Washington Chapter IAFN

Transcription

1 Forensic Nurse Washington Chapter IAFN June 2010 Volume 6 Issue 1 Inside This Issue Annual Meeting 1 & 2 Leadership Award 3 Membership News 4 Calendar 5 Presidents Message 6 January Meeting On January 23, 2010, the Washington Chapter of IAFN held its annual meeting and Board Member induction ceremony at St Peter s Hospital in Olympia Washington. New Board members were Nodie Sullivan, President-Elect, Paula Skomski, Treasurer and Russ Jones, Member-at-Large. Jackie Moore was re-elected as Secretary. Here Nodie is being welcomed by current President, Maryanne Murray. Benefits of Membership The chapter is a conduit for dissemination of information Of course, by welcoming these new members, we had to say good bye to others. This included our long-time Treasurer, Judy Mickunas. Her knowledge of our Chapter has been invaluable The chapter provides professional educational opportunities The chapter provides opportunity to network with other forensic nurses and professionals and though she is no longer on the Board, we are delighted to know that we can rely on her for her knowledge and friendship. Also completing her time on the Board was Member-at-Large Darra Moore who recently moved to Sarasota, Florida. Although not currently working in the field, Darra is educating her coworkers on what it is to be a Forensic Nurse.

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3 Volume 6 Issue 1 Page 3 Annual Leadership Award Each year, the Washington Chapter of IAFN selects one person to honor for their work not only in the field of forensic nursing, but who furthers the goals of the chapter. This year we are pleased to present this award to Kathy Ander. Kathy works tirelessly not only as an investigator for DSHS but has also been a long-standing board member of the Washington Chapter of IAFN. It was in part through Kathy s dedication, commitment and hard work, that the chapter became active again after being dormant for a period of time. Kathy has previously held the position of President with the Washington Chapter of IAFN. Kathy continues to be an advisor to the chapter and we appreciate her vast knowledge and insight which she so generously shares. Kathy is a graduate of the University of Washington Masters Program with a focus on Forensic Nursing.

4 Volume 6 Issue 1 Page 4 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY IN FORENSIC NURSING: Wondering what a forensic nurse does? Forensic nursing is practice that intersects between health care and the law. The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) hires BSN and Master s prepared nurses to conduct investigations related to abuse/neglect and care in long term care facilities. Nurses conduct investigations and determine failed practice related to regulatory requirements. Investigators receive basic and advanced training on observation and interviewing skills. Each investigation is unique and requires critical thinking with focus on patient rights and safety. Licensing and investigator positions are now open in King County. If interested in this exciting, fast paced, full time work, call Lois Rasmussen at Chapter Membership Renewal The National leadership for IAFN has made a significant change in how chapter dues are to be collected and how chapter membership is determined. In the past, chapter membership has been an optional and separate membership process with separate application and separate membership dues paid at the State level. Many states do not have a local chapter. For those states with a local state chapter, persons interested in chapter membership were required first to join the National organization before joining the chapter. Often there are significantly more National IAFN members than Chapter members in any state. Starting in 2008, the National IAFN membership process for chapter membership was changed so that any person who joins IAFN pays both State and National membership dues to the National organization. Chapters receive a membership stipend from the National organization for each person in their state. Thinking of becoming an IAFN and Washington Chapter Member? Go to the website: for more information. WANTED: We are constantly looking for information to share with our readers. This is your newsletter and as such, we would like to share what you are doing. Please send forensic nursing stories, accomplishments, etc that you and/or your colleagues have experienced. This might include program development, educational goals achieved, awards earned. Or maybe someone you know has submitted an article or given a presentation. By sharing these accomplishments you are furthering the field of Forensic Nursing and encouraging new nurses to join our ranks. Photos are always welcome. Please send your ideas or suggestions to Dale Fukura at dfukura@hotmail.com.

5 Volume 6 Issue 1 Page 5 Calendar July 14, 2010 IAFN Webinar, Forensic Nursing Process (see September 8, 2010 IAFN Webinar, Courtroom Testimony (see September 10-11, th International Conference on Violence, Abuse & Trauma San Deigo, California (see September 21, 2010 IAFN Webinar, Sexual Assault Exams in the Deceased Patient (see October 23-24, 2010 Seattle Chapter of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants LNC Boot Camp (see Message from President) October 27-30, 2010 IAFN Scientific Assembly Pittsburg, Pennsylvania (see November 7, 2010 WA-IAFN Fall Social from 2p-5p Kathy Ander s home more details to follow 2010 Board Members President - MaryAnne Murray maryannemur@msn.com Immediate Past President - Dale Fukura dalef52@gmail.com President Elect - Nodie Sullivan nodieviwa@gmail.com Secretary - Jackie Moore moore_jackie@hotmail.com Treasurer - Paula Skomski pgnewman@hotmail.com Members-at-Large Jolene Culbertson jmculbert@aol.com Russ Jones Rjones27@charter.net Washington Chapter IAFN PO Box 99 Toledo, WA maryannemur@msn.com Working to promote and disseminate information about the practice of forensic nursing in the State of Washington

6 Volume 6 Issue 1 Page 6 President s Message: At our January 23, 2010 meeting in Olympia, we discussed abuse of vulnerable adults and the roles played by Nursing Home Investigators, Residential Care Services, Adult Protective Services, and other professionals who work to protect seniors and persons with disabilities. We also discussed an important new book I recommend for all forensic nurses: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Recently CARE ( sponsored a screening of film vignettes about women whose stories are told in this book. The story of Woinshet (pronounced WIN-ish-ett) is a particularly engaging study of turning adversity into determination. After she was raped by a young man in her Ethiopian village, local custom demanded that she marry him to protect him from prosecution or else risk lifelong spinsterhood. Woinshet refused, and with her father s assistance to buck tradition, Woinshet has worked to educate her countrywomen and countrymen about the wounds this violence inflicts upon society. She has been the catalyst for major change in the lives of Ethiopians. Opportunities abound for Forensic Nurses to positively change the lives of people in our communities. A number of exciting upcoming trainings offer something for every Washington Forensic Nurse: On June 7, our Washington Chapter partnered with the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs ( to offer Prosecuting Intimate Partner Sexual Violence: A Multidisciplinary Training Workshop. This took place at the Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien and featured well known Forensic Nurse Jenifer Markowitz. In October, the weekend of the 23 rd -24 th, the Seattle Chapter of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants is sponsoring an LNC Boot Camp ( ) with content on business aspects of legal nurse consulting, and case consultation. In addition to these live events, more LNC training is available. Jurex ( offers live conferences and distance learning. Centralia College s Ed2Go program also offers a surprisingly inexpensive but thorough course on Legal Nurse Consulting ( centralia/online_course/lnc/detail/ Legal Nurse_Consulting.html? CategoryId=18). Given the abundance of good trainings available, our Washington Chapter Board has decided NOT to compete by offering a summer education session. We will hope to see many of you at these events mentioned above. MaryAnne Murray, President