Naomi Judd: A Happy Nurses Week message from 2020

Naomi Judd, who sadly passed away on April 30, 2022, was so much more than a country singer. She was an ICU nurse, mental health advocate, spokesperson for the American Liver Association, prolific author, and founder of the Naomi Judd Education and Research Fund to raise awareness about hepatitis C.

In her memoir, “River of Time,” she described her diagnosis of hepatitis C, which she said she unknowingly contracted during her time as a nurse. She said that by 1995, her doctors had told her she was completely free of the virus.

In the memoir, she described feeling like she had lost her identity when she returned home after a 2010 reunion tour, isolating herself at her home and dealing with crippling panic attacks. She also said that she had been dealing with trauma from childhood sexual abuse. She was admitted to a psychiatric ward at a hospital and spent time in an outpatient treatment program (Boston.com).

Please enjoy this Nurses Week message from 2020.

                                                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLSzJiXa_EE

Rest in peace Naomi,

Donna

River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope: Judd, Naomi, Wilkie, Marcia: 9781455595747: Books (amazon.com)

https://www.boston.com/culture/entertainment/2022/05/01/naomi-judd-of-grammy-winning-duo-the-judds-dies-at-76/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLSzJiXa_EE

Naomi Judd obituary | Country | The Guardian

Nursing student with Brittle Bone Disease (OI) and her service dog from CCI will graduate from the University of Tampa

      

Hannah Dineen reported the following for 10Tampa Bay.com:

"Tampa native and University of Tampa nursing student Leigh Dittman is poised to graduate in May with honors. It's a credit to her studiousness and grit, and also to her loyal service dog, Nerf." 

"He is with me every day. He goes with me to every class," said Leigh of Nerf." 

"After sitting through lectures and countless hours of studying at the University of Tampa, Nerf has more than earned the title of "honorary nursing student".

Read more about Leigh and Nerf by clicking the  link below.

Congratulations to both of you!

Donna

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/education/university-of-tampa-service-dog-honorary-nursing-student/67-ae0b905e-5005-4ca9-a992-88496b96c93f?fbclid=IwAR2Obihp2dXbAyvUIJtLZs9EZrZ5pkaPRxzaGpBEuY4-nJUIpOJiBZO_r94

5 Lessons learned from the RaDonda Vaught case from Nurse attorney Lorie Brown

 

Lorie Brown, RN, MN, JD

Nurse attorney, Lorie Brown is the founder of EmpoweredNurses.org. In the following YouTube Channel video, she shares some excellent lessons learned from the RaDonda Vaught case. These lessons apply to all nurses. 

New nurses, veteran nurses, nursing students....we all need to listen! Learn more about insurance and how to protect your freedom and your nursing license by clicking on the link below.

Cheers!

Donna

https://empowerednurses.org/top-5-lessons-learned-from-radonda-vaughts-situation/?fbclid=IwAR3rPNYYeLqC6G4MXEmEYUtU-I5NXgWN0caCxrZ0h4FAgOJcS60w1bqnapQ

Listen up nurses with disabilities: You could be the next RaDonda Vaught

                                                                           RaDonda Vaught, BSN

By now, most nurses know about the tragic story surrounding RaDonda Vaught, the Tennessee nurse found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of patient. She was criminally prosecuted for a medical error.

Long story short, RaDonda Vaught gave a patient the wrong medication, a human error, and the patient sadly died.

RaDonda came forward and told the truth. Now, she faces three to six years in prison on the gross neglect conviction and one to two years on the criminally negligent homicide conviction. She will be sentenced on May 13, 2022.

Vanderbilt Hospital threw RaDonda under the bus, and she stood alone. This action has outraged many nurses, and some have opted to leave their positions. 

What happened to hospital back up systems that should have prevented this? The hospital had more than a heavy burden of responsibility for the deadly errors, but  charges were only brought against the nurse.

The American Nurses Association stated, 

"Today a jury convicted former Vanderbilt University Medical Center #nurse RaDonda Vaught. We are deeply distressed by this verdict and the harmful ramifications of criminalizing the honest reporting of mistakes. Full Statement: https://bit.ly/3DcNDZG."

This is a sad time and wake up call for all nurses. 

We feel for the patient and the family. They certainly deserve justice, but sending a nurse to jail is not the answer.

Please share your thoughts and respectful comments. RaDonda has handled this with grace and poise. That is the least we can give her now.

Donna

Seeking Registered Nurses with invisible disabilities for a research study

 

Hannah Cvancara, RN, BSN working to become first pre-service amputee Navy Nurse

                                                              Hannah Cvancara, RN, BSN 

Geoff Ziezulewicz wrote a piece for the Navy Times about a civilian nurse trying to become the first pre-service amputee to join the Navy.

"Hannah Cvancara was born with a birth defect called fibular hemimelia that resulted in her left leg never growing correctly and the amputation of her left foot when she was just a year old.

But 25 years later, she hasn’t let her reliance on a prosthetic leg stop her from living a full and physical life that includes surfing, rock climbing and long shifts on her feet as a civilian nurse."

Read more about Hannah at:

 https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2022/02/09/meet-the-civilian-nurse-trying-to-become-the-first-pre-service-amputee-to-join-the-navy/?fbclid=IwAR2xiaBtA5JwitiU6LDxPz_0AvfWVCGA7h_svlBvkOF-s4Z-fnN2U4JX2RE

Additional information about her can be found at:

A local nurse's dream is to join the Navy, and she can pass the physical test. But the Navy says they can't accept people with a prosthetic leg | The Spokesman-Review

Navy Regulations Discriminate Against Disabled People - One Nurse Is Fighting To Change That (forbes.com)

Cheers!

Donna

Top 5 blog posts about nurses with disabilities in 2021

Let's take a look back on 2021!  Here are the top 5 Exceptional Nurse blog posts about nurses with disabilities. 

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and a wheelchair didn't stop Ryann Kress, BS, RN......she got the job! 

“Two years of ‘no.’ Two years of nobody wanted to take a chance on me, being seen as a liability, or just being instantly Googled, they would find my name, see my wheelchair and say absolutely not,” said Kress.

https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2021/05/ehlers-danlos-syndrome-and-wheelchair.html

Nursing on the spectrum: What nurses with autism want you to know           "My name is Jackie Anne.  I am in my early 30s and I am a nurse.  I may have even been your nurse.  Unknown to you, and many I work side by side with daily, I also have autism."

https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2021/01/nursing-on-spectrum-what-nurses-with.html

Nurse practitioner who stutters helps others from the front lines of Covid-19

"Roisin McManus, a Nurse Practitioner (NP) who stutters, joins Chaya Goldstein to provide a first hand perspective from the front lines of COVID-19.

https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2021/01/nurse-practitioner-who-stutters-helps.html

ExceptionalNurse.com is honored to announce the winners for 2021!!!        

Abigail Buker from Ewing, New Jersey will be attending the College of New Jersey. And, Erica Flowers from Andover, Massachusetts will be attending the University of South Carolina.

https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2021/08/nursing-students-with-disabilities.html

Dr. Carolyn Burr, Nurse practitioner pioneer in stopping mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 

"Dr. Carolyn Keith Burr, a pediatric nurse practitioner and educator who helped save the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world through her work on the prevention of HIV/AIDS in pregnant women and children, died on Friday, October 30, 2020 at Chilton Hospital in New Jersey. She was 71."

https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2021/04/dr-carolyn-burr-nurse-practitioner.html

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Donna