FALL 2013 VOLUME 1, ISSUE

1 SPOTLIGHT ON UCMC S BSCU... 1 FALL 2013 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT... 3 AACN-GCC TO ATTEND OSNA CONVENTION... 5 the Greater Cincinnati Chapter Intensive Q U A R T E R L Y N EW S L E T T E R O F T H E G R E A T E R C I N C I N N A T I C H A P T E R O F T H E A M E R I C A N A S S O C I A T I O N O F C R I T I C A L C A R E N U R S E S. Best Practices Burn Special Care Unit leads the pack in infection control share I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse. Florence Nightingale Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLA-BSI), 170 days since the last Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CA-UTI) and 361 days since the last Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) case. The central focus in all infection prevention measures on the unit is hand hygiene, according to Denise Youngman, unit manager. She also takes pride in making sure her staff is well informed and aware of all infections and prevention measures. In summary, education and action are two important tools when implementing best practices. With all of the technology available in the field of critical care, it is important to not forget and to ensure compliance with basic nursing principles. The Burn Special Care Unit Team at UCMC Even Florence Nightingale knew that hand washing was a keyif not the key factor in preventing infection. But still, even with this fundamental knowledge, the war against hospital acquired infection (HAI) is waging on. One unit in our area is making great strides to combat these often preventable complications for their patients. The Burn Special Care Unit at University of Cincinnati Medical Center is the region s only Adult Verified Level 1 Burn Center. The 10 bed unit also cares for critical airway and head and neck surgery patients, making their population at great risk for contracting HAI. The unit staffs about twenty five registered nurses, all of which play a vital role in their success. CCRN REVIEW A critically ill patient needs to have her preload reduced. This can be accomplished via the use of medications that cause: A. Venous constriction B. Venous Dilation C. Arterial Constriction D. Arterial Dilation Answer on back page! The proof is in the numbers: As of August 22, 2013, their tracking shows it has been 189 days since the last Central-Line

Community Outreach 2 This year the chapter has decided to support Fernside in our community outreach efforts. Fernside is a non-profit organization offering support and advocacy to grieving families who have experienced a death. Fernside offers peer support for grieving children, teens and adults and also increases community awareness of grief issues through community outreach. Please consider helping this organization support children through their grief by donating any of the following at chapter events: Art Supplies (to see a comprehensive list, visit our website aacngcc.org) Gift Cards (Walmart, Craft Stores) Cash FOR EVERY 3 ITEMS YOU BRING TO AN EDUCATIONAL EVENT, YOU WILL BE ENTERED TO WIN A FREE EVENING WORKSHOP! From the president... Welcome to our newsletter! We are excited to have a format to communicate to our chapter regularly. We hope that you are able to join us for the evening workshops, and will enjoy our updated intro. We will be presenting a mini-board meeting at the start of each workshop to help keep you informed about what is going on with our chapter. We have a lot of great events this year including our second annual certification celebration. Step Forward is the theme this year for national, and I encourage you to take a moment and explore what that means to you. To me professionally, Step Forward means to bring your best self to the table. Look ahead, not back and make every decision with confidence. Be a forward thinker, think outside the box. Be persistent, be accountable. Be a patient advocate, and don t forget to advocate for yourself while you re at it! Healthcare is really hard right now, but don t sit back and wait for it to hit you, Step Forward and meet the new healthcare with a strong shoulders and a head held high. Thank you for being a part of our chapter! -Tessa A. Messinger RN BSN CMSRN HOW WILL YOU STEP FORWARD?

September Workshop Event 3 The September workshop was a huge success! The event was sponsored by Simply Speaking PAH and was held at Ruth s Christ Steak House in Cincinnati. The topic of the evening was Avoiding and Managing Acute Healthcare Crises in Patients with PAH and was presented by Traci Stewart, RN who works as a nurse clinician specialist in the Cardiomyopathy Treatment Program at the University of Iowa. During the presentation we learned how to: -Identify the most common causes of acute health crises in patients with PAH. -Avoid acute health crises with appropriate management of PAH specific therapy -Manage adverse effects of therapy -Counsel patients on when to seek additional medical care for adverse effects of therapy -Counsel patients with regard to preparing for acute/ emergency situations. Attendees learned a lot about pulmonary hypertension and received 1.0 contact hours for attending. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE NEXT EVENT! Member Spotlight Meet Angela Boehme, RN in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Christ Hospital Nursing Experience: I spent the first twenty years as an LPN. Thirteen of those years were spent at The Drake Center working in rehabilitation and long term acute care. Seven years as an RN all spent in the ICU at The Christ Hospital. How long have you been a member of AACN: Two and a half years. What does it mean for you to STEP FORWARD? I feel that to step forward means to continue to educate yourself, staying current in your practice, and to always be a patient advocate. Favorite thing about AACN: I like all of the updates, the ability to stay current in my practice. The magazine and the free continuing education units are also pretty nice! Pets/ Kids/ Family: I have two children, ages twenty three and seventeen. I will be married to my high school sweetheart for thirty years in May. We have two dogs and (I am embarrassed to tell) five cats. They are all rescues, but this shelter is now at capacity! Favorite Hobbies: I enjoy camping and spending time with family and friends. Advice you wish you had gotten as a newbie critical care nurse: This is going to be the most stressful year of your life, but eventually you will gain confidence and learn to trust yourself. Goal you currently have (professional or otherwise): I would like to go back to school for my CNS. I currently am an adjunct clinical instructor and think I might want to teach nursing in the classroom when I am no longer able to keep up with the physical demands of bedside nursing.

Meet Your 2013-2014 Board Members! 4 PRESIDENT Tessa Messinger RN, BSN, CCRN-CSC, CMSRN Assistant Clinical Manager TREASURER / MEMBERSHIP Diana Howland RN, BSN, CCRN Staff RN/Unit Educator Mercy Hospital West WORKSHOP CHAIR J. Denise Youngman MSN, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC Clinical Nurse Manager University Hospital SECRETARY Kerri Getz RN, BSN, CCRN- CMC Staff RN/Relief Charge Nurse Good Samaritan Hospital PRESIDENT- ELECT Mary Sue Krummen MSN, RN, CCRN Epic Analyst TREASURER- ELECT Carolyn Reif RN, MSN, CCRN, APRN Nurse Practitioner Lebanon Correctional Institute WORKSHOP CHAIR- ELECT/ RESEARCH/ WEBMASTER Julia Eberwine RN, MSN, CCRN, PCCN-CMC Educator, Staff Development SECRETARY- ELECT Angie Nienaber MSN, RN- BC Education Specialist II Cincinnati Children s Hospital & Medical Center COMMUNITY Vickie Valentine RN, PCCN Humana Insurance RESEARCH/ MEMBERSHIP Dianne Mahaffey MSN, RN, CNP CNP, Acute Care The Jewish Hospital SOCIAL MEDIA Sue Huber RN, BSN, CCM Case Manager MEMBER AT Agnes Hudak RN, MSN, CCRN Mercy Hospital Anderson MEMBERS AT Melissa Wilson MSN, APRN, CCNS-BC APN University of Cincinnati MEMBERS AT Carol Schnipper, RN, BSN NOMINATIONS Sheila Palmer RN, BSN, MSHA, PCCN, NE-BC Clinical Manager The Christ Hospital SCHOLARSHIP Pamela Bolton RN, MS, CCRN, PCCN, CCNS, AC- NPC Critical Care Nurse Practitioner Good Samaritan Hospital PUBLIC RELATIONS Grace Zite, MSN, RN, CCRN, CCNS Staff RN St. Elizabeth Health Care Fort Thomas PUBLIC RELATIONS Traci VanOss RN, BSN Staff RN The Christ Hospital Health

5 AACN-GCC attends OSNA Conference AACN-GCC was invited to attend the Ohio Student Nurse s Association s 2013 Convention held at the Kingsgate Marriott Cincinnati on Saturday, September 28. Representatives Grace Zite and Agnes Hudak from the board attended. This event helped the chapter achieve it s strategic goal of outreach to and recruitment of students. in CCRN REVIEW ANSWER Answer: B. Venous Dilation Rationale: A reduction in preload is generally accomplished via the use of medications that cause venous dilation. Dilation of the venous vasculature reduces filling pressures in the failing heart. The most common form of preload reducing medications are diuretics. W ORKSHOP O FFERINGS Novermber 12: Chronically Critically Ill Maggiano s WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE CHAPTER? Sav e Da the te! 2nd Annual Certification Celebration Cruise at B & B Riverboats! March 19, 2014 Search: Greater Cincinnati Chapter AACN SUBMISSIONS: VANOSSTI@MAIL.UC.EDU