President s Message Lynn Wetherwax MSN,RN, CRRN

A publication of the Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses Volume 24 Number 1 March 2014 President s Message Lynn Wetherwax MSN,RN, CRRN Greetings, and Happy New Year Everyone! We re already off to an exciting year! I can hardly believe it is already 2014! On January 22, 2014 we had our Annual Business Meeting at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. We had over 20 members who attended. We started out the meeting showing a video highlight of all of our activities in 2013. Whew, I was tired after watching it! Afterwards we enjoyed dinner and some delicious cake to honor our new CRRN s. We spent much of our time planning for the educational events that we are offering in 2014. On March 8, 2014, we will be holding our Annual Educational Potpourri, which will be held this year at Ballard Rehabilitation Hospital in San Bernardino, California. The title of the program is, The Evolving Role of the Rehabilitation Nurse in the New Health Care Arena. This year we have been able to make this educational offering more affordable. We will have a breakfast brunch and vendors available. Afterwards members will have time to explore the San Bernardino area and take a trip over to the San Manuel Casino for a little fun. From April 24-26, 2014, we will hold our annual Professional Rehabilitation Nursing (PRN) course at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, CA. Please spread the word to your colleagues who are contemplating getting their certification. Also this is an excellent course if you just want a refresher! Registration will begin in February through our website at laocarn.org, and we will also be sending out email blasts. Additionally we will be offering 3 - $175.00 scholarships for nurses who meet the qualifications. We will be posting this to our website at www.laocarn.org and will send out e-mail blasts to all our members. Please encourage those who may be interested to apply for the scholarships, and remind those really interested that they must join ARN and our Chapter when they apply. In May it will be time to have Board elections, and we will be sending all our members ballot forms to vote. There are several opportunities to get involved with our chapter. We will have a President Elect Position, and several Board Member at Large positions. If you are interested please contact me or one of your LA/OC ARN Board Members. My email address is lwethrn@aol.com or lwetherwax@dhs.lacounty.gov On June 25, 2014, we will have our Board Transition Meeting at Rancho Los Amigos NRC. This is the meeting where new board members will be installed, and I will pass the flame over to Crystal Barker! Additionally, we typically give two donations a year to a LA/OC organization. Some suggestions offered were New Directions and Wounded Warriors who aid in helping Veterans in need. If you have any feedback please contact us. I want to remind you also, that we have the National ARN Annual Educational Conference coming to the Disneyland Resort on Oct 29- Nov 1, 2014. If you want to present a poster or presentation for the conference you must submit your abstract by the deadline which is April 2, 2014. Additionally nominations for ARN role awards are due June 1, 2014. In closing, I hope you all will visit our chapter s local website at www.laocarn.org and the national website at www.rehabnurse.org for continued support and resources. Please make it a habit to check these sites and look for e-mail blasts from our chapter for local communication regarding educational and social events. In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions. - Margaret Wheatly Leadership and the New Science

2 LA/OC ARN Chapter Contact Information: Address: PO Box 2857, Fullerton, CA, 92837 Email: info@laocarn.org Website: www.laocarn.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/laocarn LA/OC ARN Chapter Calendar Who: LA/OC ARN members/nonmembers What: Potpourri XXIII When: March 8, 2014 Where: Ballard Rehabilitation Hospital, San Bernardino Why: Education, Networking Who: LA/OC ARN members/nonmembers What: PRN Course When: April 24-26, 2014 Where: Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Why: Education, Preparation for CRRN exam Who: LA/OC ARN members/non members What: Summer Social When: Summer 2014 Where: TBD Why: Networking, fun Who: LA/OC ARN members/non members What: Fall Educational Event When: September 2014 Where: TBD Why: Education, Networking Who: LA/OC ARN members/non members What: Winter Social When: December 2014 Where: TBD Why: Networking, fun ARN & Others Calendar Who: LA/OC ARN members/nonmembers What: 40 th Annual ARN Educational Conference When: October 29 Nov. 1, 2014 Where: Anaheim, CA Why: Networking, education Link: www.rehabnurse.org A Publication of the Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses Volume 24, Number 1 March 2014 is published quarterly by the Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. LA/OC-ARN Chapter PO Box 2857 Fullerton, CA 92837 Direct feedback, comments, suggestions, articles, or letters to editor: Polly Martin BSN, RN, CRRN polly@p2martin.com Los Angeles/Orange County-ARN Chapter Board Roster 2013/2014 President Lynn Wetherwax MSN, RN, CRRN w) 562-401-6376 President Elect Crystal Barker MSN, RN-BC, CRRN w) 310-268-3764 Secretary Pat Jurado BSN, RN, CRRN w) 714-992-3000 x2537 Treasurer Susan Grady BSN, RN, CRRN h)714-519-3414 Past President Aries Serafin MSN, RN, CRRN c) 626 429 9300 Ex-Officio Chapter Board Members Marilyn Pires, MS, RN, CRRN, FAAN Dale Wong, BSN, RN, CRRN Members at Large Ruby Bains, MS, RN, CRRN - Historian Deepa Kannampuzha BSN, RN, CRRN Rayhena Karim RN, CRRN Christiana Lassen MS, RN-BC, CRRN Polly Martin BSN, RN, CRRN - Newsletter Raquel Paige MSN, RN, CPN Cristina Perez MSNc, RN, CRRN Vance Shaw BSN, RN, CRRN- Webmaster

3 LA/OC ARN CHAPTER WINTER SOCIAL On a chilly December 7, 2013 morning, LA/OC ARN Chapter members and guests boarded the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California for our Annual Winter Social. We had fun visiting with old and new friends as we enjoyed the holiday atmosphere. Many gifts were raffled off to happy winners. We indulged in a traditional English afternoon tea complete with tea sandwiches, crumpets, and scrumptious desserts and of course tea! The day was complete with a tour of Princess Diana memorabilia that was enjoyed by all.

4 LA/OC ARN CHAPTER MEMBER PROFILE: Cristina A. Perez MSN-c, RN, CRRN Why did you decide to become a nurse? I decided to become a nurse because I wanted to be in a career that involved helping people in need. I also come from a family that values education and many of who are also in the healthcare field. The profession of nursing is also very diverse and offers many options as far as direct bedside care, management, teaching, and other professional roles. How did you become interested in Rehabilitation Nursing? My interest in Rehabilitation Nursing started when I was a student nurse in the Cerritos College ADN program in 1988. I had a six-week rotation at the Acute Spinal Cord Injury Unit at Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Hospital, followed by another six- week rotation at the Pediatric Rehabilitation unit. I immediately connected with my preceptors and the staff at Rancho Los Amigos, and felt a sense of satisfaction in knowing that our nursing interventions and teaching made such a tremendous impact on the lives of rehab patients. Helping patients deal with their functional impairments, and helping them integrate new skills with their lifestyle helps make rehab nursing very rewarding. What types of nursing positions have you held? While in school, completing my Associates Degree in Nursing, I worked as a student intern at the Medical ICU unit at Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Hospital. As soon as I got my degree, I worked as a staff nurse at the ortho/neuro unit at Downey Community Hospital, and also filled in as relief charge nurse for the unit. When I moved to Corona, I worked as a staff RN for the Acute Rehabilitation Unit at Corona Community Hospital, and set-up the Acute Rehabilitation Hospital when they became Corona Regional Medical Center. I worked there for 10 years as a charge nurse. I earned my CRRN two years into being a rehab nurse. I also worked as a charge nurse at a medical/surgical unit at Kaiser Permanente, but then realized that Rehab Nursing was my home, so I decided to accept a staffnurse position at Ballard Rehabilitation Hospital. Ballard has been my home for the past 15 years and my role there is that of a senior charge nurse. I am currently attending classes to earn my MSN. What do you like/dislike about being a member of ARN and LA/OC ARN? There is nothing negative about being a member of our professional organization. I have always supported the ARN and have been an active member for a long time now. I value the focus on promoting Rehab Nursing as a specialty and encouraging rehab nurses to attain their certification. The ARN has many valuable tools and resources available to help rehab nurses in their everyday practice. There is also a supportive sharing of knowledge and evidence- based practice as evidenced by the vast number of research articles that rehab nurses have written. The focus on advocacy, collaboration, and research are what I value most about the ARN. Being a member of the LA/OC ARN has given me the opportunity to network with my peers who are in the local areas and may be going through the same changes that my own facility is going through. The educational events have been very informative and valuable in continuing to grow in the rehab profession. The social events have been outstanding and enjoyable, as well. I thought the winter social at the Queen Mary was exceptional! Have you checked out ARN s new Online Community - Member Circle yet? The ARN Member Circle has replaced the Rehab-L Listserv as your go to place for rehabilitation nursing discussion. Check it out if you haven t yet had a chance to see all the features. The Member Circle is an online collaborative tool designed exclusively for ARN members that combines the instant, active response features of the Rehab-L Listserv with new, digital-friendly discussion forums. The ARN Member Circle is your connection to an incredible resource- 5,000+ of your colleagues who share challenges, uncertainties, and successes. It has many of the features you like about Rehab-L plus more, including large file sharing tools that will not clutter your inbox, a wiki resource library, and better search options for the archive. Keep in mind that you can still initiate discussions and respond directly to them from your e- mail account. You can edit your e-mail preferences through your member profile on Member Circle. Start connecting with other members and contribute your expertise in the Open Forum. Browse the new member guide to help you get started. If you need additional assistance, read the FAQ page located on the Member Circle website. Feel free to e-mail or call ARN at 800.229.7530 with any questions you have.

5 LA/OC ARN CHAPTER ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING On January 22, 2014, many Chapter members and guests gathered together at Long Beach Memorial Hospital for our Annual Business Meeting. There was much lively discussion of all our upcoming events for the year. In the usual LA/OC Chapter style, there was plenty of great food to enjoy! Our Spring Educational Potpourri, PRN course, Summer Social, Fall Educational event, Winter Social and donation suggestions were all on the agenda. Stay tuned for more details for these great events. We finished our meeting by honoring and celebrating some special guests three brand new CRRN s!

6 CERTIFICATION: A BADGE OF HONOR By: Raquel Paige, RN MSN CPN CRRN My name is Raquel Paige and I have been a RN since 2002. I have always worked in pediatrics and I love it. I am currently a pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) at Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach, CA. Since CNSs are population based at my hospital I follow the pediatric orthopedic, neurology, and rehabilitation patients. I have worked in pediatric rehabilitation since 2006. My love for the rehabilitation population is very real and I have a passion for the specialty. I have taught the pediatric lecture of the Professional Rehabilitation Nursing course since 2011. I would look through the syllabus and I saw that all of the speakers had the CRRN credential after their names. I thought to myself, if I am a guest lecturer in this specialty then I should possess the same certification. After all, the nurses taking this course are sitting for the CRRN certification examination. The opportunity presented itself when I found out about the PRN course that was being held at Long Beach Memorial in April 2013. I was excited to hear that the Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses was offering a scholarship for the registration cost of the course. When I was awarded the scholarship I was so grateful. I found the course very helpful as I was able to meet other rehabilitation nurses and we formed a study group after the course. We studied for five months leading up to the test. I found the PRN course materials essential in my preparation for the examination. We even had additional study groups with other rehabilitation nurses to help prepare for the examination. As a result, I was ready to take the CRRN exam in December. Once I found out that I passed the examination, I was so proud of myself because I am able to raise the standards for pediatric rehabilitation on my unit. My goal now is to empower my fellow rehabilitation nurses to prepare and sit for the CRRN examination as I am currently the only pediatric RN in my hospital that holds the CRRN credential. I am honored to hold the title of Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse. SAVE THE DATES! THE ARN NATIONAL ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR 2014 IS OCTOBER 29 NOVEMBER 1, 2014 RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN BACKYARD ANAHEIM! YOU DON T WANT TO MISS THIS WONDERFUL EVENT! CALL FOR 2014 ABSTRACTS Your participation is vital to the success of ARN s Annual Educational Conference. Share your expertise with your ARN colleagues by presenting a paper, poster, or case study at the upcoming 2014 ARN Annual Educational Conference in Anaheim, CA. Submissions will be accepted from February 5 through April 10, 2014. Visit the ARN website for information on how to submit an abstract.