For the health care professional Homefor theholidays · Emory University nursing students (from...

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AN ADVERTISING PUBLICATION | DECEMBER 2013 | VOL. 21, NO. 10PULSE223 Perimeter Center ParkwayAtlanta, GA 30346-1301

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PulseFor the health care professional

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Home forthe holidays

St. Joe’s graduates arefriends forever Page 6

Public health nurses areleading the way Page 13

SeeadvertisingfeaturePage 3

How residence-basedhealth care benefits patients


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HOWTOREACHUS

Copyright © 2013, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30346-1301

NEWS STAFFLaura Raines, editor

[email protected]

John Brieske, managing editor404-526-5664 or [email protected]

ADVERTISINGMatt Teli, sales manager

404-526-2526 or [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION, ADDRESSCHANGES

BOARD OF ADVISERSChris Bosonetto-Doane,

CEO, Advanced Rehabilitation Services Inc.

Myra Carmon,associate professor of nursing,

Georgia State University

Marianne Freeman,vice president of human resources

and professional services,Rockdale Medical Center

Debra Meadows,legal nurse consultant, King & Spalding

Merideth Northcutt,director of recruitment,

Gwinnett Hospital System

Richard L. Sowell,dean, College of Health and Human Services,

Kennesaw State University

ABOUT USPulse, a monthy publication produced by

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Marketingspecial sections department, is mailed free

to more than 62,000 licensed registerednurses and allied health care professionals

in Georgia. The views expressed in Pulse arenot necessarily those of the AJC.

@ajc.comTo see Pulse online, go to ajc.com/jobs/pulse.

Carolyn Kimbrough, a nurse with PSA Healthcare,has been the primary caretaker for Jada McAdoofor three years. McAdoo, 18, has a progressiveneurological disease. LEITA COWART / SPECIAL

WHAT’S INSIDE ON THE COVER

To nominate a nurse for the 2014 awards, go towww.ajc.com/celebratingnurses.Like us on Facebook: Celebrating Nurses ajcjobs

8 Tigest W. Teshome, a student at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School ofNursing, organized the Georgia Nursing Students team for Moving Day Atlanta. The eventwas a fundraising walk for the National Parkinson’s Foundation. LEITA COWART / SPECIAL

12

My Style:Consultantloves ‘ladylikeclothing thatis timeless’

19 Continuing Education

18 Rapid Pulse

5 Improve your work mood

4 Editor’s Notes

HealthFlockThe AJC’s blog about the business of health care,written by experts in Atlanta and across Georgia,is sponsored by Billian. To read HealthFlock, go toblogs.ajc.com/health-flock.

9 Why I Love My Job

Pulse AN ADVERTISING SPECIAL SECTION

LEITA COWART / SPECIAL

Correction: A caption in the November edition ofPulse misspelled Lamia Basby’s name.

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It’s the seasonwhen our thoughts turnto giving. Advertisers and retailers sendthemessage in different ways, but it alladds up to the same pitch— there are onlysomany shopping days until the holidays.

As if you didn’t already have enoughstress in your working, parenting,carpooling, commuting, running-the-household life, now you have to find giftsfor your teenage nieces, fussy Aunt Ednaand your brother who has everything.Grandkids, spouse, in-laws— the list goeson and on, usually way past your budget.

Well here’s a gift you can give all of us— and it won’t cost you a thing. You cannominate an extraordinary nurse for theninth annual ajcjobs Nursing ExcellenceAwards.

Every year at the luncheon honor-ing the winners, I’m privileged to see 10nurses recognized for their kindness,compassion, dedication and for beingoutstanding examples of the nation’smost-trusted profession.

You’re not likely to see their nameselsewhere in themedia. They aren’t

Give the gift of nominating a special nurse for award

Contact usDo you have any story ideas for Pulse? Call404-526-5664 or send email to [email protected] [email protected].

wealthy socialites, rock stars, royals orfinancial tycoons. Their actions are quiet,personal and don’t make headlines.

Each year, the top 10 nurses,who areselected from several hundred nominees,are surprised and humbled to be cho-sen for simply doingwhat they considertheir calling— helping others. Yet to theco-workers, patients and families whoselives they touch, these nurses are unfor-gettable.

The family of a terminal cancer patientwill never forget ShenyHill, a nurse at

WellStar CobbHospital who helpedtransport theman to Guatemala so hecould be surrounded by loved ones beforehe died in his native country.

Nor will the parents of Frannie Geeslin,a young girl diagnosedwith a brain tumor,forget Gaby Sussman, a pediatric nurseat Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta whomade caring for their daughter, answer-ing questions and allaying fears her firstpriority.

“When a family is hurting everythingelse canwait,” Sussman said.

Athens RegionalMedical Center nurseChristopher Pillar’s willingness to com-fort family and friends after a traumaticcar crash killed a loved one— standingwith them as they said their last good-byes—made a lasting impression on thatfamily.

Elizabeth King, a nurse at PiedmontHospital Atlanta, cared for Joanna Reidthroughmultiple operations and proce-dures. She also went beyond her clinicaltraining andmedical duties, understoodher patient’s sense of humor and treated

her with dignity and friendship tomake“an unbearable situationmore bearable,”Reid said.

Although last year’s top 10 nursestaught us about givingwhen it mattersmost, there aremore stories that deserveto be celebrated and shared. But wewon’thear them unless you tell us.

We invite you to take the time to nomi-nate a special nurse for the 2014 awards.Consider it a gift to yourself.


[email protected]

LauraRaines

Editor’sNotes

CELEBRATING NURSES

To nominate a special nurse for the 2014ajcjobs Nursing Excellence Awards, go towww.surveymonkey.com/s/PLYVMKM. Thedeadline for nominations is Jan. 31, 2014.The top 10 nurses will be honored May 6 atthe Celebrating Nurses event at the CobbGalleria Centre.

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8By Laura RainesPulse editor

The holiday season is full of joy, love and peace— atleast all the cards say so. Yet,many of us feel over-whelmed by stress and anxiety about work, family andholiday preparations.

Jude Bijou can relate. A psychotherapist formorethan 30 years, Bijou always wanted to be happy, but shewasn’t.

“I thought there should be some kind ofmanual,but there wasn’t one,” she said. “So, combiningwhat Ilearned frommy renowned psychologist father,my ownmarriage and family counseling practice, and Easternmeditation, I wrotemy own. It only tookme 20 years.”

ways toimprove yourmoodatwork

A psychotherapistfor more than 30years, Jude Bijouis the authorof “AttitudeReconstruction:A Blueprint forBuilding a BetterLife.”


“Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Buildinga Better Life” (Riviera Press, 2011, $16.95) offers insightinto human emotions and practical ways to trade negativefeelings formore positive ones.

“There are just six emotions: sadness, anger, fear, joy,love and peace,” Bijou said. “Howwe handle ormishandlethe first three keeps us from experiencing the last three,andwhowouldn’t wantmore joy, love and peace in ourlives?”

Achieving happiness is especially important in theworkplace,wheremost of us spend themajority of ourtime, she said.Negative emotions and badmoods canimpede performance, productivity and relationshipswith co-workers and customers.

“Making small behavioral changes can improve yourmood at work,” Bijou said.

Here are eight strategies for doing just that.1. Stop “what-iffing” and “deadlining.”“ ‘What-iffing’ is when your thoughts are focused on

what you should have done or said. ‘Deadlining’ is wor-rying about your future projects or the outcome of thatpresentation,” Bijou said.

If you’re overly concerned about the past or thefuture, you aren’t going to be happy in the present.Stop, take some deep breaths or shiver like a dog, shesuggests.

“Shivering releases tension and helps you to shakeoff the negative energy,” she said.

Pause, stop thinking about the past or the future,and just be present in the now. That should help you feelbetter.

2. Drown out negative chatter.“The negative thoughts that we tell ourselves are un-

true and based on false assumptions derived from anger,sadness and fear,” she said.

Stop them by finding a true statement and repeatingit when a negative thought arises.

Work mood continued on Page 14


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Classmates forever

By Laura RainesPulse editor

What do a nurse anesthetist in Birmingham, a directorofmidwifery at Emory University, a labor and deliverynurse at Northside Hospital, a pediatric office nurse anda hospital data quality analyst have in common? They allgot their start at St. Joseph’s Infirmary School of Nursing.

The class of 1969 started having reunions five years af-ter graduation— one year after the nursing school closedits doors. At first, theymet every five years, but at the25-yearmark they decided theywanted to gathermoreoften. The group now gets together every 12 to 18monthsto reminisce and share their love of nursing.

Members come from all over the country and last year,their former director of nursing, SisterMary KristenLancaster, joined them.

Alumnae remember the good times atSt. Joseph’s Infirmary School of Nursing.

Deanna Simmons has saved memorabilia from her years in nursingschool. Simmons organizes class reunions every 12 to 18 months.

Dorothy Mullican, Sharon Magruder, Deanna Simmons and Denise McLaughlin (from left) graduated from St. Joseph’s Infirmary School of Nursing in 1969. Photos by LEITA COWART / SPECIAL


“Wewere like sisters because we all lived together forthree years,” said Deanna Simmons, RN,who practicedand supervised at several Atlanta hospitals before work-ing at Holcomb Bridge Pediatrics for 16 years.

Known as “Aunt Bee,” Simmons is the glue that holdsthe group together via e-mail.

“I liked helping others and kept three kids for threesummers in high school, so it’s not surprising that I be-came a pediatric nurse,” she said. “Women didn’t have somany choices in those days. You could be a homemaker, asecretary, a flight attendant or a teacher, but I can’t imag-ine choosing anything but nursing.”

The Class of 1969 startedwith about 62 students,butmany dropped out to getmarried or because nursingwasn’t a good fit. Thirty-one students graduated from thethree-year diploma school, and the group averages about20 at reunions.

St. Joseph’s nursing students went to school yearround and lived in a high-rise dorm across from the old

Classmates continued on Page 17

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Brokenbut notbeaten By Laura Raines

Pulse editor

Just before her 51st birthday in February 2004, SueSigmon-Nosachwas diagnosedwith ovarian cancer.Herdoctors advised her to get her affairs in order because shewould probably be dead by the end of the year.

“Anyonewho has received a cancer diagnosis knowsthat line. There was life before your diagnosis and thereis life afterward. You can’t go back. The challenge is to

Ovarian cancer survivorsraise awareness and money.

Ken Torbett, DebbieTorbett, MichaelNosach and SueSigmon-Nosach(from left) hold courtat a Partnership forGynecological CancerSupport art auctionthat raised about$17,000 in September.ALICE BRAGG / SPECIAL


put (your) life together as best you can,” Sigmon-Nosachsaid.

Cancer turned out to be the least of her problems.After undergoing surgery, Sigmon-Nosach developedsepsis. Her colon ruptured. Shewound up in a coma andwas hospitalized for 45 days.Once she healed from herothermedical problems, she still had to undergo chemo-therapy for the cancer.

2 Broken Broads continued on Page 16


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MovingDay

By Laura RainesPulse editor

OnNov. 9, 83 nursing students fromGeorgiamet onthe Georgia Tech campus to participate inMov-ing Day Atlanta, a fundraising walk for the National

Parkinson’s Foundation.TigestW.Teshome had the idea to plan amulticollege

service event after attending the Georgia Association ofNursing Students leadership conference last summer.

“Many nursing student associations do service activi-ties and raisemoney for causes at their own schools, butrarely do they participate in something together,” saidTeshome, a senior in Emory University’s Nell HodgsonWoodruff School of Nursing. “I felt that collaborat-ingwith others going into the professionwould let usstart networking and form bonds early. That can onlystrengthen teamwork.”

Teshome, secretary of Emory’s Student GovernmentAssociation and amember of the Emory Student NursesAssociation, presented the idea to the Georgia Associa-tion of Nursing Students board and researched healthcare events that students inmetro Atlanta could support.

“I chose diseases and conditions that didn’t seem toget asmuch publicity and sent a list to student nursingassociation presidents,” she said. “The associations voted

Nursing students raise moneyto fight Parkinson’s disease.

Emory University nursing students (from left) Lubna Momin, Sarah Saggese, Angel Padgett, Laila Nurani, Catherine Vaughn, Tigest W. Teshome,Chris Cavanaugh, Mitchaleen Lanyon, Senait Equbatsion, Laura Garcia and Kristen Christensen helped raise money to fight Parkinson’s diseaseby participating in the Moving Day Atlanta walk last month. Photos by LEITA COWART / SPECIAL

Emory nursingstudent TigestW. Teshomeorganized theGeorgia NursingStudents teamfor the MovingDay Atlanta event.


on theMoving Day Atlanta event for Parkinson’s and Iwas very excited that we could bringmore awareness tothis disease.”

About 1million Americans have Parkinson’s disease, aneurodegenerative brain disorder that robs people of theirability to lead a full life.More than 60,000 people in theUnited States are diagnosedwith the disease each year.

TheNational Parkinson’s Foundation launched theMoving Day campaign in 2011 to combat the diseasethrough research that results in better treatment for pa-tients and improved training for caregivers.Moving Dayevents are held in cities across the country.

Moving Day continued on Page 15

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Why I LoveMy Job: Pam Guillebeau, RN, CNOR• Job: Director, Surgery and Sterile Processing Depart-ment at DeKalbMedical, North Decatur campus.

•What I do: “I have the pleasure and challenge of learn-ing the scope of this position, as I have been in this rolesince July 2013. The director needs to be a transforma-tional leader who supports clinical staff in providingsafe, quality patient care for the patient having a surgicalprocedure.”

•How I got into this: “My background clinically is theoperating room as a staff nurse progressing to a clinicalleader for orthopedics to performance improvement forSurgical Services.My formal introduction tomanage-ment beganwhen I became themanager of SurgicalServices at the downtownDecatur campus. I have alsohad the opportunity to further build physician relation-ships and impact surgical care while in a co-manage-mentmodel prior to the director role.”

•Best part of the job: “Developing relationships withstaff, physicians and other departments so that thesurgical patient has an optimal surgical outcomewhileexperiencing service excellence at DeKalb. It is reward-ing to speakwith patients and families to providethat comfort and assurance that we, alongwith our phy-sician partners,will take excellent care of them

Contact usCompiled by John Brieske, Pulse managing editor. Got a health care job thatyou love? Please send email to [email protected].

while in surgery.”

•Most challenging part: “The foundation of the surgicalexperience begins with scheduling the patient’s proce-

“It is rewarding to speak with patients and families to providethat comfort and assurance that we, along with our physicianpartners, will take excellent care of them while in surgery,” said PamGuillebeau. DEKALB MEDICAL

dure and builds through assessing the patient for a planof care to ensuring that all the instruments, supplies andimplants are available for the surgery. The challenge canbe ensuring that vital communication is uninterruptedbetween the numerous individuals that ‘touch’ thepatient’s surgical experience.”

•What people don’t know about my job: “This roleallows a greater opportunity to ‘touch’more patients asone develops staff, teams and processes for the surgicalpatient.”

•What keeps me going: “The surgical nurse/team isthe patient’s advocate when the patient is vulnerable,so it is imperative that the surgical administrative teamsupports evidence-based decisions when implementingchange.”

•Preparation needed: “For a nurse as a director, aMSNis preferred. I am currently completingmyMSN in lead-ership atWalden University. A clinical background inperi-operative services is advantageous in knowing thesurgical business.”



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Home forthe holidaysBy Laura RainesPulse editor

For an increasing number ofpatients, there’s no place likehome… for health care.

Not only is homewheremostpatients want to be, it offerspositive outcomes at amoreaffordable price than acute caresettings, says a Joint Commis-sion report entitled, “Home—The Best Place for HealthCare.”

Amy Berman, senior programofficer for the John A.HartfordFoundation, called home healthcare the linchpin of the U.S.Department of Heath andHu-man Services’National HealthCare Quality Strategy becauseit delivers quality care at amoreaffordable cost, the reportsaid.Home health care helpsto avoid hospital readmissionsand secondary infections, tobettermanage complex chronicdiseases and to reduce the costsassociatedwith hospital andnursing home stays.

Home health care organi-zations servemore than 8.6million patients a year in theUnited States and that number isgrowing.

“Since we see the patientsin their environment,we canaddress the barriers thatmaybe keeping them frommanag-ing their disease. Theymay beconfused about the instruc-tions or not be able to afford themedication,” said Brian Rogers,

How residence-basedhealth care benefitspatients — especiallyat this time of year.

Carolyn Kimbrough, a nurse with PSA Healthcare in Atlanta, has been the primary caretaker for Jada McAdoo for three years.McAdoo was diagnosed with a progressive neurological disease when she was in middle school. Photos by LEITA COWART / SPECIAL


a branchmanager with VisitingNurse Health System. “Our jobis to devise the strategies andgive them the tools they needtomanage their disease and feelbetter.”

Sophisticated technology,a highly trained staff and closecooperationwith hospitals andinsurersmake it possible.

“Home is where the vastmajority of our patients want tobe; it’s where they feel happierand comfortable. That’s espe-cially true during the holidays,”said Rogers, a former ICU nursewho supervises 41 nurses andclinicians. “Patients don’t getto take time off from being sick,so neither do our clinicians.Weall work some holidays tomakesure everyone’s needs aremet.”

Because patients wouldrather be with family duringthe holidays, doctors aremorelikely to send them home if it issafe to do so.

“We also see a greater de-mand for postsurgical therapy,as patients schedulemore jointreplacements and other surger-ies at the end of the year to takeadvantage of paid deductibles,”Rogers said.

November, December andJanuary holidays coincide withthe cold-and-flu season,mak-ing older andmedically fragilepatientsmore vulnerable.Sometimes, celebrations exac-erbate chronic conditions.

“Someonewith diabetesmay bemore tempted to eatsweets and before he knowsit, his disease is out of controlandwe’re called in to help himmanage his symptoms. Thisseason is a busy, but rewardingtime for home health workers,”Rogers said.

“Home is wherethe vast majorityof our patientswant to be; it’swhere they feelhappier andcomfortable.That’s especiallytrue during theholidays.”Brian Rogers, branchmanager, Visiting NurseHealth System

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Sunday, Nov 17, 2013 PULSE 1 1PULS11Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Liz Ralston, Brian Rogers and Renita Hall-Thompson (from left) work for Visiting Nurse Health System. LEITA COWART / SPECIAL

Lanise Shortell,a hospiceand palliativepediatric nurseat Visiting NurseHealth System,holds NoraChappell. “Thisisn’t a job. Wecelebrate withthem, we getpostcards andpictures and wecarry a piece ofevery child wecare for with usalways,” Shortellsaid. HANDOUTPHOTO


Hospice care“Caring for a hospice patient

is differentmedically, psycho-logically, socially and spirituallyduring the holidays,” said LaniseShortell, hospice and palliativepediatric nurse at Visiting NurseHealth System.

At the back of everyone’smind is the thought that thismay be the last holiday seasonwith their child.

“Wewill visit more often tomake sure that our children arevery controlledmedically andthat their symptoms are well-managed so that they can spendtimes with those special visitorswho have come to see them,”said Shortell, RN,CHPPN.

Hospice nurses spendmoreone-on-one time counselingand educating out-of-townvisitors, so that they feel morecomfortable seeing a patient.

“People are often shocked atthe level of care we can provideat home.We can set up IVs andpumps, like in the hospital, andeliminate the stress of goingback and forth for treatment.That helps everyone,” Shortellsaid.

It takes a team of doctors,nurses, dieticians, chaplains andsocial workers to care for hos-pice patients and their families.

“If a patient’s conditionworsens,wemay recommendmoving up a holiday or birthdayso that it can be celebrated, andwe get invited to a lot of thosecelebrations because we become

like one of the family,” she said.“We get close to our children,their parents, grandparents, petsand friends. They are all ourpatients.”

Visiting Nurse Health Sys-tem social workers oftenworkovertime as travel agents to helptheir young charges travel withtheir families, Shortell said. Bycontracting with other agen-cies, they’ve sent children to

DisneyWorld,Hawaii and to seegrandparents.

“People think hospice is a sadthing, but we are so pro-life.Wehelped a family take a first familyvacation toMyrtle Beach lastsummer. Themom criedwhenthey got back, but shewas soglad that they had done it,” shesaid.

Hospice care, particu-laly during the holidays, allowsfamily and friends to showera patient with love and to saythose things theywant to say sothat there are no regrets after apatient passes away.

“Whenwe can help them livein themoment and have goodmemories, it helps families getthrough the loss later,” Shortellsaid. “It won’t take away thepain, but it eases it.”

Shortell likes the challenge ofapplying her clinical skills andcompassion to give children andtheir families special momentsto cherish.

“This isn’t a job.We celebratewith them,we get postcardsand pictures andwe carry apiece of every child we care forwith us always,” she said. “Ourpatients give us inspiration andstrength. They teach us to value

themoments we have, and thatmakes our own holidaysmore ofa celebration.”

Private-duty nursing careFor families ofmedically

fragile patients, a private-dutynurse can be a godsend. ForCarolyn Kimbrough, a nursewith PSAHealthcare in Atlanta,it’s a labor of love.

“You develop a relationshipwith your patients. You get toknow their moods and needs,and you know that you’re givingtheir parents a sense of reliefso that they canwork or dowhat they need to dowithoutworrying about their child. Youbecome a trusted part of thefamily,” said Kimbrough, LPN.“It’s a lot of responsibility andcan sometimes be overwhelm-ing, but at the end of the daywhen the patient has a smile onher face and gives you a hug, youknow it’s worth it.”

Kimbrough has been theprimary nurse for JadaMcAdoofor three years. Diagnosedwith aprogressive neurological diseasewhen shewas inmiddle school,McAdoo, 18, hasmemories of alife that included school, cheer-leading and dancing.

“She’s likemy child and I’mlike her secondmother,” Kim-brough said.

McAdoo is tracheotomy-and ventilator-dependent andreceives nourishment through atube. Recently she regained theability to speakwith the assis-tance of a Passey-Muir Valve.

“When I heard about thisdevice, I jumped on it. Shehadn’t been able to speak fora year,” Kimbrough said. “Shecan express herself. It just takeslonger.Her grandmother criedwhen she heard her speak.”

Kimbrough’s first duty is tomake sure the equipment is run-ning smoothly and thatMcAdoois stable. If she suspects some-thing is wrong, she assesses herpatient from head to toe.

“I’m like a detective who hasto figure out what is going on.She coded onme a year ago andI had to take her to the hospi-tal. She stayed twomonths butshe’smuch happier at home, sothat’s where wewant to keepher,” Kimbrough said. “She hasmoods and that’s OK.My goal isto let her live life as a teenager.”

WhenMcAdoo is doingwell,the nurse and her patient watchmovies and TV shows, listen tomusic and talk.

“She loves the holidays. Shehas a tree in her room, andwe’lldecorate it and sing carols. Sheloves socks, so I bring her oneswith different holiday designs,”she said.

Kimbrough is evenmore vigi-lant aboutmaintaining a sterile,disinfected environment at thistime of year. She’ll ask visitors towash their hands andwear papercoverings over their shoes.

“Her airways are alreadycompromised, so I have to keepeverything as germ-free as pos-sible. She can tire easily withextra visitors, but she enjoys theholidays, and afterward it will bejust us hanging out like normal,”Kimbrough said.

The nurse,who has workedin home health care since 1995,relishes the relationships shedevelops with each patient.

“Each diagnosis is differentand the equipment changes fre-quently, butmy level of care isalways the same,” she said. “It’swhy I’m here. I thank God I canbe a nurse.”

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Sunday, Nov 17, 2013 PULSE 1 1PULS11Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Liz Ralston, Brian Rogers and Renita Hall-Thompson (from left) work for Visiting Nurse Health System. LEITA COWART / SPECIAL

Lanise Shortell,a hospiceand palliativepediatric nurseat Visiting NurseHealth System,holds NoraChappell. “Thisisn’t a job. Wecelebrate withthem, we getpostcards andpictures and wecarry a piece ofevery child wecare for with usalways,” Shortellsaid. HANDOUTPHOTO


Hospice care“Caring for a hospice patient

is differentmedically, psycho-logically, socially and spirituallyduring the holidays,” said LaniseShortell, hospice and palliativepediatric nurse at Visiting NurseHealth System.

At the back of everyone’smind is the thought that thismay be the last holiday seasonwith their child.

“Wewill visit more often tomake sure that our children arevery controlledmedically andthat their symptoms are well-managed so that they can spendtimes with those special visitorswho have come to see them,”said Shortell, RN,CHPPN.

Hospice nurses spendmoreone-on-one time counselingand educating out-of-townvisitors, so that they feel morecomfortable seeing a patient.

“People are often shocked atthe level of care we can provideat home.We can set up IVs andpumps, like in the hospital, andeliminate the stress of goingback and forth for treatment.That helps everyone,” Shortellsaid.

It takes a team of doctors,nurses, dieticians, chaplains andsocial workers to care for hos-pice patients and their families.

“If a patient’s conditionworsens,wemay recommendmoving up a holiday or birthdayso that it can be celebrated, andwe get invited to a lot of thosecelebrations because we become

like one of the family,” she said.“We get close to our children,their parents, grandparents, petsand friends. They are all ourpatients.”

Visiting Nurse Health Sys-tem social workers oftenworkovertime as travel agents to helptheir young charges travel withtheir families, Shortell said. Bycontracting with other agen-cies, they’ve sent children to

DisneyWorld,Hawaii and to seegrandparents.

“People think hospice is a sadthing, but we are so pro-life.Wehelped a family take a first familyvacation toMyrtle Beach lastsummer. Themom criedwhenthey got back, but shewas soglad that they had done it,” shesaid.

Hospice care, particu-laly during the holidays, allowsfamily and friends to showera patient with love and to saythose things theywant to say sothat there are no regrets after apatient passes away.

“Whenwe can help them livein themoment and have goodmemories, it helps families getthrough the loss later,” Shortellsaid. “It won’t take away thepain, but it eases it.”

Shortell likes the challenge ofapplying her clinical skills andcompassion to give children andtheir families special momentsto cherish.

“This isn’t a job.We celebratewith them,we get postcardsand pictures andwe carry apiece of every child we care forwith us always,” she said. “Ourpatients give us inspiration andstrength. They teach us to value

themoments we have, and thatmakes our own holidaysmore ofa celebration.”

Private-duty nursing careFor families ofmedically

fragile patients, a private-dutynurse can be a godsend. ForCarolyn Kimbrough, a nursewith PSAHealthcare in Atlanta,it’s a labor of love.

“You develop a relationshipwith your patients. You get toknow their moods and needs,and you know that you’re givingtheir parents a sense of reliefso that they canwork or dowhat they need to dowithoutworrying about their child. Youbecome a trusted part of thefamily,” said Kimbrough, LPN.“It’s a lot of responsibility andcan sometimes be overwhelm-ing, but at the end of the daywhen the patient has a smile onher face and gives you a hug, youknow it’s worth it.”

Kimbrough has been theprimary nurse for JadaMcAdoofor three years. Diagnosedwith aprogressive neurological diseasewhen shewas inmiddle school,McAdoo, 18, hasmemories of alife that included school, cheer-leading and dancing.

“She’s likemy child and I’mlike her secondmother,” Kim-brough said.

McAdoo is tracheotomy-and ventilator-dependent andreceives nourishment through atube. Recently she regained theability to speakwith the assis-tance of a Passey-Muir Valve.

“When I heard about thisdevice, I jumped on it. Shehadn’t been able to speak fora year,” Kimbrough said. “Shecan express herself. It just takeslonger.Her grandmother criedwhen she heard her speak.”

Kimbrough’s first duty is tomake sure the equipment is run-ning smoothly and thatMcAdoois stable. If she suspects some-thing is wrong, she assesses herpatient from head to toe.

“I’m like a detective who hasto figure out what is going on.She coded onme a year ago andI had to take her to the hospi-tal. She stayed twomonths butshe’smuch happier at home, sothat’s where wewant to keepher,” Kimbrough said. “She hasmoods and that’s OK.My goal isto let her live life as a teenager.”

WhenMcAdoo is doingwell,the nurse and her patient watchmovies and TV shows, listen tomusic and talk.

“She loves the holidays. Shehas a tree in her room, andwe’lldecorate it and sing carols. Sheloves socks, so I bring her oneswith different holiday designs,”she said.

Kimbrough is evenmore vigi-lant aboutmaintaining a sterile,disinfected environment at thistime of year. She’ll ask visitors towash their hands andwear papercoverings over their shoes.

“Her airways are alreadycompromised, so I have to keepeverything as germ-free as pos-sible. She can tire easily withextra visitors, but she enjoys theholidays, and afterward it will bejust us hanging out like normal,”Kimbrough said.

The nurse,who has workedin home health care since 1995,relishes the relationships shedevelops with each patient.

“Each diagnosis is differentand the equipment changes fre-quently, butmy level of care isalways the same,” she said. “It’swhy I’m here. I thank God I canbe a nurse.”


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Mystyle•Name: JoanneMcDougal Patterson,MSN, RN

•Age: 37

•Occupation: In-dependent clinicalinformatics consultantand national co-direc-tor of the Stork’s Nestprenatal educationprogram for Zeta PhiBeta Sorority.

•Signature style: “Ilove ladylike clothingthat is timeless, but willevery now and then adda bit of pop by add-ing one item that addstexture and surprise. Ialso love neutrals, cleanminimal lines, geomet-ric prints and elegantdresses.”

•Best finds: “The best finds are when you are not look-ing for something specific. Bargains can be found at anyprice point.”

• Fashion weakness: “Handbags, shoes and anythingroyal blue.”

• Favorite stores: “I don’t have a favorite store but I dotrust certain designers because of the fit and comfort.I can count on Tadashi Shoji tomakeme look fabulousif I am going to a formal event, and Cole Haan flats be-cause they are comfortable, but stylish, during the workday.”

• Fashion inspiration: “My personality and lifestyle. I amconstantly on the go, so I try to keep it simple, timelessand business-like.”

•Pet peeve: “Wearing toomany pieces from one de-signer all at once.”

•Best fashion compliment: “I have been told that I dressthe part nomatter where I am going. You never knowwhoyouwill meet and you have to be ready tomake a greatfirst impression.”

Contact usCompiled by John Brieske, Pulse managing editor. Do you or someone you workwith have a great sense of style? Please send email to [email protected].

Patterson is ready for a night out with akhaki cape by Banana Republic, a print maxiskirt by Von Vonni, boots by BCBGMAXAZRIAand black-and-brown leather gloves byPortolano.

Joanne McDougal Patterson is the picture of winter fashion with a black mockturtleneck by French Connection, a zebra-print wrap by Calvin Klein, leggings fromT.J. Maxx, boots by BCBGMAXAZRIA and a snakeskin embossed, lambskin leatheriPad case by Botkier. Photos by LEITA COWART / SPECIAL

This matching set— beaded jadenecklace, braceletand earrings— adds color andstyle to manyoutfits.

One ofPatterson’sfashionweaknessesis anythingroyal blue likethis braceletand pair ofearrings.

Although Patterson likes “ladylike clothingthat is timeless,” she also steps out andshows her fun side with orange-and-pinkheels by Jessica Simpson.


Patterson sports a white peplumtop by Halston Heritage, cobalt bluetrousers by Ark & Co., and a tote byTory Burch.

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FocusonpreventionBy Laura RainesPulse editor

There’s a radical shift taking place inhealth care and public health nurses, likeLt. ShaunaMettee at the Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention, are leadingthe way.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of HealthandHuman Services released its NationalPrevention Strategywith an overall goal ofincreasing the number of Americans whoare healthy at every stage of life.

“This strategy and the NationalPrevention Council created through theAffordable Care Act are helping tomoveour nation away from a health care systemfocused on sickness and disease to onefocused onwellness and prevention,” saidMettee, public health adviser with theCDC’s newOffice of Health SystemCol-laboration.

To create a prevention-oriented andhealthier society, the National Preven-tion Strategy has identified four strategicdirections: healthy and safe communityenvironments; clinical and communitypreventive services; empowered people(who have the knowledge and encourage-ment tomake healthy choices); and theelimination of health disparities.

The strategy has also identified sevenpriorities that aremost likely to reducethe leading causes of preventable deathandmajor illness: tobacco-free living;preventing drug abuse and excessivealcohol use; healthy eating; active living;injury- and violence-free living; repro-ductive and sexual health; andmental andemotional well-being.

“People need safe environments, cleanair andwater, healthy food and goodtransportation options— for example,sidewalks so that students can safelywalk to school,” saidMettee, RN,MSN,MPH, president-elect of the CDC/ATSDRNursesWork Group.

The definition of public health is ex-panding,Mettee said.

“We’ve been used to viewing ourselvesin silos in health care, but we’re begin-ning to look at ourselves as one largehealth system, and to create linkages,” sheexplained. “Public health and health carecollaboration could enhance the capacityof both sectors to improve the nation’s

Nurses on the leading edgeof public health strategies.

“As trained systems leaders, nurses are poisedto be innovative leaders in these new patient-centered, team-based models of care,” saidLt. Shauna Mettee, public health adviser with theCDC’s Office of Health System Collaboration.JIM GATHANY / CDC

health andwell-being.”The Affordable Care Act’s new care

coordinationmodels— such as Ac-countable Care Organizations— are oneexample of this collaboration. Another isthe CDCNursing Symposium that wasorganized by the CDC/ATSDRNursesWork Group lastMay. The symposiumbrought together 200 clinical, academicand public health nurses fromGeorgiato network and discuss ways they couldwork together better.

“As trained systems leaders, nurses arepoised to be innovative leaders in thesenew patient-centered, team-basedmod-els of care.Nurses can bridge the culturalgap between public health and clinicalcare, and they remain themost trustedprofessionals in the country,”Mettee said.

There has been progress in Georgia,Mettee said.More hospitals and countypublic health departments are collaborat-ing to assess the greatest health needs intheir communities.

With the Georgia Telehealth Initiative,all Georgia counties will have telemedi-cine systems in public health offices bythe end of 2013,whichwill give the state’srural populations greater access tomedi-cal specialists.

“This collaboration givesmore Geor-gians access to care without having totravel to doctor’s offices, and public health

Public health continued on Page 19



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“Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Buildinga Better Life” by Jude Bijou offers insight intohuman emotions and practical ways to tradenegative feelings for more positive ones.


WorkmoodContinued from Page 5

“Instead of ‘I blew it’ or ‘I’ll neverget this done in time,’ tell yourself, ‘I’mdoing the best I can.’ Finding a contra-dictory statement to repeat what’s 100percent true will change yourmood,” shesaid.

Feeling overwhelmed? That comesfrom fear.Make a list, organize yourdesk, then just accomplish one thing andyou’ll feel better.

3. Don’t gossip.“Putting others down or complain-

ing just makes you feel worse. You cansay nothing, or say something nice,” shesaid. “Once you stop gossiping, you’llfind spaces opening in your day that youcan fill inmore pleasurable ways to liftyourmood.”

4. Be grateful, not grumpy.“If you’re having a hard day, take

a brief timeout and concentrate onsomething or someone that you re-ally love. Remembering that trip to theGrand Canyon or how your sister is

always there for youwill interrupt yournegative tangent and let you rechargeyour battery,” she said. “You can’t thinkabout something you’re grateful for andsomething you’re unhappy about at thesame time.”

5. Just get over it.“Practice acceptingwhat is,” she said.

“We have this fantasy that if everyonewould just do things our way theworldwould be a better place, but that’s not re-ality. Remind yourself, ‘People and thingsare the way they are, not the way I wantthem to be.’

“You canmake it personal, as in ‘Maryis the way she is’ or ‘staffmeetings arethe way they are.’ If you repeat the phrase11 times and ham it up, you’ll probablyfind yourself laughing.When you get overyour frustration that things aren’t theway youwant them to be, youwill enjoyyourself more andmaybe even learn anewway of approaching a problem.”

6. Find the source of your bad mood.“Instead of waiting for a badmood

to lift on its own, ask yourself when youbegan to feel that way?Was it when yourhusbandmentioned his fishing trip? Ifso, then you need to address that specific

issue,” Bijou said. “If it was somethingtragic that happened at work— andhealth care workers see somuch sadness,hurt and loss— then allow yourself tocry when you get home.Honoring youremotions andmoving through themcan keep you from trudging resentfullythrough each day.”

7. Be the happy one at work.Approach the daywith an upbeat

attitude and others will respond.Moodsare contagious, so pass on a happy vibe.You can avoid a lot of the commonwork-place squabbles by smiling andmak-ing positive statements about the goodthings you see.

“People will love to workwith youbecause you’re happy.What they don’tknow is that you’remaking yourselfhappy, too,” she said.

8. Wear someone else’s shoes.“Instead of being self-absorbed,

listen to others. Listeningwell is theultimate in giving and brings aboutfeelings of connection and love,” Bijousaid. “Happiness at works comeswhenworkers have the sense of ‘we’re all inthis together,’ that we have each other’sbacks.”

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Emory nursing students Kristen Christensen (left) and Tigest W. Teshome smile during a tai chi workoutbefore the Moving Day Atlanta walk for the National Parkinson’s Foundation. LEITA COWART / SPECIAL


Moving DayContinued from Page 8

Teshome registered the team as Geor-gia Nursing Students,which includedstudents from Emory, Clayton State,Georgia State,Mercer,West GeorgiaTechnical College and Brenau. By theend of the walk, the group had raised$1,808.10 andwas continuing donationefforts though the end of November.

“Our collective goal is $2,500, but ev-ery school is raisingmoney in its ownway.Some are having bake sales or asking fordonations. At Emory,we’re selling shirtsthat say ‘Be a Nurse toMake a Difference’for $5 each.”

Participation in the walk has resultedin unexpected benefits.

“When I registered the team,An-nie Long, the coordinator for the At-lanta chapter of the National Parkinson’sFoundation, called to ask if wewould liketo learnmore about Parkinson’s disease,”Teshome said.

Together they organized four lunch-and-learn sessions for students at fouruniversities.

“When a Parkinson’s patient came tospeak to us about living with the disease,he suddenly paused and got stiff.He toldus he has to takemedication every 90minutes.We sawwhy it was so impor-

tant for Parkinson’s patients to get theirmedication on time,” Teshome said.

Many students weremoved to tearsafter hearing how theman and his wifewere battling the disease as it progressed,

she said.“I’ve had great feedback from the

students who attended,” Teshomesaid. “You can read about a disease andtreatment in a book, but when you see itright in front of you there’s no need formemorization. It sticks with you. I knowit will make us all better nurses.”

As a child in her native Ethiopia,Teshomewas in a bus accident with herfamily. That incident helped inspire herto choose nursing as a profession.

“The nurses from a nearby cliniccame to help us and theywere so kindand passionate about what theyweredoing. They calmedme down and tookcare ofmymom and uncles,whowereseriously injured,” she said. “I want tohelp people like that,medically andpersonally.”

Since immigrating to Atlanta with herfamily when shewas 10, Teshome hasreceived help from people whomentoredher. She also has received grants andscholarships to attend Georgia PerimeterCollege and Emory University.

“I want to do the same for others, topass it on,” she said. “I chose nursing be-cause I have a passion to care for people.I can’t imagine doing anything else.”


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2 Broken BroadsContinued from Page 7

“It took three years to battle back andI lost my business in corporate gifts inthe process,” she said. “Ovarian cancer isone of themost deadly cancers out thereandmany people die from sepsis, so Ifigured Imust have lived for a reason.”

Now she knowswhat that reason is.“My job is tomake people aware of

this disease and to help others who arebattling it,” Sigmon-Nosach said.

About 71,500women in the UnitedStates are diagnosedwith gynecologiccancers annually, and about 26,500women die each year from them, ac-cording to the Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention.

“The rate of survivorship is con-siderably less than for those diagnosedwith other cancers because there are noscreening tests andmanywomen arediagnosed atmore advanced stages ofthe disease,” Sigmon-Nosach said.

Shewanted to help change thosestatistics, so Sigmon-Nosach joinedforces with Debbie Torbett, a friend and

fellow ovarian cancer survivor, to battlethe disease.

“Wewere racking our brains for anidea and it finally came tome in themiddle of the night,” she said. “We bothfelt broken after our diagnosis andweredetermined to be better thanwewerebefore. I thought of creatingmosaicart out of broken glass and old windowframes headed to the dump.”

Thewomen named their glassmosaic company 2 Broken Broads andbegan creating pieces inspired by theirfavorite songs from the 1950s, 60s and70s, selling them and donatingmoneyto cancer research.

“We never expected to raisemuchmoney, but the pieces went about asfast as we couldmake them.We’ve sold300 pieces in four years and our art is in30 states,” Sigmon-Nosach said.

The art,which sells in the $250 to$700 range, has won awards at local

JOIN THE FIGHT

To learn more about helping to battle gyneco-logical cancer, go to www.2brokenbroads.comor http://supportgc.org.

festivals.Sigmon-Nosach and Torbett soon

realized their contributions wouldn’thave amajor impact on the enormouscost of cancer research. Aftermeetingand talkingwith other survivors of thedisease, they realized there were otherways to help.

Sigmon-Nosach and Torbett found-ed the Partnership for GynecologicalCancer Support inMarch 2013.Work-ingwith social workers and patientnavigators at Northside Hospital inAtlanta andNortheast GeorgiaMedi-cal Center in Gainesville, the groupidentifies individual needs of patientsand provides funds to help pay for gas,groceries and utility bills. The gifts aregiven anonymously.

“It’s not a life-changing amount,but if it keeps the lights on, providesfor transportation to treatment, orputs food on the table, thenwe knowthat it will relieve some of the stress ofbattling this disease,” Sigmon-Nosachsaid. “Insurance doesn’t cover every-thing andmanywomenwho are diag-nosed have to give up their jobs and losebenefits.Not everyone has the lovingsupport of family like we do.”

In September, the organization heldits first fundraiser— awine-and-cheeseauction of art work created by 10 can-cer survivors. The event raised about$17,000.

“I had never held an event before, butI think this was just meant to be.We’vehadwonderful support. By running thenonprofit from home and using a simplewebsite,we’re able to donate 91 cents forevery dollar raised,” she said.

In February, Sigmon-Nosach andTorbett are giving themselves a jointbirthday party with this theme: “It’s ourparty and you can give if youwant to.Youwould, too, if it happened to you.”

They are planning other fundraisersthroughout the year.

The twowomen also speak at com-munity organizations to raise awarenessabout gynecological cancers.

“Anyonewho knows us knowswe loveto talk, and themore awareness we canraise, the better,” Sigmon-Nosach said.“We pass out cards with symptoms andhope that earlier detectionwill save lives.These cancers don’t get asmuch public-ity as other types do. I’m proud of whatwe’re doing. I know that just having theability to do it is a gift.”

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hospital building on Courtland Street.SharonWilliamsMagruder, RN, grew

up in Albany, but wanted to attend nurs-ing school in the big city.

“Even thoughwe lived downtown,myparents toldme that the nunswould takecare ofme and keepme out of trouble,”she said.

According toMagruder, life for nurs-ing students was a far cry from today’sworld. Students weren’t allowed to go ondates during the week and had a curfewonweekends. Study hours (7 to 9 p.m.,no phone calls allowed) weremanda-tory onweeknights. On theweekends,students couldmeet dates downstairsin the lounge, known as “The Smoker,”which had a TV, or theywent to fraternityparties or the occasional movie.

Mostly, students were immersed intheir future profession.Magruder isgrateful for the hands-on experience shereceived during those three years.

“It was a demanding curriculum andschedule.We spent a lot of time on the

ClassmatesContinued from Page 6

floors with patients; that was our train-ing,” she said.

Magruder has been a labor and de-livery nurse for 45 years andwas namedNurse of the Year at Northside Hospitallast year.

“Now, nursing students getmore aca-demics, but our first year we took coreacademic courses at Georgia State (Uni-versity), which allowed a lot of nurses toearn their BSN later,” she said. “Mostly,we ate, slept and breathed nursing, andwe grew up together.”

Despite the tough schedule, there wasstill time for pranks, including the timethe class threw SisterMary Kristen intoLake Callaway at the senior picnic.

“We loved our instructors and theyloved us,”Magruder said.

Into the fireUnlikemost undergrads, nursing

students were exposed to their profes-sion quickly.

“Wewere at the bedside giving baths,taking vitals or fillingwater classes with-in three weeks of starting school,” saidPamHendley Rowe, RN,CCS, data qual-ity analyst at Spalding Regional Hospitalin Griffin. “We staffed the floors in those

days under the direction of the nurses.Wewere there year round and didn’t getoff for holidays, so wewere dependenton each other. If you had a bad day, it wasyour roommate whose shoulder you criedon. That’s whywe’re so close.”

Nursing school was hardwork but alot of fun, remembered Dorothy TullyMullican, RN, BS-PH,CRNA.The youngwomen got to see a bit of the world for twoquarters when they traveled to Cincinnatifor pediatric clinicals and to Baltimore forpsychiatric training.

“I’d never been away from home, re-ally, and that was exciting for an 18-year-old,” saidMullican,who became a nurseanesthetist in 1981.

A different worldThe nurses have seen enormous

changes inmedicine since they startedpracticing.

Magruder remembers when pregnantwomenwere whisked away behind closeddoors and labored on stretchers whilehusbands and family stayed in the waitingroom.

“Most womenwere knocked out forbirth and they awoke to find out theirbabywas a girl or a boy,” she said. “We’ve

gone from that to giving the best care ina patient-centered and family-orientedlabor and delivery environment.”

DeniseMcLaughlin, RN,CNMW,MPH, director, nursemid-wifery service,department of GYN-OB, Emory Univer-sity School ofMedicine.

“I didn’t learn aboutmidwifery untilseveral years after school, but I knewthat’s what I wanted to be because I likedbirthing babies, direct patient care andtaking care of families,” she said.

During nursing school,McLaughlinloved the physical activity of caring forpatients for extended periods.

“The nuns taught us to look at peopleas individuals and to set up goals tomeettheir different needs,” she said. “I alwaysfelt privileged to see people through thetransitions and trauma of those times intheir lives.”

It doesn’t surpriseMcLaughlin thather fellow students went on to vastly dif-ferent careers.

“Wewere at the end of an era whenhospitals trained nurses, but wewere agroup of very capable youngwomen,” shesaid. “Those of us who stayedwith theprogramwere highlymotivated, andwewere well prepared.”


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Emory, GPC partnerto train minority nursesfor research centers

Emory University’s Nell HodgsonWoodruff School ofNursing and Georgia Perimeter College are teaming up toprepare nurses from underrepresented groups to attainbachelor’s degrees in nursingwith the additional goal ofpreparing students for careers in health research.

Emory and GPC are the first and only institutions inGeorgia to be selected for the Bridges to the Baccalaure-ate Program by the National Institutes of Health. Thisnew partnership will provide $900,000 during a five-yearperiod to develop programming to increase the pool ofunderrepresented students who are prepared for careersin research.

Students admitted to GPC under this partnership willbe part of an eight-week summer immersion programfocused on rigorous nursing education coupledwithacademic research exposure. After completing their as-sociate degrees at GPC, students will transition into thebaccalaureate nursing program at Emory.

RAPID PULSE: NEWS AND NOTES

With this program, both institutions want to establisha partnershipmodel for two-year and four-year nursingschools in Georgia to build pipelines for baccalaureateeducation for nursing students.

• Stroke care award: North FultonHospital was recentlyrecognized by the AmericanHeart Associationwith theGold Plus Award for Stroke Care. Thismarks the thirdconsecutive year that the hospital has received the award.

North FultonHospital’s Stroke Programwas alsoplaced on the AHA’s newTarget Stroke Honor Roll.

The Gold Plus Award for Stroke recognizes facilitiesthatmeet stroke qualitymeasures for 24 consecutivemonths. The qualitymeasures include treating suspectedstroke victimswithin 4.5 hours of the onset of symptoms,screening for dysphagia and providing stroke education.

• National accreditation: The Commission on Cancer ofthe American College of Surgeons has granted three-yearaccreditationwith commendation to the Northside Hos-pital Cancer Institute, as a result of surveys performedduring 2013.

“We are so pleased to receive this national accredita-tion from the Commission on Cancer,” said Patti Owen,director of oncology services at Northside Hospital.“This award exemplifies our ongoing commitment to


providing high-quality,multidisciplinary cancer care as acomprehensive, community hospital and cancer insti-tute.”

To earn voluntary accreditation, a cancer programmustmeet or exceed 34 Commission on Cancer qualitycare standards, be evaluated every three years through asurvey process, andmaintain levels of excellence in thedelivery of comprehensive patient-centered care. Three-year accreditationwith commendation is only awarded toa facility that exceeds standard requirements at the timeof its triennial survey.

• Top rankings: TheUniversity HealthSystemConsor-tium has ranked Emory University Hospital (which in-cludes Emory University Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital)second and Emory University Hospital Midtown third inthe 2013 national UHCQuality Leadership Awards.

This is the second consecutive year that EmoryHealthcare has had two of its large teaching hospitals rankin the top 10 nationally. EmoryHealthcare is again UHC’sonly health care organizationwhere two hospitals fromthe same system have ranked in the top 10.

The Quality Leadership Award honors top performersin UHC’s Quality and Accountability Study,which ranks

Rapid Pulse continued on next page

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nurses are providing the coordination ofthat care,”Mettee said.

By embracing prevention, publichealth takes on a larger spectrum thatembraces all aspects of life—wherepeople live, learn,work and play.

“Anyone can get involvedwith publichealth by sharing information and sup-porting initiatives.We all have a role toplay,”Mettee said.

Mettee,who began her career as anemergency room nurse, earnedmaster’sdegrees in international nursing and pub-lic health from Emory University in 2009.

Public healthContinued from Page 13

From 2009 to 2011, she served in theU.S. Public Health Service as an epidemicintelligence service officer at the CDC,where she investigated food andwater-borne disease outbreaks. In 2011, she wasthe first nurse accepted into CDC’s Pre-ventiveMedicine Residency/Fellowshipprogram andwas assigned to a three-county health district. In 2012, she servedas a public health adviser in the CDC’s Of-fice of the National Prevention Strategy.

“I had no idea that I would head in thisdirection. Public health foundme, andI just dove into it,”Mettee said. “It’s anexciting time for nurses andmid-levelproviders.We are aware of the changesand have the opportunity to create waysfor public health and health care to worktogether.”


Contact usDo you have any news briefs for Rapid Pulse? If so, sendan email to [email protected] or call 404-526-5664.

performance inmortality, effectiveness,safety, equity, patient centeredness, andefficiency.

“These national rankings are indicativeof our leading improvements inmortal-ity reduction, infection rate reduction,substantial elimination of ventilator-acquired pneumonia, andmany otherquality, safety and service indicatorsthat go into this overall national rankingalgorithm,” said John T. Fox, presidentand CEO.

• Helping battered women: To com-memorate National Nurse PractitionerWeek (Nov. 10-16), the Atlanta chapter

of the United Advanced Practice Regis-teredNurses donated about $500 in paperproducts and bleach to Project Renewal,a Conyers-based domestic violenceintervention program that serves batteredwomen in Rockdale,Newton andWaltoncounties.

The donation is but one act of commu-nity service that the organization’s nursepractitioners, clinical nurse specialists,nursemidwives and nurse anesthetistsprovide.

The purpose of the United AdvancedPractice RegisteredNurses of Georgia is toaddress legislative, political and prac-tice issues of advance practice registerednurses.

Rapid PulseContinued from previous page

Dec. 12“Shewhart Control Charts, Which One do I Use,When?” will be presented by Sandra Murray, a na-tionally recognized speaker on statistical analysisand expert on displaying data for organizationalimprovement. This program, sponsored by theGeorgia Association for Healthcare Quality, willbe from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Piedmont Hospital’sMcRae Auditorium (1968 Peachtree Road NWin Atlanta). The program, which will be gearedtoward those seeking to advance their skills instatistical process control for decision makingand improvement, will provide seven continuingeducation credits. Registration is $169 for GAHQmembers and $245 for nonmembers. To receive a10 percent discount, register by Dec. 1 and enterEARLY as the coupon code. For information andto register, go to www.gaahq.org/education/

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Contact usTo publicize a continuing education event, send emailto [email protected]. The deadline for publication is the10th of the month prior to the event.

calendar-of-events.

Feb. 20-21Eastside Medical Center (south campus, 2160Fountain Drive, Snellville) will offer a psychiatric/mental health certification review class from8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The cos is $250, but is free forHCA nurses. The cost includes lunch on both daysand all materials. Upon completion of both days,attendees will be awarded 15 contact hours. Forinformation, call 770-736-2579 or email [email protected]. To register, call800-763-3332 or go to www.MedEdSeminars.net.


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For the health care professional Homefor theholidays · Emory University nursing students (from...

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