- Email: [email protected]
The Lazy Days of Summer?
PRESIDENTÕS MESSAGE
The Lazy Days of Summer? Laura Searcy, MN, APRN, PPCNP-BC, President and Fellow Welcome to the not so lazy days of summer! I am honored to begin my term as your president and to pen my first President’s Message. I continue to be amazed by the extraordinary level of expertise shown by our nursing scientists, researchers, educators, and clinicians as presented in the timely content published in this edition of Journal of Pediatric Health Care. Like the waxing and waning of the moon, the changes of the seasons bring a new focus to clinical practice. As the last vestiges of cough and cold and flu season end and the worst of spring allergy season finally sneezes and wheezes its way into the sunset, new clinical challenges present themselves. Foremost among these challenges is the rapidly evolving situation with the Zika virus. Families, especially those considering having additional children, will look to us as a trusted source of information regarding this virus. I recommend consulting the Zika Web page on the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) Web site (www.napnap.org/zika-need-know-cdc), in addition to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site at http://www.cdc.gov/zika/, for the latest information regarding prevention and spread of the virus. At this time there is no vaccine to prevent infection with the Zika virus. Knowledge of vectors of transmission, especially sexual transmission, continues to evolve. Be sure to advise your patientsÕ families that the types of mosquitos that spread Zika virus bite mostly during the daytime, unlike our traditional mosquitos that bite in the evening. Comprehensive strategies to avoid mosquito bites will be the mainstay of prevention. I also would like to highlight the recently published Pediatric Nursing: Scope and Standards of
Correspondence: Laura Searcy, MN, APRN, PPCNP-BC, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, 5 Hanover Square, Suite 1401, New York, NY 10004; e-mail: [email protected]. J Pediatr Health Care. (2016) 30, 299-300. 0891-5245/$36.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2016.04.014
www.jpedhc.org
Practice, 2nd edition (American Nurses Association, NAPNAP, & Society of Pediatric Nurses, 2015). This updated, unified scope and standards of pediatric nursing practice document reflects the work of representatives from NAPNAP, the Society of Pediatric Nurses, the Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society, the Association of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Nurses, the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, and the Society of Pediatric Cardiovascular Nurses, in collaboration with the American Nurses Association. In this edition the pediatric population is defined as including all children from birth through 21 years of age and, in specific situations, individuals older than 21 years until appropriate transition to adult health care is successful. The authors suggest that creating an exclusive upper age limit for pediatric patients may unnecessarily create barriers and limit access to health care for young adults with special health care needs, chronic conditions, and disabilities. I also would like to bring to your attention NAPNAP’s 2016-2019 strategic plan, which can be accessed on the NAPNAP Web site at https://www.napnap.org/ 2016-19-strategic-plan. This document focuses on the development and visibility of our advanced practice nurse leaders and how to engage members in more meaningful ways. Our experts and leaders are increasingly represented in high-level executive leadership roles in organizations and health care systems and in board rooms. They are contributing their expertise at the cutting edge of the development of health care quality measures and in advancing health care policy. You can help NAPNAP fully measure our members’ achievements and contributions by updating your member background data on TeamPeds on the NAPNAP Web site (https://www.napnap.org/teampeds-volunteers). Our profession has much to celebrate, but challenges also exist that require the awareness and engagement of all pediatric advanced practice nurses. Barriers persist that prevent children and families from accessing our care. We celebrate the continued success of advanced practice nurses in more states who are moving closer to or are gaining full practice authority. However, even if you practice in a full practice authority state, is July/August 2016
299
your full practice authority recognized within the organization or practice where you are employed? If not, we have more work to do. It is important that the care we deliver be transparent and identifiable in data systems. It is critical that the actual provider of care to a patient can be identified, no matter his or her discipline, and that the outcomes and quality of that care can be measured and fairly reimbursed. NAPNAP will continue to advocate regarding these issues at the federal level. We also must focus attention on the future of our profession and the development of the pediatric specialist workforce. Although the knowledge, visibility, and recognition of our scholarship and practice are increasing, the percentage of the nursing workforce specializing in pediatrics is decreasing (National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, Human Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014).
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Volume 30 Number 4
Look to future President’s Messages for more information about these critically important issues. In the meantime, sit by the seashore, relax by the lake, or enjoy a picnic and celebrate all that each and every one of you does to care for our kids. Happy summer!
REFERENCES American Nurses Association, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, & Society of Pediatric Nurses. (2015). Pediatric nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association. National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). The future of the nursing workforce: Nationaland state-level projections, 2012-2025. Retrieved from http:// bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/supplydemand/nursing/workfor ceprojections/nursingprojections.pdf
Journal of Pediatric Health Care
The Lazy Days of Summer? Laura Searcy, MN, APRN, PPCNP-BC, President and Fellow Welcome to the not so lazy days of summer! I am honored to begin my term as your president and to pen my first President’s Message. I continue to be amazed by the extraordinary level of expertise shown by our nursing scientists, researchers, educators, and clinicians as presented in the timely content published in this edition of Journal of Pediatric Health Care. Like the waxing and waning of the moon, the changes of the seasons bring a new focus to clinical practice. As the last vestiges of cough and cold and flu season end and the worst of spring allergy season finally sneezes and wheezes its way into the sunset, new clinical challenges present themselves. Foremost among these challenges is the rapidly evolving situation with the Zika virus. Families, especially those considering having additional children, will look to us as a trusted source of information regarding this virus. I recommend consulting the Zika Web page on the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) Web site (www.napnap.org/zika-need-know-cdc), in addition to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site at http://www.cdc.gov/zika/, for the latest information regarding prevention and spread of the virus. At this time there is no vaccine to prevent infection with the Zika virus. Knowledge of vectors of transmission, especially sexual transmission, continues to evolve. Be sure to advise your patientsÕ families that the types of mosquitos that spread Zika virus bite mostly during the daytime, unlike our traditional mosquitos that bite in the evening. Comprehensive strategies to avoid mosquito bites will be the mainstay of prevention. I also would like to highlight the recently published Pediatric Nursing: Scope and Standards of
Correspondence: Laura Searcy, MN, APRN, PPCNP-BC, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, 5 Hanover Square, Suite 1401, New York, NY 10004; e-mail: [email protected]. J Pediatr Health Care. (2016) 30, 299-300. 0891-5245/$36.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2016.04.014
www.jpedhc.org
Practice, 2nd edition (American Nurses Association, NAPNAP, & Society of Pediatric Nurses, 2015). This updated, unified scope and standards of pediatric nursing practice document reflects the work of representatives from NAPNAP, the Society of Pediatric Nurses, the Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society, the Association of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Nurses, the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, and the Society of Pediatric Cardiovascular Nurses, in collaboration with the American Nurses Association. In this edition the pediatric population is defined as including all children from birth through 21 years of age and, in specific situations, individuals older than 21 years until appropriate transition to adult health care is successful. The authors suggest that creating an exclusive upper age limit for pediatric patients may unnecessarily create barriers and limit access to health care for young adults with special health care needs, chronic conditions, and disabilities. I also would like to bring to your attention NAPNAP’s 2016-2019 strategic plan, which can be accessed on the NAPNAP Web site at https://www.napnap.org/ 2016-19-strategic-plan. This document focuses on the development and visibility of our advanced practice nurse leaders and how to engage members in more meaningful ways. Our experts and leaders are increasingly represented in high-level executive leadership roles in organizations and health care systems and in board rooms. They are contributing their expertise at the cutting edge of the development of health care quality measures and in advancing health care policy. You can help NAPNAP fully measure our members’ achievements and contributions by updating your member background data on TeamPeds on the NAPNAP Web site (https://www.napnap.org/teampeds-volunteers). Our profession has much to celebrate, but challenges also exist that require the awareness and engagement of all pediatric advanced practice nurses. Barriers persist that prevent children and families from accessing our care. We celebrate the continued success of advanced practice nurses in more states who are moving closer to or are gaining full practice authority. However, even if you practice in a full practice authority state, is July/August 2016
299
your full practice authority recognized within the organization or practice where you are employed? If not, we have more work to do. It is important that the care we deliver be transparent and identifiable in data systems. It is critical that the actual provider of care to a patient can be identified, no matter his or her discipline, and that the outcomes and quality of that care can be measured and fairly reimbursed. NAPNAP will continue to advocate regarding these issues at the federal level. We also must focus attention on the future of our profession and the development of the pediatric specialist workforce. Although the knowledge, visibility, and recognition of our scholarship and practice are increasing, the percentage of the nursing workforce specializing in pediatrics is decreasing (National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, Human Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014).
300
Volume 30 Number 4
Look to future President’s Messages for more information about these critically important issues. In the meantime, sit by the seashore, relax by the lake, or enjoy a picnic and celebrate all that each and every one of you does to care for our kids. Happy summer!
REFERENCES American Nurses Association, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, & Society of Pediatric Nurses. (2015). Pediatric nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association. National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). The future of the nursing workforce: Nationaland state-level projections, 2012-2025. Retrieved from http:// bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/supplydemand/nursing/workfor ceprojections/nursingprojections.pdf
Journal of Pediatric Health Care