Greetings SPN Members!

HAPPY PEDIATRIC NURSES WEEK!

SPECIAL SCREENING OF "THE WAIT TO NOWHERE: WHEN A CRISIS GOES UNTREATED"

Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 6:00 pm CT 
Join SPN on World Mental Health Day for a special screening of the short-form documentary directed by Lizzie Costello “The Wait to Nowhere: When a Crisis Goes Untreated”. Without the infrastructure necessary to connect needed resources for mental health care, pediatric emergency departments across the country are filling up with kids in crisis. "The Wait to Nowhere: When a Crisis Goes Untreated" reveals an unspeakable reality: children living in the ER for days, weeks and even months at a time, awaiting dedicated care. This film explores the issue and touches on solutions. True stories are told by those living this nightmare, including hospitals that are caught up in a failed system, while lawmakers help lay out a plan to address the crisis before even more children's lives are lost. 
Registration Fee: Free for everyone

View the The Wait to Nowhere Official Trailer:

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

COFFEE BREAK: SCHOOL NURSING BRIDGING THE HEALTHCARE GAP

Thursday, September 21, 20233:00 PM - 4:00 PM CDT

School nurses are crucial in bridging healthcare gaps and ensuring that students receive care. They have the ability to identify disparities and recognize when students may not be receiving optimal healthcare. SPN invites you to join our respected panelists in an interactive discussion on how to collaborate with school nurses effectively. Share your successes and learn valuable lessons from others in this vital conversation. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of students.

REGISTER HERE

BEATING BURNOUT: EMPOWERING NURSES IN 2023 AND BEYOND

Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 12:00 pm CT 
Instructor: Dr. Lorelle Wuerz, PhD, MSN, BS, RN, VA-BC, NEA-BC, Director of Nursing Quality, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY
Description: Dr. Lorelle Wuerz, Director of Nursing Quality at New York Presbyterian Hospital will share best practices on nursing empowerment and preventing burnout through the effective utilization of new technology in the pediatric space.
Registration Fee: Free for everyone

REGISTER HERE!

Greetings SPN Members!

The Latest Gun Violence Data

AUGUST SELF-CARE CORNER: BREATHING TECHNIQUES

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. CT

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

Responding to the Challenges Facing Pediatric Nursing

Instructor: Kathy Van Allen, MSN, RN, CPN 
Tuesday, July 18, 2023, 3:00 pm CT
NCPD Contact Hour(s): 1.0

This webinar will discuss key challenges facing the pediatric nursing profession as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. This presentation will share the current state and provide evidence based resources and exemplars to foster active engagement of attendees in finding solutions to these challenges in their workplace.

Greetings SPN Members!

The SPN Pediatric Excellence Model prioritizes advocacy, defined as acting or speaking on behalf of and in support of children and families, as one of the core concepts in the Values domain. While nurses instinctively advocate for patients and families in their workplace, many may not be as engaged in advocacy efforts in their community or with state and federal legislation to advance issues impacting children, families, and the nursing profession.

Greetings SPN Members!

This past month, I had the privilege of representing SPN with Jenni Baird, SPN President-Elect, at the Emotional Safety Summit II hosted by our Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) colleagues. I am so grateful for the work ACLP has spearheaded and for the invitation for a seat at the table for this important discussion.

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