Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Nurse who survived 100-foot-fall is back to work at the Mayo Clinic

In the Loop reported that, "Amber Kohnhorst was quite literally between a rock and a hard place. She'd fallen while hiking alone in Cane Beds, Arizona, landing 100 feet below the path she'd been on. Now she was lying in "a narrow, rock-walled dungeon, maybe 10 feet by 10 feet," Rochester Magazine reports. Amber, a nurse at Mayo Clinic's Rochester campus, assessed her injuries, which included a broken nose and pelvis, and a fractured back. She also assessed her supplies, which included some trail mix, an empty water bottle, and a whistle. And she assessed her overall situation. She was alone, broken and — with no cell signal — had no way to call for help."

........

"Nearly two years after the accident that nearly took her life, Amber is now doing much more than walking. She's returned to work at Mayo Clinic and tells Best Friends blog that "being a patient has made her a better nurse." The blog reports she's also resumed volunteering with two organizations close to her heart: "Can Do Canines (an organization that trains service dogs for people with various challenges) and RideAbility, which offers therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults with special needs."

Read more about Amber's remarkable journey at:
After Surviving 100-Foot Fall, Nurse is Moving Forward and Looking Up | In the Loop (mayoclinic.org)

Cheers!

Donna

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Nurses and nursing students with disabilities: this webinar is for you!!! #accessinnursing

 

We're thrilled to invite you to the upcoming event hosted by the DocsWithDisabilities Initiative: "Empowering Women with Disabilities in Nursing: A Mentorship Panel."

Event Details:

Date: May 8th, 2024

Time: 3:30 - 5:00 pm EST

Moderators: Drs. Brigit Carter (AACN) and Lisa Meeks (DWDI)

Registration: Webinar Registration - Zoom

All are welcome, with captioning and ASL provided.

Join us as we extend crucial support to women with disabilities in the nursing profession through an enriching mentorship panel. Spearheaded by the Docs with Disabilities team, this event aims to provide free mentorship resources accessible to all members of the nursing community.

Event Overview:

The DocsWithDisabilities Initiative, Access in Nursing Program, and the University of Michigan Center for Disability Health and Wellness, in collaboration with various disability organizations, proudly present "Empowering Women with Disabilities in Nursing: A Mentorship Panel."

Seasoned nurses will share invaluable insights on navigating the nursing journey with a disability while addressing the unique challenges encountered by women in the field.

Funding:

This event is made possible thanks to the generous support from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR #90RTHF0005) and grant 142636 from the Ford Foundation.

We are also proud to work with our partner organizations on this event including:

AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing)

AHEAD (Association for Higher Education and Disability)

AMPHL (Association for Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss)

Disability Lead

Exceptional Nurse

Johns Hopkins University Disability Health Research Center

MDisability Program, Department of Family Medicine, Michigan Medicine

SMADIE (Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion and Equity)

UC Davis School of Medicine Center for a Diverse Healthcare Workforce

Hope you can make it.

Cheers!

Donna


Calling all nurses and nursing students with disabilities. This webinar is for you! #Accessinnursing

 Calling all nurses and nursing students with disabilities. This webinar is for you!!! #accessinnursing

We're thrilled to invite you to the upcoming event hosted by the DocsWithDisabilities Initiative: "Empowering Women with Disabilities in Nursing: A Mentorship Panel."
Event Details:
Date: May 8th, 2024
Time: 3:30 - 5:00 pm EST
Moderators: Drs. Brigit Carter (AACN) and Lisa Meeks (DWDI)
Registration: Register Here
All are welcome, with captioning and ASL provided.
Join us as we extend crucial support to women with disabilities in the nursing profession through an enriching mentorship panel. Spearheaded by the Docs with Disabilities team, this event aims to provide free mentorship resources accessible to all members of the nursing community.
Event Overview:
The DocsWithDisabilities Initiative, Access in Nursing Program, and the University of Michigan Center for Disability Health and Wellness, in collaboration with various disability organizations, proudly present "Empowering Women with Disabilities in Nursing: A Mentorship Panel."
Seasoned nurses will share invaluable insights on navigating the nursing journey with a disability while addressing the unique challenges encountered by women in the field.
Funding:
This event is made possible thanks to the generous support from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR #90RTHF0005) and grant 142636 from the Ford Foundation.
We are also proud to work with our partner organizations on this event including:
AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing)
AHEAD (Association for Higher Education and Disability)
AMPHL (Association for Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss)
Disability Lead
Exceptional Nurse
Johns Hopkins University Disability Health Research Center
MDisability Program, Department of Family Medicine, Michigan Medicine
SMADIE (Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion and Equity)

UC Davis School of Medicine Center for a Diverse Healthcare Workforce
Cheers!


Friday, April 12, 2024

Patient with spina bifida became a nursing assistant at Gillette Children's Hospital

Nick Lohmer

"Lohmer has been a Gillette employee for 17 years, but his journey through the halls of the hospital goes back to the first few months of his life.

He was born with a spine condition and knows exactly what the kids there are seeing and feeling.

“I grew up here at Gillette, I have spina bifida myself. I've had 88 surgeries as of a year ago, and not all, but a good number of them have been here at Gillette,” Lohmer said

Spending a lot of his youth at the hospital wasn't always easy, but it did give Lohmer a clear idea of how he planned to spend the rest of his life.

“I kind of always knew from a very young age, early teenage years I would say, that I knew that I wanted to be in the medical field. I wanted to be involved with helping mainly kids but people just in general, that have had similar situations to what I've been through and obviously I can relate to them in a way that other people can't,” Lohmer said.  

Now, everywhere Lohmer goes at the hospital, patients and their families stop to chat.

He is able to walk, but Lohmer’s condition has made it tougher over time. It is easier for him to get around the hospital in his wheelchair.

For patients, it provides an instant connection."

Read more at:

Gillette Children's patient becomes nursing assistant at the hospital where he 'grew up' (fox9.com)

Cheers!

Donna

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Learning to live with epilepsy as a nurse in South Africa


"Registered nurse Tamara Moyo (center) shares her personal story of learning to live with epilepsy after being diagnosed in 2022 to encourage and inform others about this neurological condition, which affects one in every 100 people in South Africa, representing approximately half a million South Africans based on a total estimated population of 52 million."

“I’m telling my story in the hope that someone will find encouragement in learning to live with their epilepsy because it is not an easy road. My advice is to keep taking your medication as prescribed, get to know what triggers your epileptic seizure and keep going for regular checks with your neurologist or treating doctor because your treatment needs may change over time.”

Read more at:
 https://www.netcare.co.za/News-Hub/Articles/a-nurses-journey-learning-to-live-with-epilepsy

Epileptic nurse learns to manage her life with the condition (sowetanlive.co.za)

Cheers!

Donna

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Meet Diane Bass, a deaf nurse, mentor, ASL user and support group leader!

Diane Bass, BSN

Safe 'N' Clear featured Diane Bass in an article and shared the following. "Bass encourages others to work at or join a developing a supportive community network. Bass moderates a Facebook nursing group because an instructor made the comment that, “There are no Deaf /Hard of hearing people in the nursing field.” The Facebook group is for those who are in the nursing field and have self-disclosed as being on the spectrum of deafness. Members are those with jobs in the nursing field ranging from Certified Nurse Assistant to Nurse Practitioner to PhD or DNP in nursing."

"Bass has worked with Britny Bensman with DeafMED to do first aid and blood pressure screenings for the Deaf community. Children with deafness came to Bass and Bensman and were shocked to see them in a medical field. Bass and Bensman were able to become their role models."

"For those in a comparable situation to Bass, she says, “do not accept negativity that is not based on fact. In fact, we are the proof that we can do it,” and “any seeming failure should never stop you, it only creates a new opportunity to reach the accomplishment.” We are incredibly proud to showcase Diane Bass, BSN in the Deaf Leader Series as she continues to work towards diversifying healthcare workforce to be inclusive and improve quality of healthcare for the deaf and hard of hearing communities."

Read more about Diane at: Meet Diane Bass, Deaf Nurse - Safe'N'Clear, Inc. | The Communicator™ clear face mask (safenclear.com) 

For those interested in Diane’s Facebook page, you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1054081404607317/

Diane can be reached at Deafhohnurses@gmail.com.

Cheers!

Donna