SPN President, Jennifer Baird, PhD, MPH, MSW, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, CPN, and President-Elect, Michaela Lewis, DNP, ARNP, CPNP-AC/PC, CPN, CPEN, CNE, CNE-cl, PMHS, VA-BC, CCRN, speak on current events impacting the nursing profession, SPN membership updates, and more!
Society of Pediatric Nurses: Resources for Professional Excellence
Lynn D. Mohr, PhD, APRN, PCNS-BC, CPN, FCNS
Past president (2008-2010)
Celebrating 35 Years of Advancing Pediatric Nursing
For 35 years, the Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) has been the cornerstone of professional excellence in pediatric nursing. What began as a vision to advance pediatric nursing practice has grown into a thriving community of over 3,500 members nationwide, united by their commitment to delivering exceptional care to pediatric patients and their families.
Protecting Children from Lead Exposure: The Importance of Lead Screening
By: SPN’s Healthcare Policy and Advocacy Committee (HPAC)
Introduction
There is no safe level of lead in the blood (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], n.d.-a). Lead poisoning remains a serious public health concern, with long-term developmental and neurological consequences, particularly for young children.
SPN President, Jennifer Baird, PhD, MPH, MSW, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, CPN, and President-Elect, Michaela Lewis, DNP, ARNP, CPNP-AC/PC, CPN, CPEN, CNE, CNE-cl, PMHS, VA-BC, CCRN, speak on current events impacting the nursing profession, SPN membership updates, and more!
Simulation in Nursing Education
Submitted by: LaDonna Northington, DNS, RN
Drowning Prevention and Water Safety: Key Facts for Children and Teens
By Nicole Lucas, MSN, RN, NE-BC
Call for Nominations for Elected Positions
By: Kathy Van Allen, MSN, RN, CPN
The Research Mission of SPN: History and Future
By: Shirley Wiggins, PhD, RN
Nurse Scientist
Children’s Nebraska
Past President SPN (2014-2016)
SPN President, Jennifer Baird, PhD, MPH, MSW, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, CPN, and President-Elect, Michaela Lewis, DNP, ARNP, CPNP-AC/PC, CPN, CPEN, CNE, CNE-cl, PMHS, VA-BC, CCRN, speak on current events impacting the nursing profession, SPN membership updates, and more!
SPN President, Jennifer Baird, PhD, MPH, MSW, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, CPN, and President-Elect, Michaela Lewis, DNP, ARNP, CPNP-AC/PC, CPN, CPEN, CNE, CNE-cl, PMHS, VA-BC, CCRN, speak on the Pediatric Bill of Rights, SPN membership updates, and more!
SPN’s Pediatric Health Care Advocacy Over The Years
By: Kathy Van Allen, MSN, RN, CPN
By: Michele Habich, DNP, APRN/CNS, CPN
In the dynamic and ever-evolving field of pediatric nursing, professional organizations play a crucial role in supporting nurses' growth, development, and practice. While specialty-pediatric nursing organizations cater to specific areas within pediatrics, the Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) stands out as a comprehensive organization dedicated to all pediatric nurses.
SPN is launching a new award this quarter! The Nurse Safety Spotlight Award (powered by Baxter) looks to showcase pediatric nurses that demonstrate commitment to pediatric patient safety through professional activities, and/or interactions with patients and their families within their organization. Read more about the award criteria, questions, and prizes below. This award will be offered on a quarterly basis: the deadline for submissions this quarter is June 13, 2025.
The Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) is proud to recognize the outstanding achievements of pediatric nursing units that exemplify excellence in patient care. Using the Pediatric Nursing Excellence Model as a framework, these units have demonstrated their commitment to engagement, values, principles, care delivery, and continuous improvement.
Help us celebrate the inaugural recipients of this prestigious recognition!
In 1990, pediatric nurses sought a dedicated space for connection, support, and professional advancement. SPN was created to fill that need. Following our founding, SPN hosted the first Annual Conference in March of 1991 in Washington DC titled “Nursing Care of the Hospitalized Child.” Over the past three and a half decades, SPN has accomplished many important milestones including partnering with the Journal of Pediatric Nursing as the official publication of SPN in 2001, releasing the Pediatric Nursing Certification Review in 2006, becoming an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) provider unit in 2015, and launching the Transition to Practice Fellowship in 2018.
Reaching these milestones has allowed us to grow into the premier organization for pediatric nurses, offering educational resources, professional growth opportunities, and a network that strengthens our community.
The Magic Behind the Scenes
By: Tina Spagnola MSN, RN, NPD-BC, NE-BC
Hello SPN Members,
Over the past few months, you have undoubtedly been watching with concern the news of a measles outbreak in western Texas, which as of this writing has spread to 309 individuals, with 40 requiring hospitalization and 1 confirmed death. The majority of the cases have occurred in children and youth under the age of 18, which serves as an important reminder of the responsibility we have as pediatric nurses to promote immunization as the key prevention strategy for vaccine-preventable diseases.
I wrote last month about our important roles as advocates – for the profession of nursing and for the patients and families that we serve. As the new administration is taking shape and beginning to enact its priorities, the call for advocacy feels all the more urgent. In the past several weeks, we have learned of actions by the administration that will have significant potential consequences for children, youth, families, for our profession, the broader healthcare industry, and for the overall health of our nation.
I am particularly concerned about three sets of actions: 1) limitations on the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-related work; 2) infringement on the healthcare needs and civil rights of transgender individuals; and 3) proposed cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs.
I hope this month’s letter finds you well. It has been a challenging start to the year for my hometown of Los Angeles, which is beginning the recovery phase from a series of wildfires that devastated parts of our community. The immense social and health needs arising from this event, along with the arrival of a new administration in the White House, have me thinking quite a bit about the role that nurses play in advocacy – within their local communities, in their broader regions and states, and at the national level. Nurses are well-attuned to the needs of individuals, families, and populations within their communities, and they understand the impact that policy changes can have on access to the resources needed to ensure the health and well-being of patients and families, including safe housing and schools, a clean built environment that supports physical activity, nutritious food and clean drinking water, and regular visits with a trusted health care provider. When nurses use their professional voices to speak on behalf of our patients, families, and communities, we can be a powerful force for good, given the strength of our numbers and the trust that the public at large places in nursing.
I encourage each of you to identify ways to engage in advocacy as part of your professional role as a pediatric registered nurse. There are so many opportunities for advocacy – certainly, you advocate daily for individual patients and families, but what would it look like to extend that advocacy beyond the individual/family level and out into your community? Your local city council or county board of supervisors need to hear from you as they make health and healthcare-related decisions for your community. You can attend a council meeting to offer commentary or give a presentation that helps to advocate for needed services or supports in your community. Your hospital or healthcare organization likely has a community/government affairs office that could benefit from your engagement. The members of that office rely on hearing from practicing clinicians to understand and contextualize new legislation and to effectively advocate for the needs of the organization and its staff. SPN has an active Healthcare Policy and Advocacy Committee, comprised of SPN members with a passion for advocacy. This committee exists to help SPN members stay up to date with current issues and their impact on pediatric nursing and the care of the children, youth, and families we serve, and they’re always eager to hear from members who have a concern or otherwise want to connect. The American Nurses Association (ANA) also has a strong advocacy arm, and they have multiple opportunities year-round for engagement in their advocacy work, ranging from sending letters to your federal and state representatives to attendance at the annual ANA Hill Day, where you can go to Washington, DC, to meet with representatives and discuss issues of importance to the profession of nursing. There are so many ways to be engaged, and your voice as a registered nurse will be needed as we enter a period of political change and reshaping of government priorities. We must ensure that the needs of the diverse group of children, youth, and families we are honored to serve remain well-known and accounted for amidst this change, and it’s up to us to give voice to those needs and the ways in which they can best be met.
