Nursing (JEN)
for 25 years, spoke on trends in emergency nursing, the idea for and
birth of ENA and chronicled emergency nursing issues documented via
the JEN. Mary Ellen Wilson and Kristen Johnson from John Hopkins
Pediatric Emergency Department shared some great tips for handling
pediatric patients in a family-centered manner. Maryland Poison
Center's Clinical Education Coordinator, Lisa Booze's lecture was so
packed with information, I am really happy they are just a phone
call away. After Helen Bradley’s talk on MI’s, I think I am ready to
take on any cardiologist! Lt. Colonel Naomi Deshore-Osborne spoke
about her current and ongoing combat experiences as a Senior Flight
Nurse transporting our soldiers from the battlefield to the
definitive and recovery hospitals in the USA. It was inspiring and
tearful. She got a standing ovation. Dr. Alcorta updated us on
current trends in Trauma assessment and initial care. Robbi Hartsock
from Shock Trauma related a unique program that is helping to stem
the cycle of violence for patients in the trauma system.
That was just a few of the speakers that were just incredible. If
you missed this year, make a plan to sign up next year so you don’t
miss out. . My hat is off to our conference planners, Md State ENA
president-elect Mary Alice Vanhoy, Mid-Maryland Chapter President
Linda Arapian, and Md State ENA treasurer, Sandy Waak. Their
diligence and coordination as well as onsite management contributed
to this successful event. We extend our immense gratitude to these
nurses. Conferences are a tremendous undertaking but they made it
look like "a piece of cake".
We are gearing up for our state meeting
May 2 at 4 PM at Bowie Health Center and the annual national ENA
conference in Salt Lake City, UT, in late September. ENA has just
started to advertise registration and housing, so please don’t wait
till the last minute. If you are an active Md. State ENA member,
make sure you print your delegate point sheet from the web site,
complete it and submit it in time for delegate selection by June
16th. If you do decide to go to the educational portion of the
conference, drop me an email!
We are already starting to search for
new officers for 2008. If you have ever wanted to run for a state or
local chapter office, now is the time to get ready. The call for
candidates will go out in June and final voting will be in October.
This year we will be voting on line, unless you request a paper
ballot.
For those of you who are not interested in officer positions, we
have many committees that need your help, whether you can give us an
hour or more. We are only as great as our members!
If you haven’t heard the news, our state
was awarded a state achievement award from National ENA. We were
recognized for taking the lead in many areas or promoting innovative
initiatives. For example, we coordinated with our EMS colleagues for
a joint Maryland State Emergency Educational Conference. We invited
nursing students to attend and held a special session for them.
Maryland ENA is working with our legislators to make your daily
practice safer, working on the problems of ED overcrowding, boarding
of patients and violence in the ED.
There is a new TNCC curriculum that has
been completed. This year, TNCC instructors will be trained in the
new format. We are sending four of our instructor faculty to Chicago
to learn the new material and return to Maryland to update the
remaining state instructors. If you are an instructor and need more
information, contact our state TNCC Chairperson, Sandy Waak, this
summer following the TNCC roll out.
I am looking forward to the nice weather
and I hope to see you at our next state meeting.
Sincerely yours,
Tamra White
Maryland State ENA President
Past Messages:
March
2002
July
2002
September
2002
November
2002
December
2002
February
2003
September
2003
January
2004
April
2004
June
2004
November
2004
January
2005
March
2005
April
2005
May
2005
July
2005
March
2006
September/October
2006
February 2007