MEMBER USES LOVE OF WRITING AS THE EDITOR FOR E-NEWS
Tracey Allen, MSN, NNP-BC, National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) and National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners member and NANN E-News editor, always loved writing. "I find a unique freedom to express myself honestly in my writing" she says. However, Tracey did not start off as a writer or even as a nurse. Her path to becoming the editor of NANN E-News was not direct, but in the end it was a perfect match between NANN's need for an editor and Tracey's desire to merge her 2 loves, nursing and writing.
Tracey was always interested in pursuing a career in healthcare. She started her studies at the University of Oklahoma as a premed major. Although she loved biology, she soon realized that chemistry was going to be her nemesis. Tracey sought the advice of her father, who advised her to do what she loved, and around that time, she discovered that she loved writing. "On paper, I felt powerful and artistic," she says.
After graduating from college with a bachelor's of arts degree, Tracey's love of the mountains led her to Denver. She found the job market to be small and saturated because of large-scale layoffs in the journalism industry at the time. She says, "I found the world of publishing to be surprisingly uninterested in the opinions of a 23-year-old girl from Texas with almost no life experience!"
The advice of a friend to consider nursing school seemed like a good idea to Tracey. It would fit with her love of healthcare and provide her with a career and comfortable income, and she reasoned, "working 3 days a week would give me time to craft my art as a writer." Tracey completed an accelerated nursing program and in her words "fell deeply in love with nursing and forgot all about my writing dreams." For Tracey, becoming an advanced practice nurse was not a matter of if but of when. She completed her master's degree at Regis University and began working at the Children's Hospital Colorado in the newborn intensive care unit.
Tracey has had the fortune of many mentors and influential people in her life both professionally and personally. She says her husband keeps her grounded and has given her the courage to move forward professionally. Tracey's mom gave her unconditional support when she announced that she wanted to go to nursing school, and rather than advising her to salvage the degree she already had, encouraged her to go ahead and follow her heart. The instructors in nursing school and mentors in her neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) program helped her develop confidence and as Tracey says, "showed me that I did indeed have the knowledge to make safe decisions for my patients."
The editor position for NANN E-News offered an exciting new challenge for Tracey. When the position opened up, the NANN board liaison to E-News encouraged Tracey to apply. The board member was already familiar with Tracey's unique background in journalism and nursing. Tracey said that she was honored to be considered for the position and to be in a position to provide a service to NANN members.
Tracey feels her unique background coupled with her experience as a nurse and an NNP allows her to help nurses become published even if they are not completely comfortable with writing. Tracey spends a great deal of time at the NANN Annual Educational Conference, talking to poster and paper presenters looking for inspiring and educational stories. "They have already done the majority of work toward publication," she says. "Nurses around the country are doing great things in their units and communities. They are working hard to improve their NICUs and to refine and streamline patient care. I simply help them tell these stories." Tracey has many goals for E-News, but first and foremost, she hopes "that E-News provides an opportunity for nurses to feel connected to the national neonatal community. I hope that in addition to providing news updates, the feature article of each E-News issue offers either inspiration or education for nurses and does that for less than 10 minutes of reading investment."
The next project or step in Tracey's career is yet to be discovered. She is content working, learning every day, and enjoying the beauty of Colorado. Tracey realizes how important it is to have NANN's support in the ever-changing healthcare arena and is grateful for the opportunity to give back to NANN as the editor of E-News.
NOW AVAILABLE: CORE CURRICULUM FOR NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE NURSING, 5TH EDITION
Core Curriculum for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing, 5th edition,1 provides in-depth coverage of common neonatal disorders and management. The publication highlights the essentials of each condition including definition, causes, pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, diagnostic tests, treatments, and outcomes. Core Curriculum for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing serves as a resource for clinical care and examination preparation.
The new edition features:
* an increased focus on evidence-based practice;
* new Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport System and Association of Air Medical Services guidelines;
* new techniques for peripherally inserted central catheter placement;
* changes to the neonatal resuscitation program; and
* updated chapters on patient safety, immunology, and developmental care.
This text is a joint effort of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses, NANN, and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Purchase the new edition at http://www.nannstore.org!
Earn Pharmacology Hours
NANN's evidence-based pharmacology Webinar series provides neonatal nurses an opportunity to enhance their pharmacology knowledge and earn pharmacology hours. Webinar attendees receive 1.0 CNE contact hour and 1.0 pharmacology hour for each live and recorded Webinar. Individual and institutional registration is available for each Webinar.
Meet NANN online Thursday, December 11, for the next Webinar:
Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship
11:00 am-Noon CST
Melissa Miller, PharmD, Pediatric Clinical Manager, Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at P/SL
Susan Meier, DNP, APRN, NNP-BC (Moderator), Pediatrix Medical Group
The following Webinar recordings are available for purchase:
* Rapid Sequence Intubation in the NICU: Dupree Hatch, MD, Neonatal Fellow, Vanderbilt Tamara Wallace, DNP, RN, NNP-BC (moderator), Vanderbilt.
* Prescribing Controlled Substances in the NICU: Chelsea Aidala, PharmD, BCPS, Women's and Children's Services, Swedish Medical Center Susan Meier, APRN, DNP, NNP-BC (moderator), Pediatrix Medical Group.
* National Drug Shortage Issues: Katie Malin, MSN, APNP, NNP-BC, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Tamara Wallace, DNP, RN, NNP-BC (moderator), Vanderbilt.
To learn more about NANN's pharmacology Webinar series, visit http://www.nann.org/webinar.
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