Friday, May 26, 2017

Karen Daley: Nurse turned advocate after HIV diagnosis is Curry College commencement speaker

Karen Daley

Photo credit: Nicolaus Czarnecki

Curry College reports that Karen Daley spent more than 25 years as a staff nurse at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston until a needlestick injury infected her with HIV and hepatitis C.

An article written by Lindsay Kalter for the Boston Herald reports that Karen said:

"When I was first diagnosed, one of my nightmare fantasies was that I would fall, hit my head, start bleeding and not be able to warn someone”.

"So Daley shifted her focus. After she told close friends and family — she is one of seven siblings — Daley began researching needlestick injuries. She learned that, at the time, there were close to 600,000 each year in hospitals alone. Only about 15 percent of hospitals were making safer devices, like needle caps, available for workers."

"Daley began grueling treatments as she launched her lobbying efforts. Her hair thinning and skin a pale gray, she helped pass the mandatory reporting legislation in Massachusetts in 1999. The Bay State sees about 3,000 needle injuries each year."

"A year later, Daley testified before Congress in favor of a bill that would take needle safety measures from recommended to mandatory at health care facilities across the country. She was invited to the Oval Office to watch then-President Bill Clinton sign the “Needlestick Safety Prevention Act” into law on Nov. 6, 2000."

Her commencement address at Curry College included the following message to graduates:

 "When life takes unpredictable turns, when things happen that don’t make sense and aren’t in your plans, it’s not about life being unfair,” Daley said. “It’s how you find meaning and purpose in spite of that. Through it.”

Click on the links below to read more about Karen and her advocacy efforts.

Thank you Karen for giving so much of yourself and helping to make our workplaces safer!!!

Bravo!

Donna


Friday, May 19, 2017

Dr. Paul Coyne, nurse and stroke survivor honored with Crain's Award!

Paul Coyne, DNP, MBA, MSF, APRN, AGPCNP-BC

In June of 2015, I wrote a post about Paul Coyne titled: "What does a stroke and a career on Wall Street have to do with becoming a nurse with a disability?" In a word everything!
http://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2016/05/what-does-stroke-and-career-on-wall.html


Paul's outstanding work and accomplishments continue!


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 15th, 2017
PRESS CONTACT: press@inspiren.com

DR. PAUL COYNE HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS CRAIN’S HERITAGE HEALTHCARE INNOVATION AWARD

Dr. Paul Coyne, Present and Co-Founder of Inspiren, an innovative, nurse-led, healthcare start up, wins Crain’s innovator award with new technology focused on revolutionizing healthcare patient standard of care. 

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK – Today, May 15th, 2017, Inspiren celebrates their President and Co-Founder, Dr. Paul Coyne who was honored with the prestigious Crain’s Heritage Healthcare Innovation Award.  This award recognizes cutting edge applications of technology and rising stars in the healthcare industry whose innovations are making significant contributions in the areas of technology, research, or new approaches to healthcare systems.

The 2017 Heritage Healthcare Innovation Awards recognize the best of today's healthcare clinicians, administrators and researchers who are making quality and measurable improvements across the healthcare industry.  Dr. Coyne’s work through Inspiren, a nurse led healthcare technology company based out of New York City is focused on healthcare solutions that are practical, affordable, and will solve the challenges faced in hospital and nursing home environments today.

Crain’s specifically recognized Dr. Paul Coyne for creating Inspiren’s revolutionary hybrid presence sensing hardware, software, mobile applications, and data models, known as iN. Together, these innovations turn any hospital room into a smart one, allowing patients, staff, and families to have an optimal care experience, drastically improve patient safety and satisfaction, as well as improve provider effectiveness.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized on behalf of the Inspiren team and alongside other talented individuals who are creating remarkable products.  I am hopeful that other nurses will see the great work of the Inspiren Team and feel empowered to innovate as there are so many nurses with great ideas to improve patient care.”

# # #
NOTE: Dr. Coyne will be made available for bookings. All media inquires should be directed to Press Relations, press@inspiren.com or 516-754-0789

For a full list of award winners in Crain’s, visit: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/section/heritage-healthcare


About Paul Coyne DNP, MBA, MSF, APRN, AGPCNP-BC
Paul Coyne began his career at Goldman Sachs before transitioning to healthcare after his own triumphant stroke recovery strengthened his desire to become a nurse.  Dr. Coyne is now a board certified nurse practitioner and one of the most educated individuals in the United States, obtaining 2 bachelor’s degrees, 3 master’s degrees, and a doctorate from Columbia University, Northeastern University, and Providence College, all before he turned 30.  In addition, together, with Michael Wang, a nurse whom he met during matriculation at Columbia, he co-founded Inspiren. (http://news.columbia.edu/content/1129)

About Inspiren.
Inspiren is a healthcare technology company based out of New York City.  The company was founded by practicing nurses who partnered with world-renowned hardware and software engineers to create revolutionary and pertinent healthcare technology to improve the lives of patients and staff.

Congratulations Paul!

Best wishes,

Donna



Monday, May 15, 2017

Helen Lindsey, BSN: A quadruple amputee working to get her nursing license back

Helen Lindsey, BSN


Helen Lindsey's Facebook page says, "Living life as a Quadruple amputee has been amazing. God is using me for this journey to help others. 25 years as a Amputee. Still standing."

Helen lost her arms and legs to bacterial meningitis but not her passion for helping others. She is an Army veteran who received her BSN from Winston-Salem State University.

According to twcnews.com in Winston-Salem, N.C.:

She is currently working toward getting her nursing license back, and she will be the first student in the state's nursing re-entry program to have a disability to this extent.

Lindsey will be starting the clinical portion of the program at Salemtowne Retirement Community in Winston-Salem.

Lindsey will be getting the same practice as other students -- assessing patients and administering medication -- at her own pace.

Helen's journey will be documented in a film directed by Mike Ray www.OTGFilms.com. A link to the trailer can be found below.

In addition, Helen will be the keynote speaker at the National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care's (NADONA/LTC) 30th annual conference in July at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

http://www.twcnews.com/nc/triad/news/2017/04/2/quad-amputee-working-toward-nursing-license.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF-jO6nBrLI

https://www.nadona.org/2017-nadona-conference/#


Can you hear the applause?

Bravo Helen!!!

Wish you all the best,

Donna

Friday, May 5, 2017

Nursing students with disabilities: Faculty reflections from Access in Medical and Health Science Education Symposium

Michelle Hartman, DNP, RN, CPNP
 Duke University School of Nursing

As a faculty member at Duke University School of Nursing, I teach in an Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing Program. Teaching in this program affords me the opportunity to work with diverse individuals who are transitioning into the nursing profession. I am in awe of how students utilize and incorporate their ability and talents from their previous academic studies, jobs, and life experiences into the professional of nursing. I believe a more diverse workforce will ultimately lead to better patient outcomes. My personal definition of “diversity” is broader than the traditional categories of race, ethnicity, and gender; it also includes sexual and gender identity, as well as individuals with disabilities. 

As faculty, I am always looking for ways to support our diverse students on their journey to becoming a professional nurse. I had the opportunity in April to attend 4th Annual Access in Health Science and Medicine Symposium which is sponsored by The Coalition for Disability Access in Health Science and Medical Education. The symposium featured topics such as the student experience, psychological disabilities, documentation, international collaborations for inclusive campuses, assistive technology, and policy and legal updates.

The most compelling presentations for me were those done by students. By sharing their perspectives, I was able to see how burdened they often become by serving as the representative of students with disabilities. In this capacity as ambassador or representative, they are asked to serve on committees, start support groups, or work to resolve issues. As educators, the onus is on us to shift that burden off the students as the energies expended on these efforts shift their focus away from the inherent demands of health education programs. There were also thought provoking discussions on mental health disabilities in health and medical education settings and disclosure. A few other personal take home messages for me included:

·         The prevailing attitudes and cultures in medical and health education (specifically perfectionism and the use of the biomedical model) are the greatest barriers to the success of students with disabilities.

·        Sharing stories is crucial to changing the culture. We know that personal experiences and stories are far more influential than data in shifting mindsets. Reading the success stories of nurses and nursing students with disabilities is one of my favorite parts of the Exceptional Nurses group!

·        Get to know a contact in your Student Disability Access Office! They are excellent resources to faculty and students.

·        Be cautious of what and how you say something- our word choices can be interpreted as sources of microaggression by students experiencing disabilities. It's important that we maintain and open dialogue with our students, so they feel safe to share when they experience microaggressions. We must acknowledge our areas for growth and take accountability.

·        There are many forms of assistive technologies available to help students in the classroom and clinical setting. Although it can be overwhelming, Joshua Hori (Accessible Technology Analyst for Student Disability Center at the University of California) has a great Trello board that presents an overview of many available apps, software, and other programs: https://trello.com/b/rirGA3kZ/accessible-technology-software

I appreciate opportunities to attend professional development trainings which stretch me to think, teach, and act in different ways! I am looking forward to this upcoming semester when I can incorporate what I learned into my teaching practice.

With thanks to Dr. Hartman for this insightful guest blog post!

Please share your thoughts below,

Donna