Stretching our nursing experiences is good for all of us at times. With this in mind, let me tell you about my recent new experiences as a dermatology nurse.
For those of you who have been involved with the Dermatology Nurses' Association (DNA) for a time, you are likely familiar with the DNA volunteers who are active in our DNA Health Policy & Advocacy Committee (HPAC). The DNA HPAC Committee is co-chaired by Angela Hamilton and Katrina Masterson, who you may recognize as also being on the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association (JDNA). These women are passionate leaders who are engaged and energized both by the legislative process and by the outcomes achieved by their work. If we are being honest, I have found the legislative process confusing to a novice, intimidating to me as an average citizen, and to date, not something I ever saw myself participating in.
That was until this year. Through a confluence of events, I found myself driving to my state capital, Annapolis, MD, to testify about House Bill 56 (HB56). However, let's back up a bit in this story and talk about how I got there in the first place. First, someone asked me. I think many nurses are going to be hesitant to seek out opportunities and look for places they can take a public voice. Now, I know some of you out there are doing just the opposite, but for the sake of the argument, let's say many nurses are more like me, hesitant to volunteer for one more new thing. When I was first approached to consider testifying, I didn't say "no" right away but did ask for a day to think about it. Not only did committing mean that I would be traveling all day for my 5 minutes of testimony, but also it meant being comfortable taking on the role as an expert on the topic.
Maryland HB56 was designed to prohibit owners, employees, and operators of tanning facilities from allowing minors to use tanning devices. The Bill title was "Tanning Devices: Use by Minors-Prohibition." Now, as a dermatology nurse who is passionate about skin cancer prevention, this proved to be just the right cause to help me overcome my hesitation about becoming involved in the legislative process. I said "yes" to agree to testify because I knew this was something I could talk about from a perspective of experience and with a sense of authority. Well, that, and I knew my testimony and experience would be facilitated by a group of dedicated individuals. In addition to my dermatology nurse colleague and friend, Katrina Masterson, helping me prepare for the event, I also had help from Lorraine Diana, a local nurse practitioner friend who has had significant experience with the legislative process, and I also had great preparation from Robyn Elliot, a lobbyist with the Maryland Nurses Association, who was the person who would ultimately shepherd me through the process in person. However, perhaps, the person who was most influential in getting me to agree to testify was my former patient, Cathy Fernandez, who was my very first call after I was issued the invitation to participate in the testimony. I diagnosed her with an early-stage malignant melanoma in 2006, after she had used a tanning bed as a teenager. If I was going to go to Annapolis to testify, it would be for patients like her, who had thought that using a tanning bed was helpful.
So with her blessing, and on behalf of all dermatology nurses interested in prevention of skin cancers, I found myself driving to Annapolis to engage in an activity I never thought I would be interested in. The government building where we were doing our testimony was packed, standing room only (Figure 1). There were two other bills presented before HB56, but it was clear that everyone in the room was there for our bill. I was part of the third panel of people to testify in support of the bill. There were a variety of people testifying with me in support; there was a dermatopathologist, a dermatologist, lawyers, a family physician, a representative from the American Public Health Association, and myself as nurse practitioner, and of course, there were patients. I told Cathy's story, but there was also the elderly retired government worker who told the story that he and his wife both developed malignant melanoma after they both used a tanning bed every day and the patient beside me on my panel who currently has Stage III malignant melanoma. Our collective testimony was powerful, and although I am biased, overall, our testimony was better than the opposition's testimony. Interestingly, the testimony of those opposed to HB56 was characterized more by those testifying speaking louder and with more anger, a faster tempo, and timbre. This, of course, is my personal assessment, but because this was my first time participating, I had decided to take in the entire experience.
What I found interesting is that about 15 individuals testified in support of the bill and the House Representatives didn't ask any of us questions. The same could not be said for the individuals offering opposing testimony. They fielded multiple questions from multiple representatives. Again, of course, there was nothing they could have said that would have swayed my opinion, but it was educational to see the legislative process in action.
I have to admit I was nervous when my name was called, and it was time to take a seat, literally, at the table. It really did help not only that I was talking about something that I believe passionately about but also that I felt I was using my voice to represent not only dermatology nurses but also our patients. When I had initially shared my reservations about testifying with my sister, she simply said, "Think about how many people you can help by doing this." So with that in mind, on behalf of myself as a nurse, on behalf of dermatology nurses, and on behalf of our patients, I used my voice to lend support to a cause that is so important.
I will reiterate what I asked of those legislators present that day. I ask you, as a dermatology nurse, to consider using your power, knowledge, and authority to do what you can to help so many people. Would you consider getting involved with the DNA's HPAC Committee? Would you consider lending your voice in your state when the time comes? What would it take for you to be an active participant in legislative issues related to dermatology and dermatology nursing?
Sadly, 2 days after I wrote this editorial, I was sent an email saying that the Maryland Senate voted against this very bill. I know this is very disappointing to many people involved in this cause, both in Maryland and around the country. Although this bill was not successful this year, perhaps, our work and our words even reached one person. Wouldn't that make all our efforts worthwhile?
Changing topics, I'd like to make a midyear reminder that our JDNA publisher, Wolters Kluwer-Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, is again sponsoring three JDNA Writing Awards for 2015. Like the previous years, there will be awards for both The Best Clinical Article and The Best Research Article, but this year will also feature an award for the article chosen to be the People's Choice. Of course, you as a JDNA reader will be helping to vote on that award next year so keep reading and keep your favorite articles in mind. I am looking forward to presenting the Writing Awards at the annual DNA Convention next year in Indianapolis, IN.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Angela L. Borger
Editor in Chief
E-mail: [email protected]