Impact of Fentanyl on Pediatrics

Peggy Zysk, RN, BSN, CPN, member of SPN Healthcare Policy and Advocacy Committee

Introducing SPN's New Mentorship Exchange Program

Where pediatric nurses nurture and empower each other 

Nominations are now open for the Barbara A. Larson Humanitarian and Innovation Awards! If you know someone who continually goes above and beyond to serve our pediatric population, show them you recognize the work they are doing by nominating them for one of SPN's awards this year.

Barbara a. larson humanitarian award

 The Barbara A. Larson Humanitarian Award is named in memory of a long-time SPN member, officer and pediatric nurse who made a significant impact on the health and well-being of children around the world. This award is given to an individual (preferably a pediatric nurse) who exemplifies the ideals, values, and commitment held by Barbara A. Larson to serve children by working to improve their health, well-being, and/or living conditions (awarded in even years). 

Please Share Your Feedback in the DEI Task Force Follow-Up Survey 

As you may recall in 2021, SPN's DEI Task Force requested information to gain a baseline understanding of SPN membership. That information assisted the task force in working to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion were taken into consideration for SPN processes and practices, in addition to influencing the creation of new services and resources that would benefit membership.

As a result of the recent membership election, please join us in congratulating our new SPN Board of Directors and Nominating Committee Members!

Access to Care During Childhood: A Social Determinant of Health

Author:Michaela Lewis, DNP, ARNP, CPNP-AC/PC, CPN, CPEN, CNE, CNE-cl, PMHS, CCRN, VA-BC

Applications are being accepted through November 30th for SPN's new, 12-month Leadership Skills Development Program, launching in January 2024. This program is aimed at providing leadership skills to aspiring, emerging, and current frontline pediatric nurse leaders, and the program will have a monthly activity, including webinars, led by SPN subject matter experts, with support from SPN's Director of Programs, Tina Spagnola, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, NE-BC. Join a cohort of up to 13 pediatric nurses that will dive into topics such as self-leadership, change management, financial acumen, communication and more. Plus, earn 7 + NCPD contact hours.

Objectives:

The Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) recently created a micro-learning video about the risk of measles, how to prevent its spread, and the treatment of patients who have contracted the disease. SPN recognizes that this information is relevant across a variety of practice settings and pediatric nursing positions for providing guidance for measles prevention to those you serve. Utilize SPN’s measles video to refresh yourself and those you work with about how to mitigate the risk of contracting measles and how to handle cases of measles that you may encounter.

SPN encourages you to share this quick video with your peers as an opportunity to discuss the signs of a measles outbreak in your community.

watch now

Elections are now open for our Board of Directors and Nominating Committee who will begin their term at the conclusion of the 2024 Annual Conference next April. Below is the slate for nominations this year, and you can submit your choices using the link below until October 30th.

VIEW SLATE HERE

In Observation of Antibullying Month

Tina Spagnola, MSN, RN, NE-BC, NPD=BC

October marks the observance of antibullying month, and it is disappointing to see that bullying persists in the nursing profession. However, if we join forces, we can bring about a change and make bullying entirely unacceptable.

Featured Product of the month: Pediatric Gastroenterology Nursing Assessment-Based Certificate Program

Check out September's featured product, the Pediatric Gastroenterology Nursing Assessment-Based Certificate Program. Follow the link below to log in to SPN's Online Education Center and learn more! 

read more

SPN: Research and Evidence-Based Practice Grant Program
Call for Letters of Intent by October 1, 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this grant is to support research studies and evidence-based practice projects (EBP) related to children and their families. These grants are awarded to SPN members, and may include research studies or EBP projects ranging from pilot work to large, multisite studies. Student theses, dissertations, or EBP project proposals are accepted. The proposed study or EBP project will be completed within a one-year period upon receipt of the grant funds.

Overview of Process

Submit a letter of intent by October 1, 2023 at 5:00 pm CST including the title of proposed project, investigator name(s), institution name(s) and a brief overview of the project (click here for the form). The application and all supporting materials will be due in December, 2023. Send submissions electronically to: [email protected]. Complete applications will be assigned to a review panel of either research or EBP experts, depending on the type of application; a list of the criteria submissions will be review using can be found here. Applicants and awardees will be notified in March, 2024. Awards will be announced at the SPN Annual Conference in April.

Cincinnati Children’s is recruiting 1 – 2 individuals with relevant expertise in clinical medicine and/or research to serve on a national expert panel. This panel will work to develop evidence-driven consensus recommendations for appropriate high-flow nasal cannula use in hospitalized pediatric patients with bronchiolitis. This work is being conducted under the auspices of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

For further information and to complete your application, please view the survey below. The survey will close on Monday, September 18.

complete survey

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION TASK FORCE UPDATES

SPN recognizes the importance of creating and supporting a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion across our organization, nursing, and the pediatrics specialty. In order to advance SPN's strategic DEI objectives, the Board of Directors convened a DEI Task Force in 2020.

The task force began by creating an organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion statement. They then developed, administered, and analyzed a membership survey to understand the characteristics of the membership and perceptions of the organization with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

What I learned from attending a Mental Health First Aid Course

By: Tina Spagnola, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, NE-BC, Director of Programs, Society of Pediatric Nurses

The number of patients with behavioral health needs has been on the rise, and this is well-documented. It is also evident that stress, burnout, and depression are impacting our healthcare professionals. In a study conducted by Melnyk et al. (2022), it was found that 79% of nurses reported their mental health worsening due to the pandemic. Additionally, an earlier study by Melnyk et al. (2018) established a correlation between mental health stresses and increased medical errors.

HEALTHCARE POLICY AND ADVOCACY COMMITTEE UPDATES

SPN continues to advocate for you and our patients, and it is our stance that every child deserves access to medical care and consultation. As we shared last year, the Healthcare Policy and Advocacy Committee set in motion SPN’s partnership with a coalition of 20+ other medical societies to advocate the necessity of medical access for all children, especially those children who are currently under threat of losing access such as those seeking gender affirming care.  Currently, legislation in the following states is being brought forward in a variety of different paths to block access to medical care. We’ve included a list of those states and a relevant news article regarding the legislation within that state. If this is a topic of interest for you, we encourage you to:

• Continue to educate yourself on the individual bills and lawsuits within the state of interest by reviewing the actual bill, available legal proceedings, and a variety of news articles.
• Then review SPN’s State Advocacy Resources for guidance on grassroot level advocacy.

STATE-BY-STATE INFORMATION

• Alabama: Justice Department Challenges Alabama Law that Criminalizes Medically Necessary Care for Transgender Youth
• Arkansas: Judge rules Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors violates US Constitution
• Georgia: Georgia's ban on gender-affirming care for minors takes effect July 1
• Kentucky: Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care takes effect as federal judge lifts injunction
• Idaho: Idaho governor signs bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors
• Oklahoma: Oklahoma governor signs gender-affirming care ban for kids
• Florida: Florida families face confusion after gender-affirming care ban temporarily blocked
• Texas: ACLU plans to sue Texas over ban on certain medical treatments for transgender kids

Greetings SPN Members!

The Latest Gun Violence Data

In preparation for the SPN 34th Annual Conference, taking place April 17-19, 2024, SPN is now accepting abstract proposals for poster and podium presentations. This is your opportunity to showcase your latest research project, innovative solutions you've put into use within your hospital or to highlight evidence-based practice changes.

SPN is currently seeking submissions that tie to the following tracks: Clinical Practice, Education, Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), Quality Improvement (QI), Research, Leadership and Management, or Information Technology.

SPN is seeking 5-6 volunteers to serve on a taskforce that will develop criteria for our new pediatric unit recognition program. We anticipate this project to start in August 2023 and go through January 2024. The ideal volunteer will be passionate about pediatric nursing, work in a clinical setting, and be available 3-4 hours a week to work on this project (both via email, individual work and taskforce calls). On this exciting project you will be using the framework of the Pediatric Nursing Excellence Model and determining how pediatric units can demonstrate these competencies. SPN believes all of our pediatric nurses deserve to be recognized for the amazing work they do every day and on this taskforce you will have a direct impact on that recognition. If you are our ideal volunteer, please fill out the response form so we can start this important initiative!

*All selected taskforce volunteers will receive a 50% discount for their unit to apply for the finalized recognition program.

Volunteer now

SPN is seeking subject matter experts to participate in our new 12-month Leadership Skills Development Program, launching in January 2024, aimed at providing leadership skills to aspiring, emerging, and current frontline pediatric nurse leaders. Serving as a volunteer subject matter expert (SME) provides you with the opportunity to create a presentation and develop a learning activity to engage participants, having a direct impact on educating and cultivating the next generation of pediatric nurse leaders. If you are interested in taking part, please fill out the survey below by August 3rd. 

Complete Survey