H1N1/Swine Flu--What are you going to do?

As health care providers, have you set up your own pandemic/disaster preparation plan? I know the hospitals and clinics are looking at their policies and what procedures will be implemented in case of a pandemic/disaster, but every health care provider needs to look at their personal life and make plans.

-Do you have a change of clothes and toiletries in your car or locker in case you have to stay at work?

-Do you have a backup plan for child care? pet care? etc?

-Are you keeping up to date on what is going on? Looking at various sources for information? I think this is important because I question how much true information we are being told. Here in Texas a woman died and it was reported that she had health problems, but then her husband was interviewed and stated that she had no health problems. I have seen similar posts and it makes me wonder if the reporting is faulty when we are told that the people dying also have additional health conditions and then the family disputes that information or if a decision is being made to downplay that the flu is infecting healthy young adults as did the Spanish flu.

-Are you prepared to feed your family (pets included) for a week or more if stores are closed?

-There are more preparations that each provider should consider, but this is just to get you thinking about preparation.

Thinking ahead, planning and preparation are some important cornerstones of health care practice.

Attorneys urged to become nurses

"Why Not Doctor a Stalled Legal Career With a Nursing Degree?" was posted on the May 11, 2009 Legal Blog Watch. The posting discusses how a nursing degree may be the solution for attorneys that are being laid off or that cannot find a position after law school. The posting is not as interesting as the comments posted on ABA Journal site. I have to agree with the majority of postings; a person should not go to nursing school unless they want to be a nurse. The fields mentioned as potential career choices ignore the fact that most of those careers require EXPERIENCE in nursing.

I get phone calls from nurses that are either thinking about becoming legal nurse consultants or they have already paid the money to become a certified nurse consultant and now they are seeking work (as a note, I do not typically use consultants in my practice, just my own nursing knowledge). Many of those nurses do not have enough nursing experience to be marketable. Most of what makes a LNC valuable is the nursing background and vast experience that the nurse has. Think back---how much did you really know in your first few years of experience?

Just like nurses want to pick an attorney who has appropriate legal experience, an attorney does not want to hire a nurse that has no appropriate nursing experience.

Thanks to LaTonia Denise Wright, R.N.,B.S.N., J.D. for the heads up on this article.

Watch Out Texas Nurses!!! New bills affecting nursing may harm you

If you have not been tracking legislation that could affect your nursing practice, you need to do so NOW. The Board of Nursing has a great handout listing the various proposed bills. The bills that I have been watching closely are:

**HB 998, in support [this bill makes the current contested case procedure fair and is long overdue]

**SB 1880, against [see my explanation below]

Please take the time to educate yourself on the bills and contact your Senators and Representatives to tell them what you think about the bills. Too often the actual people that are going to be affected by the bills do not voice their opinion regarding the legislation.

I am very worried about various sections in SB 1880 and that the bill is trying to fix a few isolated problems with a mighty big hammer and that the resulting effect on nurses will be very sad. This bill came in the middle of my dear friend's illness and death, so I was not able to voice my opinion but I plan on doing so now. What bothers me is that when I looked at the witness list, I did not see any organizations or individuals that had experience with the day-to-day application of the incidents this bill proposes to affect. As I said, the bill on its face seems reasonable until you know about the actual application and the unfair, adverse effects the various sections will have on hard-working good nurses. I think it is crucial that our Legislators know about the effect various sections of this bill will have on nurses and ultimately the public because this bill will cause nurses to leave nursing, thereby increasing the nursing shortage.

Please contact your Legislators now or you will have to suffer the consequences of no action. I also want to point out that, unlike organizations with paid lobbyists, no one pays me to watch these bills or to take time to contact my Legislators or to sit at the Capitol for hours to testify; I do these things because I want to try to help nurses get the best possible laws in place that protect them and the public. And some of the proposed sections that I am fighting against or fighting for would actually take work away from attorneys, so there is no compensation there either. I am taking these stands because I believe that it is the right action to take.

The Loss of a very special nurse

If any of you had the privilege to know Victoria Berry or had the good luck to hear her speak on nursing issues, it is with great sadness that I inform you of her death.

Victoria Lynn Berry
April 24, 1950 - April 7, 2009

The light in the world is a little less bright as Victoria Berry, age 58, was called home to heaven after her courageous battle with inflammatory breast cancer. She was optimistic throughout her treatment and true to her nature was more concerned about the problems of others around her than her own discomfort. She died at home surrounded by her family, friends and pets.

Victoria had a way of lightening everyone’s burdens. She was described often as an “angel on earth.” More so than her stunning physical beauty, she was known for her wonderful, vibrant spirit and grace. People were naturally drawn to her and she made them feel comfortable and safe when they were around her. Victoria was also an artist and she found a way to beautify everything around her. She was an avid doll collector and loved looking for antiques, but what gave her the most joy was spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

Victoria was born in Bridgeport, Texas. She is survived by the love of her life, Roger Berry of Manheim, Texas; daughter, Tammy Jo McCleney and son-in-law, Brett McCleney of Manheim, Texas; her grandson, Jacob McCleney and her granddaughter, Jett McCleney of Manheim, Texas; her adopted Father, Paul Harrison of Ben Wheeler, Texas; her sister, Berma Thomas and niece, LeVita Barrett of Ryan Oklahoma; and her Father-in-law, Richard A. Berry, Sr. and Mother-in-law, Alma Berry of Sycamore, Ohio. She was preceded in death by her son, Shawn Skelton; mother, Lorene Shawn; adopted mother, Elvie Deitsch; Father, Weldon Shawn; and brother, Larry Shawn.

Victoria graduated from the University of Texas in 1980 with a Bachelors Degree in Nursing; she obtained her Masters Degree in Nursing in 1982. She was a Registered Nurse, a Clinical Nurse Specialist and a Certified Wound Care Nurse. The highlights of her nursing career included Director of Marketing at Healthcare Rehabilitation Center, the Director of Nursing at Shoal Creek Hospital, an Investigator at The Texas Medical Board and a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Victoria was known to be a tireless supporter of nurses and nursing issues.

Funeral Services will be at 11 am Saturday, April 11, 2009 at Phillips & Luckey Funeral Home, 588 N. Main, Giddings, Texas.

Victoria dearly loved God’s creatures and she spent many hours caring for her dogs, cats, birds, horses and donkeys, but she did not stop there. She was a tireless supporter of animals and donated much time and money to help various organizations. In keeping with her goals in life, in lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the National Miniature Donkey Association Incentive Fund at NMDA Central Office, 6450 Dewey Road, Rome, New York 13440.

Nursing Board Attorney for Houston or Dallas or___(wherever)?

This blog entry is to clarify a common misconception I keep coming across: I have gotten several phone calls from nurses in cities in Texas outside of Austin searching for an attorney to represent them before the Texas Board of Nursing and they want a referral to someone in their city. Unlike other areas of law where it may be better to hire a local attorney, administrative lawyers can easily handle a client's case from anywhere within the state of Texas or even the country (if the nurse lives in another state, but has an issue before the Texas BON). The bigger issue when choosing an administrative lawyer is that you chose one that is very experienced before the Board and one that you feel comfortable with. Be sure to read my past posts regarding how to chose an attorney.