Idaho - February 2022

IDAHO 

Feb., March, April 2022 

Volume 44, • No. 4 

Official peer reviewed publication of Idaho Alliance of Leaders in Nursing & Idaho Center for Nursing 

Quarterly publication distributed to approximately 34,000 RNs and LPNs in Idaho. 

These organizations are members of the Idaho Center for Nursing. 

ANA-IDAHO PRESIDENT’S REPORT 

current resident or 

Reflections of 2021 

Dori Healey MSN, MBA, RN 

President, ANA-Idaho 

president@idahonurses.org 

I remember celebrating the 

ending of 2020 and moving 

into 2021 with such optimism 

and excitement that it would 

bring a close to a turbulent 

pandemic and horrific year 

for all nurses. Like so many 

others, I was ready to move 

past the greatest pandemic of 

my career and move into the 

new normal and allow things 

to settle down. Well, I think Dori Healey 

we all know 2021 came in like 

thunderstorm. About the time we caught our breath, 

Idaho was hit with the Delta variant, and we were sent 

into crisis standards of care across our state. 

Nurses went from heroes to villains and their 

ethics were questioned. Vaccine mandates caused 

turbulence amongst peers and healthcare workers. 

Nurses were asked to work harder, longer hours 

and to face decisions they did not want to make. 

The crisis standards of care were initiated and there 

was a general unrest of what they meant for patients 

and what they meant for nurses’ daily jobs and 

performance. Some nurses witnessed friends leave 

the profession for a plethora of reasons which led to 

nurses questioning their own reasons for staying in the 

workforce. 

Nurses had difficult conversations with patients, 

family, friends, and strangers on the street. They 

worked tirelessly to dispel false information and 

provide accurate information to the best of their ability. 

Non-Profit Org. 

U.S. Postage Paid 

Princeton, MN 

Permit No. 14 

Some days their communities rallied around them 

and some days they felt alone. It was said that these 

were the days that pizza could no longer fix. Walking 

through the halls of the hospital, nurses were not 

talking and sharing their stories of happiness they 

were simply surviving. There was little to no laughter 

to be heard. The healthcare facilities were dark places. 

Nursing students were questioning their decisions 

about becoming nurses and wondering if it was too 

late to change their minds. No, 2021 was not the year 

that made it all go away. However, through the eyes of 

reflection, I do believe we learned a lot about how we 

practice nursing. We had to learn nursing all over again 

in some ways. I have often said, just because that is 

the way we have always done it, it does not make it 

the right way. 

Let’s start with nursing students. In my last article, 

I shared with you how we had to reimagine nursing 

students in the hospital. Working with the resources 

we did have, the valuable nurses that were available to 

teach the students; we had the ability to offset some 

of the busy tasks from the nurses and CNA’s while 

teaching nursing students the foundations of nursing. 

This is a model that has the capacity to revolutionize 

clinicals moving forward. Without the pandemic, this is 

a model that would have likely never been explored or 

introduced. 

An emphasis on mental health resources for nurses 

emerged. While mental health resources have been 

growing; they have become more readily accessible 

to healthcare in the past year. With this access, the 

stigma associated with utilizing such resources is 

slowly fading and nurses are more encouraged to 

use them. Internal support groups are growing within 

ANA-Idaho President’s Report continued on page 2 

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INSIDE 

THIS ISSUE 

EDITORIAL 

Writing for Scholarly Publication 

Sara F. Hawkins PhD, RN, CPPS PAGE 3 

IDAHO CENTER FOR NURSING PARTICIPATING 

ORGANIZATION UPDATES 

Board of Nursing Report 

Jan Arrasmith PAGE 4 

Executive Director Report 

Randall Hudspeth PhD, MBA, 

MS, APRN-CNP, FAANP PAGE 5 

ANA National Leadership Conference Report 

Dori Healey MSN, MBA, RN PAGE 6 

LEAP Conference Report PAGE 7 

Idaho Nursing Education Fund Report PAGE 7 

State Nurses Associations Announce 

2022 Board Members PAGES 8-11 

IDAHO NURSING AWARDS 

AND RECOGNITIONS 

Daisy Awards PAGES 12-13 

Leadership and Service Recognitions PAGE 13 

ADVOCACY IN ACTION 

Idaho Legislative Issues Impacting Nurses in 2022 

PAGE 14 

THINK LIKE AN EXPERT WITNESS 

TO AVOID FALLS LIABILITY 

Nurses Service Organization PAGE 17 

STUDENT FEATURE 

Ultrasound Guided Intravenous Access 

Implementation to Reduce Central 

Venous Catheter Placement 

Colin Albers, SN and Luke Weinrich, SN PAGES 18-19 

PRACTICE MATTERS 

The Power of Healthcare Simulation: Part IV 

Michaelyn Muggli MSN, RN, NPD-BC, 

CCRN-K, CHSE & Tammye Erdmann MSEd, 

BSN, BScIT, RN, CHSE PAGE 20 

News and Notes PAGE 20 

In Memoriam PAGES 22-23

Page 2 • RN Idaho February, March, April 2022 

ANA-Idaho President’s Report continued from page 1 

organizations, debriefs are becoming more common 

after traumatic experiences, peers are supporting 

one another, and the need to feel stoic is no longer so 

common. 

Access to health care via technology grew leaps 

and bounds! Especially here in Idaho! Our ability to 

meet patients’ needs and help them over telehealth 

visits was amazing. This was a service we owed to 

our patients for a long time. Unfortunately, it felt like it 

took a pandemic to truly bring this service to fruition. 

Healthcare systems embraced a new technology as 

did patients. 

Employees being supported to work from home. 

A general acceptance and more grace allowed with 

dogs barking in the background during meetings. 

More acceptance of being human and that work is 

not our entire life and a reminder that we work to live 

we do not live to work. Acceptance and patience that 

technology glitches and we must accept what we can 

and cannot control. 

Lastly, the incredible support I have felt and 

witnessed. I have watched teams coming together 

to support one another in tremendous sorrow, 

victories, and moments of gratitude. Celebrations look 

different than they did two years ago. The creativity is 

incredible. A couple of months ago, while working on a 

unit; I read a through cards from a local grade school. 

The children’s words of gratitude to nurses were so 

inspiring. I watched as fellow nurses read them and 

laughed, tears filled their eyes, and pride raised their 

shoulders. When vaccines were finally released to 

the community, I was fortunate enough to share in 

the experience as we were able to offer them to our 

community members that anxiously awaited their 

turn. I remember looking around the room as doctors, 

nurses, medical assistants, support staff of all kinds 

filled the room to welcome those community members 

as they filed in to receive their vaccines. This was the 

teamwork that we all longed for. This is healthcare. 

As we enter 2022, I am optimistic that it will be an 

incredible year. I am excited to continue to lead ANA 

Idaho as your President. I am confident that we can 

meet in person and have an incredible conference and 

continue to build this wonderful organization. 

ANA Idaho Welcomes New & Returning Members 

American Falls 

Deanna Blessinger, LPN 

Athol 

Lori Jackson, RN 

Boise 

Susan Day, RN 

Sheena Barnes, LPN 

Kristine Esplin, RN 

Leanne Foss, RN 

Jennifer Gomes, RN 

Angela Larkins, RN 

Erin Latham, LPN 

Andrea Meikle, RN 

Sarah Ortega, LPN 

Julie Schrader, RN 

Buhl 

Shantell Minges, LPN 

Chubbuck 

Lisa Miller, RN 

Coeur D’Alene 

Hillary Harmon, RN 

Georgina Rodger Wilson, 

LPN 

Eagle 

Jolie Hultner, RN 

Ephrata 

Leeanna Smith, RN 

Hayden 

Charles Krabbe, RN 

Elizabeth Raff, LPN 

Idaho Falls 

Linda Beecher, LPN 

Teesha Griffith, LPN 

Saprena Lyons, RN 

Juliaetta 

Jenny Henriksen, RN 

Lewiston 

Jennifer Chaffee, RN 

Oct – Dec. 2021 

Malad City 

Debbie Howard, RN 

Meridian 

Michelle Behrens, RN 

Regina Buck, LPN 

Moscow 

Kathryn Trembly, RN 

Mountain Home 

Karen Jennings, RN 

Paul 

Suzan Taylor, LPN 

Pocatello 

Kathleen Johnson, RN 

Post Falls 

Bobbi Day, LPN 

Taylor Lundy, RN 

Samantha McMillian, RN 

Potlatch 

Chanda Jones, LPN 

Salmon 

Lisa Loughran, RN 

Twin Falls 

Christina Dawson-Skuza, RN 

Weiser 

Colleen Henderson- 

Dodge, RN 

= 

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 34,000. 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 

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of the product or its use. The affiliated nursing 

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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

February, March, April 2022 RN Idaho • Page 3 

EDITORIAL 

Writing for Scholarly Publication 

Sara F. Hawkins PhD, RN, CPPS 

Editor, RN Idaho 

The decision to write for 

publication may be motivated by 

faculty scholarship obligations, 

the development of a career 

profile, or simply the desire 

to share personal opinion. 

Regardless the reason, the 

written word is powerful in 

the ever-changing healthcare 

landscape. Nurses make 

massive contributions to 

defining and creating systems Sara F. Hawkins 

that improve patient care. At 

all levels, nurses should consider sharing their learning 

through publication. When preparing a manuscript for 

publication in a scholarly resource, it is important to 

consider preparation, impact, and peer review. 

Preparation 

In general, scholarly work is written in a language and 

style that other like-minded researchers, scholars, and 

professionals would easily understand. It begins with an 

idea, developed around research, case studies or events 

that have impacted your practice. In developing this idea 

an essential component is your enthusiasm in sharing 

these experiences and research with a wider field. Another 

part of preparation is to choose a journal with a reputation 

for quality and the capacity to make an impact on the 

professional community as well as a journal that would 

best suit your topic. 

Once you have developed your ideas, research or 

case study, you should begin designing a layout that 

would provide a framework from which your writing can 

be polished. Begin with an outline and build in references 

to support key points or arguments. Talk your ideas out 

with a colleague or mentor to ensure you have a coherent 

story. Effective writing is concise with good organization 

of thoughts and a flow of ideas. Remember writing is a 

process, so expect to constantly revisit, review and revise. 

Importantly, keep your audience in mind, so ensure that 

you explain terms or ideas that you’re familiar with but 

readers may not be. 

Ensure that you have read and understood the 

publication guidelines to help maintain consistency 

in format, language, and supporting materials. By 

demonstrating that you have read the author guidelines, you 

will see how the editors want the articles to be presented 

and submitted. Most nursing and healthcare journals 

expect to see APA style because it provides clear standards 

for scientific writing so ensure that you are familiar with 

which edition is being used within the publication. 

Impact 

Impact reflects not only the accessibility and reach to a 

wide audience but also the effect the research may have 

on the larger community. An impact factor is the most 

commonly used metric in this regard. Academic journals 

utilize an impact factor to reflect the yearly mean number 

of citations of articles in the last two years of a given journal 

(Rossner, Van Eppes, & Hill, 2007). At a high level, journals 

with a higher impact factor are regarded as carrying more 

prestige in their respective fields. With this in mind, if this 

is your first attempt at publication, it might be useful to 

identify publications that meet you at your level. 

Universities and funding agencies commonly regard 

impact factors for considerations of promotions, tenure, 

and research proposal funding. Examining journal impact 

factors make the most sense when comparing journals 

within a particular field or discipline (Haddad, 2017, pp. 

57) and as a determinate of where to publish. However, 

using citations should not be the only way that the 

value of scholarly work is judged. This metric does not 

measure the quality of the manuscript or the individual 

researcher. From this editor’s perspective, the quality of the 

manuscript is best legitimized by journals utilizing adequate 

peer review processes. 

Peer Review 

Peer review is the evaluative process by which research 

is assessed for quality and integrity (Sage Publishing, 

2021). In peer reviewed journals, each manuscript is 

first reviewed by a group of experts or peers in the 

field. Reviewers look for ethical research methods, the 

paper’s contribution to the existing body of literature, and 

integration of previous works on the topic. The three most 

common types of peer review include single blind, double 

blind, and open peer review. The peer review process is 

constantly evolving. See Table 1 for a brief description of 

key variations. 

Table 1. Simplified Models of Peer Review 

Single Blind 

Double Blind 

Open Review 

Transparent 

Peer Review 

Author doesn’t know the identity 

of the reviewer. 

Reviewer doesn’t know the 

identity of the author and vice 

versa. 

The identity of the author 

and reviewer is known by all 

participants, during or after the 

review process. 

Review report is posted with the 

published article. The reviewer 

can choose if they want to share 

their identity. 

Collaborative • Two or more reviewers 

work together to submit a 

unified report. OR 

• Author revises manuscript 

under the supervision of 

one or more reviewers. 

Post-Publication 

Review solicited or unsolicited 

of a published paper. Does not 

exclude other forms of peer 

review. 

Note. Reprinted from Wiley. 2021. Types of peer review. https:// 

authorservices.wiley.com/Reviewers/journal-reviewers/what-is-peerreview/types-of-peer-review.html 

While writing for publication takes practice, 

numerous resources exist to assist prospective 

authors in manuscript preparation, impactful journal 

selection, review responses and revisions. It is never 

too soon to start thinking about and undertaking 

writing projects. Take a moment to look around your 

clinical environment, what are the things that you or 

your team have done that has been impactful to your 

ability to care, to function or to succeed? These are the 

things that may change the course of healthcare either 

through the people we care for or the people we work 

with. 

The RN Idaho publication is a great place to start 

with publication. RN Idaho reaches over 34,500 

nurses, employer executives, state legislators, and 

schools of nursing across the state. RN Idaho is 

a place where the ideas, activities and topics of all 

licensed nurses in Idaho have an opportunity to 

be recognized. Manuscripts undergo a single blind 

review and are published quarterly. Submission 

guidelines are available on the Nurse Leaders 

of Idaho website and inquiries can be sent to 

rnidaho@idahonurses.org. 

As we usher in a new year, why not set the resolution 

to write? Franklin D. Roosevelt said this of happiness, 

“… it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of 

creative effort”. We know that 2020 and 2021 have 

been unprecedented years but we also know that you, 

as healthcare professionals, have made significant 

impacts into the health and happiness of patients and 

colleagues. Take the opportunity in 2022 to share those 

experiences with your colleagues through a written 

submission to RN Idaho. Cheers, and Happy New 

Year! 

SAVE 

THE DATES 

American Nurses Association Idaho & 

Nurse Leaders of Idaho 

Legislative Conference Feb 17 

Idaho State Capitol and the Grove Hotel 

Register at: 2022 Legislative Day at the Capitol 

and Legislative Conference | Nurse Leaders of 

Idaho | Nursing Network 

ANA Delegate Assembly in Washington 

DC, June 8-9, 2022. 

American Organization of Nursing 

Leadership (AONL) annual conference, 

April 11-14 

San Antonio | Register at: AONL 2022 

Conference | Inspiring Leaders | AONL 

Idaho Association of Nurse Anesthetists 

AANA Mid-Year Assembly, April 2-6 

Washington, D.C. 

AANA Annual Congress, August 12-16 

Chicago, IL 

IDANA Fall Conference, September 9-11 

The Grove Hotel - Boise 

Nurse Practitioners of Idaho 

AANP National Conference Sessions, June 

21-26, Orlando, FL | Register at: 2022 AANP 

National Conference — In Person 

School Nurse Association of Idaho 

Idaho SNOI Conference, June 14-15 

Caldwell 

Idaho Nursing Student Association 

NSNA National Conference, April 6-10 

Salt Lake City. | Register at: NSNA Convention 

- Home 

Idaho Board of Nursing 

2022 Quarterly Meetings, Boise 

- February 3 

- May 5 

- August 11 

- November 3 

References 

Haddad, M. (2017). Use and relevance of bibliometrics for 

nursing. Nursing Standard, 31(37), pp. 55-63. https:// 

doi:10.7748/ns.2017.e10830 

Rossner, M., Van Epps, H., & Hill, E. (2008). Show me the 

data. The Journal of General Physiology, 131(1), 3-4. 

https://rupress.org/jgp/article-pdf/131/1/3/1223767/ 

jgp_200709940.pdf 

Sage Publishing. (2021). What is peer review? https:// 

us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/what-is-peer-review 

Wiley. (2021). Types of peer review. https://authorservices. 

wiley.com/Reviewers/journal-reviewers/what-is-peerreview/types-of-peer-review.html 

Now Hiring! 

100% Clinical Nursing Instructor position in 

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BOARD OF NURSING REPORT 

The Idaho Board of Nursing Explains Its New Organizational 

Structure as a Part of the Newly Formed Division of 

Occupational and Professional Licensing 

Jan Arrasmith 

Education and Practice Specialist, 

Health Professions 

During the 2020 session of the Idaho Legislature, 

House Bill 318 changed the Idaho Bureau of Occupational 

Licensing (IBOL) to become the newly formed Division 

of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) and 

authorized the Governor to reorganize the self-governing 

agencies in Idaho. On June 3, 2020, Governor Brad Little 

issued Executive Order 2020-10 consolidating 11 separate 

self-governing agencies, including the Idaho Board of 

Nursing, into the new Division of Professional Licensing 

with the goal to promote consistency and efficiency across 

the regulation of professional and occupational licensing in 

Idaho. 

Eleven existing agencies were impacted and reorganized 

to become part of DOPL. They included the 

self-regulatory Boards of (1) Accountancy, (2) Pharmacy, (3) 

Nursing, (4) Medicine, (5) Veterinary Medicine, (6) Dentistry, 

(7) Licensure of Professional Engineers and Professional 

Land Surveyors, (8) Outfitters and Guides, (9) Real Estate 

Commission, (10) the Bureau of Occupational Licenses, 

and (11) the Division of Building Safety. Two of these 

organizations, Medicine and Building Safety, have multiple 

constituent boards. 

The Board of Medicine had advisory boards that 

reported to it that regulated Physician Assistants, 

Athletic Trainers, Dietitians, Respiratory Therapists, and 

Naturopathic Medicine. The Division of Building Safety 

managed the Building Code Board, Electrical Board, 

Public Works Contractors License Board, Plumbing 

Board, Public Works Construction Management, Heating, 

Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Board, and Factory Built 

Structures Advisory Board. 

As you can imagine, there have been many changes 

at the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses 

over the past year. A newly revised organizational chart 

for 271 employees has been completed and this new 

structure has been implemented. It consists of teams 

organized by functions for each Bureau. Boards, 

Commissions, and Programs have begun to see changes 

in how they are supported. 

Boards will continue to be supported by a designated 

Bureau Chief. Additionally, each Board will have an 

Executive Officer (EO) assigned to work with them. The 

EO will work with the Board Chair and legal counsel to 

develop meeting agendas. They will attend all meetings. 

The EO will be the main point of contact for the Board 

and will ensure the needs of the Board are being met. 

For nursing, Nicki Chopski, PharmD, is the appointed 

Executive Officer. 

Teams of employees have been established in each 

Bureau for Board support in the following areas: (1) 

Publish Board meeting dates. (2) Publish Board meeting 

agendas and meeting minutes, (3) Provide meeting 

packets to Board Members, (4) Assist Board Members 

with scheduling and travel arrangements, (5) Provide 

quarterly financial updates , and (6) Facilitate disciplinary 

and investigation reviews. 

Here is the organization of Nursing Leadership 

specifically: 

– Administrator - Russ Barron, MBA 

– Bureau Chief – Nicki Chopski, PharmD. 

– Executive Officer for Nursing – Nicki Chopski, 

PharmD. 

The Idaho Nurse Practice Act defines the membership 

of the Board of Nursing. Members who meet 

qualifications can apply for appointment to fill vacant 

positions on the board by applying to the Governor’s 

office. Membership on the Board of Nursing consists of 

five Registered Nurses, one Advanced Practice Registered 

Nurse, two Licensed Practical Nurses and one Public 

Member who is not a nurse. A list of all government 

boards and open positions, along with instruction for 

how to apply is available at: Appointments - Office of the 

Governor (idaho.gov) 

Current Board of Nursing Members appointed by the 

Governor are: 

– Chair – Deena Rauch, RN from Moscow 

– Vice-Chair – Jennifer Hines-Josephson, RN from 

Rathdrum 

– Advanced Practice Nurse Member – Clay Sanders, 

APRN-CRNA from Boise 

– RN Member – Kirsti Permann, RN from 

American Falls 

– RN Member – Laura Pisca, RN from Boise 

– Governance Committee, Member-At-Large – 

Renee Watson, RN from Boise 

– PRN-AC Chair – Kara Mahannah, LPN from Buhl 

– LPN Member – Kit Batchelor, LPN from Caldwell 

– Consumer Member – Cindy Hone from Idaho Falls 

An attorney from the Office of the Idaho Attorney 

General is assigned to each Bureau and will attend 

all Board meetings. They will provide general counsel 

throughout the meeting. 

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW LOCATION AND MAILING 

ADDRESS 

Board of Nursing 

Physical Address: 

11351 W. Chinden Blvd. Bldg 6 

Boise, ID 83714 

Mailing Address: 

P.O. BOX 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0061 

Monday-Friday 8am-5pm 

(208) 577-2476 

IBN-Info@dopl.idaho.gov 

Website: https://ibn.idaho.gov/ 

Much work remains to be completed and the goal 

is to have all Bureaus moved into the newly acquired 

permanent office space on the Chinden Campus (formerly 

the HP Complex) in just a few more months. Additionally, 

there remains work to be accomplished on reviewing and 

reducing regulations in the administrative rules following 

Governor Little’s Executive Order No. 2020-01 Zero- 

Based Regulation. 

Meeting of the Board of Nursing are held quarterly 

with the agenda being available to the public through the 

BON website. The next meeting is scheduled for February 

3, 2022, at 8:00 am. The Division of Occupational and 

Professional Licenses is striving to help strengthen 

Boards, improve customer service, and create efficiencies. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or 

concerns.


EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT 

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly... 

Here’s My Take 

Randall Hudspeth PhD, MBA, MS, APRN-CNP, FAANP 

Executive Director, Idaho Center for Nursing 

randhuds@msn.com 

Without a doubt 2021 had all three categories of 

good, bad and ugly well covered. Reviewing any year 

can be both tedious and boring, but it can also help 

to re-set and establish some goals for the near future 

based on the learnings of the recent past. 

What was GOOD for the nursing profession, the 

associations and the public that we cared for in 

2021? Actually, quite a few things were good. Nurses 

readily volunteered when the Idaho Public Health 

Departments called for nurses to staff their Medical 

Reserve Corps (MRC). The MRC was established 

many years ago throughout the U.S. as a mechanism Randall Hudspeth 

to solicit help from multiple healthcare sectors when a 

public need arose that could not be easily met by the existing public health 

workforce. Idaho nurses, including me, volunteered to staff multiple COVID 

immunizations clinics, perform rapid COVID tests, perform chart reviews and 

do health data entry at public health departments. This was an advantage 

to the existing staff because they lacked sufficient manpower to handle the 

unexpected COVID chart volumes and reporting and tracking requirements. 

Good or not, the associations managed to provide continuing education 

meetings using webinars and digital conferencing technologies. It was easier 

than expected and for the most part nurses liked it. Nurses who attended 

saved a fortune in travel costs, hotels, and restaurants and the nurses 

associations in Idaho were able to cut registration fees by more than 60% 

because there were no hotel conference room costs, no banquet costs, and 

no audiovisual costs to support. 

Another good outcome was the gratitude and appreciation that we all 

gained about having the opportunities for face-to-face meetings and that 

reinforced the idea that nurses like seeing each other at these meetings. 

However, along with the good, there was some BAD stuff. Nurses showed 

increased stress from COVID. Wearing PPE full-time was not easy. Being 

continually asked to work extra shifts got old quick. Dealing with more 

deaths than normal became an issue. Nurses being placed in uncomfortable 

personal situations about supporting or not supporting immunizations 

among family and friends became a challenge no one wanted. Seeing fellow 

nurses make the decision to leave the job, and in some cases leave nursing 

altogether, was an emotional drain. The loss of hope because there did not 

appear to be an end in sight and one wave after another with new variants 

further burdened nurses and resulted in additional losses to the profession. 

Now the UGLY. The worst things that the associations witnessed was 

the amount of verbal, and in some cases physical, abuse that was directed 

towards nurses. In hospitals, nurses were often put in the unwanted role of 

being the police of families and visitors who would not comply with mask 

requirements, who demanded unauthorized treatments, or who became 

verbally abusive by telling the nurses that they were stupid to follow orders 

or approved protocols. We can only imagine the conversations that were 

happening in home health and long-term care settings. Personally, I can 

attest to witnessing anti-vax people verbally assaulting the volunteers when 

I had volunteered to work at a vaccine clinic in Boise, and we had not even 

engaged with them and did not need or want to. 

Even though these things should not happen, many people have endured 

much worse and for prolonged periods of time. We will all get through this 

and come out stronger, more tolerant, and hopefully more respectful. 

So, now that 2021 is behind us, what will 2022 bring? It will be a good 

year and our spirits will be refreshed. In February we will have a face-to-face 

combined ANAI and NLI Legislative Conference, the first in two years. The 

national associations are all planning to resume in-person meetings and in 

Idaho we can look forward to a fall LEAP conference and a Nurse Recognition 

Dinner to be held. The focus of the nursing associations in Idaho will continue 

to be positioning and engaging nurses to be impactful as the largest and 

most diverse healthcare workforce in Idaho. 

The major programs will continue to be: 

(1) sponsoring the annual learning conference for education, 

administration and practice (LEAP), 

(2) sponsoring continuing education both in-person and on-demand/online 

for nurses, 

(3) promoting recognition of nurses for excellence in care and professional 

achievements, 

(4) publishing the peer reviewed RN Idaho quarterly and the weekly 

Nursing Flash, 

(5) representing all nurses in legislative and public policy forums, 

(6) supporting nursing education program enhancement, increased 

enrollments, more and cooperative clinical placement opportunities, 

(7) working for improved nursing faculty salaries and more faculty, 

(8) providing the nurse refresher programs for RNs and LPNs who wish to 

re-activate their licenses, 

(9) interfacing with the Idaho Board of Nursing on an ongoing basis, 

(10) offering a nursing leadership course in eastern Idaho and in Boise, 

(11) publishing the 2022 Idaho Nursing Workforce Report, 

(12) continuing to engage with AARP and the Center for Nursing in America 

by sponsoring the Idaho Nursing Action Coalition, 

(13) promoting national and state programs to enhance the status of 

nursing such as the Nurses on Board Coalition, Healthy Nurse Healthy 

Nation, nursing clinical certifications, and 

(14) support nursing association sustainability efforts through the shared 

resources of the Idaho Center for Nursing. 

At the end of the day, we will get through these bad and ugly times and 

we will focus on the good that nurses have always stood for and done. 

When I think of the long history of nursing contributions to the health and 

well-being of Idahoans, the impactful work that has been accomplished, and 

the brave nurses who took leadership positions, there has been one unifying 

constant—the nursing associations (ANAI is now 112 years old). All nurses 

have benefitted from the efforts, thoughtfulness and financial contributions of 

the few nurses who have belonged to the nurses associations. Today, out of 

over 18,500 RNs who are licensed and live in Idaho, less than 1,000 belong 

to the nurses association. It is time that all nurses do their part and join 

the nursing association that represents them. Every membership will 

benefit all nurses over time and will help all of us move beyond the bad and 

ugly times that we have experienced over the past two years.


ANA NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE REPORT 

Dori Healey MSN, MBA, RN 

ANAI President 

The American Nurses Association (ANA) held its annual Leadership Conference in 

December using a virtual platform. The meeting focused on participation by state nursing 

association presidents, presidents-elect and the state association executive directors, to 

solicit information about their status and what impact ANA national activities have had 

on the states. Leaders from each state association and from the national level review 

annual political activities and accomplishments, major issues in each state, the financial 

and membership numbers, and openly discuss policy positions taken by the ANA and 

any subsequent impact on state associations. This report will focus on membership 

sustainability, legislative forecasting, and leadership development. 

Membership Sustainability 

Membership is a key issue for any association in the United States. Unless the 

association maintains an active membership, it will cease to exist. Sustainability 

depends on the value proposition that members get from belonging. The COVID 

pandemic has had a good effect on ANA. Nurses have joined ANA, and their state 

affiliate associations like ANA-Idaho, in increasing numbers and the current ANA 

membership is at an all-time high. Why have we seen this membership interest? As 

many nurse’s face crisis-level staffing numbers, workloads, environmental concerns 

about exposure and increasing instances of workplace violence, ANA has stepped 

up to provide nurses with evidenced based information and resources about COVID, 

immunizations, PPE, and ethical issues. The support that ANA has exhibited to nurses 

on a national level is phenomenal. 

Representing ANA-Idaho, we were excited to report that we had supported nurses 

through the pandemic with reasonably priced online continuing education credits, 

opened ANA-Idaho membership to LPNs to support their continuing needs and 

professional development, and we offered an in person legislative conference in 

alignment with nurses’ day at the capitol. It was exciting to share what we had done 

to support our nurses in Idaho during this turbulent two years and that our ANA-Idaho 

membership has continued to grow! 

Legislative Forecasting 

Time was spent reviewing key legislation and policies anticipated at the state and 

federal level in 2022, and what levels of support for nursing issues are demonstrated by 

our elected representatives and senators. Based on the reported exodus of nurses from 

hospital employment and the numbers of nurses who are retiring earlier than expected, 

there will be a push for funding nursing education to re-supply the nursing workforce by 

increased enrollments that will require increased faculty. 

Many states are looking ahead at 2022 legislation regarding assault on healthcare 

workers. In Idaho, this is legislation already exists, and has been supported in the 

Legislature by all the nursing associations. It was interesting to hear about the barriers 

other states are encountering. We shared how Idaho was successful in passing 

this law several years ago by collaborating with the medical association and other 

professional nursing organizations. In 2020, there was an unsuccessful attempt to 

repeal the law that makes violence against a healthcare worker while they are on-duty 

a felony, but groups who felt that a “temporary insanity” plea should exempt offenders 

from the law. Nurses offered testimony to sustain the law and the bill to repeal never 

made it out of committee. 

At the federal level, there is legislation actively being pursued to continue supporting 

telehealth services and enhancing mental health access. This bill would remove the 

geographical barriers associated with telehealth services and expand services to 

many underserved areas thus allowing increased access to mental health services. 

While this sounds good in terms of patient access, there remains many issues when 

providers who are not licensed in the state can come into the state via telehealth and 

provide services. For example, how do they source patients and do all patients have 

equal access to the services of these telehealth providers regardless of their insurance 

payment status? If telehealth providers can choose to care for patients based on their 

ability to pay for services, then some patients are disenfranchised, and Idaho providers 

could be left to care for a disproportionate number of uninsured. 

In Idaho, we do not anticipate any mandatory staffing numbers legislation like other 

states are facing. We also do not anticipate any regulatory issues that will impact nursing. 

Our state focus will be on supporting nursing faculty retention and faculty salaries that are 

comparable to what nurses make in clinical positions. We anticipate attending Hill Day 

in Washington DC in June and meet with our senators and representatives. Historically 

we have had to meet with their junior staff members who are not overly informed about 

nursing issues. Only Senator Risch has taken the time to meet with nurses personally in 

the past four years of visits. 

Leadership Development 

As a learning activity, leaders were led in discussions on diversity, inclusivity, and 

belonging with opportunities to recognize each of our own personal characteristics 

that influence personal and organizational change. Recognizing and building attributes 

to inclusive leadership for all areas of leaders regardless of formal or informal leadership 

were some key takeaways. We were further challenged to consider how to include these 

concepts in our state-based programs. This is an important national awareness, but 

Idaho, like many small and rural states, is challenged with these activities because of 

our less diverse population and even lower percentage of diversity amongst our nursing 

workforce. 

Collaborating and brainstorming ideas for the future of nursing was instructive. 

Leaders discussed and imagined a future healthcare structure with evolving 

technology, working at the top full scope of licensure, and evolving license 

methodologies. Part of the discussion was listening to how other states utilized 

non-nurse healthcare personal to care for patients because of critical nursing staff 

shortages. Each state agreed that continued collaboration with state boards of 

nursing and advocating for all nurses and differentiating between essential nursing 

duties and non-essential nursing duties is vital. 

The week was spent learning and engaging with other states and reflecting on 

lessons we have learned from the past two years. While each state has been impacted 

in a different way, we do share many similarities. An important outcome of this meeting 

was to gauge an understanding of what other states are experiencing, legislation that 

may be impacting healthcare, and to network with leaders from all over the nation. It was 

three days well spent learning from leaders in every state. It was comforting to know that 

Idaho does not have all the complex issues that others are having to manage, and for the 

issues that we do face, we are not in this alone.


LEAP 2021 

Learning in Education, Administration and Practice 

(LEAP) Annual Conference Report 

The LEAP 2021 conference was held virtually on 

October 28 & 29 and was again jointly sponsored by 

ANA-Idaho and Nurse Leaders of Idaho (NLI). This 

was the second year that LEAP was a virtual event. 

The outcome was like 2020 in that more people 

registered from more areas of Idaho. The 2021 event 

had 186 nurses registered, which is similar to the 

182 who registered in 2020. This is about 50 more 

nurses than have registered in person for prior years. 

Additionally, all the presentations were recorded and 

are available for viewing on the Learning Management 

System on the Idaho Center for Nursing website 

[icn - CE Catalog (ce21.com) ]. In 2020, following the 

posting of the annual LEAP conference presentations, 

hundreds of Idaho nurses accessed the conference 

presentations for continuing education (CE) credits. 

The LEAP 2021 offers 15 contact hours of credit. For 

LPNs, this can meet the 2022 re-license needs for CE. 

The 2021 LEAP featured a keynote address by 

Governor Brad Little. He recognized Idaho’s nurses 

as healthcare heroes and announced that November 

would be healthcare worker appreciation month. 

Highlights of the presentations included a panel of 

Idaho nurse educators who discussed the issues of 

faculty loss and difficulty hiring new faculty, clinical 

placement issues that impact the ability to expand 

programs. They also highlighted the issues of students 

who are hesitant to get COVID vaccinated and who 

are not currently vaccinated and thus not allowed to 

have clinical at hospitals that require vaccinations. The 

panel reported on their continued efforts to sustain 

articulation agreements for credit transfer between 

programs. Another new concept is the introduction of 

the Student Resource Nurse (SRN) that is a nurse paid 

for by the facility to ease the burden on staff nurses of 

student precepting. 

Dr. Christine Hahn, the Idaho state physician 

epidemiologist from the Department of Health & 

Welfare reported on current COVID numbers, the 

statewide vaccination plan and the overall response 

to the pandemic in Idaho. Her session had many 

questions, and she was on-line to respond to all of 

them. 

One presentation that had special interest to 

Idaho nurses was the presentation by Nicki Chopski, 

the newly appointed Executive Officer for the Idaho 

Board of Nursing. Russ Barron, who had served 

as the Executive Director for the Board of Nursing 

since June 2019 was promoted to become the 

overall division administrator for the newly formed 

Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses 

(IDOPL). Governor Little directed a restructure of the 

regulatory agencies from being independent boards 

to a comprehensive Division of Occupational & 

Professional Licensing. IDOPL has three major areas, 

(1) building construction & real estate, (2) occupational 

licenses, and (3) health professions. The regulatory 

boards as we have historically known them are 

now being assimilated into the larger organization. 

These include the boards of nursing, pharmacy, 

medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine 

and therapies, among others. More information on 

the new structure is available at Home - Division of 

Occupational and Professional Licenses (idaho.gov). 

Dr. Lynn 

Gallagher-Ford, 

PhD, RN, DPFNAP, 

NE-BC, FAAN 

A highlight of the presentations 

was Dr. Lynn Gallagher-Ford, 

PhD, RN, DPFNAP, NE-BC, 

FAAN, and Dr. Deena Rauch, 

DNP, RN, NEA-BC, who 

presented their work on 

Launching a Rural Evidence- 

Based Practice Enterprise. Dr. 

Gallagher-Ford is the Senior 

Director for the Helene Fuld 

Health Trust National Institute 

for Evidence-based Practice in 

Nursing at The Ohio State 

University College of Nursing. 

A primary objective of the LEAP conference is to 

showcase Idaho nurses as presenters of their work. 

The program moderators who were stationed in Boise 

at the Idaho Center for Nursing office were Joan Agee, 

DNP, RN, CNOR, president of NLI and Dori Healey, 

MSN, MBA, RN, president of ANA-Idaho. 

Program moderators Joan Agee, DNP, RN, CNOR 

and Dori Healey, MSN, MBA, RN 

Idaho Nursing Education Fund Report October to December 

The Idaho Center for Nursing has continued the donation drive to increase the 

balance of the Idaho Nursing Education Fund, which is a part of the 501c3 tax 

exempt nursing philanthropy and education program. Today’s FUND Balance is 

$125,650 with a goal of $200,000. 

Each Idaho nurse was asked to contribute at least $10 or more towards this 

fund. 

As of December 10, the following new donations have been received. Thank 

you to the many nurses who have contributed to this education fund. To learn 

more about the Fund’s history and today’s priorities, go to: Today’s Idaho Nurses 

Education Fund | Idaho Center for Nursing | Nursing Network 

To make a donation go to: Make a Donation Form | Idaho Center for Nursing | 

Nursing Network 

DONATE NOW 

PLEASE JOIN OTHER IDAHO NURSES AND 

DONATE $10 OR MORE TO THE FUND. 

The 2021 goal is to raise $200,000 to support CNE for nurses in Idaho. 

TO DONATE on-line GO TO: 

Make a Donation Form | Idaho Center for Nursing | Nursing Network 

NEW Donor List 

$1,000 to $2,499 

Michael McGrane, RN 

Randall Hudspeth, RN 

$250 to $499 

Kevin McEwan, RN 

Up to $99 

Sondra Kahler, RN 

Anne Burkey, RN 

Delores Smith, RN 

Jami Adrian, RN 

Sophia Bautista, RN 

Karen Newman, RN 

Kathy Gates, RN 

Sondra Kahler, RN 

Kathryn Cock, RN 

Amy DeMordaunt, RN 

Deborah Yaddow, RN 

Visit nursingALD.com today! 

Search job listings 

in all 50 states, and filter by location and 

credentials. 

Browse our online database 

of articles and content. 

Find events 

for nursing professionals in your area. 

Your always-on resource for nursing jobs, 

research, and events.


MEET THE ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE 2022 BOARD 

IDAHO CENTER FOR NURSING 

President 

Carolyn Hansen, 

MSN, APRN-CNP, 

President of Nurse 

Leaders of Idaho 

Vice President 

Dori Healey, MSN, 

MBA, RN, CPPS, 

President of 

American Nurses 

Association of Idaho 

Treasurer 

Margaret Henbest, 

MSN, RN, PNP, 

Community RN 

Member 

Krista Harwick, DNP, 

APRN-CNP, CNE, 

Council of Nursing 

Education Leaders 

Representative 

Shawn Myers, MBA, 

BSN, RN, Community 

RN Member 

Linda Rowe, MS, 

LPN, Community 

Member 

AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATION OF IDAHO 

President 

Dori Healey, MSN, 

MBA-HA, RN, CPPS 

Clinical Nurse 

Specialist, St. Luke’s 

Health System 

Immediate Past- 

President (current 

Director at Large, ANA 

Board of Directors) 

Brienne Sandow, MSN, 

RN, NEA-BC, RNC-OB 

Chief Nursing Officer, 

St. Luke’s Meridian 

President-Elect 

Anna Rostock, MBA, 

BSN, RN, NE-BC 

CSU Nurse Manager, 

St. Luke’s Health 

System 

Treasurer 

Freda Reed, MSN, 

RN, CPN 

Pediatric Supervisor/ 

RN Case Manager, 

BlueBird Health, 

Boise 

Secretary 

Erica Yager, MSN, 

RN, NEA-BC 

Nurse Manager, 

Kootenai Health, 

Coeur d’Alene 

Director-at-Large 

Susan Tavernier, PhD, 

APRN-CNS, AOCN 

Idaho State University, 

School of Nursing, 

Associate Professor, 

Director of Graduate 

Studies in Nursing 

Director-at-Large 

Kandace Turner, 

BSN, RN, NE-BC, 

RNC-MNN 

Manager, Professional 

Advancement and 

Patient Care Center 

of Excellence, St. 

Luke’s Health System 

LPN Membership 


Carrie Nutsch, M.Ed., 

LPN 

Faculty, College 

of Southern Idaho 

Surgical Technology 

Program


OF DIRECTORS FOR THE NURSING ASSOCIATIONS 

NURSE LEADERS OF IDAHO 

President 

Carolyn Hansen, 

MSN, APRN-CNP 


Bingham Memorial 

Hospital 

President-Elect 

Kevin K McEwan, 

DNP, RN, NEA-BC 


Madison Memorial 

Hospital, Rexburg 

Immediate Past- 

President 

Joan Agee, DNP, RN, 

CNOR, FACHE 

Faculty, Lewis Clark 

State College 

SECRETARY 

Claudia Miewald, 

DNP, APRN, 

PMHCNS-BC 

Director, Kootenai 

Behavioral Health 

TREASURER 

Jami Lieber, MBA, 

BSN, RN 

Assistant Chief Nursing 

Officer, Eastern Idaho 

Regional Medical 

Center 

NLI REGION 1 

REPRESENTATIVE 

Tari Yourzek, RN, 


Boundary County 

Hospital, Bonners 

Ferry 

NLI REGION 2 


Holly Urban, MSN, RN 


St. Joseph Regional 

Medical Center 

NLI REGION 3 


Amarissa (Amy) 

Gilbert, MNS, RN, 

RNC, CEFM 

Asst. Nurse Manager, 

BE Smith 

NLI REGION 4 


Mary McFadden, 

DNP, RN, NEA-BC 


Saint Alphonsus 

Regional Medical 

Center 

NLI REGION 5 


Erinn Neilson, BSN, 

RN, 

Former Chief Nursing 

Officer; current 

graduate student 

NLI REGION 6 


Nathan Buck, MSN, RN 

Acute Care Medical- 

Surgical Director, 

Bingham Memorial 

Hospital 

NLI REGION 7 


Sara Hawkins, PhD, 

RN, CPPS 

Director of Patient 

Safety, Eastern Idaho 

Regional Medical Center 

CNEL 


Allison Baker, PhD, RN 

Director, School of 

Nursing, College of 

Western Idaho


MEET THE ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE 2022 BOARD 

NURSE PRACTITIONERS OF IDAHO 

President 

Sarah Curtright, DNP, 

APRN-CNP 

Vice-President 

Michelle Anderson, 

DNP, APRN-CNP, 

FAANP 

Treasurer, Finance 

Chair 

Amos Haley, MSN, 

APRN-CNP 

Secretary 

Shannon Bordes, 

MSN, APRN-CNP 

Region 1 


Cynthia Dalsing, 

MSN, APRN-CNM 

Region 2 


Sue Warner, MSN, 

APRN-CNP 

Region 3 


Russ Swainston, 

DNP, MSN, APRN- 

CNP 

Region 4 


Jackie Turner, MSN, 

APRN-CNP 

Region 5 


Melody Weaver, PhD, 

APRN-CNP 

Student 


Sarah Curtis, RN, 

FNP student at 

Gonzaga University 

Joining Your Professional Organization 

“The rising tide raises all ships…” Engaging with your professional organization 

has many benefits for both you and the profession as a whole. No one is expected to join 

every organization but choose the one that best meets your professional needs and join 

it. Membership is important and it sustains the organizations which in turn benefits every 

professional nurse and helps promote and benefit the profession as a whole. 

Joining is easy! It can be accomplished on the organization website. Visit the website 

HOME PAGE of the association you want to support and follow the instructions how to join. All of 

the nursing organizations listed below participate in the Idaho Center for Nursing. 

RNs: 

idahonurses.nursingnetwork.com/ 

Nurse Practitioners: 

npidaho.enpnetwork.com/ 

CRNAs: 

idahoana.org/ 

Nurse Leaders of Idaho: 

nurseleadersidaho.nursingnetwork.com/


OF DIRECTORS FOR THE NURSING ASSOCIATIONS 

SCHOOL NURSES OF IDAHO 

President 

Nichole Walters 

Piekarski, MSN, RN 

Coeur d’Alene School 

District 

NASN Director 

Terri Lindemann, 

MSN-PH, BSN, RN 

Boise School District 

Treasurer 

Alicia Jordan, BSN, 

RN, NCSN 

Kuna School District 

Secretary 

Susan Morgan, MEd, 

RN, NCSN 

Emmett School 

District 

IDAHO NURSING STUDENT ASSOCIATION 

IDAHO ASSOCIATION OF NURSE ANESTHETISTS 

President 

Dane Larson, BSN Student 

at Boise State University 

Bruce Harding, CRNA - President 

Maria Bode Konen, MSNA, CRNA - President-Elect 

Jeremy Mortensen, MSN, CRNA - Treasurer 

Jonathan Cotteen, MSA, CRNA - Director 

Stephen Ayers, MAE, CRNA - Director 

Katie Elliott, CRNA - Director 

Ruth Kornmueller, CRNA - Director 

• Completely online 

• No out-of-state tuition 

• Finish in as little as 2 semesters 

• Part-time and full-time enrollment available 

• Admission available twice each fall, spring and summer semesters 

• DSU has low costs for the students 

• Ranked as the 12th most affordable 

and 16th best quality RN-BSN 

online program in the nation 

For more information and to apply, visit https://dxl.dixie.edu/rn-bsn/ 

Program questions, call 435.879.4519 or 

email dru.bottoms@dixie.edu


IDAHO NURSING 

AWARDS AND 

RECOGNITIONS 

RN Idaho recognizes nurses who make significant contributions to the advancement of nursing from the 

bedside to the boardroom. We are extremely proud of Idaho Nurses and congratulate you for the positive 

effect you have on patient and professional outcomes! 

DAISY AWARD RECIPIENTS 

Angie Starbuck 

West Valley Medical Center 

Caldwell 

We are happy to announce the latest Daisy 

Award out of West Valley Medical Center in 

Caldwell, Idaho. Angie Starbuck, a nurse in the 

West Valley PACU received the award. A colleague 

nominated Angie and had many examples of her 

top-notch care, saying she consistently goes above 

and beyond. “There are so many situations Angie 

has demonstrated the most compassionate, kind 

and caring behavior with patients, family and her 

coworkers…she not only deserves this award, but 

also the best nurse in the hospital award!” 

Kathy Pizzaro 

St. Luke’s Health Systems 

Boise 

Congratulations on being 

the September 2021 

Recipient of the Daisy 

Award! You were nominated 

by Kasey Glenn, a patient 

you cared for recently. Mr. 

Glenn explained that the 

nature of his admission was 

complex, and he had many 

consulting physicians, yet 

no one seemed to be the 

actual leader. It was you 

who organized his care. He shared that you were 

instrumental in assisting the physicians with 

communicating to each other and to him. In addition 

to providing him great, compassionate care in a 

calm and thorough manner, you were able to take in 

all of the physician information and summarize it for 

him in a manner that he could understand. It was 

your diligence and commitment to sorting things 

out, that made him feel comfortable and secure that 

he received the best care. 

Kathy, on behalf of St. Luke’s Nampa and the whole 

St. Luke’s system, we want to thank you for being 

a wonderful example of our ICARE values. Thank 

you for recognizing your role as a teacher, an 

advocate, and the team leader of Mr. Glenn’s care. 

It is through your daily efforts and extraordinary 

dedication; we can serve our community in the 

manner it deserves 

Corey Strickland 


Boise 

Congratulations, you are the 

July Recipient of the DAISY 

Award! Your nomination was 

submitted by Emily Miller, “I 

was admitted with a whole 

lot of problems during 

pregnancy, including low 

platelets and high blood 

pressure. Corey drew the 

lucky straw of having to 

administer a very uncommon 

and complicated drug. She 

gracefully worked with the team to administer it properly 

and safely. Despite her best efforts, I did end up having a 

reaction to the last titration of this medication and Corey 

responded promptly and calmly to treat me. She again 

worked with the team, reaching out to the pharmacist, 

doctor, and charge nurse to make sure I was safe and 

taken care of. I know she was very busy the entire night 

and barely got to sit down, but I never once felt that she 

was rushing my cares. Corey took the time to thoroughly 

explain everything, and to truly connect with my husband 

and I in this scary time. I feel truly blessed to have Corey 

as my nurse tonight and could not imagine being in 

better hands than hers.” 

Corey, thank you for demonstrating the roles of 

“Sentry” and “Guide” for this family not only did you 

meet this patient’s physiological needs you provided a 

sense of security for her and her husband. 

Fadila Efendic 


Boise 

Congratulations, you have 

been selected to receive a 

DAISY Award! Your 

nomination was submitted 

by Kendra Bellomy. Kendra 

writes, “Fadila cared for this 

patient on our mother-baby 

unit after she had her 3rd 

baby. The patient had no 

complications during her 

pregnancy or delivery. While 

the patient was brushing her 

teeth, she noticed her tongue was a bit numb and 

called Fadila in to ask if that was normal. Fadila 

assessed her and decided nothing else was abnormal. 

She had her stick out her tongue and it veered ever so 

slightly to the right. As the ANM on at the time, she had 

called me to ask my opinion and stated she was 

worried and just felt like something was wrong. I told 

her to call the crisis nurse to assess for the need of a 

code stroke. The crisis nurse came up and assessed 

and decided everything was within normal limits. Fadila 

called the MD on call and asked what to do next. The 

MD on call did not have a ton of experience and asked 

Fadila what she thought the next steps should be. 

Fadila suggested a CT scan so the MD ordered one. In 

CT, they noted multiple lesions and called the MD to 

suggest ordering a full body MRI. The MD did so and 

upon resulting, it was noted that the patient had tumors 

and lesions in her lungs, liver, spine and possibly bone 

marrow. Biopsy of the liver lesion showed malignant 

cancer that had metastasized. The patient will follow up 

with oncology within the week. If Fadila wouldn’t have 

trusted her nursing intuition, this patient may not have 

been diagnosed. Fadila gave this patient hope to 

receive treatment in a timely manner. The patient really 

bonded with Fadila, they cried together and Fadila was 

the best possible nurse for her and her family. Fadila is 

an extraordinary nurse.” 

Fadila you were a Sentry for this patient and your advocacy 

was strong and true. Thank you for making a difference. 

Regan Kichne 


Boise 

Congratulations on being the 

July 2021 Recipient of the 

Daisy Award! You were 

nominated by Tawna Spoor, a 

patient you cared for recently. 

Tawna shared this about you, 

“Regan displayed the upmost 

impeccable example of 

professionalism, compassion, 

empathy, patience, and skill of 

any nurse that has ever cared 

for me. She was able to 

comfort me and communicate in the most sensitive way 

when I need it most. I was in excruciating pain begging for 

relief and she in a very “motherly” fashion was able to 

explain to me why I was not able to have more pain 

medication. Keep in mind I’m twice her senior! When I 

arrived back up on the floor for the second time in just a 

couple of days, she had my room prepared for me and 

went above and beyond by remembering exactly what my 

likes and dislikes were. At a time, I was very nervous and 

concerned, she was able to comfort me. Her outgoing 

personality, her genuine kindness, and caring manner 

should be the highest example for all fellow RN’s! St. 

Luke’s should be grateful to have such a valued employee 

and treasure the example and reputation she leaves with 

patients! I for one will be forever touched by the kindness 

she extended. 

Regan, on behalf of St. Luke’s Nampa and the whole 

St. Luke’s system, we want to thank you for being a 

wonderful example of our ICARE values. It is through 

your daily efforts and extraordinary dedication; we can 

serve our community in the manner it deserves. 

Med/Surg ICU Team 

Madison Memorial Hospital 

Rexburg 

Team members include: Aaron Caldwell, RN, 

Alyssia Fullmer, RN, Amanda Widerburg, 

RN, Amelie Passe-Carlus, RN, Angela Lane, 

RN, Angie Hathaway, RN, Anna Forbush, RN, 

Ashlynn Bagley, RN, Camille Sommer, RN, 

Catherine Claunch, RN, Catherine Heiner, RN, 

Chris Haws, RN, Colton Dyer, RN, Gabrielle 

Light, RN, Heather Nelson, RN, Jeff Esplin, RN, 

Jesi Bergeson, RN, Karie Nelson, RN, Kelsey 

Hansen, RN, Kristen Lee, RN, Laura Pearson, 

RN, Lesa Perrenoud, RN, Lindsay Widdison, RN, 

Lisa Benson, RN, Megan Hendricks, RN, Melisa 

Robinson, RN, Melissa Farr, RN, Michele Rumsey, 

RN, Misty Gordon, RN, Nicole Lybbert, RN, Paige 

Kaufman, RN, Ryan Blackburn, RN, Savanah 

Wagstaff, RN, Shaylee Geisler, RN, Stephanie 

Hart, RN, Susie Thacker, RN, Tailie Chamberlin, 

RN, Tammee Davenport, RN, Tessa Bruneel, RN, 

Theresa Jenkins, RN, Tilliya Pettingill, RN 

Madison Memorial continued on page 13


AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS CONTINUED... 

Madison Memorial continued from page 12 

A few years ago, I was admitted to this floor after a 

hysterectomy. It was an emotional and vulnerable 

time for me, and I was a mess. I was treated with the 

utmost kindness and compassion. I had nurses listen 

to me while I grieved, help me walk, and prepare me 

for a long recovery. They inspired me, and made me 

want to be better! 

I left my time there and immediately applied for 

nursing school. As a nervous nursing student, I was 

assigned to this floor for my capstone. Again, I was 

met with compassionate, skillful, attentive nurses. 

They never even put in a catheter without seeking me 

out and including me in the experience and learning. 

When I graduated I was hired onto this floor as a new 

nurse and had the same experience. Not only did I 

get to work with these amazing people, but I also had 

the opportunity to brave a pandemic with them. I have 

watched them hold the hands of patients struggling day 

after day to breathe. I have seen them save lives when 

patients’ hearts and breathing failed them. I have seen 

these nurses become family to those who have been 

locked away from their own. They have been brave, 

generous, and devoted to their patients and each other. 

As I leave this team I want them to know that they 

have inspired me to be better, and they have 

changed lives including mine. They have experienced 

great losses and tremendous successes. They have 

met every challenge the last couple of years has 

thrown at them with competence, grace, and love. If 

there was ever a team that deserved this award, it is 

this dream team at Madison Memorial Hospital. 

LEADERSHIP AND 

SERVICE RECOGNITION 

The Idaho Business Review Announces Its 2021 

Healthcare Power-List Including Randall Hudspeth 

as the Only Nurse 

Randall Hudspeth, PhD, 

APRN-CNP, FAANP – Idaho 

is the fastest growing state 

in America, and it is seeing 

unprecedented growth 

across almost every 

community and every 

industry, including healthcare. 

During these critical years for 

Idaho, top leaders have been 

guiding the business 

community and organizations 

to greater prosperity and success than ever before. The 

Idaho Business Review (IBR) seeks to identify who are the 

true power players in Idaho. Some are well-known names 

while others work behind the scenes. The IBR provides an 

annual selection of the top 25 most influential people in 

different sectors of business in Idaho. These sectors 

include healthcare, commercial and residential real estate, 

nonprofits and startups. 

In December the IBR published its selection of the 

25 most influential people who impact healthcare 

in Idaho. Randall Hudspeth, PhD, MBA, APRN- 

CNP, FAANP, who serves as the executive director 

of the Idaho Center for Nursing and its affiliated 

organizations, was selected. He was the only 

RN and only Nurse Practitioner selected. Other 

healthcare leaders selected included 10 hospital and 

healthcare organization administrators, 5 physicians, 3 

insurance providers, representatives from 2 non-profit 

organizations, 2 from the Idaho Department of Health 

& Welfare, and the vice president for health sciences 

at Idaho State University, who is a pharmacist. 

Upon receiving the recognition, Dr. Hudspeth said 

that “while it is an honor to be recognized, it is even 

more important to recognize the efforts of the entire 

healthcare community in Idaho, who have faced 

unbelievable challenges these past 2 years, and 

who are looking ahead to 2022 knowing that those 

challenges will not be easily resolved. It takes all of 

us working together to overcome the ever-increasing 

amount of incorrect and misleading information, and to 

bring clarity to the almost daily changes in treatment 

recommendations. Nurses are the single largest 

healthcare workforce in Idaho working in multiple 

settings. Almost 50% of all primary care in Idaho is 

provided by nurse practitioners. While I am honored to 

be recognized, I know that there are many deserving 

nurses who have made significant contributions to 

better the healthcare of Idahoans.” 

In 2021, Dr. Hudspeth continued his appointment 

by Governor Little to the Healthcare Transformation 

Council of Idaho, and also served on the Department of 

Health & Welfare’s COVID vaccine advisory committee. 

He is in his 5th year on the Idaho State University 

Foundation Board of Directors, and in his 6th year on a 

federal FDA advisory panel for NP REMs education. He 

chaired a state-wide task force that resulted in pending 

legislation to support a rural nurse loan repayment 

program in Idaho. As a former chairman of the Idaho 

Board of Nursing, he has worked closely with the newly 

created Division of Occupational and Professional 

Licensing as the Board of Nursing is evolving in the new 

structure and with new members. He also volunteered 

with the health district’s Medical Reverse Corps as a NP 

and has volunteered at multiple COVID immunization 

and screening clinics. 

Council of Nursing 

Education Leaders elect 

Allison Baker, PhD, RN, to 

represent CNEL on the NLI 

Board of Directors for 2022- 

2023. This position 

represents the 10 registered 

nursing programs in Idaho. 

Carrie Nutsch LPN appointed to ANAI Board of 

Directors as LPN representative. 

Carrie is a well-known LPN 

in the Magic Valley and in 

Idaho. She was appointed 

to the Idaho Board of 

Nursing by Governor Butch 

Otter and served 2007-2019 

representing LPNs. During 

her BON terms she also 

served as the vicechairperson 

of the Board. 

She is currently a faculty at 

the College of Southern 

Idaho teaching in the surgical technology program. 

She graduated from the College of Southern Idaho 

LPN education program in 1985 and worked as a 

surgical scrub nurse at St. Luke’s Magic Valley, and 

later for the Twin Falls based Center for Plastic 

Surgery. She joined the faculty at CSI in 2007 as an 

instructor and over the years has progressed to a full 

professor level. In 2012 she received an associate 

degree from CSI and in 2014 she received a 

bachelor’s degree from Idaho State University in 

Human Resource Training and Development and in 

2019 she received a master’s degree from ISU in 

OL&P education. 

Deena Rauch, DNP, RN, NEA-BC is elected as 

chairperson for the Idaho Board of Nursing. 

In 2021 Deena Rauch was 

appointed to the Idaho 

Board of Nursing by 

Governor Brad Little and at 

the November meeting of 

the Board of Nursing 

members she was elected 

Chairperson of the Board. 

Dr. Rauch is well known 

to Idaho nursing and has 

many years of experience 

as a Chief Nursing Officer in critical access hospitals in 

Washington and Idaho, and she was most recently the 

CNO at Weiser Memorial Hospital. To be closer to her 

home in Moscow, she accepted a faculty position at 

Lewis Clark State College’s nursing program. 

Dr. Rauch is a former executive director of Nurse 

Leaders of Idaho, President of IALN and is a member 

of ANA-Idaho. She received her DNP from Boise 

State University, her MSN from Gonzaga University 

and her BSN from Lewis and Clark State College. 

Idaho Nursing Student Association elects new state 

president—Dane Larson from BSU. 

Dane was the vicepresident 

in 2021. In the 

past he has worked as an 

EMT within various types of 

ambulance services 

including CCT, NICU, & 

PICU. After graduation my 

goal is to position my 

education and experience 

so that someday I can 

work as a flight transport 

RN. I am also interested to 

eventually do field research to improve outcomes for 

low income and other at-risk communities. In my spare 

time I explore the various rock-climbing areas Idaho has 

to offer and distract myself by tinkering on bicycles. 

To access electronic copies of 

RN Idaho, please visit 

http://www.NursingALD.com/publications


ADVOCACY IN ACTION 

Idaho Legislative Issues Impacting Nurses in 2022 

Michael McGrane, MSN, RN 

Benn Brocksome 

Randall Hudspeth, PhD, APRN-CNP 

The first week of the Sixty-Sixth Idaho 

Legislature’s Second Regular Session began on 

January 10, 2022, with the traditional State of the 

State Address from Governor Little in the House 

Chambers on Monday afternoon. He specifically 

called out healthcare workers as having gone 

above and beyond the call of duty in managing the 

complexities of the COVID pandemic. His office 

contacted the Idaho Center for Nursing seeking 

three nurses to represent the profession during 

his speech. They joined the three physicians. The 

nurses who represented the profession are Julie 

Yerba, RN, from Saint Alphonsus Nampa, Diane 

Nichols, RN, from St. Luke’s Boise, and Kylie Jo 

Sanders, RN, from the intensive care unit at Saint 

Alphonsus Boise. 

Committees have resumed and begun organizing 

and making plans for rules and legislation that will 

be introduced during the session. Overall, the 2022 

session is officially underway, and the tone of the 

building is far more “normal” than 2021. Hopefully 

the traditions of civility and statesmanship that have 

returned will hold for the duration of the session. 

The first few days of the session included 

workplace sensitivity training for legislators and 

staff, Economic Outlook Committee meetings 

and Change in Employee Compensation (CEC) 

Committee meetings as the State’s decision makers 

grapple with a massive budget surplus and an influx 

of federal funds. It is important to note that the 

Governor’s budget forecast recommendations for 

fiscal years 2022 and 2023 were adopted by the 

Economic Outlook Committee and later forwarded 

with a “Do Pass” recommendation to the Joint 

Finance & Appropriations Committee (JFAC). This 

set the tone and parameters for the budget debates 

and other funding requests from legislators and the 

Governor’s Division of Financial Management for the 

session. 

Governor Little and his staff have moved quickly 

from the State of the State Address to outlining 

the budget and Idaho’s successes to the JFAC 

and procuring support from legislators on many of 

their goals. These range from tax cuts to education 

spending and investments, to critical funding for 

infrastructure including broadband, water, roads and 

bridges, to making continued investments in law 

enforcement, behavioral health, and other priorities. 

There is much to accomplish and many policy 

debates to be had in the weeks ahead. 

The first bill printed this year was in the House 

Revenue and Taxation Committee. House Bill 436 

has many of the same mechanisms as the income 

tax cut bill from last session. Chairman Harris 

sponsored and introduced this bill and noted the 

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success of their efforts last year and the need to do 

more for Idahoans this year, including hundreds of 

millions of dollars in tax cuts and rebates. 

This year, chairmen have the prerogative to offer 

virtual testimony, and some committed to doing so 

to allow residents from across the state, as well as 

technical experts, to participate without the cost of 

travel. The health and safety of participants remains 

a concern as several legislators contracted COVID 

early in the session. COVID testing remains available 

to those who work in the capitol and remote and 

virtual participation remains an option to ensure 

everyone can see and hear what is happening even 

if they are not in the building. 

With elections for all legislators and statewide 

officials, and reapportionment for all legislative 

districts looming, legislators are preparing to tackle 

a vast number of projects and polices that they 

believe can be supported while still cutting taxes 

and regulations for Idaho residents and businesses. 

Hopefully this session will be remembered as one of 

the more successful sessions, on the heels of the 

longest and most contentious session of last year. 

Nursing is well represented at the Idaho 

Legislature. The ANA-Idaho and the Nurse Leaders 

of Idaho share two lobbyists and their legislative 

committees are cross populated. The Nurse 

Practitioners of Idaho and the Idaho Association of 

Nurse Anesthetists have separate lobbyists making 

a total of 4 nursing lobbyists at the Capitol who are 

linked to the nursing professions. The associations 

that they represent are all linked to each other as 

affiliates of the Idaho Center for Nursing. Thus, we 

can say that we are well represented. 

Nursing specific legislation that is upcoming and 

that will generate interest amongst nurses are (1) 

the rule changes at the Board of Nursing proposed 

by the Division of Occupational and Professional 

Licensing, and (2) the Rural Nurse Loan Repayment 

(RNLR) program that is supported by ANA-Idaho 

and NLI. The purpose of the RNLR is to form a 

legal mechanism whereby nurses who complete 

their education programs and go work in a rural 

area, as defined in the statute, will be able to seek 

funds towards academic loan repayments. This 

legislation resulted from a Healthcare Transformation 

Council of Idaho (HTCI) task force that was chaired 

by Randy Hudspeth and Carolyn Hansen, CNO at 

Bingham Memorial Hospital in Blackfoot. It focused 

on how to get more nurses to seek employment 

in rural Idaho. The average nurse academic debt 

upon graduation is near $26,000. A nurse could 

receive funds to pay this entire loan within 2 years 

of employment as a nurse in a rural setting. Nursing 

has gathered support for this legislation from the 

nursing membership organizations, Idaho Hospital 

Association, Idaho Healthcare Association, Rural 

Health, and the HTCI. 

The Idaho Board of Nursing has requested 

support for a rule change specific to advisory 

committees. They would like to re-structure the 

existing advisory committees from regularly 

scheduled ongoing meetings to an as needed and 

more specifically focused groups. In discussions 

about the intended outcome of these rule changes, 

the nursing associations are supportive and believe 

that this will be both cost and time saving while 

maintaining the ability to have workgroups to 

address specific issues. 

Nurses will have the opportunity to meet with 

legislators and also with Governor Little at the 

Capitol on Thursday, February 17 from 0815 until 

noon. The general Nurses’ Day at the Capitol will be 

held in the rotunda lobby and also allow nurses and 

students to listen to the House and Senate session 

from the Gallery seating section. Registration is 

required for this event and is available on both the 

ANAI and NLI websites. 

Policy Update: 

HB 436 – Income Taxes House Revenue and 

Taxation Committee. HB 436 makes several changes to 

Idaho State Code in an effort to cut taxes. First it takes the 

income tax brackets from five down to four. It also lowers 

each brackets rate to 1%, 3%, $4.5%, and 6% starting 

January 1, 2022. This results in an estimated $250 million 

in ongoing income tax relief. 

This bill also uses $94 million in funds amassed from 

online sales tax to provide a one-time sales tax rebate for 

all Idahoans who file an income tax return, regardless of 

whether they owe or not. The State will return the greater 

amount of either 12% of personal income tax from 2020 

or $75 for each taxpayer and dependent. The sales tax 

rebate for all Idahoans is estimated to be a total of $350 

million statewide and one time. This bill is sponsored by 

House Revenue and Taxation Committee Chairman 

Steve Harris (R-21) and Co-Sponsored by House Majority 

Leader Mike Moyle (R-14), Senate Local Government 

and Taxation Committee Chairman Jim Rice (R-10), and 

Senator C. Scott Grow (R-14). This bill is expected to get 

a lot of attention and move quickly early in the legislative 

session and progress through both chambers at a rapid 

pace and ahead of many other large policy discussions. 

Religious Exemption to the Child Protection Act 

A renewed effort to repeal the religious exemption 

to the Child Protection Act is being promoted by The 

Campaign to Protect Idaho Kids. The religious exemption 

allows parents to deny life-saving medical care to their 

children in preference to faith healing. Representative 

John Gannon of Boise is proposing legislation to remove 

the religious exemption from law. Several efforts over the 

past five years have repeatedly stalled without a bill being 

heard. 

2021 Oral Health Workforce Assessment Report 

In January, the Department of Health and Welfare Oral 

Health Program, released the 2021 Oral Health Workforce 

Assessment. Here is a link to the report. 

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/healthandwelfare. 

idaho.gov/health-wellness/healthy-infants-children/oralhealth__;!!DzKa6zecyZU!Bfr_s-AgFPe8nUREJjSPhiCmyp 

aEe91CaBfkfmYlAjKMpj3BXrD1_cCiRFBxKD_wTPolrqw$ 

Once on the website, select the “Oral Health 

Workforce Assessment 2021” on the lower right hand 

column. 

Rules Making 

There is a link for the Index of Proposed Rules for rules 

seeking legislative approval. Current Proposed Rules | 

adminrules.idaho.gov Committees in both the House and 

Senate are assigned rules to approve. As a reminder, if 

rules pass either the House or the Senate, they are set to 

go into effect. 

Here is a list of rules that may be of interest to nurses. 

The Board of Nursing is now under the Division of 

Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL). This 

year, many rules require reauthorization to become or 

remain effective. 

IDAPA 16 – DEPARTMENT OF 

HEALTH AND WELFARE 

• 16-0000-2000F – Omnibus Rulemaking 

Reauthorizing Agency Fee Chapters 

• 16-0307-2001 – Home Health Agencies 

• 16-0309-2002 – Medicaid Basic Plan Benefits 

o 16-0309-2004 

• 16-0310-2002 – Medicaid Enhanced Plan Benefits 

• 16-0321-2001 – Developmental Disabilities 

Agencies (DDA) 

• 16-0417-2001 – Residential Habilitation Agencies 

IDAPA 24 – DIVISION OF OCCUPATIONAL 

AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSES 

Board of Nursing 

• 24-3401-2000F – Omnibus Rulemaking 

Reauthorizing Agency Fee Chapter


Gallup Poll Ranked Nurses as Most Respected and 

Ethical Professionals for 20th Year in a Row 

In January, the Gallup organization released 

its 2022 report on how Americans viewed 

the honesty and ethics in professions. The 

new Gallup poll marked the 20th year in a 

row that nurses topped the list. Healthcare 

professionals were three of the four highest 

rated professions, the others were doctors 

and pharmacists. However, the poll also 

shows that, while medical professionals saw a 

bump in trust at the start of the pandemic in 

2020, that trust is waning when comparing the 

2022 rating of 81% to the 2020 rating of 89%. 

In fact, the 81% of people who rated nurses’ 

honesty and ethics as very high or high is the 

lowest percentage for nurses since 2014. 

While it is great to see nurses at the top 

of the list; how is this data collected and a 

determination made? For the poll, Gallup 

asked adults from all 50 states and the 

District of Columbia between Dec. 1 and 

Dec. 16, 2021, to rate the honesty and ethics 

of different occupations as very high, high, 

average, low, or very low. Professional listings 

are randomly ordered on the rating scales and 

respondents are from a random convenience 

sample. 

The results are analyzed and reported on 

the Gallup website, available at: Honesty/ 

Ethics in Professions | Gallup Historical Trends. 

Nurses are followed by medical doctors 

and grade-school teachers. Meanwhile, the 

professions rated as least honest and ethical 

were lobbyists, car salespeople, and members 

of Congress. 

Very high High Average Low Very low No opinion 

% % % % % % 

Nurses 27 54 16 2 1 -- 

Medical doctors 17 50 25 5 3 * 

Grade school teachers 18 46 25 7 4 1 

Pharmacists 17 46 30 4 2 1 

Military officers 16 45 31 6 2 1 

Police officers 13 40 32 9 6 * 

Day care providers 10 40 42 4 2 2 

Judges 8 30 43 13 5 * 

Clergy 8 28 48 10 4 1 

Auto mechanics 5 30 51 11 3 * 

Nursing home operators 6 21 46 18 9 1 

Bankers 3 24 52 14 6 * 

Local officeholders 2 20 54 17 7 1 

Lawyers 3 16 50 21 9 1 

Newspaper reporters 4 13 39 26 17 * 

Business executives 2 13 50 25 9 1 

TV reporters 2 12 38 27 21 * 

State officeholders 1 11 48 29 10 * 

Advertising practitioners 1 10 44 31 12 2 

Members of Congress 3 6 29 37 25 1 

Car salespeople 1 7 49 31 11 1 

Lobbyists 1 4 28 35 28 4 

Dec. 1-16, 2021 

GALLUP 

To improve the health of 

communities and the nation 

through the service of nurses 

on boards and other bodies 

Idaho Exceeds 2021 Goal for 

Nurses on Boards Coalition 

The Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC) was created in response to the 2010 Institute of Medicine 

(IOM) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, that recommended increasing 

the number of nurse leaders in pivotal decision-making roles on boards and commissions that work to 

improve the health of everyone in America. 

Nurses established a nationwide goal of getting 10,000 to be placed on boards, and each state had 

a target to achieve this goal. Idaho had a goal of placing 55 nurses on a board. This data is collected by 

nurses who self-report their board service on the NOBC website. By 2020 the national goal of 10,000 

nurses on boards was achieved, and it continues to grow today. Idaho has focused on sharing this 

board information on the nursing association websites and also in RN Idaho. As of December 2021, 

Idaho has exceeded the goal by 207%. 

NursingALD.com 

can point you right to that perfect 

NURSING JOB! 

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Free to Nurses 

Year 2020 June 2021-Idaho December 2021-Idaho National Dec 2021 

Total Board Service 121 149 153 10,353 

Privacy Assured 

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Want to Serve 

reported 

Number of Nurses 

involved (some have 

more than 1 board) 

44 59 61 15,118 

94 112 114 23,161 

E-mailed Job Leads


Think like an expert witness to avoid falls liability 

Georgia Reiner, MS, CPHRM 

An 88-year-old patient slips on the floor, falling and breaking his hip. Your 

immediate concern is getting him the help he needs, but you also wonder if you 

could be legally liable for what happened. By thinking like an expert witness, you 

can help determine if this concern is valid and whether you could have taken steps 

to avoid the situation in the first place. But first, you need to understand some 

background information. 

Elements of malpractice 

To be successful in a malpractice lawsuit, plaintiffs must prove four elements: 

1. Duty. A duty existed between the patient and the nurse: The nurse had a 

responsibility to care for the patient. 

2. Breach. The duty to care was breached. To determine if negligence 

occurred, the expert witness would consider whether the nurse met the 

standard of care, which refers to what a reasonable clinician with similar 

training and experience would do in a particular situation. 

3. Injury. The patient suffered an injury. Keep in mind that an injury can be 

defined as not only physical injury, but also psychological injury or economic 

loss. 

4. Causation. The breach of duty caused the injury: Did the act or omission 

cause the negative outcome? 

Expert witnesses will consider these four elements as they review the case, 

and they’ll ask multiple questions (see Was there liability?). The questions primarily 

address prevention and what was done after the fall occurred. 

Prevention 

The following steps can help prevent falls and, if documented correctly, prove 

that the nurse took reasonable steps to protect the patient from injury: 

Take a team approach. Registered nurses, licensed practical/vocational 

nurses, and certified nursing assistants are ideal members for a team dedicated to 

creating a falls reduction plan for each patient. 

Assess the risk. A comprehensive assessment is essential to identify— 

and then mitigate—falls hazards. This starts with assessing the patient for risk 

factors such as history of a previous fall; gait instability and lower-limb weakness; 

incontinence/urinary frequency; agitation, confusion, or impaired judgment; 

medications; and comorbid conditions such as postural hypotension and 

visual impairment. Keep in mind that assessment should be ongoing during the 

patient’s care because conditions may change. It’s also important to consider the 

environment, particularly in the home setting. 

An excellent resource for assessing community-dwelling adults age 65 and 

older is the CDC’s STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries) initiative. 

Develop a plan. Once the assessment is complete, the patient care team, 

including the patient and their family, can develop a falls-reduction plan based on 

the patient’s individual risk factors. The plan should address locations that are at 

greatest risk, such as bedside, bathrooms, and hallways, and detail action steps. 

Communicate. It’s not enough to create a plan; communication is essential 

for optimal execution. All care team members, including patients and their families, 

need to be aware of the patient’s fall risk and the falls reduction plan. The STEADI 

initiative has falls prevention brochures for patients and family caregivers at www. 

cdc.gov/steadi/patient.html. The falls risk reduction plan, communication with 

others, and education provided should all be documented in the patient’s health 

record. 

If a fall occurs 

Despite nurses’ best efforts, a patient may fall. An expert witness will scrutinize 

how the nurse responded to the event. The following steps will help to reduce the 

risk of a lawsuit or the chances that a lawsuit is successful: 

Assess the patient. Examine the patient for any obvious physical or mental 

injuries. Do not move the patient if a spinal injury is suspected until a full evaluation 

can be made. Be particularly alert for possible bleeding if the patient is taking 

anticoagulants. When appropriate, ask patients why they think they fell and 

continue monitoring at regular intervals. 

Communicate assessment results. Notify the patient’s provider of the fall 

and results of the assessment. The provider may order X-rays for further evaluation. 

Remember to mention if the patient is taking anticoagulants, particularly in the case 

of a potential head injury, so the appropriate scans can be ordered. 

Revise the plan. As soon as possible after the fall, work with the team to 

reassess risk factors, revisit the falls reduction plan, and revise the plan as needed. 

It’s important that actions are taken to prevent future falls, and that those actions 

are documented. 

Document. Each step should be documented in the patient’s health record, 

especially all assessment results and provider notifications. 

Reducing risk 

Unfortunately, patient falls are not completely avoidable. However, developing a 

well-conceived prevention plan can help reduce the risk, and taking appropriate 

actions after a fall can help mitigate further injury. Both prevention and post-fall 

follow up not only benefits patients, but also reduces the risk of a lawsuit. 

Article by: Georgia Reiner, MS, CPHRM, Senior Risk Specialist, Nurses Service 

Organization (NSO) 

Was there liability? 

If a patient falls, an expert witness will likely want to know the answers 

to the following questions (developed by Patricia Iyers) when deciding if 

liability may exist: 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

Was the patient identified as being at risk for falls? How was that 

risk communicated to others? 

Were measures implemented to prevent falls? 

Approximately how soon was the individual found after he had 

sustained a fall? 

What was done at the time of the fall? 

Was the patient appropriately monitored after the fall to detect 

injuries? 

What did the assessment (including vital signs) reveal? 

Did the nurse communicate the findings to the patient’s provider? 

Were X-rays ordered and performed? 

Was there an injury? If so, how soon was it treated? 

If the patient hit their head, was the chart reviewed to determine 

if mediations included an anticoagulant? If on anticoagulant, was 

this information communicated to the provider so head scans 

could be performed to check for cranial bleeding? 

Was there a change in mental status after the fall? 

Were additional assessments and monitoring done as follow up? 

Was the patient’s risk for falls reassessed after the fall and the 

plan of care revised to minimize the risk of future falls? 

RESOURCES 

Bono MJ, Wermuth HR, Hipskind JE. Medical malpractice. StatPearls. 2020. www.ncbi. 

nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470573. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Important facts about falls. www.cdc.gov/ 

homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. STEADI: Materials for healthcare providers. 

2020. www.cdc.gov/steadi/materials.html. 

CNA, NSO. Nurse Professional Liability Exposure Claim Report: 4th Edition. 2020. www. 

nso.com/nurseclaimreport. 

Dykes PC, Adelman J, Adkison L, et al. Preventing falls in hospitalized patients. Am Nurs 

Today. 2018;13(9):8-13. https://www.myamericannurse.com/preventing-fallshospitalized-patients. 

Iyer P. Legal aspects of documentation. In: KG Ferrell, ed. Nurse’s Legal Handbook. 6th ed. 

Wolters Kluwer; 2015. 

Van Voast Moncada L, Mire GL. Preventing falls in older persons. Am Fam Physician. 

2017;96(4):240-247. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2017/0815/p240.html. 

Disclaimer: The information offered within this article reflects general principles 

only and does not constitute legal advice by Nurses Service Organization (NSO) 

or establish appropriate or acceptable standards of professional conduct. Readers 

should consult with an attorney if they have specific concerns. Neither Affinity 

Insurance Services, Inc. nor NSO assumes any liability for how this information is 

applied in practice or for the accuracy of this information. 

This risk management information was provided by Nurses Service Organization 

(NSO), the nation’s largest provider of nurses’ professional liability insurance 

coverage for over 550,000 nurses since 1976. The individual professional liability 

insurance policy administered through NSO is underwritten by American Casualty 

Company of Reading, Pennsylvania, a CNA company. Reproduction without 

permission of the publisher is prohibited. For questions, send an e-mail to service@ 

nso.com or call 1-800-247-1500. www.nso.com. 

Jobs @ LCC 

Lower Columbia College (Longview, WA) 

is seeking 3 highly competent and skilled 

tenure track Nursing Instructors! 

You’ll get to be a part of our highly successful 

Nursing Program and provide nursing instruction in the 

classroom, skills/simulation lab, and clinical settings. 

Apply today on our LCC Jobs page!



Ultrasound Guided Intravenous Access Implementation to 

Reduce Central Venous Catheter Placement 

Colin Albers, SN 

Luke Weinrich, SN 

Lewis-Clark State College 

Obtaining intravenous (IV) access is the most common procedure performed 

in hospitals (Pare et al., 2018; Rodriguez-Calero et al., 2020). Generally, the most 

simple and accessible form of IV access is peripheral intravenous (PIV). For some 

patients though, PIV access is difficult to obtain. Common reasons that can 

make PIV access more difficult are obesity, dehydration, IV drug use, and age 

(both old and young) (Rodriguez-Calero et al., 2020). Patients with problematic 

PIV access are referred to as having difficult intravenous access (DIVA), or DIVAs. 

There are times when PIVs are not able to be obtained, likely due to some of the 

reasons previously mentioned. When this happens, the next step is often central 

venous catheter (CVC) placement. 

Central venous catheters can be valuable tools in patient care. They can be 

used to deliver medicine and fluids, for lab draws, and to measure central venous 

pressures (Kornbau et al., 2015). There are many kinds of CVCs. Peripherally 

inserted central catheter (PICCs), tunneled, percutaneous, and implanted ports 

are a few examples. Different kinds of CVCs can vary from where they enter the 

body, but all CVC catheters terminate in the superior vena cava, just before the 

right atrium (Kwon et al., 2018); this location is central in the body, hence the 

name of the catheter. 

Unfortunately, despite their usefulness, they can have significant 

complications. Central venous catheters are often inserted into larger veins that 

require an incision to be accessible. This inherently puts the patient at risk for 

bleeding. Pneumothorax could occur if the needle used for placement punctures 

a lung. Once in place, CVCs are a highway for bacteria to enter the body and 

increase risk for Central Line Acquired Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI) (Baier 

et al., 2020). Upon removal of CVCs, air emboli are a potential complication 

(Deceuninck et al., 2007). Other complications include hematoma, accidental 

arterial puncture/cannulation, laryngeal nerve injury, tracheal injury, arrhythmias 

which can lead to cardiac arrest, and more (Kornbau et al., 2015). All these 

complications can hinder patient outcomes and increase healthcare costs. 

Medicare does not cover many of these complications (Kornbau et al., 2015). 

Central venous catheters are generally reserved for patients who will need 

venous access for extended periods and have complicated disease profiles. 

The problem of this paper is focused on patients who receive CVCs for no 

other reason than because PIV access failed. We believe a suitable alternative 

is available. Using ultrasound to guide PIV insertion offers an alternative to 

CVCs when standard PIV access fails, and therefore, avoiding the potential 

complications related to CVCs. Throughout this paper, we will be using USGIV 

to specifically refer to ultrasound guided peripheral IVs; this is an important 

distinction since ultrasound can be used for many procedures, including central 

IV insertion. 

Literature Review 

Implementation 

An aspect we were curious about was how nurses could help implement 

this change. A study by Carter et al. (2015) shed some light on this. The study 

compared emergency room residents who had around two years of experience 

with USGIVs, to registered nurses who recently underwent training for USGIVs. 

The nurses had no prior experience with USGIV. Patients were included if they 

had two missed PIV attempts. They were then randomly assigned to a nurse or 

resident for USGIV placement. The results showed that the nurses who were 

newly trained were equally as successful at placing USGIVs as the emergency 

room residents who had multiple years of experience. This implies that USGIV 

can be learned easily and practiced effectively with proper training. 

The largest flaw with this study is the sample size, with only 11 nurses and five 

residents partaking in the experiment. There could be some bias in the study too, 

since the nurses who partook in it were already “experienced in IV access”. The 

study mentioned the learning curve was small for the nurses to gain proficiency 

in USGIV placement. This could mean either USGIV is truly easy to learn, or, it is 

possible that their previous experience cut down the learning curve. It would be 

interesting to conduct the same study with new graduate nurses and compare 

their success rates. However, we could not find any evidence to inform this issue. 

Feinsmith et al. (2018). also showed implications for the ease and success 

of nurses implementing USGIV; this study also had a larger sample size 

compared to the previous one. After only a 4-hour training course that involved 

both didactic and hand-on experience, 34 nurses were tracked for a ninemonth 

period. Their overall attempted cannulations decreased in both DIVAs 

and non-DIVAs. The nurses showed competency after the training, but the 

study discussed a phenomenon that success and efficiency with USGIV had a 

steady and reliable upward trend for almost every participant. After participants 

had gained about 20 USGIV procedure attempts on actual patients, successful 

cannulation rates were about 96%, though none had 100% success. This 

suggests that little training is needed to become proficient in USGIV placement, 

but further practice leads to efficiency. 

It appears that a combination of short, didactic and hands-on training 

sessions are sufficient enough to allow nurses to be proficient in USGIV, and 

can eventually become competent. What about post implementation? Do USGIV 

actually reduce CVC use? A study by Au et al. (2012) researched this practice 

question. A group of 100 patients were included in the study. These were DIVAs 

who would normally be candidates for CVC placement. Ultra sound guided IVs 

were used as an alternative intervention. Of the 100 patients that were involved, 

85 of them were successfully treated with USGIV. Only 15 patients ended up 

needing CVC placement. This easy calculation showed an 85% reduction in 

would-be CVCs. The study concluded that USGIV can reduce CVC use. 

Recommendation and Application 

of the Intervention 

After reviewing the evidence, CVC complications, especially CLABSIs, are a 

problem that increase healthcare costs and have a negative impact on patient 

outcomes (Baier et al. 2020; Goudie et al. 2013; Stevens et al. 2017). Patients 

also show high satisfaction with USGIV (Schoenfeld et al. 2011). Finally, USGIV 

is a relatively easy procedure to learn. Based on the body of evidence, our 

recommendation is to promote the implementation of USGIV into nursing practice 

to reduce CVC use. 

To fully implement USGIV into practice, three barriers need to be overcome. 

One is ultrasound equipment. Most hospitals already have this on hand. 

Nonetheless, more may need to be obtained for full implementation in larger 

acute care settings. If there are not enough machines to go around, this may 

result in CVCs being placed unnecessarily. This is a major ethical concern 

regarding implementation of USGIV. Resource allocation, or distributive justice, 

could be a problem for hospitals who do not have the financial resources. 

However, for hospitals with limited financial resources, USGIV may provide a 

return on investment from non-reimbursable hospital acquired conditions.



A quick Google search displayed ultrasound 

machines being sold by brand name manufacturers 

for anywhere from $3,000-$50,000. Some of these 

machines are specifically for IV cannulation and the 

screen that is used to view the vasculature mimics 

a smartphone. Most of these machines cost under 

$10,000. Remember, the average cost of a single 

CLABSI is around $10,000-$50,000 and Medicare 

will rarely reimburse hospitals for this unanticipated 

outcome (Baier et al., 2020; Goudie et al., 2013; 

Stevens et al., 2017). Even if the investment 

prevents only one CLABSI, the investment would 

outweigh the cost. 

Finally, there needs to be training in the use of 

USGIV. Hospitals could go about this in several 

ways. They could provide in-house training 

with staff who are currently knowledgeable and 

willing to train, or they could provide their nurses 

third-party training. A quick Internet search 

demonstrated several programs that offer inperson 

or online training. Based on the evidence, 

in-person training is what was shown to be highly 

effective. 

Conclusion 

Central venous catheter related complications 

do pose a real clinical problem by increasing 

healthcare costs and decreasing patient outcomes. 

Ultrasound guided IVs were shown to decrease 

unnecessary CVC use in DIVAs. Patients were 

satisfied with USGIV, and the intervention 

was shown to be relatively easy to implement. 

Once USGIV has been implemented, nurses 

can contribute to decreased healthcare costs, 

increased patient satisfaction, improved patient 

outcomes, and the best patient care possible. 

References 

Au, A. K., Rotte, M. J., Grzybowski, R. J., Ku, B. S., & 

Fields, J. M. (2012). Decrease in central venous 

catheter placement due to use of ultrasound 

guidance for peripheral intravenous catheters. 

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 

30(9), 1950–1954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. 

ajem.2012.04.016 

Baier, C., Linke, L., Eder, M., Schwab, F., Chaberny, I. 

F., Vonberg, R.-P., & Ebadi, E. (2020). Incidence, 

risk factors and healthcare costs of central lineassociated 

nosocomial bloodstream infections in 

hematologic and oncologic patients. PLOS ONE, 

15(1). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227772 

Carter, T., Conrad, C., Wilson, J. L., & Dogbey, G. (2015). 

Ultrasound guided intravenous access by nursing 

versus resident staff in a community based 

teaching hospital: A “noninferiority” trial. Emergency 

Medicine International, 2015, 1–4. https://doi. 

org/10.1155/2015/563139 

Deceuninck, O., De Roy, L., Moruzi, S., & Blommaert, D. 

(2007). Massive air embolism after central venous 

catheter removal. Circulation, 116(19). https://doi. 

org/10.1161/circulationaha.107.701615 

Feinsmith, S., Huebinger, R., Pitts, M., Baran, E., & Haas, 

S. (2018). Outcomes of a simplified ultrasoundguided 

intravenous training course for emergency 

nurses. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 44(2). https:// 

doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2017.10.001 

Goudie, A., Dynan, L., Brady, P. W., & Rettiganti, M. (2014). 

Attributable cost and length of stay for central lineassociated 

bloodstream infections. PEDIATRICS, 

133(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-3795 

Kornbau, C., Firstenberg, M. S., Lee, K. C., & Hughes, G. 

D. (2015). Central line complications. International 

Journal of Critical Illness and Injury Science, 5(3), 

170. https://doi.org/10.4103/2229-5151.164940 

Kwon, H.-J., Jeong, Y.-I., Jun, I.-G., Moon, Y.-J., & Lee, Y.- 

M. (2018). Evaluation of a central venous catheter 

tip placement for superior vena cava–subclavian 

central venous catheterization using a premeasured 

length. Medicine, 97(2). https://doi.org/10.1097/ 

md.0000000000009600 

Pare, J. R., Pollock, S. E., Liu, J. H., Leo, M. M., & Nelson, 

K. P. (2019). Central venous catheter placement 

after ultrasound guided peripheral iv placement for 

difficult vascular access patients. The American 

Journal of Emergency Medicine, 37(2), 317–320. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2018.11.021 

Rodriguez-Calero, M. A., de Pedro-Gomez, J. E., Molero- 

Ballester, L. J., Fernandez-Fernandez, I., Matamalas- 

Massanet, C., Moreno-Mejias, L., Blanco-Mavillard, 

I., Moya-Suarez, A. B., Personat-Labrador, C., & 

Morales-Asencio, J. M. (2020). Risk factors for 

difficult peripheral intravenous cannulation. the 

pivv2 multicentre case-control study. Journal of 

Clinical Medicine, 9(3), 799. https://doi.org/10.3390/ 

jcm9030799 

Schoenfeld, E., Shokoohi, H., & Boniface, K. (2011). 

Ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous 

access in the emergency department: patientcentered 

survey. Western Journal of Emergency 

Medicine, 12(4), 475–477. https://doi.org/10.5811/ 

westjem.2011.3.1920 

Stevens, V., Geiger, K., Concannon, C., Nelson, R. E., 

Brown, J., & Dumyati, G. (2014). Inpatient costs, 

mortality and 30-day re-admission in patients with 

central-line-associated bloodstream infections. 

Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 20(5). https://doi. 

org/10.1111/1469-0691.12407


PRACTICE MATTERS 

Part 4: The Power of Debriefing 

Michaelyn Muggli, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CCRN-K, CHSE 

Clinical Educator, Simulation Program, St. Luke’s Health System 

mugglim@slhs.org 

Tammye Erdmann, MSEd, BSN, BScIT, RN, CHSE, 

Director, Simulation Program, St. Luke’s Health System 

erdmannt@slhs.org 

The authors have no conflicts of issue including financial or commercial affiliations. 

Editor’s Note: This article is the fourth and final part of a series on 

The Power of Healthcare Simulation. 

Debriefing is a powerful psychologically safe conversation which occurs after 

the simulation experience. Literature supports it is the most valuable component 

where most of the learning occurs (Fanning, 2007). Debriefing is an intentional 

and vital process that is designed to synergize, strengthen, and transfer learning 

from an experiential learning exercise. An effective debriefing drives the learner’s 

self-reflection on the experience. Reflection focuses on what went well, their 

performance related to the objectives, and what to improve in the future. Debriefing 

is a reflective, authentic conversation that requires intentional use of a structured 

debriefing methodology. The facilitator guides conversation using curiosity to 

explore frames of reference and close performance gaps (Rudolph, 2007). 

There are multiple debriefing models and common to all are three general 

phases: the reaction phase, analysis phase, and summary phase (Phrampus, 

2013). In the reaction phase, it is typical for learners to express their feelings and 

reactions about what occurred in the experience. An astute facilitator is listening for 

comments associated with the objectives to explore in the next phase. During the 

analysis phase the learner’s personal frames are explored which provides insight 

into observed gaps in performance. All learners possess frames of reference that 

guide their thoughts and actions. The goal of the debriefing is to focus and reflect 

on the learner’s actions to uncover the frames that shaped their decisions. Once 

frames are uncovered, discussion supports development of alternative frames, so 

future performance can be improved (Rudolph, 2007). The final phase in debriefing 

is the summary phase. Its inclusion is significant in that it serves to reinforce the 

development of new performance standards that align with the learning objectives. 

Additionally, it provides an opportunity for the learners to commit to new behaviors. 

Debriefing is the foundational component for effective simulation-based 

education experiences. At times it can be challenging for a facilitator to keep the 

conversation focused on the objectives which will reduce the ability to achieve the 

desired outcomes. The learners frequently redirect the conversation and it takes 

skill and finesse for the facilitator to refocus the intentional conversation (Fey, 2020). 

This is often cited as one of the most challenging skills for a facilitator to achieve. 

Simulated events provide opportunities for practice, while debriefing provides a 

forum for active discussion and learning, and promotion of reflection. 

We have presented the power of simulation and would like to leave you with 

these key take-aways: Simulation-based education replicates conditions of clinical 

environments that enables individuals and teams to practice in a safe milieu. The 

power of simulation is promoted through creation of a realistic learning experience 

that evokes emotions and facilitates self-reflection. Simulation instructional 

designers must choreograph fidelity carefully matching realism to the target 

audience and learning objectives. Simulation-based interprofessional experiences 

provide opportunities for teams to come together to practice, collaborate, and 

develop mastery of interprofessional team behaviors. Debriefing an authentic 

conversation, is most effective when using a good judgement and a structured 

debriefing model to promote self-reflection. 

References 

Fanning, R. M. and Gaba, D. M. (2007). The role of debriefing in simulation-based learning. 

Simulation in Healthcare, 2(2):115-125. 

Fey, M.K, Auerbach, M., and Szyld, D. (2020). Implementing faculty development programs: 

Moving from theory to practice. Simulation in Healthcare, 15(1);5-6. 

Phrampus P.E., O’Donnell J.M. (2013). Debriefing using a structured and supported 

approach. In: Levine A.I., DeMaria S., Schwartz A.D., Sim A.J. (eds). The 

Comprehensive Textbook of Healthcare Simulation. Springer, New York, NY. https:// 

doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5993-4_6 

Rudolph, J.W., Simon, R., Dufresne, R.L, et.al. (2006). There’s no such thing as 

“nonjudgmental” debriefing: A theory and method for debriefing with good judgment. 

Simulation in Healthcare, 1(1):49–55. 

Rudolph, J.W., Simon, R., Rivard, P., et.al. (2007). Debriefing with good judgment: 

Combining rigorous feedback with genuine inquiry. Anesthesiology Clinics, 25:361– 

376. 

NEWS AND NOTES 

Legislative Conference to be held Thursday, February 17. The morning 

session will be at the Capitol Building and afternoon is planned to be an in-person 

event 1-5PM at the Grove Hotel. To register go to: 2022 Legislative Day at the 

Capitol and Legislative Conference | ANA-Idaho | Nursing Network 

LPN license renewal will begin in a few months and a component of license 

renewal is the documentation of continues competency. One method of that is 

obtaining 15 hours of continuing education, which is available at: icn - CE Catalog 

(ce21.com). This program will meet 100% of LPN CE needs. 

Nurse Practitioners in Idaho will celebrate 50 years of legal recognition 

in 2022. In 1972 Idaho became the first state in the U.S. to recognize NP in statute 

and to begin issuing licenses to practice. Until 1998, regulation of NPs in Idaho was 

jointly done by the Boards of Nursing and Medicine. Beginning in 1998 an APRN 

advisory committee was established and regulation was solely with the Board of 

Nursing. In 2004 all requirement for supervised practice were removed from the 

Nurse Practice Act and since then Idaho has had full practice authority for all 

APRNs. 

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has re-approved the 

Arizona Nurses Association for continuing approver status. The Arizona, Utah and 

Idaho state ANA constituent nursing associations have an agreement to work 

together and use the AzNA as our CE approver source. 

LPN state-based membership in ANA-Idaho continues to grow. In July 

2021 the ANA-Idaho board of directors approved a two-year pilot project for LPN 

membership because the official LPN association in Idaho ceased to exist in the 

early 1990s. Other state ANA constituent associations also have taken similar 

steps to include LPNs. In the first three months 50 LPNs joined ANA-Idaho. 

Idaho Nursing Flash – This is sent by email every Tuesday to Idaho nurses. It 

contains links to the most read nursing articles nationally as well as Idaho pertinent 

to Idaho nurses. The email comes from the ANA-Idaho in the same manner that 

RN IDAHO is emailed. Nurses as asked to review their junk or spam mail folders if 

they are not receiving this weekly update. Set the link to your recognized and safe 

emails to receive the regular weekly mailing without it going to trash or junk folders. 

Workforce Data Collection – The Idaho Center for Nursing is in the process 

of gathering education, demand and supply data on Idaho nurses. Not everything 

being sought is available through the Board of Nursing licensure data base. Thus, a 

separate and quick SurveyMonkey tool is available through February for all nurses 

to complete. 

- RNs go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TS52RGJ 

- LPNs go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TTPSHB9 

- APRNs go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9KQGDHQ 

ANA-Western States Executive to meet in Boise – The Presidents and 

Executive Directors of the constituent members states of the American Nurses 

Association in the West, including Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, 

Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho will gather in Boise for 

a two-day work meeting April 21 & 22 at the Grove Hotel. This is the first time the 

group has come to Idaho for its annual meeting. Topics that the association leaders 

will discuss include membership, financial sustainability, national representation, federal 

legislation, the RN and APRN license compacts, operational programs and national 

initiatives for diversity and inclusion. 

National Student Nurse Association annual convention – The NSNA annual 

conference will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 6-10. This is a terrific opportunity 

to support Idaho student nurses to attend a national conference because it is so close. 

Faculty are encouraged to support students to attend. 

National Nurses Day in May – National Nurses Day for the 

year 2022 is celebrated/observed on Friday, May 6th. National 

Nurses Day is held annually on May 6 which marks the beginning 

of National Nurses Week. The day is to recognize the contribution 

nurses make to our world and to provide thanks.


RN Idaho is pleased to honor Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses, who served the 

profession and are now deceased. The names are also submitted annually for inclusion in the Idaho 

section of the nursing memorial of the American Nurses Association. A nursing school graduation 

photograph is included when available. Inclusion dates are 03 September 2021- 10 December 2021. 

Anderson, Vanetta B. (1931- 

2021), Idaho Falls. After 

graduation from Jerome High 

School she attended the Ricks 

College School of Nursing 

graduating in 1953. 

Benefiel, Betty Ina McKissock. (1930-2021), 

Twin Falls. She was a graduate of the first nursing 

class from the College of Southern Idaho in 1968. 

Boyd, Ruth Martin. (1932- 

2021), Meridian. (from 

COVID). She graduated 

nursing school in 1970. She 

worked most of her nursing 

career in Texas, returning to 

Idaho in 2013. 

Burlingame, Margaret E. 

(1946-2021), Twin Falls. She 

grew up living in several 

different places as her father 

was in the Air Force. Once she 

graduated high school in 

Medical Lake, Washington, she 

continued her schooling at the 

San Jose School of Nursing. After graduating 

from nursing school, she continued her career for 

40 years. 

Davis, Carol Ann. (1951- 

2021), Boise. After graduating 

from nursing school in Oregon, 

she moved to Boise and began 

her nursing career with St. 

Luke’s. In 1987 she went to 

work for Boise Group Homes. 

She was defined by 

compassion, grit, and determination. 

Denlinger, Loretta. (1955- 

2021), Blackfoot. Loretta, was 

a Registered Nurse, working at 

various hospitals, Surgical 

Centers, Rehabilitation Centers, 

and Assisted Living Facilities. 

Fuller, Robert Lewis. (1965- 

2021), Nampa. After 

graduation from high school he 

joined the military as a medic 

and served in Germany. He 

then returned to school and 

became a nurse. 

Glanzer, Janice. (1939-2021). 

Idaho Falls. After graduation 

from high school she attended 

the Bennett Nursing School in 

Yankton, South Dakota. From 

1961 to 1972, Janice worked as 

the head nurse at Lake Preston, 

South Dakota, and later at St. 

Mary’s Hospital in Pierre, South Dakota. Janice’s 

loving demeanor and compassionate, genuine, 

concern for others, made nursing a natural fit for 

her. In 1972, the family moved to Lombard, Illinois, 

where her husband attended chiropractic college. 

After the family moved to Idaho Falls in 1975, she 

devoted herself to supporting her husband’s 

chiropractic career. 

Gneiting, Cheryl Joan Jensen. 

(1944- 2021), After graduation from 

Bonneville High School in 1963 she 

graduated from Ricks College School 

of Nursing in 1965. After marriage her 

husband’s career resulted in many 

moves. She worked as an RN at the 

Idaho Falls Hospital; for Dr. Harvey 

Hatch at the Hatch Clinic in Idaho Falls; the Woodland 

Park Hospital in Portland, OR; the Sioux Falls Care 

Center in Sioux Falls, SD; the Shelley Clinic, Shelley, ID; 

the Caribou Memorial Hospital, Soda Springs, and at 

Southeastern Idaho District Health Dept. in Soda Springs 

where she worked as a Home Health RN. 

Griffith, Bobette. (1931-2021), 

Idaho Falls. After graduation from 

Pocatello High School she attended 

nursing school in Ogden, Utah and 

became an RN in 1953. She worked 

as a RN for most of her life finishing 

her career as a hospice RN. 

Hansen, Judy Lee. (1944-2021), 

Jerome. She was an LPN and 

worked in long term care full-time 

during her career. In 1997 Idaho 

Governor Phil Batt appointed her to 

an LPN position on the Idaho Board 

of Nursing. She served eight years 

on the Board of Nursing and 

represented Idaho at the national meeting of the 

National Council of State Boards of Nursing. 

Hernandez, Felisa Barrera. 

(1928-2021), Idaho Falls, Felisa 

was born April 18, 1928, in 

Mazatenango, Guatemala. She 

grew up and graduated high school 

from Guatemala and then she 

attended Universidad de San Carlos 

and received her Bachelor of 

Science in Nursing. Felisa was a professional nurse in 

Guatemala for many years. After coming to America 

she did not work as a RN. 

Hollingsworth, Sharron J. (1937- 

2021), Emmett. She graduated 

from nursing school and married a 

career Air Force officer. She traveled 

extensively through the Air Force. 

Her husband retired in 1975 and they 

moved to Boise. Sharron’s career 

continued as a hospital accreditation 

surveyor working for JHCO. She continued her 

education at Idaho State University pursuing her 

master’s degree in counseling with an emphasis in drug 

and alcohol rehabilitation. This led her to employment 

with the Walker Center Rehabilitation satellite in Boise. 

She was fiercely committed to helping others physically 

as well as emotionally and spiritually. Her final 

employment was as Director of Nursing Services at 

Walter Knox Memorial Hospital in Emmett for 14 years 

until her retirement. She passionately believed in rural 

medicine and worked tirelessly to create the highest 

quality care she could for every patient. 

Hossner, Carma. (1935-2021), 

Ashton. She graduated from Ricks 

College School of Nursing in 1960 

and worked at the Ashton Memorial 

Hospital for over 30 years, retiring 

after a back injury. 

Jensen, Janelle DuPree. 

(1979-2021), Idaho Falls. 

Janelle was raised and attended 

schools in Rexburg, graduating 

from Madison High School. She 

continued her education at Ricks 

College, earning an associate 

degree in nursing. She later 

received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Boise 

State University. Nursing was her passion and life 

calling. She worked at Madison Memorial Hospital in 

Rexburg, and as an emergency room nurse at 

EIRMC in Idaho Falls for 17 years. 

LeBeau, Marcella, (1919- 

2021), Twin Falls. She was born 

in South Dakota and graduated 

from the St. Mary’s Hospital 

School of Nursing in Pierre, SD in 

1942. After enlisting in the U.S. 

Army Nurse Corps she served in 

Belgium, England, and France, 

including treating soldiers at the Battle of the Bulge. 

She was later awarded a medal of honor by Belgium 

and in June 2004 she was chosen as one of the 100 

U.S. WWII veterans to receive the French Legion of 

Honor medal. She traveled to France to receive it. 

After WWII she remained an active RN and worked 

on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation, serving for 

31 years until her retirement as director of nursing at 

Indian Health Services. She was featured in the 2019 

documentary “Angels in Our Midst,” about U.S. 

military nurses in World War II. 

Lent, Justine. (1947-2021), 

Blackfoot. She graduated from 

the Ropers Hospital School of 

Nursing in Charleston, South 

Carolina. She worked at State 

Hospital South and Bingham 

Memorial Hospital. After moving 

to Wyoming, she worked in a 

long term care facility in Basin. 

Leon, Joyce. (1937-2021). 

Aberdeen. She was born at Fort 

Hall and attended boarding 

school in Nevada as well as two 

years of nursing school. She has 

lived in Aberdeen for the last 40 

years, where she worked as a 

nurse. 

Marx, Grace Maribee. Boise. 

After high school graduation in 

1943, she attended and 

graduated from the Saint 

Alphonsus Hospital School of 

Nursing in 1946. After graduation 

she married and relocated to 

California where she worked as a 

RN at San Fernando Hospital and for a physician 

practice before returning to Boise. She worked for 

more than 40 years as a RN. 

Mathews, Mary June. (1953- 

2021), Buhl. She was born in 

Astoria, Oregon and after 

graduating from Astoria High 

School she to the Immanuel 

Lutheran Hospital School of 

Nursing in Portland, Oregon. She 

then acquired her first nursing job 

in Emmett. After some time in the NICU at St. Luke’s


in Boise, Idaho, she married and moved to Buhl. She 

then had 44 years nursing for Magic Valley Regional 

Medical Center and St. Luke’s Twin Falls that she 

never wanted to leave. There is still some debate on 

the exact number, but the amount of babies she’s 

delivered in the Magic Valley is upwards of 15,000. 

The amount of lives touched can’t be measured. 

Minyard, Diana V. (1946- 

2021), Nampa & Meridian. 

She was a RN and Emergency 

Trauma Nurse Specialist. She 

enjoyed a long career and was 

recognized as the Emergency 

Department Nurse of the Year 

by her peers. She then worked 

in Risk Management and as a part of the 

underwriting process at a malpractice insurance 

company. Later in her career she worked as a 

Legal Nurse Specialist for law firms. 

Mitchell, Elizabeth Louise 

“Betty Lou.” (1928-2021), 

Nampa. She graduated from 

Samaritan Hospital in Nampa 

and then her BSN at Bethany 

Peniel College in Oklahoma 

City. 

Pennie, Elda Elizabeth. 

(1925-2021). After graduation 

from Jerome High School, she 

attended the St. Luke’s 

Hospital School of Nursing in 

Boise, 1943-1945 as a Cadet 

Corps Nurse. 

Phelps, Shan Lee. (1971- 

2021), Boise. He was born in 

Colorado and after high school 

graduation in Glenns Ferry he 

moved to Boise. He later 

completed his LPN nursing 

education in January 2011. 

Ralphs, Margaret Eloise, 

(1936-2021), Twin Falls. She 

graduated from Idaho State 

University with her BSN in 1957. 

She then attended Scarritt 

College in Nashville, Tennessee, 

and the Presbyterian Language 

School in Sand Jose Costa Rica. She taught nursing at 

Clinical Americana in La Paz, Bolivia. After she returned 

to the U.S., she worked for the Red Cross, and upon 

moving to Twin Falls, she was an RN at the Twin Falls 

Clinic & Hospital for 35 years. In total she worked as an 

RN for more than 50 years. 

Robertson, Gretchen Ernestine, 

(1948-2021), Nampa. She graduated 

from the Boise State College School of 

Nursing and graduated in 1970 with an 

associate degree in nursing. 

Robison, Crystal Michelle, (1977- 

2021), Boise. She was raised in Boise 

and following high school graduation 

she became a pharmacy tech and 

then was in the first nursing class to 

graduate from the College of Western 

Idaho. She then received her BSN 

from Boise State University. At the time 

of her death she was almost complete with her master’s 

nurse practitioner program. 

Sagers, Jacqueline Faith Slater. 

(1931-2021), Burley. After graduation 

from high school she attended the 

McKay-Dee Hospital School of 

Nursing in Ogden, UT. She worked as 

a RN at BYU-Provo where she met her 

husband. They later moved to Burley 

where she worked as RN. 

Smith, Barbara N. (1947-2021), 

Boise. She graduated from Passaic 

Valley High School in 1965, Allegheny 

College in 1971, and achieved master’s 

degrees from Boise State University. 

After moving to Boise she was an RN 

in the Emergency Dept. at St. Luke’s 

for seventeen years. She was also a 

nurse educator for two more decades. 

Staples, Jennie, (1973-2021), Idaho 

Falls. She was working as a RN for 

BHC through EIRMC, in the 

adolescent unit. She was an incredible 

nurse and passionate about mental 

health. She also had an associate 

degree in accounting. 

Tanner, Beverly, (1937-2021), 

Blackfoot. She graduated from 

the Ricks College School of 

Nursing in 1957, and worked as 

a RN in eastern Idaho. 

Taylor, Yvonne, (1926-2021), 

Garden Valley. She graduated 

in 1947 from the University of 

Nebraska School of Nursing as 

a Cadet Corps Nurse. After 

marriage she worked as a RN 

in Portland, OR, and later 

moved to Arco, where she 

worked at the Lost River Hospital as a RN for 

many years. Following her retirement, she moved 

to Idaho Falls and then to Garden Valley. 

Tolman, Teresa Dawn, (1979- 

2021), Pocatello. She 

graduated from the Idaho State 

University School of Nursing in 

2011 and worked in Pocatello 

before her illness. 

Wacaster, Lucille, (1941-2021), Pocatello. 

She started her career as an LPN at Bannock 

Memorial Hospital in Pocatello in the 1980’s. 

Always giving back and helping people, Lucy was 

able to find the humorous side in her work - on 

several occasions when her own family ended up 

in the emergency room. 

Webb, Byron, S., (1964-2021), Twin Falls. 

(from COVID). He graduated the College of 

Southern Idaho School of Nursing. He spent 

the majority of his nursing career with St. Luke’s 

Magic Valley, working in both the Post-Surgical 

Unit and Operating Room. Later in his career he 

transitioned to Sawtooth Surgery Center where he 

worked until his death. 

Wilfong, Cheryl, (1946-2021), 

Boise. She graduated from the 

Henry Ford School of Nursing 

in Detroit, Michigan, and moved 

to Boise in 1976. She worked 

as an RN for 31 years at the 

Elk’s Rehabilitation Hospital. 

May is Better Speech 

and Hearing Month! 

Every year in Idaho – 

· An estimated 70 babies are born with 

some degree of hearing loss. 

· About 1 in every 10 babies who do not 

pass the newborn hearing screen are 

found to have a hearing loss. 

Babies can’t tell us they can’t hear, but 

hearing problems can be detected in 

the first months of life. 

The reason to screen is to intervene! 

Now Hiring Experienced and 

New Graduate Registered Nurse 

FOR OUR 10 BED CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL 

OFFERING 1-5 NURSE TO PATIENT RATIO FOR 

CLOSER PATIENT CARE 

$10,000 Sign On Bonus Available 

Apply Today at www.trhealth.com 

Best People, Best Care… Anywhere! 

Located in Basin, Wyoming 

For more information, please call 

Idaho Sound Beginnings at (208) 334-0829 or 

at www.IdahoSoundBeginnings.dhw.idaho.gov

Idaho - February 2022

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