Colorado Nurse - February 2022

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2 • Colorado Nurse | February 2022 The Official Publication of the Colorado Nurses Foundation in partnership with the Colorado Nurses Association COLORADO NURSE (ISSN-8750-846X) is published 4 times annually, February, May, August, and November, by the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. for the Colorado Nurses Foundation, 2851 South Parker Rd, Ste 1210, Aurora, CO 80014; Mailing: P.O. Box 3406, Englewood, CO 80155-3406. 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. CNF 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 Colorado Nurses Foundation 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 this association disapproves of the product or its use. CNF 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 CNF or those of the national or local associations. Colorado Nurses Foundation wants to hear from you and welcomes letter to the editors. Correspondence may be sent to Colorado Nurses Foundation, 2851 South Parker Rd, Ste 1210, Aurora, CO 80014; Mailing: P.O. Box 3406, Englewood, CO 80155-3406; email, info@coloradonursesfoundation.com. To submit an article for publication, consider the following guidelines. 1. Topic is current and relevant to RN practice. 2. 500 word limit 3. Individuals may submit articles for consideration by emailing carolomeara@aol.com. Colorado Nurse Publication Article Submission • March 15 for May Issue Colorado Nurses Association in partnership with the Colorado Nurses Foundation seeks your regular reports and any content you feel would be informative for Colorado Nurses. Submit to: https://civicamanagement.wufoo.com/forms/m10eei4p1ds8okp/ Material is copyrighted by the Colorado Nurses Foundation and may not be reprinted without written permission from CNF. Co-Editors: M. Colleen Casper, RN, MS, DNP (16) Eve Hoygaard, MS, RN, WHNP (30) Carol O’Meara, MS, RN, WHNP (20/30) Sonja Hix COLORADO NURSES FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President: Sara Jarrett Vice President: Margaret Mulhall Secretary: Carol O’Meara Treasurer: Eve Hoygaard CNF President continued from page 1 Even as you begin each day tired from the day before, a miraculous strength from somewhere deep within you eases you into motion. Once you reach your workspace, the day is filled with the saving of lives, the comforting of the sick, the communicating with family, the holding back of tears, swallowing the lumps in your throat that threaten asphyxiation, the sudden hush when a patient transitions. Although each and every transition drains some small hint of persistence from you, it cannot deter you from your mission. The quiet whisper of life ebbing listlessly from lonely souls filled with pain and terror is the life force which drives you forward as if building a new ransom for lives left untaken. The soft cries echoing down scrubbed hallways pull at the muscles of your heart, but you keep moving forward to save those who will survive and comfort those who will not. You are special, having been chosen by your Creator to perform a job that most of us would shy away from. You are unique in every way. The barely perceptible wings on your backs show that you are God’s servants and messengers of Hope. Join a committed team caring for the Pikes Peak Region and surrounding areas Peak Vista Community Health Centers is hiring Care Team Nurses Join a network of 28 health centers providing nationally recognized, high quality care for more than 94,000 patients Collaborates with a diverse, talented, compassionate team in a mission-driven environment where your career matters Enjoy amazing benefits, coupled with a great work life balance (no nights, no call) More info: Careers at Peak Vista - Colorado Springs, CO peakvista.org/resources/careers The compassion with which you treat your patients knows no boundaries. You work through fatigue, anxiety, stress, and burnout. Your war wounds, the tired red eyes, the tracks of miles of tears, the aching in your heart, are all there to remind you that you, too, are human and that you must take care of yourself. My father used to tell me, “We are related to our birth family by coincidence, but we can choose our earth family from those who share our goals, objectives and visions.” You’ve stood in for the families and friends who could not be there for their loved ones. You’ve grieved for them and shared with them. Please know that you are so very appreciated. Know that you are honored. Know that you are loved. Know that we support you and deeply respect you as we sit in awe of your magnanimous courage and determination. Know that the survivors owe their lives to you and will never forget you. Lastly, know that those who lost their fight will rest in eternal peace for the last thing they saw before passing was your face...the face of courage, bravery and love, the face of someone who sacrificed everything to help them through a storm until it blew over. I pray for each and every one of you, that you will take a moment to look at a sunrise or a sunset and absorb all the beauty and magnificence on display as God’s artwork calms and soothes you and strengthens you for the next battle ahead. From your white or blue caps, uniforms, scrubs, clogs, stethoscopes, needles, buckets, brooms, mops, etc., to your professionally engineered and/or home designed face masks, I am eternally grateful for the honor of knowing of you and pray God’s blessings for your selfless daily offerings of service. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay prayed up. (Audrey) E Layne Warren May the spirit of Florence Nightingale strengthen each of you. Margaret Mulhall RN, MSN Colorado Nurses Foundation President BOARD MEMBERS Jeanne Burnkrant, Terry Buxton, Colleen Casper, Lola Fehr, Linda Stroup, Betsy Woolf, Lisa Zenoni COLORADO NURSES ASSOCIATION Region 1 Director: Mavis Mesi Region 2 Director (DNA 3, 12, 16, 20, 23): Amanda Cobb Region 3 Director (DNA 4): Mary Satre Region 4 Director (DNA 6): Glenda Jackson DNA #6: Charlotte LeDonne Alamosa, CO DNA #7: Nora Flucke DNA #9: Brenda Tousley EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President: Laura Rosenthal Past President: Linda Stroup Vice President: Angela Petkoff Secretary: Nan Morgan Treasurer: Carol OMeara BOARD OF DIRECTORS Region 5 Director (DNA 7): Nora Flucke Region 6 Director (DNA 5): Deb Bailey Director At Large (SIGs): Patricia Abbott Director At Large (SIGs): V. Sean Mitchell (SIG 30) Director at Large (Recent Graduate) Jeanna Brewer DNA PRESIDENTS DNA #3: Anne Zobec DNA #12: Amanda Chappell Colorado Springs DNA #16: Rebecca Sposato DNA #4: Kathryn Carpenter DNA #20: Jean Schroeder Model, CO DNA #23: Colleen Casper DNA #5: SIG #30: Meghan Abrams, DNP, NP-C SIG #31: Ruby Martinez, PhD, RXN, CNS, PMHCNS-BC Director of Practice and Government Affairs: Colleen Casper, RN, MS, DNP Chief Administrative Officer: Sonja Hix To contact any person listed above, please use the CNA/CNF office numbers/address/email address. CNA Contact Information: Ph: 720-457-1194 • Fax: 303-200-7099 Email: info@coloradonurses.org CNF Contact Information: Ph: 720-457-1004 Email: info@coloradonursesfoundation.com www.coloradonurses.org
The Official Publication of the Colorado Nurses Foundation in partnership with the Colorado Nurses Association February 2022 | Colorado Nurse • 3 From the Desk of CNA Director of Practice and Government Affairs Investing in a Nursing Workforce Colleen Casper, DNP, RN, MS Director of Practice and Government Affairs Colorado Nurses Association “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Winston Churchill Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in public health nursing and dramatically improved the health care planning and delivery of services to the British soldiers in the Crimean war. Nightingale led widespread changes by tracking data specific to incidences and frequency of the horrific conditions that were leading to the death of British soldiers in the military hospitals. Practices that Nightingale studied and implemented continue to be relied upon today, in both hospital care delivery and the education and preparation of public health providers. Nightingale’s work highlights the importance of data to drive health care systems improvement. Current data is significantly lacking in terms of hospital specific conditions Colleen Casper that are contributing to the “great resignation” of front line nurses and other essential healthcare providers, including pharmacists, respiratory therapists, physicians, certified nurses assistants, environmental health services and food and nutritional services staff. Investing in and assuring an essential health care workforce is going to require significant operational and cultural changes in today’s clinical care environments, from public health, to primary care, acute care, emergency care, and long term care, be it in long term living facilities or at home. Attempting to describe a path forward, it is our premise that we need to create a more significant and shared awareness of the real factors contributing to workforce resignations. I will focus on the nursing workforce with the understanding that most health care providers share similar characteristics. Those characteristics include: • Nursing is a relationship and knowledge based profession that requires time to develop competencies and to provide adequate care; • Nursing practice standards are developed nationally (ANA National Scope & Standards of Care) and are governed at the state level by the Colorado Nurse Practice Act; • Inability to provide safe care, whether due to worker safety through things such as personal protective equipment, adequate sick time, and sufficient workforce, puts patients at significantly greater risk of complications; • RN and LPN licensees and Certified Nurses Assistants are all subject to disciplinary actions by the Colorado State Board of Nursing based on complaints against licensee related to inability to provide adequate care; • Moral distress occurs when individual providers are unable to provide the care in accordance with known standards due to factors beyond their control; • Prolonged moral distress leads to burnout, helplessness, and resignation; and, • Colorado frontline nurses have repeatedly been silenced by their employers and subject to threats and retaliation. Coloradoans, that assures minimum standards of care are met for all patients, residents, and consumers. CDPHE must more closely monitor the performance of facilities and track essential data points as a means of understanding trends in the incidences and frequency of bad outcomes related to patients and workforce. CDPHE must hold employers accountable and not solely the licensed professionals who are working in sub-optimal work environments. 2. The Colorado Department of Health Care Finance and Policy can take a stronger stance in public reporting of percentages of employer profits that support the nursing workforce. What actual and percentages of costs are afforded “administrative budgets” as compared to direct, front line clinical care? Do these costs reflect the time required for professionals to deliver adequate care? 3. Human resource policies and practices must be adapted to reflect the diverse needs of the front line workers. There is evidence to suggest that twelve-hour shifts are less than safe, let alone greater than three twelve-hour shifts per week. Traveler (temporary contracted) nurses are currently signing contracts for upwards of $330.00 per hour if they agree to work 20 hours of overtime per week, equally more than $15,000.00 per week per nurse. Employers want the federal and state governments to “backfill” this expense. What if we invested $10,000.00 per week to retain experienced staff and assure sane, safe workloads with career pathway development to remain at the bedside? Without aggressive, responsible, and accountable leadership that includes real investment in workforce and work environments, Colorado nurses will not have a choice but to legislate nurse staffing – on behalf of patients. What’s your choice? LIFE-CHANGING CAREERS Now Hiring Nurse Instructors in Denver! Full-time and part-time opportunities available! For over 30 years, Concorde Career Colleges has prepared thousands of people for rewarding careers in the healthcare industry. Our goal is to prepare students for the most in-demand jobs in healthcare. Nursing instructors will be responsible for delivering academic instruction for clinical and/ or theory components of the Practical Nursing or Associate’s Degree in Nursing Program. Qualifications we’re looking for include: Current Colorado RN license or willing to obtain, MSN, 3 years of clinical experience, self-starter, excellent communication skills, sense of urgency and results oriented To learn more and apply visit https://careers.concorde.edu Apply with Concorde today! Train our future skilled Nurses. EOE/M/F/D/V This is what “investment” does not look like! Moving forward, there are options. 1. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) licenses each and every care facility (employer) in the State of Colorado, including hospitals, a long term care, surgical centers, urgent care centers, home care and hospice care facilities, and probably more. That license is a contract with the State and it’s people, Eden Milestone 2 Community Come join our team & love where you work. 2022 CNA Annual Conference We are seeking Nurses and Nurse Leaders to promote the Eden Alternative. Plan now to join us for a conference focused on thriving through all things COVID. AGENDA Facing Addiction in America: Evidence Based Practice Tips for Everyday Nurses Role in Equality, Equity, Justice & Human Dignity Virtual Health: Reimagining Healthcare and Nursing Practice Uncertainty and Fear Link to Mental Health Among Nurses Lived Experience with COVID-19 Nurses in Space: Breaking the Resistance Barrier Beyond Burnout: Insights on Colorado Nurses Survey on Trauma and Moral Distress REGISTER HERE The goal of the Eden Alternative is Elder-directed care. Aging can be a time of growth rather than decline. This is accomplished by creating a human habitat through community design, care partner training, and organizational redesign. We are home! Excellent benefits including Health & Dental, Vision, 401(k) with match, Education Reimbursement and more. To apply, submit your resume/application at HTTPS://SHALOMPARK.VIKUS.NET IF YOU ARE AN EDEN ASSOCIATE OR DESIRE TO BECOME ONE, this is the place for you!
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Colorado Nurse - February 2022

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