Having lunch the other day with one of my nurse practitioner classmates, we were discussing nurse practitioner and nursing groups. We both agreed after spending our first year out of school and trying to be active in our organizations, we need a group we can apprecate. Where are all the young nurse practitioners? We went to numerous dinners and society meetings, but the members were mostly comprised of our grandmothers. Ultimately, our goals for nursing rights and nurse practitioner scopes of practice are the same, but there is a significant difference in opinions on how to achieve those goals.
Just like when I was a new nurse, there is this wall up between new graduates and seasoned practitioners. There should be a network of newbies who can help guide each other, but still be connected to some seasoners who know what they are doing. There are so many questions...Should I try to start up my own practice, where are the good reasonable doctors, who is willing to train, any good conferences out there, where did you learn how to do that???
I would be interested in joining a group of relatively new nurse practitioners with experience of less than five years. I think that it would be a great opportunity to get together and discuss trials and tribulations, stumbles and falls and find out who is mentoring them. Perhaps this smaller "sub group" of newer graduates could piggy back to some meetings with more seasoned nurse practitioners and we could network together. We love you, Granny, but we never could fully relate.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
It's about time
Third female lawmaker introduces bill to limit men’s Viagra access
By Liz Goodwin | The Lookout – 4 hrs ago
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/third-female-lawmaker-introduces-bill-limit-men-viagra-204340160.htmlhttp://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/third-female-lawmaker-introduces-bill-limit-men-viagra-204340160.html
Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner is the third female lawmaker to introduce a bill that would limit men's access to Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs to make a statement about the dozens of anti-abortion bills that have passed statehouses around the country over the last year.
Turner is opposed to a proposed bill that would prohibit abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. The Dayton Daily News reports thatTurner's bill would mandate that men seeking Viagra be "tested for heart problems, receive counseling about possible side effects and receive information about 'pursuing celibacy as a viable lifestyle choice.'"
Turner said on MSNBC Monday that the bill is about showing "men as much love in the reproductive health arena as they have shown us over the years. My Senate Bill 307 is all about the love and making sure we look out for men's sexual health."
Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, the heartbeat bill's sponsor, told the Dayton Daily News that the comparison between Viagra and abortions isn't valid.
Turner is one of several female Democratic state lawmakers who are wielding the power of sarcasm to protest a wave of anti-abortion legislation.
In January, Virginia state Sen. Janet Howell introduced an amendment to the state's controversial ultrasound bill, which required women seeking abortions to first undergo a vaginal ultrasound. The amendment, which failed, said that all men seeking Viagra would have to first get a rectal exam. The ultrasound bill passed after Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell successfully requested that the vaginal ultrasound requirement be removed. Women seeking abortions will still have to receive an external ultrasound under the new bill.
Earlier this month, Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidy introduced an amendment to another bill that would require women to get ultrasounds before being allowed to get abortions. The amendmentmandated that men seeking Viagra watch a graphic video about the drug's potential side effects. "If they are serious about us not being able to make our own health care decisions, then I'm just as serious about them not being able to make theirs," she said.
Missouri state Rep. Stacey Newman, a Democrat, introduced legislation that would allow men to get vasectomies only if their life depended upon the procedure, which was similar to Georgia state Rep. Yasmin Neal's bill. "In determining whether a vasectomy is necessary, no regard shall be made to the desire of a man to father children, his economic situation, his age, the number of children he is currently responsible for, or any danger to his wife or partner in the event a child is conceived," the tongue-in-cheek Missouri bill reads.
According to the abortion rights group the Guttmacher Institute, a record-breaking 92 new abortion-restricting laws were passed in 2011. Two of those laws mandated that women have ultrasounds and look at the images before being allowed to get an abortion.
Isn't it about time.
I agree there are many other pressing matters in congress that should be taking the stage. I do admit, though, I am happy to see that there are women in Washington that I can agree with. I can't help but think this is all a big smoke screen covering up the bigger issues in the US and around the world. Sort of a "slight of hand" grabbing all of our attention while the government is slipping the people a mickey, and we are too preoccupied with our daily lives and struggles to notice. God bless America.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-02-11/obama-birth-control-cpac/53046728/1http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-02-11/obama-birth-control-cpac/53046728/1
I cannot believe we are having this debate. It's birth control, they are not talking about something new.
I cannot believe we are having this debate. It's birth control, they are not talking about something new.
No Choice
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/03/05/gvbf0305.htm
Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas say the rule is unconstitutional because it forces religious schools and religiously affiliated employers to violate their moral beliefs by subsidizing contraception. The lawsuit, filed Feb. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, asks a federal judge to block the government's requirement.
The Obama administration recently released a proposed regulation to implement the reform law's birth control coverage mandate. In response to criticism of the initial rule, the administration said Feb. 10 that health insurance companies, rather than the religious institutions themselves, would provide employees with the contraceptive coverage. But some states and religious organizations said the compromise did not go far enough, renewing their call for a full exemption from the mandate for entities that oppose birth control.
The Medicaid Women's Health Program, funded in part by the federal government, provides birth control services, Pap smears and family planning counseling based on natural methods to more than 180,000 lower-income women. Single women who earn as much as $20,148 a year are eligible for the program. Texas' defiance of the CMS order could endanger the federal matching funds that help pay for the services.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is obligated to follow state laws, said commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman. "We have a state law that our attorney general says is constitutional, and it bans abortion providers from taking part in the women's health program. We can't violate a valid state law just to please Washington. We hope CMS will reverse its position and allow the program to continue."
However, federal law prohibits states from excluding health care entities from Medicaid programs for reasons not related to their qualifications to provide services, according to a Dec. 12, 2011, letter from CMS Deputy Administrator Cindy Mann to Texas' Medicaid agency. Goodman said certain federal court decisions have allowed states to exclude health entities from their Medicaid programs for any reason.
More information about the Texas women's health program is available online (www.hhsc.state.tx.us/Help/WHP/index.shtml).
(My Turn)
Is it just me or are we going backwards? I find it extremely scary when the presidential candidates are talking about birth control and women's right to access. Access is being limited to birth control, which means that the lower income families are having more trouble affording it. Then to top it off, government wants to limit access to abortions. So, let's stop a lower income family from being responsible, and preventing more hardships for their family so they can work on supporting the mouths they already are struggling to feed. Then, if they do have an unplanned pregnancy (because the government has restricted them from family planning) they are unable to afford that too! Finally, the same presidential candidates are complaining about people soaking up government aid and "taking advantage of the system." What the hell are people supposed to do? Preventing access to birth control is not going to prevent people from having sex! Haven't we learned that from the Bush administration of preaching abstinence instead of education?
It seems like it's more than just pro choice and pro life. It's more like no choice for poor life!
I do believe that Viagra is fully covered under Medicare, what does that tell you? There doesn't seem to be a moral conflict over whether or not institutions should cover erections, but heaven forbid (pun intended) institutions cover responsible family planning. I'm surprised that more politicians aren't for birth control and abortions. After all, most of them turn up in the news hiding scandals where illegitimate children are covered up after having cheated on their spouses. What is most appalling is the female support in Washington, we can't even blame it 100% on the men in Washington. Is that what happens after menopause? You become an extreme conservative, disapprove health care coverage for children and have rapist children, oh, and don't support access to birth control or abortions (Jan Brewer)?
Finally, I wonder if all these talking heads with no medical background or experience (similar to the folks who run our hospitals), take into consideration that birth control has other medical indications from just preventing pregnancy? Did you know that birth control is used to prevent extreme pain associated with premenstrual syndrome? It helps heavy, out of control bleeding during periods. It also helps with ovarian cysts. Anyone ever heard of a condition called enodmetriosis? Do you know what first line treatment is? You guessed it...birth control! Abortions aren't just for irresponsible, disgusting, sluts either (Rush Limbaugh). How about women who want nothing more than to have just one more child (or one child at all) and they get the terrible news things aren't going so well? They have to make an agonizing decision about continuing with their pregnancy, after finding out that there are severe chromosomal malformations. Their pregnancy may end in spontaneous abortion or a severely disfigured incapacitated newborn who may not live more than a few days after birth.
You know, it's not just about preventing pregnancy and I'm sick of hearing about these discussions.
States challenge federal contraceptive coverage mandate
Seven states are suing the federal Dept. of Health and Human Services over the health system reform law's mandate requiring businesses to provide women insurance coverage for certain birth control without patient cost-sharing.Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas say the rule is unconstitutional because it forces religious schools and religiously affiliated employers to violate their moral beliefs by subsidizing contraception. The lawsuit, filed Feb. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, asks a federal judge to block the government's requirement.
The Obama administration recently released a proposed regulation to implement the reform law's birth control coverage mandate. In response to criticism of the initial rule, the administration said Feb. 10 that health insurance companies, rather than the religious institutions themselves, would provide employees with the contraceptive coverage. But some states and religious organizations said the compromise did not go far enough, renewing their call for a full exemption from the mandate for entities that oppose birth control.
Texas to ban abortion providers from Medicaid program
Starting March 14, Texas will exclude organizations that provide abortions from a women's family planning program, according to a decision by Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs. The state's Medicaid agency is defying a December 2011 denial by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of Texas' request to keep abortion providers out of the program.The Medicaid Women's Health Program, funded in part by the federal government, provides birth control services, Pap smears and family planning counseling based on natural methods to more than 180,000 lower-income women. Single women who earn as much as $20,148 a year are eligible for the program. Texas' defiance of the CMS order could endanger the federal matching funds that help pay for the services.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is obligated to follow state laws, said commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman. "We have a state law that our attorney general says is constitutional, and it bans abortion providers from taking part in the women's health program. We can't violate a valid state law just to please Washington. We hope CMS will reverse its position and allow the program to continue."
However, federal law prohibits states from excluding health care entities from Medicaid programs for reasons not related to their qualifications to provide services, according to a Dec. 12, 2011, letter from CMS Deputy Administrator Cindy Mann to Texas' Medicaid agency. Goodman said certain federal court decisions have allowed states to exclude health entities from their Medicaid programs for any reason.
More information about the Texas women's health program is available online (www.hhsc.state.tx.us/Help/WHP/index.shtml).
(My Turn)
Is it just me or are we going backwards? I find it extremely scary when the presidential candidates are talking about birth control and women's right to access. Access is being limited to birth control, which means that the lower income families are having more trouble affording it. Then to top it off, government wants to limit access to abortions. So, let's stop a lower income family from being responsible, and preventing more hardships for their family so they can work on supporting the mouths they already are struggling to feed. Then, if they do have an unplanned pregnancy (because the government has restricted them from family planning) they are unable to afford that too! Finally, the same presidential candidates are complaining about people soaking up government aid and "taking advantage of the system." What the hell are people supposed to do? Preventing access to birth control is not going to prevent people from having sex! Haven't we learned that from the Bush administration of preaching abstinence instead of education?
It seems like it's more than just pro choice and pro life. It's more like no choice for poor life!
I do believe that Viagra is fully covered under Medicare, what does that tell you? There doesn't seem to be a moral conflict over whether or not institutions should cover erections, but heaven forbid (pun intended) institutions cover responsible family planning. I'm surprised that more politicians aren't for birth control and abortions. After all, most of them turn up in the news hiding scandals where illegitimate children are covered up after having cheated on their spouses. What is most appalling is the female support in Washington, we can't even blame it 100% on the men in Washington. Is that what happens after menopause? You become an extreme conservative, disapprove health care coverage for children and have rapist children, oh, and don't support access to birth control or abortions (Jan Brewer)?
Finally, I wonder if all these talking heads with no medical background or experience (similar to the folks who run our hospitals), take into consideration that birth control has other medical indications from just preventing pregnancy? Did you know that birth control is used to prevent extreme pain associated with premenstrual syndrome? It helps heavy, out of control bleeding during periods. It also helps with ovarian cysts. Anyone ever heard of a condition called enodmetriosis? Do you know what first line treatment is? You guessed it...birth control! Abortions aren't just for irresponsible, disgusting, sluts either (Rush Limbaugh). How about women who want nothing more than to have just one more child (or one child at all) and they get the terrible news things aren't going so well? They have to make an agonizing decision about continuing with their pregnancy, after finding out that there are severe chromosomal malformations. Their pregnancy may end in spontaneous abortion or a severely disfigured incapacitated newborn who may not live more than a few days after birth.
You know, it's not just about preventing pregnancy and I'm sick of hearing about these discussions.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Psychological disorder or chemical exposure
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-01-26/Facial-tics-verbal-outbursts-perplex-community/52810214/1?csp=34news
I wanted to share this story. 12 students at one school have become suddenly stricken with symptoms of tics and outbursts that resemble Tourette's. 10 of them are being treated by the same neurologist, and he diagnoses them with a psychological condition. The school swears there is nothing wrong with the environment, the superintendent is backing this claim.
One thing I don't understand is how easy it was for Erin Brockovich, with no medical background, to link their symptoms to a past chemical spill, but the neurologist has "ruled out any medical and environmental factors." What are the motives of the neurologist? I think that, as a nurse practitioner, if I had 10 patients walk into my clinic with the same symptoms, I would start trying to connect the dots. I feel like this "conversion" diagnosis, might be a bit hasty and more research is warranted before these kids get straddled with a psychological "disorder."
According to the U.S National Library of Medicine "Conversion disorder symptoms may occur because of a psychological conflict. Symptoms usually begin suddenly after a stressful experience." It states that, the symptoms are: blindness, paralysis, inability to speak and numbness. Nowhere does it state that there are tics involved or Tourette's like symptoms. So, you mean to tell me that all these kids have been exposed to some major psychological conflict and everyone of them are suffering from the same symptoms as a result? I am only family nurse practitioner, I didn't specialize in psychology, so maybe it is more difficult for me to understand.
As a parent, I would start by taking my kids out of this school. Second, I would take them to another neurologist for a second opinion. As a nurse practitioner, I would certainly look at the the links that these kids had in common: same school, same town, same drinking water??? I know as a provider when you are in a situation it may be a little murky up close. It is always easier to see things more clearly as an outsider. Even if these symptoms are not directly linked to the chemical spill where the school is located, the chemicals have a laundry list of other adverse conditions they can cause. These are certainly enough reasons to get these kids into another environment or at least another school district until things are sorted out.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Well...NOW you tell me
http://reesenews.org/2012/01/22/unemployed-and-unqualified-education-cuts-may-leave-nc-workers-without-jobs/29314/http://reesenews.org/2012/01/22/unemployed-and-unqualified-education-cuts-may-leave-nc-workers-without-jobs/29314/
I think this explains a lot. It isn't that there aren't openings, the retired nurses and nurse practitioners are eating them up because they have to come out of retirement. They come equip with experience and tons of knowledge. How can newbies compete??? I don't envy them either, though. After I worked for 20 or 30 years, I would be ready to take it easy and enjoy some quiet time, not return to the jungle and work my ass off some more.
I think this explains a lot. It isn't that there aren't openings, the retired nurses and nurse practitioners are eating them up because they have to come out of retirement. They come equip with experience and tons of knowledge. How can newbies compete??? I don't envy them either, though. After I worked for 20 or 30 years, I would be ready to take it easy and enjoy some quiet time, not return to the jungle and work my ass off some more.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Nurse Practitioners and birth control
Check this out:
http://www.theday.com/article/20120114/NWS01/301149898/1044
State clinics report success providing contraceptives to high school students
TheDay.com
"This is about preventing sexually transmitted diseases and teaching about healthy relationships and abstinence and postponing sex, and preventing some high-risk behaviors," said Ruth Goldbaum, nurse practitioner at the school-based health clinics in ...
See all stories on this topic »
Are we teaching the right thing or sending the wrong message?
http://www.theday.com/article/20120114/NWS01/301149898/1044
State clinics report success providing contraceptives to high school students
TheDay.com
"This is about preventing sexually transmitted diseases and teaching about healthy relationships and abstinence and postponing sex, and preventing some high-risk behaviors," said Ruth Goldbaum, nurse practitioner at the school-based health clinics in ...
See all stories on this topic »
Are we teaching the right thing or sending the wrong message?
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