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Standing Together To Make A Difference

THE BEST RESOURCE FOR NURSE PRACTITIONERS LIKE YOU.
September 2020 Newsletter
UPCOMING EVENTS
What's happening?


NP RESOURCES
Visit our regional NP groups.
NPAA Store Open for Business!
Visit the NPAA Store! The store is featuring NPAA items like:
  • t-shirts,
  • portfolios,
  • tumblers,
  • bags,
  • phone wallets and
  • lapel pins.
MESSAGE FROM NPAA PRESIDENT, D'Ann Somerall

Dear Alabama NPs,

Way back in March, when we were all told to quarantine, I, as many of us in Alabama, thought, "Oh, this will be over in a few weeks or a few months." Well, here we are six months later with news reports saying that COVID-19 might be around for 6 months OR 1 year OR even 2 years. This time is undoubtedly unprecedented in our NP world. For instance, we've heard from NPs who were/are furloughed from their jobs due to a decreased pt census. We've heard from NPs moved from their comfort zone office practice to the unfamiliar ICU and who made this move with grace (and as one NP said, Much reading in the evening." You see, one thing we have learned from COVID-19 is that WE, NPs, have value in the health care of our patients and health care systems of Alabama. That is why the NPAA BOD and Steering Committee will continue to serve as vigorous advocates for increasing opportunities for growth as NPs in the procedures that we can perform, the locations we can work, and the ability to practice to the fullest extent of our profession.

The APRN Coalition continues to explore the components needed for FPA legislation. More updates to come in our next newsletter. Please pass along to your fellow NPs who are NOT members that we must speak with one voice to fulfill the mission of gaining FPA, so please encourage your f to join NPAA.

We're here to guide you through your best year yet! I look forward to an exciting month ahead.
D'Ann
2020 NPAA Virtual Conference
The NPAA 14th Annual Conference will be held VIRTUALLY on November 14th from
8 AM - 3 PM. Enjoy the conference in the comfort of your own home!

This conference will provide the opioid guideline update required for the DEA and QACSC renewals, informative speakers, and the NPAA business meeting which will focusing on FPA legislation. The conference will be hosted as a Zoom Webinar. The cost of this conference is $50. A combination conference registration plus NPAA membership is offered for $100.

Agenda

8:00-8:15: Welcome - D'Ann Somerall, NPAA President
8:15-9:45: Opioid Guideline Update Part 1 - Beverly Jordan, M.D.
9:50-11:25 Opioid Guideline Update Part 2 - John Meigs, M.D.
11:30-12:15: Protocols and Pitfalls of Prescribing with Pathways to Problem Preventions - Suzanne Lazenby, RN
12:15-12:30: Question and Answers
12:30-1:00: NPAA Business Meeting- What's Happening with FPA Legislation - D'Ann Somerall, NPAA President
1:00-2:00: Assessment and Management of Patients with Diabetes Type 2 and Lower Urinary Tract  Symptoms (LUTS) (.5 Pharm & .5 General CE) - Lisa Pair, DNP and Bella Patel, DNP
2:00-3:00: Stop the Stroke: The Updated 2019 Guidelines for Thromboembolic Prevention in Patients  with Atrial Fibrillation (1 CE Pharm) - Jennifer Miller, DNP
Enhancing Healthcare for 
Adults on the Autism Spectrum
More than a half million autistic individuals will turn 18 years old in the next decade. To meet their healthcare needs, novel approaches to train and support community clinicians are needed. 
 
We are seeking clinicians – physicians, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants who provide care for adults on the autism spectrum, or who want to serve this population – to participate in ECHO Autism through live videoconferencing sessions.

ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a model is being used worldwide to provide training in more than 50 medical conditions. This ECHO Autism training program is being developed by clinicians experienced in autism at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee, the University of Virginia, and the University of Missouri-Columbia. The project is sponsored by the Department of Defense Autism Research Program.
 
This unique training opportunity and research project to enhance the quality of healthcare for adults on the autism spectrum is hosted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Through this training, you will learn skills that will help you care for a broad range of patients, such as psychotropic medication management and how to help patients sleep. 
 
ECHO Autism participants will commit to two series of trainings that meet for one hour every other week for six months. During each session, participants will present cases to fellow clinicians and expert hub team members and take part in short didactic presentations about resources available for supporting adults with autism. You will get real-time advice about your patients from autism experts, and you will get written recommendations for issues presented in the cases. Topics up for discussion will include: 
  • Identifying autism in adults;
  • Managing co-occurring medical and behavioral health conditions, including sleep;
  • Using psychotropic medications

Thank you for your interest in what we hope to be an exciting, informative study. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the study coordinator, Janet Shouse at janet.shouse@vumc.org .