Convention Pulse 2013

And this year's Episteme Laureate award goes to ...

In an article titled “Caring at the end of life,” published 14 years ago in Reflections—now Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL)—Betty R. Ferrell, PhD, MA, FAAN, FPCN, CHPN, observed: “Care across the disease trajectory does not end at the completion of treatment or long-term survivorship. Cancer nurses continue to provide care even amid terminal disease. … Good end-of-life care is … best described as the kind of care we would seek for ourselves if faced with terminal illness … .”

Betty Ferrell, this year's recipient of the Episteme Laureate award.

Ferrell has not abandoned her mission to ease pain and advance end-of-life care, and today, in Day 2 of the 42nd Biennial Convention, she became the 13th recipient of the Episteme Laureate award. Regarded by many as nursing’s equivalent to the Nobel Prize, the biannual award was presented to Ferrell by Donna Namath, executive director of The Baxter International Foundation of Deerfield, Illinois, USA. After accepting the award, Ferrell spoke on “The global imperative of palliative care.”

Donna Namath of The Baxter International Foundation presents the
Episteme Laureate Award to Betty Ferrell. At left: Patricia Thompson,
chief executive officer of STTI, and President Suzanne Prevost.

Each year, 570,000 people die of cancer in the United States—approximately 7.6 million worldwide—and millions more die from tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS, said Ferrell. For each of them, she observed, the end of life is an opportunity for profound meaning, healing, comfort, and growth. She identified five elements of care needed for dying patients: 1) challenging the paradigm of care, 2) creating expertise and knowledge in palliative care, 3) fostering nursing presence, 4) expert attention to the body and relief of symptoms, and 5) a vision of the end of life as a spiritual experience.

Ferrell has played a leading role in the creation and growth of the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC). Founded in 2000 with initial funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ELNEC has provided direct palliative-care training to more than 17,250 nurses in 77 countries across six continents since its inception. Through the program’s training-the-trainer approach, more than 390,000 nurses and other health care providers have receiving training. ELNEC is administered by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), in Washington, D.C., and by the City of Hope, in Duarte, California.

Experts discuss disaster response ...
When it comes to disaster, nurses are the most responsive group of health care workers, and today, in a session titled “Disaster response: Nursing leadership in difficult times,” attendees were informed of opportunities for nurse involvement and equipped with the latest resources and information for disaster response and preparedness. Presenters included STTI headquarters staff experts Cynthia Vlasich, MBA, BSN, RN, and K. Joanne McGlowan, PhD, MHHA, RN, FACHE. Also presenting were Karen M. Pehrson, MS, PMHCNS, BC, and Safiya George Dalmida, PhD, APRN-BC, both members of STTI’s International Service Task Force, which is chaired by Dalmida.

When Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on 8 November, it was a disaster of epic proportions. According to the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, as of Saturday, 16 November, 12,501 had been injured, 3,637 were reported dead, and 1,186 were missing, with the death toll expected to rise. When such massive tragedy occurs, the tendency is to assume that disasters are becoming worse and more frequent, but the picture is mixed. According to a United Nations report, between 1994 and 2003, there was indeed a pronounced increase in the number affected by disasters, with a 60 percent increase over the previous two 10-year periods. However, between 2002 and 2011, there was a decrease in average disaster frequency and the human impact. Nevertheless, viewed over time, from 1975-2006, the trend is upward and, given the shortage of health workers around the world, achieving the Millennium Development Goals on time is indeed threatened. (Source: Guha-Sapir D, Hoyois, Ph., Below. R. Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012: The Numbers and Trends. Brussels: CRED; 2013.)

What is the nurse’s role as a leader in disaster planning, management, and evaluation? The presenters identified the following: 1) To participate in planning at every level of your organization/community; 2) to engage as part of the team to sharpen skills and knowledge; 3) to be fully prepared—educationally, mentally and physically—and to respond if needed; 4) to demonstrate leadership among and with teams; 5) to lead, mentor and educate; 6) to evaluate each response, with active planning for improvements; 7) to deploy and “stand down” appropriately; and 8) to contribute to the body of knowledge through the use of evidence-based practice and in the conduct of research.

Authors sign books ...

Lois Marshall, author of Take Charge of Your Nursing Career, signs a book while Melanie Dreher, author of Healthy Places, Healthy People: A Handbook for Culturally Informed Community Nursing Practice, converses with a member.

At left, Dorothy Jones and Marianne Ditomassi , co-authors of Fostering Nurse-Led Care. At right: Robert Fraser, author of The Nurse's Social Media Advantage.

At left, Janet Boivin, co-author of Accelerate Your Career in Nursing. At right, Connie Curran and Therese Fitzpatrick, authors of Claiming the Corner Office.

At left, Beth Mancini, co-author of Mastering Simulation: A Handbook for Success. At right, Katherine Pakieser-Reed, author of A Daybook for Nurse Educators and Night Shift Nursing: Savvy Solutions for a Healthy Lifestyle.

At left, Sharon Weinstein, co-author of Nursing Without Borders and author of B is for Balance: A Nurse's Guide for Enjoying Life at Work and at Home. At right, Kristina Ibitayo, Mary Lou Bond, and Susan Baxley, authors of Mentoring Today's Nurses: A Global Perspective for Success.