RN Idaho - May 2021

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Page 2 • RN Idaho May, June, July 2021 Presidential Report continued from page 1 dues structure. This has been effective to help LPNs be represented as a group and has demonstrated that the majority of nursing issues are common to both LPNs and RNs. Joining together also has an added Idaho benefit in terms of meeting license renewal criteria. As we all know, the Idaho state board of nursing changed their license renewal requirements and made it mandatory for all nurses to demonstrate continued competency when renewing their license. LPNs renew their licenses in even years; most recently August 2020. Many LPNs were not prepared to validate that they met two of the five continued competency requirements. The easiest of these requirements is to have 100 hours of practice and 15 hours of Continuing Nursing Education, but there are also other options. These include publication in a peer reviewed journal, precepting, and academic course work. Helping LPNs to meet this need and to provide some level of statewide representation for LPNs would be beneficial to all nurses and to Idahoans in general who depend on a sufficient and educated nursing workforce. One of the greatest accomplishments of ANA-Idaho during 2020 was creating and providing a continuing education website. This is a website that hosts our conferences and provides the ability to obtain CNE’s for a low cost and from the comfort of home. It is an ANA Idaho Welcomes New & Returning Members Ammon Dallin Marston Amy Waters Boise Benjamin Andersen Sarah Brauer Stephen Dunn Jason Elliott Adrianne Fisse Brenda Jenkins Jennifer Kienlen Katrina Maginnis Abigail Murray Rebecca Robbins Brooke Torrence Steve Wilstead Buhl Charee Alvey Diana Kaminski Caldwell Ernest Esparza Coeur D’Alene Dena Payne Erin Ferraro Dec 08, 2020 – Mar. 09, 2021 Escondido, CA Megan Mauno Garden City Denice King Idaho Falls Andrea Resendiz Melanie Smith Jerome Angela Miller Meridian Leann Johnson Kasandra Justus Christine Larsen Grace Mensah Christina Miller Marcy Shay Marcia Watt Mesa April Sheen opportunity to engage all nurses throughout Idaho and support them with their educational needs. Available at: https://icn.ce21.com The ANA-Idaho board of directors researched how other states have accommodated LPN engagement as a part of their state organizations. Some have LPNs on their boards, others have LPN special interest groups, and all offer full access to any state nurse association events and benefits. In Idaho we believe there is interest amongst LPNs to participate in a nursing organization and to partner with ANA-Idaho. In order to measure LPN interest, we are asking that all LPNs complete a brief survey using the on-line survey monkey tool. It is a quick four question survey that will help us understand the needs and determine if this is something we should create. This is the initial step in developing an organizational structure that could meet the needs of Idaho’s LPN population. Please visit this website and offer your opinion. Our goal is to have the survey completed by June 1, 2021. Thank you for completing the survey and for helping ANAI to assess the wishes of the LPN community in Idaho. Middleton Cara Hollingsworth Moscow Katie Stodick Nampa Megyn Flood Oldtown Jackie Naccarato Pocatello Heidi Colson Post Falls Joylene Grey Click Here to Take LPN Survey We look forward to your feedback and engagement. Rexburg Jerusha Hatch Rupert Eugene Bryan Potter Sagle Kristen Dirks-Finley Saint Maries Kara Seigley Soda Springs Flora Gilmer Star Rachelle Marema Twin Falls Brianna Anderson Jill Benavidez Karen Fiscus Farra Knauss Weiser Erin Emmert-Pond = IDAHO RN Idaho is published by Idaho Center for Nursing 6126 West State St., Suite 406 Boise, ID 83703 Direct Dial: 208-367-1171 Email: rnidaho@idahonurses.org Website: www.idahonurses.nursingnetwork.com RN Idaho is peer reviewed and published by the Idaho Center for Nursing. RN Idaho is distributed to every Registered Nurse and Licensed Practical Nurse licensed in Idaho, state legislators, employer executives, and Idaho schools of nursing. The total quarterly circulation is over 32,000. RN Idaho is published quarterly every February, May, August, and November. Editor: Sara F. Hawkins, PhD, RN, CPPS Editor Emerita: Barbara McNeil, PhD, RN-BC Executive Director: Randall Hudspeth, PhD, MBA, MS, APRN-CNP, FAANP Editorial Board: Michelle Anderson, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP Sandra Evans, MAEd, RN Pamela Gehrke, EdD, RN Beverly Kloepfer, MSN, RN, NP-C Karen Neill, PhD, RN, SANE-A, PF-IAFN Gus Powell, MSN, CRNA Katie Roberts, MSN, RN Laura J. Tivis, PhD, CCRP RN Idaho welcomes comments, suggestions, and contributions. Articles, editorials and other submissions may be sent directly to the Idaho Center for Nursing office via mail or e-mail. Visit our website for information on submission guidelines. For advertising rates and information, please contact Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc., PO Box 216, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613, (800) 626-4081, sales@aldpub.com. ICN and the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. reserve the right to reject any advertisement. Responsibility for errors in advertising is limited to corrections in the next issue or refund of price of advertisement. Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement or approval by the Idaho Center for Nursing or by any professional nursing organization that is affiliated with the Idaho Center for Nursing, of products advertised, the advertisers, or the claims made. Rejection of an advertisement does not imply a product offered for advertising is without merit, or that the manufacturer lacks integrity, or that these associations disapproved of the product or its use. The affiliated nursing organizations and the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. shall not be held liable for any consequences resulting from purchase or use of an advertiser’s product. Articles appearing in this publication express the opinions of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect views of the staff, board or membership of affiliated nursing organizations, or those of the national or local associations. JOIN ANA IDAHO TODAY WE NEED YOU! Membership application http://nursingworld.org/joinana.aspx
May, June, July 2021 RN Idaho • Page 3 FEATURE SAVE Vaccinating for a Pandemic Amy Gamett, RN Eastern Idaho Public Health agamett@eiph.idaho.gov March 13, 2020 became a vital day when Idaho announced its first positive result for the virus SARS- CoV-2, adding Idaho to the list of states with cases. In Governor Brad Little’s press conference he informed Idahoans of the first laboratory confirmed case of COVID-19. On December 14, 2020, a little over nine months later, the first COVID-19 vaccine was administered in Idaho, to a health care worker in Madison County. The development of the COVID-19 vaccine was a welcoming sight for any Public Health staff member and giving hope of halting this disease and giving Idaho a chance at regaining some sense of normality. Prior to the first vaccine being administered, public health’s primary role was targeted at interventions to slow the transmission of COVID-19. Many staff members battled a disease through active investigation, contact tracing, surveillance, testing, community mitigation strategies, aggressive public education, and stakeholder collaboration. “Flattening the Curve” became part of our daily vocabulary and was mentioned multiple times at every press conference. The goal of slowing transmission and protecting Idaho’s health care system was, and still is our priority. Vaccine planning began early for Idaho, beginning in the Spring 2020 as cases were starting to climb steadily. The initial planning included the recruitment of providers to evaluate the capacity to store and administer vaccines. Each provider was asked to submit their anticipated estimation of the number of individuals they could vaccinate over a set time. State and local health districts worked closely together to coordinate Idaho’s anticipated vaccination efforts. The Idaho COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee was established by the governor to help prioritize and assure equitable distribution of the vaccine to Idahoans, with limited amounts of doses. On December 11, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the first COVID-19 vaccine Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Pfizer, a two dose COVID-19 vaccine. Infrastructure challenges were identified immediately. One of these challenges was that the vaccine had to be stored in an ultra-cold freezer, set between -80 C and -60 C, and shipped as a set that included a minimum of 1,170 doses. Once thawed, the doses are only viable for five days and once reconstituted, or mixed, it must be administered within six hours. Due to the requirement of keeping this vaccine at such a cold temperature, there was a challenge to find a place to store it, because very few ultra-cold freezers were identified across the state. The minimum 1,170 doses would require the health district or other partners to act as a warehouse and distributor of the vaccine weekly. For small rural communities, the five-day vaccine viability and lack of single dose vials presented its own unique challenges. With Moderna, the second EUA COVID-19 vaccine, some of these challenges were eased. Moderna can be stored in a regular freezer and shipped with a minimum of 100 doses, but it still requires two doses. As both vaccines remain limited, providers may not have a choice of vaccine available to them. The logistics of navigating between the two vaccines week to week showed to be extremely challenging. Second dose scheduling and rescheduling has been a challenge reported by all providers. The most recent EUA vaccine approved, a single dose Janssen vaccine. This vaccine does not require a second visit. As with all COVID-19 vaccines, the supply is limited. Efforts for use of this vaccine may focus on transient populations where subsequent visits are difficult. Now three months into Idaho’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts, both health districts and providers have successfully navigated early challenges and are vaccinating through Idaho’s priority groups ahead of schedule. Ultimately the biggest challenge to date has been having a limited amount of vaccines. The demand remains higher than supply, which has not allowed concerned individuals to get vaccinations. As we look forward to supply meeting demand, we are anticipating new challenges. Although, some questions remain. Will enough of Idaho be vaccinated to make an impact? How long will the vaccine last? How do we address vaccine hesitancy? Public Health will continue its work at addressing vaccine hesitancy and achieving herd immunity by doing the same things we have done throughout the pandemic…hard work, collaboration, and education. THE DATES National Nurse Recognition Dates National Nurses Week May 6-12 International Nurses Day May 12 Nurse Leaders of Idaho AONL National Conference July 11-14, Washington DC Idaho Hospital Association Annual Meeting Oct 4-7, Sun Valley Leap Conference Oct 21-22, Boise Nurse Recognition Dinner October 21, Boise Nurse Practitioners of Idaho Membership Recruitment Month May, 2021 AANP Annual Virtual Clinical Conference June 15-August 31 Idaho Annual Fall NP Conference October 1-2 School Nurses of Idaho National School Nurse Day May 6 Idaho Board of Nursing July 29-30, Boise November 4-5, Boise
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RN Idaho - May 2021

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