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

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! 

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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

Cultural Humility in Working with Gender Diverse Youth

Instructor: Bianca Salvetti, DNP, CNS, CPNP-PC
Friday, June 23, 2023, 2:00 pm CT
Contact Hour(s): 1.0

In the past 5 years, the number of adolescents and young adults (AYA) who identify as gender diverse has doubled however most nurses receive minimal if any education on caring for LGBTQIA+. Historically invisibility and discrimination of this population has contributed to significant health disparities, including suicidality, homelessness, and substance use. This session will explore best practices in working with gender diverse youth. The audience will learn basic language, medical management, and interventions to creating an affirming space.

CeLEBRATING PRIDE MONTH

These SPN Courses and Webinar Recordings are great ways to celebrate and become more informed about LGBTQIA+ Pediatric Issues

The SPN Board of Directors and Nominating Committee are looking for the next leaders in SPN. Showcase your leadership competency skills through your commitment to serve.

The Call for Candidates is a critical part of the Nominations and Election process, during which SPN members are encouraged to consider if they have the time and resources to effectively serve in a nominated position. The term of office will begin at the close of the SPN 34th Annual Conference in April 2024.

Closing Keynote recording “Stewards of the Precious”: Nursing’s History and Leadership in Research

Description: Review the history of nursing practice and research to understand the past and how to use it as a bridge to create the future of nursing.

SPN held our 2023 Annual Business meeting on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. This meeting provided an opportunity for members to learn about all that SPN had accomplished over the past year, including a full business summary featuring membership and financial reports.

VIEW THE RECORDING HERE:

SPN is in the initial stages of creating a Leadership Skills Development Program. This program is aimed at providing leadership skills to aspiring, emerging, and current frontline pediatric nurse leaders.

If this sounds intriguing to you, we want your feedback! SPN is seeking input on the topics, framework, and overall structure of the program. Please let us know your thoughts by Friday, June 2 via our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/V9F63F7. Thank you for helping direct the future education of SPN!