Member Spotlight: An Interview with Pam Spivey
Pam Spivey, MSN, RN, CCNS, joined NANN in the late 1980s as a new nurse in an NICU at Duke University. She stays connected to NANN through her volunteer roles and the annual conference. Currently serving as chairperson of the Education Provider Committee, she is a member of the Program Planning Committee for the annual conference and the Registered Nurse, Certified Review Task Force. She is also the current president of the Carolinas Piedmont Association of Neonatal Nurses (a NANN chapter) in North Carolina. Pam sees NANN's annual conference as her primary opportunity to gain knowledge, meet new people, and go home with a renewed enthusiasm for the profession she loves.
One of Pam's fond memories is of her mentor, Lori Armstrong, becoming president of NANN. "I met Lori back in 1991 when she was the nurse manager in Charlotte. Her enthusiasm and her energy were infectious," Pam remembers. "It was wonderful to see my mentor, my friend, become president. I could say 'I knew her when....'"
Pam exudes her own enthusiasm and energy, and she has always had a love of nursing. She grew up knowing a number of nurses and initially wanted to serve in a public health role, but fate intervened. One of those early nights working in her first newborn unit, she was asked to help with the care of a premature infant, and she has been at the bedside of preterm babies ever since.
It is volunteers like Pam who add tremendous value to all of NANN's activities and help to make NANN the leading voice in neonatal nursing.
"NANN is the voice for me, for our babies, and for our parents. NANN equips us with the knowledge we need to be successful."
Special Interest Group Scan
Whether you are a staff nurse, an educator, a researcher, a manager, or an advanced practice nurse, all NANN members are invited to subscribe to 1 or more of the special interest group e-mail lists to discuss common issues, share solutions, or just find out what others are doing. The topics of discussion range from simple to complex, from basic to advanced. The e-mail exchanges offer a great way for you to get instant feedback from peers and network with colleagues. Here is a sample of hot topics discussed recently by the group for staff nurses:
* Temperatures in the Nursery
* Attendance at High-Risk Deliveries
* Body Cooling
* Matching Breast Milk to Baby
* Central Lines Policies
Do you have a topic you would like to get input on? Join a special interest group e-mail list and start the conversation. Log in to NANN's members-only site at http://www.nann.org to subscribe today.
Benefit Highlight: Students Get a Break
NANN has always had a special dedication to students, the future of the profession. The economic climate over the past 2 years has been extremely difficult, particularly for students. After thorough and thoughtful discussion, NANN's board of directors decided to offer a small bit of relief to student members. In June, student dues were reduced to $50 per year. The board hopes that this change will make it easier for students to begin or renew their membership in NANN. If you know students who are interested in neonatal nursing, please direct them to http://www.nann.org to explore the many benefits of NANN membership. Your testimony about the value of your own NANN membership will encourage them to take this important step.
Annual Conference
Registration is in full swing for NANN's 26th Annual Educational Conference. Do not miss out. Register by August 20, 2010, to take advantage of early-bird savings.
This year's conference promises to deliver high-quality education on the latest topics important for neonatal nurses at all levels of their career. You can learn about new technology for neonatal ventilation, best practices for resuscitation of very low-birth-weight infants, or innovative strategies for educating nurses and families. You can also hear leading experts discuss ways to improve patient care and safety. No matter what sessions you choose, you'll walk away with information you can use when you return to your NICU.
Las Vegas in September is great. So make your travel arrangements and register today at http://www.nann.org.
Featured Products-Coming Soon
NANN continues to develop essential resources for neonatal nurses. Look for these new items as they become available for purchase on http://www.nann.org.
* Understanding Clinical Research: A Practical Guide-an introductory guide to reviewing, evaluating, and conducting research, includes material on literature evaluation and a continuing education component.
* Developmental Care of Newborns and Infants, 2nd edition-evidence-based guidelines for the implementation of developmentally supportive caregiving with infants and families served through the NICU and beyond. Online continuing nursing education modules totaling 38 credits have been developed to complement the text. Each chapter-based module features relevant developmental care standards, a chapter summary, several "points to remember," a case study, and self-assessment questions. The modules are available at member and nonmember prices individually or as a complete package at a reduced cost.To access the modules, visit the NANN Web site and online store at http://www.nann.org.
* Registered nurse, certified review course-an Internet-based, modular, comprehensive review course.
* Competencies and Orientation Tool Kit for Neonatal Nurse Practitioners-a valuable resource that will help neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) to assess their practice and identify their own learning needs and will help preceptors and staff educators both to determine the learning needs of NNP students and new NNPs and to evaluate the continued competence of experienced NNPs. These competencies will become increasingly important with the new requirements of the National Certification Corporation (see Robin Bissinger's article "NCC's Continuing Competency Initiative" in the March 2010 issue of NANN E-News, archived at http://www.nann.org/pubs/nann_enews.html, on these changes).