The Florida Nurse - May 2022

THE FLORIDA NURSE

President’s Message

Janice Adams, DNP, MPA, BSN President FNA

Welcome to Spring 2022! Are you seeing spring showers, spring flowers and a return to some form of normalcy along the way? I think we are making progress. This month, we celebrate National Nurses Month, May 2022. The American Nurses Association has announced the theme for 2022, “You Make a Difference.” Each and every nurse certainly does make a difference. We are grateful to all nurses for their steadfast commitment to their patients, their communities, and our health care organizations. FNA has several activities planned for Nurses Month including educational opportunities and nurse appreciation events. For details on these events, visit the FNA Event Calendar online.

In my last message I shared the FNA plan this year was to Regain, Retain and Reconnect! As a reminder, FNA’s mission is to advance the profession of nursing and promote a healthy Florida. Therefore, we continue to focus on concerns that Florida nurses have expressed. During Advocacy Days there was discussion about workplace concerns relating to staffing, loss of nursing staff, more use of travel nursing, and a change in culture that concerns many in the workplace. On March 9, 2022, FNA held a Town Hall discussion about the nursing workforce in

Florida to hear from the membership about specific positive changes and concerns they are experiencing in their workplace. What was clear during the discussion was that we need to regain and retain nurses in our organizations. We need to look for avenues where our employers and organizations can openly discuss concerns that nurses have that are causing them to leave their job and/or the nursing profession. Several themes were identified during this meeting. As a result, FNA is already planning additional discussions to line item some specific steps that we can recommend to our healthcare employers. More announcements regarding meetings are forthcoming.

A great win for nursing was founded in the 2022 Legislative Session! Many of the FNA Legislative Agenda items were positively addressed, funded, new laws created or did not pass because Florida nurses spoke up. In this session, The Florida Center for Nursing was fully funded with an additional $5M – thank you to our nurses, legislators and our lobby team for their phone calls, emails, and letters to support Florida nursing. The Center is the hub for workplace data collection in the state.

The FNA Board of Directors will be meeting on July 15 to continue planning for our successful 2022 agenda. We welcome your comments and look forward to serving you in making nursing better for all in Florida.

Happy Spring!

Sincerely,

Jan Adams President

Notes from the Executive Director

We Know the Answer

Willa Fuller, BSN, RN Executive Director, Florida Nurses Association

FLORIDA NURSE THE

Owned and Published by, Florida Nurses Association

There has been much discussion among nursing and healthcare groups about the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nursing work environment. From education to frontline care, the damage that has occurred has affected nursing across the globe. From the intensification of the nursing shortage, the effect of travel opportunities and the financial impact on healthcare institutions, to the loss of nurses due to retirements and resignations many institutions are struggling to meet demands of providing care. In the education sector, nursing students were unable to complete hands-on clinical experiences and also had to convert to remote learning which is not always ideal for a profession that has been based at least in part on hands-on experiences. New graduates have reported feeling unprepared and a lack of support at the onset of their careers, often due to the fact that there were few experienced nurses to mentor them in transitioning to their new role. Some reported working with travelers who were unfamiliar with their specialties and who were unwilling to perform duties other than the most basic nursing functions as they did not feel safe in the environment they were assigned to. Educational leadership and faculty also reported difficulty creating meaningful clinical experiences and cited a lack of consistency with how various institutions responded to the pandemic.

In the early days, many nurses called FNA in great distress due to the inconsistent information coming from the CDC on guidance related to masks as well ask safety guidelines for both patients and nurses. Some reported being ordered to work with COVID-19 patients without masks or with surgical masks that they deemed to be unsafe. Several reported that they contracted COVID-19 and were told that they must work or they would be terminated. They shared that they had to use their own personal leave time if they got COVID-19 and some with prolonged illness reported that they were denied disability claims.

There were many calls of nurses in distress regarding the conditions they were working under and their feelings that they were not delivering safe care with the high standards that they had been educated and professionally socialized to deliver. The physical and psychological toll on nurses (and other healthcare workers) is continuing to unfold. And particularly when you add to the trauma they already experienced by being exposed to the impact of the “politics” of COVID. Patients who refused to believe they had it or those that realized the gravity of their illness and began to beg for help, including the vaccine, much too late. At one point, nurses reported that they went from being heroes to being reviled and called names while doing their best to care for patients.

This article can only scratch the surface of their experiences, but provides a backdrop for the question I have most often from people who are not in healthcare and who have little to no idea what it is like. The question, as you can all predict is “What can we do to fix it?” At some level, this question infuriates me, primarily because that same question was being asked in meetings all across the country long before I became a nurse over 30 years ago. And since I started, the landscape has become even more complex, with evolving definitions of quality and the evolution of reimbursement. So many things affect nurses in complex systems where they seem to have very little power to influence change.

Even today, much of the discussion occurs at levels that we are not included in and seem to focus on tangential issues that never get to the heart of the problem.

I, along with every nurse working at the bedside today (or have ever worked in direct care) KNOW THE ANSWER. And I believe that “they” know that we know it. But it is danced around like a ballerina with steel-toed shoes on hot lava. So I am going to share this long-awaited secret in simple terms that anyone can understand. In order to stem the tide of the nursing shortage we MUST create a nursing work environment where nurses will stay and have longevity by providing:

1. A manageable number of patients to enable them to provide the hands-on, ethical, highquality care that we learned about in school and pledged at our pinning ceremonies or graduations.

2. A supportive work environment that is actually guided by our Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics at all times, even in a pandemic.

3. A non-punitive approach to errors which follows the principles outlined in Too Err is Human and focuses on systems and process improvement rather than punishment, which cures nothing.

4. Extensive orientation or Nurse Residency programs for new graduates that focus on development of critical thinking and a path from Novice to Expert.

5. Adequate compensation for all nurses and recognition for service such as charge nurse or preceptorship. Make them feel valued.

6. As a caring profession, it should not be too much to ask to have a caring work environment. We have had situations where nurses have called us in tears for occurrences such as being denied time off for their wedding, which of course, had been planned months in advance.

7. Managers who are well-trained with leadership and management skills to enable them to interact professionally and with respect for their employee colleagues in any situation.

8. An environment where nurses do not go home each day so tense and stressed that they cannot mentally and emotionally disconnect from work without obsessing about what they might have missed or done incorrectly.

9. An environment where a nurse is not thrown under the bus for an error and treated like a pariah for fear of legal reprisals, particularly when the error was most likely caused by staffing deficits or flawed systems. There has to be a better way.

10. Repeat #1

Historically, nursing as a caring and perhaps “sacrificial” role has often been relegated to a “Just do it” philosophy. This approach, more than ever, is not sustainable. As Gallup’s the most trusted professional for over two decades, it is time that healthcare leaders and stakeholders seek out their voices and include them as we move forward to seek solutions and make positive change for nursing’s future. All of our lives depend on it.

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Telephone: (407) 896-3261

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Website: http://www.floridanurse.org

Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday

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Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement or approval by the Florida Nurses Association of products advertised, the advertisers, or the claims made. Rejection of an advertisement does not imply a product offered for advertising is without merit, or that the manufacturer lacks integrity, or that this association disapproves of the product or its use. FNA and the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. shall not be held liable for any consequences resulting from purchase or use of an advertiser’s product. Articles appearing in this publication express the opinions of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect views of the staff, board, or membership of FNA or those of the national or local associations.

Published quarterly, February, May, August and November by FNA, a constituent member of the American Nurses Association.

Editor – Kaitlin Scarbary, 1235 E. Concord St., Orlando, FL 32803-5403

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COPIES of The Florida Nurse are available on 35mm microfilm, 106mm microfilm, article reprints and issue copies through Bell & Howell, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106

Board of Directors

2021–2023

Officers

Janice Adams, DNP, MPA, BSN, President

Marie Etienne, DNP, APRN, FNP, PNP, PLNC, President-Elect

Debbie Hogan, RN, BSN, MPH, Vice President

Valerie Halstead, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, Secretary Mavra Kear, PHD, APRN, BC, Treasurer

Region Directors

Jake Bush, MSN, RN, Northwest Region

Kellyann Curnayn, DNP, APRN-BC, North Central Region

Susie Norman, MSN, Northeast Region

Marcos Gayol, EdD, MSN, MPH, RN, East Central Region

Meghan Moroney, BSN, RN, West Central Region

Cynthia Tagliaferri, RN, BSN, DNP Student, Southeast Region

Camille Baldwin, EdD, MSN, RN, CNE, CHSE, Southwest Region

Linda Washington-Brown, PHD, EJD, MSN, APRN-C, FAANP, FAAN, South Region

Director of Recent Graduates

Danielle Weaver, BSN, RN, CEN

LERC Liaison

Marsha Martin, RN

FNA Office

Willa Fuller, BSN, RN, Executive Director

John Berry, Jr., Director of Labor Relations & Government Affairs

Kaitlin Scarbary, Director of Member Programs, Technology, and Marketing

Willa Fuller

Leaving Legacies in Nursing: Three Profiles of Past Foundation Leaders

Patricia Messmer, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN

Treasurer, Florida Nurses

Foundation

The Foundation is excited to welcome back George PerazaSmith, DNP, APRN as a Trustee! George served as FNF Trustee (2014-2019), FNF President (2017-2019) and Florida Nurses Association (FNA) President 2019-2021.

Three FNA nurse colleagues Carolyn Vallone, Claire Good and Imogene King (deceased) helped George Peraza-Smith, DNP, APRN become FNF Trustee & FNF President and FNA President; all three colleagues were members of District IV in Tampa, Florida.

2022 Calendar of Events

Some meetings such as committee meetings and recurring regional meetings are not included in the list below. View the Full FNA Calendar at www.floridanurse.org/events

1st Annual Southeast Region Nurse Appreciation Event

May 12, 2022 | 3pm-9pm ET

Florida Atlantic University College of Nursing, Boca Raton, FL Nursing Summit

Conversations with a Purpose: Nursing Workforce Strategies and Solutions

June 8 | 9am - 1pm ET Zoom Conference

8th Annual FNA Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Conference

July 16 | 8:00am – 4:00pm ET Sheraton Orlando North Hotel, Maitland, FL

2022 FNA Membership Assembly

September 22-24, 2022

Mission Inn Resort, Howey-in-the-Hills, FL

Health Policy Special Interest Group

Every Second Tuesday | 7:00-8:00pm EST Zoom Meeting

Ethics Special Interest Group

Every Third Tuesday | 6:00-7:00pm EST Zoom Meeting

Holistic Nursing Special Interest Group

Every Third Thursday | 5:00-6:00pm EST Zoom Meeting

Interested in presenting for FNA? Go to www.floridanurse.org/speak Members of FNA/ANA will be given priority.

We welcome all nursing students and Registered Nurses regardless of membership status to all of our events unless otherwise noted. For registration and more information about FNA events, go to www.floridanurse.org/events

Carolyn Vallone, FNF Trustee 1988-1992 and President 1990-1991

Carolyn Weaver Vallone graduated from the DePaul Hospital School of Nursing in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1952. The city’s first public hospital offered a rigorous residential 3-year program administered by the Catholic Daughters of Charity. As a student, Vallone worked full-time at DePaul Hospital six days a week, spent afternoons in class, and by her junior year, served as the sole nurse for 50 patients. From studying infectious disease at a tuberculosis hospital to supporting polio patients in “iron lung” tank respirators, Carolyn Weaver’s early nursing education prepared her to be both adaptive and innovative. It also grounded her in the duality of nursing excellence: compassion and clinical care.

Carolyn went on to work in hospitals in Virginia, New York and Vermont, earning a bachelor’s in nursing in 1970 from the University of Vermont while working as an assistant director of nursing services, teaching student nurses, and raising four children. In 1971, she earned a master’s degree from the University of Florida through the Professional Nurse Traineeship Program (a grant program she’d like to revive!). As a UF student, Vallone became involved with Florida Nurses Association (FNA) and, through its connections, was hired by St. Joseph’s Hospital. She remained an active FNA member and leader for decades and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2017.

In her 40-year career, Vallone worked with the FNA to elevate the public perception of nurses as highly skilled health-care professionals. While acknowledging the excellent training provided by diploma nursing programs, she successfully advocated for increased education and licensure requirements – and commensurate pay. During her tenure as vice president for nursing services at Tampa’s St. Joseph’s Hospital, she fought initiatives that failed to acknowledge nurses’ vital role in patient care;

oversaw the hospital’s transition to computerized recordkeeping; and helped lead the expansion of educational programs to address the nursing shortage.

During that time, she served several years as a flight nurse in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, advancing from captain to major while training fellow reservists. Vallone retired in 1991 and remained licensed until age 88, working as a nurse at residential summer camps to provide her Florida grandchildren with mountain camp experiences, and volunteering for numerous healthcare initiatives. Though personally modest about her

Legacies in Nursing continued on page 4

contributions, generations of colleague’s credit Vallone with unflappable leadership through four decades of rapid evolution in the nursing profession. Her bottom lines never wavered: maintaining quality patient care and supporting nurses individually and collectively. Carolyn as Regional Director met Imogene when she relocated from Loyola University-Chicago to University of South Florida.

Claire Good, Former Foundation Trustee and President Claire Good, RN, BSN received her diploma from Bellevue School of Nursing in New York City. Nursing was an influence in Claire’s growing-up; she had no thoughts of making it her career. When she graduated from HS and was unable to “go away to college’ due to finances, she discovered the Nurse Cadet Corps with US government paying for “training.” Graduate nurses would serve in the Military. Claire found Cadet Nurse exciting with the gray uniforms and hats “chic.” The war ended with the Cadet Corp ceasing. Claire was in the 1st post-war class graduating 1949; 1st class to work a 40-hour week.

Upon graduation Claire worked in the Clinic at Bellevue Hospital for almost a year until her first daughter was born. She did not return to nursing until after the birth of her second daughter, at which time she worked part-time in Labor & Delivery at the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital. Once again her employment was interrupted by her move to South Florida with her husband and daughter in 1955. Once “settled” Claire again pursued her nursing career. First it was nights in the Labor & Delivery rooms at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Claire moved to North Shore Hospital (recently opened) offering her a day tour and the Newborn Nursery. After a few years Claire asked for a transfer since the nursery was no longer challenging, nor the Head Nurse innovative or stimulating. Then Claire was given the position of the Recovery Room-initially alone. At this point in Claire’s career she took it upon herself to establish a policy and procedure manual for the area, enabling relief nurses to become familiar with the area and know the routine for the post-op patients. After several years Claire transferred to per-diem working at the same institution which gave her an opportunity to work on the medical and surgical floors.

Claire was the first Inservice director and then Assistant Director of Nursing at the new hospital Plantation General Hospital, Plantation, Florida. Claire received a BSN at University of Miami in 1970. Claire’s husband worked with Scandinavian Airlines and was transferred to Tampa in 1981. Claire joined FNA/ANA in 1961. She met Carolyn at the District IV-Tampa meetings and met Imogene at the 1981 FNA convention in Jacksonville, Florda when Imogene was elected as a Regional Director. Claire currently lives in West Palm Beach. She has two daughters, granddaughter and grandson, five (two great grand-daughters and three greatgrand-sons) with one great, great grandson. One granddaughter is attending nursing program in Tampa and will graduate December, 2022 in time to celebrate Claire’s 93rd birthday on February 7, 2023.

Imogene King, FNF Secretary 1987-1988 and FNF

President 1988-1990

Imogene King, EdD, RN, FAAN (January 30, 1923-December 24, 2007), received a diploma in nursing from St Johns Hospital School of Nursing, St Louis, Mo in 1945, a BS in Nursing Education in 1948 and an MSN in 1957 both from St Louis University. Imogene studied under Mildred Montag earning a Doctorate in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Imogene served (1966-68) as Assistant Chief in the Research Grants Branch, Division of Nursing Bureau of Health Manpower and Welfare (HEW) under Dr. Jessie Scott. Imogene was a professor at Loyola University of Chicago (1961-1972) where her archives are housed. Additional archives are at University of Virginia.

Focus on the Foundation

Imogene served as Director of Nursing at The Ohio State University (1968-1972). Imogene was a professor at University of South Florida from 1980 until her retirement in 1990 as Professor Emeritus. Tampa General Hospital implemented Imogene’s Theory of Goal Attainment. Imogene served on the advisory board for the Nursing program at University of Tampa. Imogene was inducted as a Living Legend at the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and the ANA and FNA Hall of Fame and Teachers College, Columbia University Hall of Fame. Imogene was the 1996 ANA Jessie Scott recipient and was thrilled when Jessie Scott came for her presentation. Imogene was one of the original SIGMA Virginia Henderson Fellows, receiving the 1989 Elizabeth Russell Founders Award for Education. In 1997, Governor Chiles presented Imogene a Gold Medalion for advancing the nursing profession in the State of Florida.

Imogene was recognized as one of the Nurse Theorists, Toward a Theory of Nursing (1971) and A Theory of Nursing: Systems, Concepts and Processes (1981) which was translated into Japanese, Spanish and German. Imogene authored numerous articles on Theory of Goal Attainment, serving on the Editorial board of Nursing Science Quarterly and authoring several chapters in Frey and Seiloff’s (1995) Advancing King’s Systems Framework and Theory of Nursing and 2007 Middle Range Theory Using King’s Conceptual Systems. Imogene was totally dedicated to the Nursing Profession while not afraid to speak out on the “concerns.” Imogene was quite thoughtful and a good friend-always willing to discuss mutual concerns for the future of nursing. Carolyn and Claire could depend upon Imogene to deliver anything she promised including returning calls and being of help if requested, Discussion of “nursing theories” with her were very stimulating and “motivating” to Carolyn and Claire!

Carolyn, Claire and Imogene at District IV and FNA Conventions discussed George Peraza-Smith’s potential leading Florida Nurses Foundation and Florida Nurses Association. George contributes his interest in leadership to FNA and FNF to the mentorship of these three “Super Senior Mentors.” FNA and FNF would like to extend our appreciation to these three and also to all the nurses who mentor other nurses and encourage them to get involved and become leaders in FNA and FNF.

Legacies in Nursing continued from page 3

Task Forces Special Interest Groups

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force and the Social Justice Task Force

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force and the Social Justice Task Force have merged. After the Social Justice Task Force completed their first year, they submitted a reference proposal to the Membership Assembly which was accepted. There were several goals outlined in that proposal which the task force continues to move forward on but at that point they proposed a merger with the DEI Task Force which was approved. The combined Task Forces have renamed themselves as the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force (JEDI). They are currently working on summarizing the survey of FNA members which focused on how FNA is doing in their quest toward being a diverse and inclusive organization. That report is currently being prepared. In the meantime, the open-ended responses are being evaluated in terms of next steps for action. This Task Force is being cochaired by Marie Etienne and Sue Fowler. Special recognition to Charlie Buscemi who remains on the Task Force and served as Co-Chair of the Social Justice Task Force before the merger.

Pandemic and Disaster Task Force

This group has been very active overseeing the Pandemic and Disaster Resource Page, and looking toward some educational webinars in the future. Their current project is a video project related to telling the nursing story throughout the pandemic. They have met with the videographer and plans are underway to begin filming. Deirdre Krause is the chair of this task force and we appreciate her leadership.

Holistic Nursing SIG

Members of the Holistic Nursing special interest group are currently working on a project centered around nurse self-care. The project will be a webpage dubbed the Nurse Zen Zone that will contain various resources and tools focused on self-care such as meditation guides, mental health resources, healthy lifestyle information, and humor. The group hope that this webpage will become a go-to resource for nurses when they need a bit of “Zen” time. Expect the launch later this year!

Nursing Ethics SIG

The Ethics special interest group has met several times this year and each meeting, similar issues come up in conversation. Most of those revolve around the ethical concerns brought forth by nursing shortages and the abundance of travel nursing positions. The group plans to submit a reference proposal for the 2022 FNA Membership Assembly summarizing those concerns.

Research SIG

Members of the Nursing Research special interest group are busy planning the 2022 FNA Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Conference to take place on July 16, 2022 in Maitland, FL. The group has collected a large number of abstracts to consider for poster and podium presentation. They will be making their reviews and selections in late May. More information on the Research Conference is posted at www.floridanurse.org/ResearchConference-2022

Many of our members participate in networking and professional development opportunities available in our East Central (EC) region. Over the years, our regional members have had several opportunities to experience the camaraderie, engagement and support of their nursing peers & colleagues. We are lucky to have a large number of capable leaders in our eight-county region, both in clinical practice and academia and many of those leaders are published experts in their particular areas. A specific request came from our EC meeting early this year – and that is the creation of a professional development opportunity on how to become published. To meet this request, we are going to be hosting a developmental webinar on how to publish an article in a peer-reviewed journal . If you are interested in attending our educational offering on publishing in May 2022, please register on the FNA Event Calendar at www. floridanurse.org/events . I look forward to a great turnout and hearing about all the wonderful work each of you are doing.

The North Central Region plans to have a meeting in the next quarter. Details will be emailed to members in the Region and posted to the FNA website.

Hello Northeast Region Members,

The Florida 2022 Legislative Session ended on March 14th and now is the time to start preparing for the 2023 session which will begin in January. Do you know who your local and state legislators are? Need help? The FNA website offers an easy and convenient way to find out. Go to https://www.floridanurse.org/ page /FindMyLegislator#/. Have you heard about our legislative grassroots program? It’s an opportunity to meet with our local legislators to thank them for their support and to share FNA’s Legislative Platform. Your participation can make a positive impact for our profession. I look forward to working with all of you and would like to express my sincere gratitude for allowing me the opportunity to serve our region.

Greetings everyone! Thank you to those who were able to attend our social event on February 24, 2022, which featured the presentation “Micro-Practices of Self-Care” from Dr. Angela Blackburn. I am planning our next face-to-face meeting. Lookout for forthcoming information for our next event via email and on the FNA website. Also, I am continuing the search for FNA members in our region who are interested in being part of the Northwest Region Leadership Council. Our NW Region covers quite a large geographical region. As a member of our NW Region Leadership Council, you would be instrumental in planning collaborative events in your local area. If you would like to be part of our region’s leadership council, share any professional accomplishments, or have any regional activity ideas/ questions, please feel free to contact me @ stebn21@ gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you. May is Mental Health Awareness month. Check out the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website ( https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/AwarenessEvents/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month) for resources to celebrate. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve our region!

Dr. Jake Bush

For nearly 50 years, Concorde Career Institute has prepared thousands of people for rewarding careers in the healthcare industry. We specialize in education with a clearly defined purpose. Our goal is to prepare students for the most in-demand jobs in healthcare.

Qualifications to teach diploma and degree programs include:

• Current RN license in Florida

• BSN (Diploma Program), MSN (Degree Program)

• 3-4 years of recent clinical experience

• Meet all state Board of Nursing qualifications

We offer: Medical/dental/vision, 401K retirement plan, paid holidays, vacation, and education reimbursement for full-time and part-time employees. To apply visit https://careers.concorde.edu/

The South Region held its 12th Annual Symposium and Awards Ceremony on April 9, 2022. This was FNA’s first event back in person since early 2020 and it was a resounding success! A full recap of the symposium is featured on pages 16-17.

South Region also hosted a Nurse Appreciation Event on Friday, May 6, the first day of 2022 Nurses Week. The event aimed to be a place of restoration and reflection for the nurses in attendance. Services such as massage, meditation, yoga, and aromatherapy were provided for free to attending nurses. Thank you to our partnering organizations that helped make this event possible!

NW1 – February 24, 2022 Northwest Social featuring Micro-Practices of Self-Care presentation by Dr. Angela Blackburn

Drawings created by attendees at February 24th Self-care event

Happy Springtime!

Hello Southeast Region Members!

I am happy to share my continued enthusiasm for growing our Southeast Region and thank you all for helping to make these past few months a big success!

Our Event Planning Committee and Legislative Committee have been busy working together to advance our Region and invite you to join them!

In honor of Nurses Week, we held the ‘1st Annual Nurse Appreciation Event’ on May 12 at the Florida Atlantic University College of Nursing. This event was FREE to all nurses! This SelfCare Themed Event provided rejuvenating and refreshing services to all nurses such as: Massage, Acupuncture, Reiki, Hand Microdermabrasion, Foot Reflexology, Guided Meditation Sessions and more! We also held hourly gift-basket giveaways and a silent auction for an ‘Ultimate Wellness Week Get-Away.’ Thank you to our amazing volunteer team who worked so hard to put this event together: Rebecca Armstrong, Altavia Evans, Deirdre Krause, Mara Raggi, Delilah Rivera, Maritess Quinto, and Yamiley Theodore.

We also held an important legislative event to honor Nurses Week. On May 3, Commissioner McKinley, District 6, for the Town of Loxahatchee Grove sponsored a proclamation declaring Nurses Week May 6th–May 12th during the regularly scheduled BCC meeting. Well done CAPT Deirdre Krause and Darlene Dempsey on our Legislative Committee!

Leadership Council positions are still available for a few of our five counties to help further develop and strengthen our Region. Little effort…. Big rewards! Help me, Help you…. Email cynthia. fna@gmail.com for more information

Our SE Region leadership zoom meetings are scheduled monthly on Wednesday evenings, midmonth, from 6:30 to 7:30pm throughout the year, with exact dates posted on the FNA website calendar each month. All Region members are welcome to join these meetings! We are in the process of planning our participation in FNA’s annual Membership Assembly, which will be the focus for our third quarter event, so bring your great ideas and energy to our next meeting on May 18 at 6:30pm and let the SE Region bring about great changes for the future of nursing in Florida!

See you soon on zoom!

Warm Regards, Cynthia

Cynthia Tagilaferri, RN, BSN, DNP Student FNA SE Region Director Cynthia.fna@gmail.com

The heart of healthcare is celebrated during National Nurses Week beginning each year on May 6th and ending on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. As of 1998, May 8th was designated as National Student Nurses Day, to be celebrated annually as well. With over four million working nurses in the US today, nurses make up the highest percentage of the US healthcare workforce with an impressive 20-year running rated as the most trusted profession (Gallup Poll).

On behalf of FNA, President Janice Adams and I celebrated Nurses Week 2022 with Nova Southeastern University Tampa Bay Regional Campus. President Adams’ four-year partnership provides CE contact hours during special celebration weeks at NSU. This year, FNA partnered with Nova to provide five mandatory CE courses as webinars offered to the whole state.

Left to right: Michael Abraham, MAEd Assistant Director III, Student Recruitment & Enrollment Management, April Stidham, DNP, FNPC, Program Director MSN FNP, FNA President, Dr. Janice Adams, FNA West Central Region Director Meghan Moroney

In March 2022, Dr. Adams and I presented as guest lecturers to the FNP and PMHNP class of 2024 at Nova Southeastern. We shared information about FNA’s Grassroot Legislative Program and 2022 Legislative Platform. Top issues shared pertained to autonomous practice by APRNs, recurring funding for the Florida Center for Nursing, pandemic management, and stateemployed healthcare professionals support and protection.

FNA appreciates you and recognizes your vital and unique contributions to health care and society at large. Thank you for being the heart of health care!

Live life when you have it. Life is a splendid gift-there is nothing small about it.

– Florence Nightingale Sant ut libus nobiscide escita dem volorent vendignietEt

Assistant & Adjunct Professor in Nursing

Broward College invites applicants for full-time tenure track teaching and adjunct faculty positions in Nursing to start with the fall 2022 semester.

Responsibilities to include: teaching, student consultation, course preparation, review of course outlines, grade processing within deadlines, preparation of syllabus and committee work. Qualifications to include: A Master’s Degree in Nursing is required, a PhD is preferred. Active Nursing License in the State of Florida without restrictions.

The ideal candidate will be knowledgeable about culturally responsive pedagogical techniques and effective practices for engaging Black/African American, White, Asian-American, and multiracial and Native American students, who are historically underrepresented and underserved in traditional classrooms.

Broward College serves more than 68,000 students annually and employs a faculty and staff of more than 2,000 and is committed to fostering a learning-centered community that celebrates diversity and inclusion by empowering and engaging students, faculty and staff.

For more information and to apply, please visit:

HTTPS://WWW.BROWARD.EDU/JOBS/

Students: FNP & PMHNP Class 2024 Advanced Health Assessment

The Florida Legislature adjourned, Sine Die on March 14th at 1:03 pm.

In an unusual year, filled with uncertainty, the Florida Legislature had only two constitutionally required tasks: 1) to pass a balanced budget, as is required every year, and 2) to pass House, Senate and Congressional maps.

These tasks must be completed within the 60day regular session, and even with more money than the state has seen in recent years to work with, the two chambers were forced to extend three days past the sixty-day mark, March 11th, in order to allow for the 72-hour cooling off period for the budget.

This year 3,735 bills and proposed committee bills were filed. 1,896 total amendments were filed. There were 39 floor sessions (times the Chambers sat on the floor). 4,324 votes were taken in all committees and floor sessions that allowed for 285 bills to pass both chambers.

FNA followed a total of 105 bills this session. 53 bills became priorities, and out of those priorities seven passed. One of those bills was supported by the FNA, the others became bills for monitoring. Below are few of the bills we monitored and their status. A Legislative Session Wrap-Up was presented for FNA members on March 14, 2022. To watch the recording, go to https://www.floridanurse.org/ news/600265/2022-Legislative-Session-Wrap-Up. htm

SB 7014 COVID-19-related Claims Against Health Care Providers by Judiciary

- Extending the duration of liability protections from COVID-19-related claims against health care providers, etc.

- FNA Supported this Bill

- Status: APPROVED by Governor

SB 1686 Autonomous Practice by Advanced Practice Registered Nurses by Rodriguez (A)

- Requiring certified nurse midwives providing out-of-hospital birth services to have a written plan for the appropriate delivery of emergency care; providing requirements for the plan; deleting a requirement that certified nurse midwives have a written patient transfer agreement with a hospital and a written referral agreement with a licensed physician, etc.

- FNA Supported this Bill

- Status: Died

HB 687 - Free Speech of Health Care Practitioners by Representative Brad Drake and SB 1184 by Senator Doug Broxson

- Prohibits certain entities from revoking license, certificate, or registration of health care practitioner for specified use of his or her right of free speech without specified proof; provides liability & penalty.

- FNA Monitored this Bill

- Status: Died

HB 1197 Employee Organizations Representing Public Employees by Byrd, Plakon

- Revises provisions related to employee organizations including organizations for public employees, forms, dues & uniform assessments, applications for renewal of registration, recertification, & revocation of registration & certification.

- FNA Opposed this Bill

- Status: Died

SB 1458 Employee Organizations by Baxley

- Employee Organizations; Requiring employee organizations to provide a notice of employees’ rights form to specified employees; requiring an employee organization to revoke an employee’s membership upon receipt of the employee’s written request for revocation; prohibiting certain employee organizations from having dues and uniform assessments deducted by the employer from certain employees’ salaries; revising requirements for applications for renewal of registration of an employee organization; revising requirements for applications for renewals of registration for employee organizations certified as bargaining agents for units of instructional personnel, etc.

- FNA Opposed this Bill

- Status: Died

HB 4725 - University of South Florida - Florida Center for Nursing- Representative Kamia Brown (Orlando)

- University of South Florida - Florida Center for Nursing: Provides an appropriation for the University of South Florida - Florida Center for Nursing.

- FNA Supported this Bill

- Status: $5,000,000 allocated in the budget towards the Florida Center for Nursing. At the time of this report we are still awaiting approval of the budget.

We are currently planning for the next few months by encouraging members to make contact with their legislator. These are the steps we ask you to take to make sure we maintain and build relationships with your local policy makers

1. Go to our website at www.floridanurse.org and click on the Advocacy button on the menu. Navigate to Tools and find the “Find My Legislator” Button. Enter your address with zip code to find your legislators.

2. Focus on Florida State Senator and Representatives. Write down your legislators’ names, address, phone number and email.

3. Also make notes of other interesting facts like birthday, schools or colleges, pets or any other items of interest that may be common interests or could spark a conversation.

4. Set 3 more dates before the end of the year to touch base with the legislator.

a. What do you talk about?

i. Introduce yourself and tell them about the area of nursing you work in.

ii. Introduce FNA’s legislative agenda and offer to email it to them.

iii. Try to answer any questions they might have if you do not know the answer, tell them you will get back to them. Contact FNA headquarters with your question.

iv. Please do not introduce non-FNA issues during these calls but feel free to advocate for other issues on your own time.

v. Report these visits back to us by completing a Legislative Feedback Form at https://www.floridanurse. org/page/LegFeedbackForm

The importance of these calls (or face to face visits during the off-session months) is so we have a relationship with every legislator in Florida regardless of party affiliation.

Bradenton, Gainesville, Lecanto, Live Oak, Orange Park, Palatka, Pasco, Sarasota, Tampa, and The Villages

Thank You Public Health!

Deborah Hogan, RN, MPH FNA HCP Bargaining Unit

As we celebrated Public Health Week from April 4-11, it was and still is important to think about what public health has accomplished in terms of prevention and health promotion. There are so many successes that we tend to take for granted in our society today.

Thank you, Public Health and our Public Health Professionals, for these accomplishments from 2001-2010:

1) Control of Vaccine Preventable Diseases with 17 different vaccines.

2) Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases including TB, HIV, safe blood donations and rabies control.

3) Increase in tobacco control measures.

4) Improved Maternal and Infant health due to early infant screenings.

5) Improvements in motor vehicle safety due to seat belt and child safety seat requirements.

6) Prevention of cardiovascular disease by decreasing cardiac risk factors such as uncontrolled hypertension, elevated cholesterol and smoking.

7) Improvements in occupational safety through improved working conditions and the reduction of workplace-associated injuries.

8) Cancer prevention through evidence-based screening recommendations.

9) Decreases in the incidence of cases of childhood lead poisoning through lead poisoning prevention laws.

10) Emphasis on public health preparedness and response initiatives to respond to public health threats.

In our world today, after two years of dealing with the impact of a pandemic, we have become aware of more of the contributions of our public health services – development of rapid testing capabilities for the COVID virus, prevention strategies involving masking and social distancing, and the development of safe and effective mRNA vaccines that have saved so many lives. There is hope that with the success of the mRNA vaccines against COVID, there will be future advances in the treatment of a host of other pathogens, such as influenza, Zika, rabies, HIV and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In addition, there is

also promise in mRNA to treat cancer, cystic fibrosis and some rare, inherited metabolic disorders, although these therapies are still many years away.

We are grateful for these accomplishments and to our public health providers! However, in celebrating these successes, we are reminded that these issues will continue to threaten our population unless we remain vigilant in maintaining a strong public health infrastructure and public health workforce capable of responding immediately to current and future disease threats. Prevention is the goal of our public health providers, and we must all support them in this goal also.

https:www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6019a5. htm

Szabo, Liz, “COVID’s “Silver Lining”: Research Breakthroughs for Chronic Disease, Cancer and Common, Flu,” Kaiser Health News,.

Debbie Hogan

Employees Can Be Terminated During FMLA Leave

John Berry, Director of Labor Relations

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take job-protected unpaid leave for specified family and medical reasons. Employees cannot be terminated for taking medical leave, however, they can be terminated while on medical leave for other reasons such as performance issues. The following is a brief review of the standards of the FMLA program:

Berry

Save the Date

June 8, 2022 | 9am-12pm EDT

Conversations with a

Purpose: Nursing Workforce Strategies and Solutions

The Florida Nurses Association, the Florida Center for Nursing and the Florida Action Coalition are joining together to hold a summit called Conversations with a Purpose to bring stake holders together to discuss SOLUTIONS to all the challenges we have previously discussed in our many meetings and sessions across the state. Each session will be facilitated by a Conversation Starter who will begin the discussion with a brief presentation leading to a work session meant to result in tangible solutions to share with the healthcare community.

Qualified employers under FMLA are:

- A private sector employer with 50 or more employees.

- A public agency, which includes a local, state, or federal government agency, regardless of the number of employees it employs.

- Public or private elementary or secondary school, regardless of the number of employees it employs.

Eligible employees who are entitled to take FMLA are:

- Someone who works for a covered employer.

- Who works for that same employer for at least 12 months and has worked for at least 1,250 hours of service for that same employer during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave.

- Has worked at a location that has at least 50 employees in the private sector.

Eligible employees can use up to 12 work weeks of leave in a 12-month period for one or more of the following reasons:

- The birth of a child or placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care.

- To care for a spouse, son, daughter, or a parent who has a serious health condition.

- A serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of their job.

- For any qualifying emergency arising out of the fact that a spouse, son, daughter, or parent, is a military member on covered active duty or call to covered active duty status.

An eligible employee may also take up to 26 work weeks of leave during a “single 12-month period” to care for a servicemember with a serious injury or illness. Under some circumstances, employees may take FMLA on an intermittent or reduced schedule (i.e., they can use blocks of time during the work day).

Employees must also comply with their employer’s usual or customary requirements for requesting leave and to provide enough information for their employer to determine whether the FMLA may apply to the leave request. When the leave is foreseeable, employees must request the leave 30 days in advance or as soon as possible under the circumstances.

When an employee is returning to work, they must be restored to his or her original job or to an equivalent job with equivalent pay benefits and other terms and conditions of employment. An employee’s

use of FMLA cannot be counted against the employee under the attendance policy of the employer. Employers are also required to continue group health insurance.

With all of the eligibility requirements for employees and employers to meet under the FMLA, an employee has always been protected from termination for taking leave, as long as those requirements were met. This, however, does not prevent them from being terminated for other causes while on leave. A recent decision handed down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, ruled that while an employee is protected from being terminated for taking FMLA, they are not protected from being terminated due to performance issues that were discovered while the employee is on FMLA leave.

The case in question is Anderson v. National Lending Corp, in which an employee sued their employer for allegedly violating their rights under the FMLA. The employee was terminated from their position shortly after returning from medical leave. While the employee was away on leave, an internal audit system within the company discovered a number of errors in the employee’s work, resulting in a citation to the employer. An investigation was conducted by the company’s human resources department, resulting in the termination of the employee for performance issues.

In the case ruling, the Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit stated that “an employee is not entitled to return to their former position if [they] would have been fired regardless of whether [they] took the leave or not.” The Seventh Circuit found that the employer had evidence of the employee’s poor performance, which warranted the company’s decision for termination.

While this case does support the employer’s ability to take appropriate disciplinary action, regardless of being on FMLA leave, caution must be made by employers to ensure that all employees are being treated consistently and fairly with similar issues.

References:

Family Medical Leave Act , US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. (Revised 2012).

Employees May Be Terminated for Performance Issues Discovered During FMLA Leave. Ong, Fiona W., Shawe Rosenthal LLP., (March 31, 2022).

John

Student

Florida Nursing Students Association Represented at the 70th Annual National Student Nurses’ Association

Caroline Porter, FNSA President

At the beginning of April, nursing students from across the state of Florida traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, to attend the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) 70th Anniversary Convention! For five days’ students had the opportunity to learn, network, and enjoy an eventful inperson convention for the first time in over two years.

This year’s convention was themed Here’s to the Heroes! in honor of all of the nursing heroes. There were over 1,200 members in attendance. Students and faculty were able to attend various educational workshops and NCLEXRN Review sessions, explore nursing specialty areas and visit tons of exhibitor booths. Students also had the opportunity to serve as a delegate and attend The House of Delegates. Discussions and voting held in The House of Delegates covered significant matters such as the NSNA Code of Ethics and Resolutions. Florida had a total of 21 delegates, the second most delegates of all states in attendance.

Florida student nurses showed a wide representation throughout the entire convention, and I would like to recognize some of these brilliant students for representing our state and FNSA so tremendously!

Congratulations to the following students for being elected to the NSNA Board:

• Vice President- Rachael Schmoll, Florida State College of Jacksonville

• Southern Election Area Director- Andrea Wollitz, Jacksonville University

• Nominating & Elections Committee Chair and South- Erin Kelly, Florida State College at Jacksonville

Congratulations to the following students from UCF-Orlando for having their resolution titled In Support of Education About Post Intensive Care Syndrome, unanimously pass in the NSNA House of Delegates: Elizabeth Brown, Savannah Duke, Vanessa Iturri, and Caroline Porter.

Congratulations to Monique Csenteri, from UCFOrlando for being recognized as the 2022 Project InTouch Grand Prize Winner for recruiting the most members into NSNA this year!

Also, a special shout out to:

• Caitlyn Barbier, from The University of Tampa for presenting her research titled COVID-19 Was a Trying Time: Whole Health Resources on The Climb

• Sabina Swanson, from Seminole State College for presenting her poster showcasing the Mentorship Program at her college.

• Kaitlyn Yu, from UCF-Orlando for being selected to sing the National Anthem at the Opening Ceremony.

• UCF-Daytona SNA , for winning the UWorld Qbank Challenge and being awarded 10 scholarships to their chapter.

Lastly, thank you to NSNA Director Convention & Program Planning Committee Chair Camila Fred, from Florida Atlantic University, for coordinating such a wonderful convention! It was an honor to represent as the FNSA President at this year’s National Convention and to have met so many fabulous student nurses from across the nation. I look forward to continuing to network and recharging the state of Florida as we hold our in-person 68th Annual State Convention in Daytona, Florida, October 27-29, 2022.

Recent Graduate Advisory Board Needed

During our many discussions regarding the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic there were mentions of the various ways in which newer nurses were impacted. We noted however that few recent graduates participated on those calls. Some of the issues related to abbreviated clinicals, increased simulation and reduced opportunities for hands-on care, lack of orientation or inadequate orientation, inexperienced nurses performing as preceptors or their own experiences of feeling unprepared for the roles they were asked to fulfill. We would like to convene an advisory panel of new graduates so that we can collect accurate data from those who experience it firsthand. This group will meet virtually for the first meeting and can determine further meetings if they find there is a need. We would also like to propose that they work on specific activities for recent grads based on what they determine as the need.

To volunteer for this group or If you have any questions regarding this initiative feel free to contact Willa Fuller at wfuller@floridanurse.org

Caroline Porter

The Student Nurses Association of Arizona College of Nursing –Fort Lauderdale Campus

The Student Nurses Association of Arizona College of Nursing – Fort Lauderdale Campus (SNAAZC - FL) was officially created in February 2022. I am honored to serve as the Founding President alongside these great Founding Board Members: Casey Norton, President-Elect; Nathalie Canterbury, Vice President; Camasha Douglas, Treasurer; Dhana Clarke, Secretary; Gabriela Belchior, Program Coordinator; and Jada Williams, Historian. I want to thank our Faculty Advisor – Professor Kaydeen Green, and Dr. Marie O. Etienne, President-Elect of the Florida Nurses Association for helping us create the chapter at the Fort Lauderdale Campus. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Shawn Higgins, Dean of Nursing and Mr. James Jones, Executive Director of Academic Operations for their support to SNAAZC-FL.

Melissa Jones, President, SNAAZC-FL

Nurses, Join Us in Leading the Change CALL TO FNA MEMBERSHIP ASSEMBLY

Nursing has always faced challenges. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic those issues have become more complex and even more daunting. While healthcare leadership is laser-focused on the problems, there is a perception that the nursing voice is not always heard. As the largest group of healthcare providers, it is essential that we are one of the leading voices in re-designing the future of healthcare with a particular focus on the role of nurses. Please join us as we explore critical topics that are key to much needed evolution in our profession.

We challenge you to answer the call and be a part of directing those changes. Join us at this year’s Membership Assembly for dynamic presentations by nurses from diverse segments in the healthcare community. Membership Assembly offers a place for you to network with other nurses and stay in tune with evolving workforce trends. It also serves as the place to conduct the official business of the association and have a voice in decisions that affect nurses in Florida. Join us and be a part of empowering nurses to lead change! Registration is open!

To learn more about the conference, go to our official Membership Assembly homepage at www. floridanurse.org/MembershipAssembly-2022

Make your reservation online at www.missioninnresort. com with Group Code 0720G7 or by calling the resort at 800-874-9053 and letting the attendant know you are with the Florida Nurses Association. Room rates start at $142 for Single/Double. A deposit will be required at the time of booking. The cut-off for making reservations is Monday, August 22, 2022

Reference Proposals: A Voice in Directing the Association

Constituent groups as well as individual members of FNA have the opportunity to voice their concerns or express their thoughts on matters of significance to nursing, nurses, and health needs of the public through the formation of Reference Proposals.

What starts out as one member’s idea or concern may become an official position of the Florida Nurses Association. Reference Proposals help drive future activities of the association. For example, proposals submitted in 2020 led to the formation of three new task forces that have been actively working on projects and issues related to social justice, diversity and equity, and pandemic response.

The Reference Committee is now accepting proposals for the 2022 Membership Assembly. All proposals are due by August 1. To view submission guidelines and see past proposals go to www.floridanurse.org/MembershipAssembly-2022

Submit Your Awards Nominations Now!

The nursing workforce boasts incredible change leaders in all areas of healthcare, administration, and academia. It is important that we recognize these leaders as a testament to the important efforts they drive.

Now is your opportunity to submit your nominations for the 2022 FNA Nurse Icon Awards. There are 15

awards categories recognizing many disciplines within nursing from academia to advocacy, bedside nursing to administration, media communications to community action, and many more.

The Awards Recognition Ceremony will be held during Membership Assembly on the evening of Friday, September 23 at the Mission Inn Resort. Nomination forms and guidelines can be found at www.floridanurse. org/MA22Awards

New Awards Category for 2022 –FNA Phoenix Award

Recognizing the contribution of bedside nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In honor of the extraordinary work and sacrifices of the nurses in Florida, the FNA Awards Committee has created a new award category with the specific purpose of honoring nurses who worked in direct patient care throughout the Pandemic in the state of Florida.

This award will recognize two categories of registered nurses: Experienced/Seasoned Nurses and Recent Graduates.

The award will be named the FNA Phoenix Award to recognize nurses who rose to the occasion during very challenging circumstances. To find out more information go to www.floridanurse.org/MA22Awards

Proposed Bylaws Changes

The FNA Bylaws committee has reviewed proposed changes to the FNA Bylaws and made their recommendations. Members will receive an emailed copy

of the proposed changes and will be able to access a copy through the Membership Assembly webpage at www.floridanurse.org/MA22BusinessMeeting

Poster Presentation Opportunity –Abstracts Now Being Accepted

The FNA Board of Directors is committed to supporting and showcasing colleagues conducting nursing research. FNA members are invited to submit abstracts for a poster presentation at the FNA Membership Assembly to be held on September 22-24, 2022. Abstracts will be peer-reviewed by members of the Research Special Interest Group. Submissions are due by Friday, July 29, 2022. Download the Abstract Submission Guidelines at www.floridanurse.org/MembershipAssembly-2022

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsors are a vital part of our annual conference! They support our event and allow us to keep our registration rates lower than many other industry conferences. FNA Membership Assembly is a great opportunity for healthcare companies, universities, and many other businesses to showcase their brand to hundreds of nurses and nursing students from diverse backgrounds. Many tiers of sponsorship from vendor to platinum level are available. Make a memorable connection with leaders in the profession through your participation in the FNA Membership Assembly. More details available on our website.

All items related to Membership Assembly are accessible through our website. Scan the QR code for easy access.

This constitutes the official notice of the 2022 Membership Assembly of the Florida Nurses Association to take place September 22-24, 2022 at the Mission Inn Resort, Howey-in-the-Hills, FL. The official business meeting will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2022.

FNA Event Highlights

Members of the South Region Unite for an Impactful Event

A Recap of the 12th Annual FNA South Region Nursing Symposium and Awards Ceremony by Region Director, Linda Washington-Brown

On Saturday, April 9, 2022, FNA South Region held its 12th Annual Symposium and Awards Ceremony at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The theme for the Symposium was “The Impact of COVID-19 on Nurses, Nursing Care and Beyond.” The event was well attended with over 150 nurses, many attending in person and others who participated via livestream. Our Keynote Speaker was Maggie Hansen, MHSc, RN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive, Memorial Healthcare Systems (MHS) and current Chair of the Florida Board of Nursing. Following Ms. Hansen’s riveting message on the impact of COVID on nurses at the bedside and healthcare systems, was a dynamic panel of nurse experts. Barbara Russell, MPH, BSN, Infectious Disease Control and Preventionist provided the attendees with the latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, followed by Dawn GraceJones, Esq. RN, Attorney and Former Nurse who provided a roadmap to nurses on self-care. Last was Maria Olenick, PhD, FNP, RN, Chair Undergraduate Nursing and Associate Professor, Florida International University who shared insights on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing students and academic institutions. The Symposium also provided a venue for researchers to share their work through digital poster presentations. This year there were 30 research poster presentations on display at the conference and through the virtual conference app.

We thank our Gold Sponsors - Florida International University, Memorial Healthcare System, and VITAS Healthcare - for their continued support of nurses and our annual Symposium. We also thank our vendors, American Sentinel College of Nursing, Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, Haitian American Nurses Association (HANA) of Florida, Miami Chapter Black Nurses Association, Inc., Practice Nation, LLC, St. Thomas University, and the University of West Florida for participating. Additionally, we thank our table sponsors and their attendees, Arizona College of Nursing, Barry University, Barry University Lambda Chi Chapter, Benjamin Leon School of Nursing Miami Dade College, Black Nurses Association – Miami Chapter, Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority, NU Chapter, FIU Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing, HANA of Florida, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami Regional University, Miami VA, Nurses Charitable Trust, and Royce Nursing Foundation. Together, these organizations helped to make this year’s event a tremendous success.

Each, year, the South Region Symposium Voluntary Leadership Council recognizes nursing excellence in

South Florida. This year’s award categories included Registered Nurse Practice, Advanced Practice Nursing, Nursing Leader Administration/Academia, Nurse Educator, Community Action, Promoting Environment for Excellence in Nursing, Nurse Researcher, and Nurse of the Year. The nominees for each category are listed below with photos of the winners in each category. There was also an award given to the best digital research poster. In addition to the individual or group and research poster awards, scholarships and grants were awarded by the Nurses Charitable Trust and Royce Nursing Foundations.

I want to thank the Volunteer Leadership Council members for their dedication and hard work: Awards Chair, Guillermo Valdes, DNP, PGCNE, AMSN, CMSRN, committee members, Alina Diaz-Cruz, PhD, MAMC, RN, Vicky Framil Suarez, DNP, APRN, ANPBC, and Barbara Lovell-Martin, PhD, RN; Posters Chair, Ferrona Beason, Ph.D., APRN and Shreee Mundy, DNP, BSc, APRN, PPCNP-BC; Scholarships and Grants Chair, Elizabeth Olafson, PHD, MSEd, RN, committee members, Barbara Russell, BSHSA, MPH, RN, and Jason Dunne, DNP, MN, RN, CNE. Darlene Harris, DNP, APRN-BC, served as the secretary for the Leadership Council and performed excellently as our Mistress of Ceremony for the Symposium. Marie Etienne, DNP, APRN, PLNC, past South Region Director, FNA President-elect, and Chair of the Nursing Ethnic Diversity committee, recognized the multicultural nursing organizations attending the event. The organizations included the Black Nurses Association, Hispanic Nurses Association, Haitian American Nurses Association of Florida, Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority, and Alpha Beta Epsilon and Lambda Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Sorority.

To end the event, South Region had two raffles. One raffle was for a 41-inch Smart TV donated by Mr. Terry Wright form Wright Funeral Home. The other raffle was a 50/50 raffle to support upcoming South Region nursing events and our Nurse Week Celebration scheduled for Friday, May 6, 2022 at Miami Regional University. A special thank you to Kaitlin Scarbary for providing all technical support and Constance Miller, DNP, RN for overseeing the raffles. In summary, our 12th Annual Symposium and Awards Ceremony at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida was a huge success.

Linda Washington-Brown, PhD, EJD, PNP, ANP-C, FNP, FAANP, FAAN

South Region Director

Awards Nominees and Winners

Registered Nurse Practice

Carolina de Almargo – Winner

Advanced Nurse Practice

Luz Mary O’Campo - Winner

Heathe Brathwaite

Marjorie Hardy Hibbert

Nursing Leader – Academia / Administration

Antonio Navarro – Winner

Nurse Educator

Dr. Deana Goldin – Winner

Yesenia Blanco

Dr. Ruth Dass Molina

Dr. Raquel Brown

Dr. Sharon Smith

Dr. Amarilys Gonzalez

Dr. Karen Perez

Dr. Annie Dionne

Promoting an Environment of Excellence in Nursing

Dr. Ana Espinosa – Winner

Nurse Researcher

Dr. Beth Pratt - Winner

Dr. Jon Osborne

Dr. Kassandra Greci

Community Action

Bridget Pelaez – Winner

Nurse of the Year Award –

Given to the FNA Member

Nominee with the Highest

Overall Score

Bridget Pelaez - Winner

FNA Event Highlights

Scholarship and Grant Recipients

Nurses Charitable Trust Research Grant

- Ashley Chantel Bernard, Florida International University

- Fadjeannah Annilus, Florida International University

- Maureen Stout, Miami Dade College

Royce Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship

- Christina Blackwood, Nova

- Isaac Michael Levine, Miami Dade College

- Alexa De la Rosa, Florida International University

Dr. Sarah Fishman Memorial Graduate Scholarship

- Damaris Valldeperas, Florida International University

Poster Presentation Awards

Awarded to top-ranking abstract submissions

Evidence-Based Projects

Team from Jackson Health-Carol Powell, Roberto Blanco, Natasha Thompson, Chakeidra Kinchen, & Sharon Holwijn (supervised by Dr. Bridgette Johnson)

- Reducing Use of Restraints in a Trauma Intensive Care Unit: A Quality Improvement Project.

Best Practice (Literature Review)

Corvette Yacoob DNP - Exploring Critical Factors that Influence Early Breast Cancer Screening in African American and American-Caribbean Women of African Ancestry

Luzmary Ocampo DNP, Eric Fenkl PhD, & Ladynez Espinal MD - Improving the Screening of Patients with PCOS to Reduce Infertility and Its Sequela: A Systematic Review

Research Projects

Ivette Hidalgo PhD, JoAnne Youngblut PhD, Dorothy Brooten PhD, Whitney Bauman PhD - Children’s Spiritual Coping and its Effects on Children’s Grief, Personal Growth, and Mental Health 2-24 Months after the Death of a Parent, Grandparent, or Sibling.

Conchita Freitag PhD - Phenomenological Study of Nurses’ Perceptions and Lived Experiences of Quality and Safety

Jake Bush,

Ph.D., RN, CNE

Mental Health is a Verb

Jake Bush, Ph.D., RN, CNE

Dr. Bush is the Director of Northwest Region FNA. He is a lecturer at the University of West Florida. His professional research interests are broadly mental health and LGBTQIA+ health.

May is Mental Health Awareness month (National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI], 2022) and the perfect opportunity to emphasize the crucial need to prioritize our mental health as nurses. Nurses are stressed. COVID-19 and staffing shortages have exacerbated nurses’ stress (Henderson, 2020). Nurses are retiring (more than one million by 2030) (AACN, 2020). Novice nurses are leaving the profession now more than ever. I know this is a lot of doom and gloom and frankly, if you are reading this, you already know all of the above. What can help mitigate personal stress? In short, prioritize your mental health and selfcare.

Mental health is getting attention in all aspects of our society. At every turn, you can find evidence of the national mental health conversation such as in the media, pop culture, and scholarly publications and events. In addition, social media has joined the conversation. Mental health is health. Mental health matters. It’s okay not to be okay. These are just a

few of the mental health awareness slogans. A quick search for “#mentalhealth” on two social media outlets indicated there were 35+ million posts on Instagram and 1.9 million posts on Facebook. This national attention to mental health has been needed for quite some time and is encouraging for future mental health promotion initiatives. Public mental health advocacy helps to dispel the stigma associated with mental health diagnoses and concerns as well as arms others with the courage to acknowledge and take action with personal mental health struggles.

Nurses are caregivers. Modeling self-care communicates to novice nurses and nursing students the importance of caring for self in order to care for others. We often give endlessly to those in need without boundaries and carving out time for selfcare. Prioritizing routine self-care can help build the strength and resilience to have a rewarding nursing career. Self-care is about progress, not perfection. Similar to other life changes, there will be times that you don’t prioritize your self-care. Start each day anew. The more you implement routine self-care, you will reap the mental health benefits and those you love and care for in your life will benefit as well. It’s also important to accept that most life’s stressors do not cease, at least not overnight, but stressors can be managed. You have an exciting opportunity to begin an exploration of self-care practices to find which ingredients will work best for you.

My personal recipe for prioritizing my mental health and self-care includes routine use of the Calm smartphone application (Calm.com, Inc., 2021), reading various titles typically related to mental health or LGBTQ+ health topics, writing or journaling, riding my bicycle, and creating pen drawings. A brief search revealed a selection of self-care resources that nurses may find helpful.

Here are a few mental health resources specific to Florida (in no particular order):

● https://namiflorida.org/ (NAMI, 2022)

● https://www.hopeforhealingfl.com/ (WPTallahassee, 2022)

● Keener: Self-Care for Nurses (HealthStream, Inc., 2021)

● Provider Resilience (National Center for Telehealth & Technology, 2021)

My challenge to you: Cut out this article and place it somewhere that you will see it every day. Live by the mantra “Mental Health is a Verb” to help remind you that your mental health is a priority. Your goal is to take action and incorporate daily self-care activities.

Author Disclosure: The author has no financial or proprietary interests in any resources discussed in this article.

References

American Association of Colleges of Nurses [AACN]. (2020, September). AACN fact sheet - nursing shortage. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www. aacnnursing.org/news-information/fact-sheets/ nursing-shortage Calm.com, Inc. (2021). Calm (5.31.1) [Mobile app]. Apple App Store.

HealthStream, Inc. (2021). Keener: self-care for nurses (1.5.0) [Mobile app]. Apple App Store.

Henderson, M. (2020, June 22). Legislative: COVID-19 and mental health: the inevitable impact. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/O JIN/Columns/ Legislative/COVID-19-and-Mental-Health-TheInevitable-Impact.html

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). (2022). Mental health month | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://www.nami.org/ Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-HealthAwareness -Month

National Center for Telehealth & Technology. (2021). Provider Resilience (2.0.1) [Mobile app]. Apple App Store. State of Florida. (2021, July 14). First Lady Casey DeSantis announces expanded hope for healing website and the expansion of hope ambassadors, Florida’s successful peer-to-peer student mentorship program. Ron DeSantis 46th Governor of Florida. Retrieved January 3, 2022, from  https://www.flgov.com/2021/07/14/firstlady-casey-desantis-announces-expanded-hope-f or-healing-website-and-the-expansion-of-hopeambassadors-floridas-successful-peer-to-p eerstudent-mentorship-program/

WPTallahassee. (2022). Hope for healing Florida. Hope For Healing Florida. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www.hopeforhealingfl.com/

Florida Pediatric Motor Vehicle Safety

Mary Katherine Hayes & Marc Rosales

Mary Katherine Hayes, BSN, RN

Mrs. Hayes is a Registered Nurse at a level one trauma center in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. She is a Pediatric Advanced Life Support instructor and has presented locally on pediatrics and inpatient care topics. She is completing a Master’s in Pediatric Health Nursing with a certificate in Nursing Education.

Marc Rosales, DNP, MBA/HCM, RN, CCRN, CNE, CHSE

Dr. Marc Rosales is an Assistant Professor at the USF College of Nursing. He holds specialty certifications as a Critical Care Nurse, Certified Nurse Educator, & Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator. Dr. Rosales has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on teaching innovations and quality & safety topics.

Children die daily in car accidents due to a lack of proper car seat or seatbelt use, and even more are seriously injured. This continues to be a national issue affecting families throughout the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Laws for child safety in motor vehicles vary with each state. Still, those with stronger restraint laws for children can decrease child death and injury statistics in vehicle accidents through revisions of Fla. Stat. § 316.613 with recommendations from globally recognized organizations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes continue to be a leading cause of death for children nationwide. The data in 2019 shows that 608 children died from motor vehicle crashes, and over 91,000 were injured (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). A major contributing factor to child death and injury is the lack of proper car safety seats and seat-belts. According to the data discovered by Park et al. (2018), car seat and seat-belt use can reduce death and serious injury for infants by 71%, toddlers by 54%, and children in booster seats by 45% (Park et al., 2018). The CDC found that through adopting strong evidencebased child restraint laws, children are less likely to die in car crashes and are more likely to use appropriate seat-belts (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021).

The current 2021 Florida Statutes address child restraint requirements in motor vehicles specifically for children through the age of three years, with particular requirements for children ages four through five years. The current laws do not address the proven need for rear-facing seats for children beyond five years of age and proper measures to ensure safety (Child restraint

Join Our Team of Nursing Educators

We are searching for engaging, passionate, Nursing professionals to join Miami Dade College’s Nursing Department. Be a part of our expanding nursing programs and share your expertise and industry experience with students who are aspiring to achieve their goals! As a Faculty member you will assist students in achieving their nursing objectives on an individual and group basis in clinical and college laboratories.

Individuals with clinical practice experience in medical/surgical, community, public health, or mental health nursing are encouraged to apply.

Medical Campus

• Faculty, Nursing (LPN Program)

• Faculty, Nursing (Generic)

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• Faculty, Nursing (Generic)

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree in Nursing from an accredited institution

• Florida registered nursing licensure (active)

• Two (2) years equivalent full-time clinical practice experience as a Registered Nurse.

To learn more about these and other positions at Miami Dade College visit us at www.mdc.edu/jobs.

requirements, 1983/2021). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the following five best-practice, evidence-based steps:

1. Rear-facing car seats should be used as long as possible

2. Children should be in a forward-facing car seat once they have outgrown a rear-facing car seat through at least four years of age

3. Booster seats to aid with proper seat-belt positions should be used until the age of eight years

4. Seat-belts covering the lap and shoulders should be used for everyone who has outgrown booster seats

5. Everyone younger than 13 years of age should only ride in the rear seats of vehicles (Durbin et al., 2018)

By revising Fla. Stat. § 316.613 to reflect recommendations proven effective by the AAP and referred to by the CDC, child fatalities and devastating injury from motor vehicle crashes can be reduced and prevented. Fla. Stat. § 316.613 should reflect the AAP recommendations that all children under the age of four and 40 pounds or less must be in a separate rear-facing car seat. Fla. Stat. § 316.613 should also include that all children under the age of eight and four feet nine inches or less must be in a booster seat. Finally, Fla. Stat. § 316.613 should include that all children under the age of 13 must be seated in the rear seats of motor vehicles (Durbin et al., 2018). We encourage all nurses to advocate for implementing these evidence-based, best practice proposals in the state of Florida so pediatric injury and death in motor vehicles can be reduced.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, September 20). Child passenger safety: Get the facts. Transportation safety. https://www.cdc.gov/ transportationsafety/child_passenger_safety/cps-factsheet.html

Child restraint requirements Fla. Stat. § 316.613 (1983 & rev. 2021). http://www. leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_ String=motor%20vehicle%20safety&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.613. html

Durbin, D. R., Hoffman, B. D., & AAP Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. (2018). Child passenger safety. Pediatrics, 142 (5), 1–8. https://doi. org/10.1542/peds.2018-2461

Park, G., Ro, Y., Shin, S., Song, K., Hong, K., & Jeong, J. (2018). Preventive effects of car safety seat use on clinical outcomes in infants and young children with road traffic injuries: A 7-year observational study. Injury, 49 (6), 1097–1103. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.injury.2018.04.001

Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Conference

Saturday, July 16, 2022 | 8:00am – 4:30pm | Sheraton Orlando North

Igniting Passion for Research and Evidence-Based Practice

Nurses are making extraordinary contributions in research and evidence-based practice across Florida. The Florida Nurses Association is proud to highlight and promote the work of these nurse researchers and provide a platform for the dissemination of scholarly projects.

FNA will host its 8th Annual Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Conference on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at the Sheraton Orlando North in Maitland, FL. This conference offers an opportunity for nurse researchers of all levels to promote their research and evidence-based practice projects, network and collaborate with other nurse researchers in their field and obtain feedback on their findings from peers. Participating is also a great way to

develop a statewide reputation and associate your name with a specific topic or area of research.

The Nursing Research Conference is an interactive conference that continues to evolve. We invite you to become a part of its growth and development. We also encourage interested novice nurses to attend this conference as an introduction to nursing research so that they can have first-hand knowledge of how research and evidence-based inquiry can make a difference to nursing practice and patient care. We look forward to seeing returning attendees as well as many new faces at the conference this year. Contact us at info@floridanurse.org if you have questions about participating or attending this conference.

Amelie Middlemas

Samantha Miller

Shonda Mitchell

Latarsha Murray Huong Phan

Leah Rinehart

Cara Salg

Heather Stack

Amy Sterrett

Pamela Storey

Daniel Tibbert

Megan Tolaymat

Mindy Walsh

Caylan Wright

Brooke Yanko Northeast Jessica Andrade

Maria Batista

Nerlande Bellevue

Samara Brazile

Brad Briscoe

Jaime Cooper

Stephanie Cortes

Kelly Crider

Kia’Nicole Cull

King Davis

Kim Fredricks

Catherine Godoy

Sherri Harmon

Tara Harris

Margaret Hawkes

Melanie Hayes

Katharine Jasonek

Olivia Johnson

Erin Kinsey

Welcome New FNA Members

Anne Langley

Tracy Langston

Melanie Lehmann

Britney Lilley

Sanela Meskic

Candace Moll

Meredith Moseley

Sandes Murad

Kathy Neely

Lynn Neeson

Brittany Nettles

Erika Nisbett

Karen Nolin

Sabrina Oliver

Melia Olson

Jennifer Otterbach

Melissa Pama

Andrea Patterson

Donna Peters

Tierra Rivers

Jasmine Rojas

Andrea Seus

Sandra Shapiro

Stacy Shihadeh

Tiffany Tillman-Williams

Irina Vella

Susan Waddington

Claudette Walker

Melissa Wasilenko

Kendra Williams

Ericka Wright

Mary Young

East Central

Natalie Adlam

Toya Alder

Lauren Anderson

Michele-Lee Anthonio

New Members continued on page 22

Members continued from page 21

Penni Pierce

Suzette Reese

Chris Register

Albert Rios

Modesta Rivera

Joaquin Rivera

Carmen Rivera Brittain

Cathy Robey-Williams

John Robinson

Kayelee Rock

Brenda Rojas

Y. Rosa

Stacey Roseberry

Starlight Marie Ruiz

Laura Rusnak

Summer Sakowski

Donna Salunkhe

Jeanette Schriever

Rosa Sepulveda

Joy Sera-Josef

Sara Shaff

Angela Sherman

Amanda Simmons

Shaihanne Singh

Kerry Smith

Ingrid Stewart

Melissa Stout

Nicholas Stram

Annemarie Stuart

Stacy Table

Ladda Thiamwong

Woodson

Yaden West Central

Abukhalaf Yvette Adames

Addison Samya Almoumani

Alexsy Anderson

Brandy Babin

Lacey Bahr

Christina Basile

Christina Bass Joshua Bellmany

Christine Bennett

Bologna

Sharon Boxill-Worrell Kaleigh Braden Jessica Brana

Rachel Broderick

Michelle Brown

Suzette Brown-Jones

Eduard Bucag

Sally Carlisle

Michelle Cha Leslie Chamblee

Crystal Collins

Catherine Collins-Fulea

Robert Compitello

Elaine Cortese-Salalila

Kera Covani

Sherri Culver

Dawn Curtis

Jinky Dagney

Emily Dail

Tiffanie Daudelin

Yesenia DeJesus-Suarez

Katherine Deloso

Terea Diggs

Robin Dildine

Imee Downing

Eunice Edwards

Michelle Edwards

Betsy Elliott

Mayra Espinosa

Guesline Eugene

Jackie Evans

Deborah Evans

Sandtrail Feet

Jesika Florin

Marina Fosbo

Chrisjonna Foster

Islam Ganie

Angel Gibson

Terry Gilbaugh

Welcome New FNA Members

Christina Gomez

Kristy Gould

Savannah Hannah

Carol Harrington

Destiny Hayes

Mary Katherine Hayes

Stacy Hinson

Pamela Hirsch

Savannah Hoover

Courtney Hubbell

Robert Hutchinson

Veronica Isaac

Dean Jaber

Julie James

Nathan Karst

Maritza Kinney

Jenna Laws

Paulette Levy

Alicia Liberatore

Ana Limbaco

Hillary Lindsey-Wurf

Latrice Lucombe

Tamara Mair

Zenaida Markowitz

Nicole Martinez

Jill Mason

Shelley Mattingly

Shakeel Mazumder

Sara McElroy

Shannon Meese

Gwynn Miculob

Tosha Moreland

Julie Moss

Michelle Odom

Yalidsa Ortiz

Angel Otero

Dave Paul

Christina Paul

Patricia Petro

Jennifer Plair

Judith Poole-Ramsay

Stacy Pryor

Laura Pulido

Kathryn Rigas

Chrystal Roberts

Walter Robey

Akaycha Robinson

Cassondra Rogers-Royael

Cynthia Rowell

Richard Ruddock

Teresa Santos

Jaimie Seymour

Renee Shaffer

Sierra Shankle

Garrick Smith

Kaarmin Stanton Patino

Lucy Stormanns

Crystal Swenney

Anabelle Taguba

Amy Tilander

Bridget Toussaint

Melissa Turner

Shannan Veit

Jennifer Warras

Rhonda Wendzel

Brittany Wetzel

Alana Wexler

Brenda Wheeler

Sue Wiessner

Margie Williams

Julia Woodroffe

Diane Zgaljic

Southeast

Sylvia Acosta

Masud Ahmad

Micheline Almanord

Peter Armstrong

Christina Baker

Stephen Baldwin

Junia Balthazar

Daimi Batista

Raquel Bicknell

Janese Boone

Bienvenida Brito

Nicole Brown

Michelle Browne

Krista Caffrey

Jesus Capriles

Kimberly Charles

Jennifer Combs

Rose Cortez

Kerryann Daley

Jessica Damiani

Eugene Darden

Gina Darr

Goury Dhar

Whitney Dieudonne

Anny Dionne

Yanet Dominguez

Tammy Donnick

Sandy Dorival

Henry Drummond

Christopher English

Altavia Evans

Marilyne Faustin

Leticia Fernandez

Pierna Fleurimond

Agnolite Florial

New

Marisol Forrester

Monica Francis

Mariana Garcia

Anet Gomez

Milena Gomez

Amarilys Gonzalez

Karen Gordon

Emily Gore

Kassandra Greci

Melisa Hayman

Theodore Heninger

Jose Herrera

Brandee Herrera

Barbara Hyne

Trisha Ingrassia

Ashley Jackson

Sheeba Jacob

Garry Jerome

Mercilia Joseph

Michelle Kavall

April Lanehart

Valerie Lapp

Ruth Lim

Lesley Meade

Chantae Miller

Brittnie Mullen

Amanda Murphy

Samantha Murratti

Gerry Nissenbaum

David Obrien

Maria Lynn Palumbo

Gabriel Pancorbo

Elizabeth Peirano

Angela Pino

Alejandra Pizarro

Carlo-Jojo Quinto

Stephanie Rajewski

Mary Jill Reichert

Carol Reive

Grace Saleh

Jesenia Saunders

Kylie Jo Secoy

Danielle Stevens

Rebecca Tout

Katya Tsangarakis

Yvena Vixamar

Gretchen Voll

Richard Whetzel-Schill

Dawn White

Marsha Wint

Saunjoo Yoon

Southwest

Ileana Acosta

MacKenzie Althouse

Malgorzata Arnold

Sandra Aube-Langella

Jeffrey Bana

Mona Birk

Evelyn Casasus Posada

Chris Colombo

Kristina Crook

Amanda Dennis

Stephanie Doherty

Jeanne Dyckman

Kelli Erb

Jacqueline Estes-Wertzberger

Shannyn Estevez

Stephanie Ferguson Ross

Stacey Garofalo

Joon Germeille

Harold Girado

Kathleen Giroux Pfister

Candace Harden

Joann Honore

Mary Hudson

Kristie Kassay

Janet Konikow

Kerobin Lapawon

Jennifer Laws

Anne Maggi-Campbell

Nina Masters

Latoya Mitchell

Carla Mucko

Charlene Myers

Melissa Novak

Patricia Oberg

Kathleen Owens

Barbara Paganelli

Daimys Perez Mena

Brittany Pittsford

Karen Rainford

Alexander Rechlin

Mary Rosario

Ann Vlaun

Lisa Ziegler

South

Melissa Abreu

Clarissa Afable

Danara Alonso Rodriguez

Sydea Alsopp

Yvonne Alvarez Seijas

Angelique Antoine

Christina Aragon-Santiago

Laura Arbuckle

Viviana Arcila

Gilberto Barciela Sanchez

Iva Barnes

Audra Bartram

Jasmine Basso

Patricia Beharrie

Alicia Bell

Avonny Bennett

Claudine Bernier

Sonja Blackshear-McNeil

Theressa Brahim

Jamie Brown

Yanio Brunely Morales

Carolina Cabrera

Breonna Camareno

Denise Canchola

Jessica Cardenas

Elizabeth Cardona

German Carvajal

Tammy Cathers

Constantina Celicourt

Alexander Chacon Ardite

Karine Charles

Arminda Colmenare

Mary Cousins

Carolyn Cros

Diana Cuervo

Kristina David

Shelly Delfin

Kristyn D’elia

Emelouse Derameau

Elizabeth Diaz

Virginia Donofrio

Henry Echevarria

Marcia Elliton

Ana Espinosa

Christopher Espinosa

Nathalie Fernandez-Gomez

Rocio Ferrer

Andrea Florit

Selimah Francois

Lisa Fryar

Nadeline Fung-A-Fat

Ketrick Gage

Daisy Galindo-Ciocon

Merlys Garcia

PM Christine Gassant Alphonse

Megan Gillis

Joel Goldmann

Paola Gomez

Dannisa Gomez

Adriana Gonzalez

Karla Gonzalez

Zelaine Gonzalez

Francine Hamilton

Maria Hernandez Pedraza

Giovani Herrera

Darla Hoble-Erlich

Jeanetta Hoggins

Nola Holness

Ruby Hurley

Janet Huxley

Julio Iglesias

Beatriz Isaza

Magalie Isme

Sylphida Joseph Nicholas Jurysta

Lori Kelvy

Chiqueta Kendrick

Kerri Kibler

Natacha Ladouceur

Fernando Laracuente

Martine Larrieux

Vilbrune Lauriston

Roselore Lavaud

Vuong Le

Steffi Leyva

Joshua LoBue

Marjorie Lozama

Rebeca Marcet

Shani Marks-Donkor

Lissanne Martin

Beatriz Martinez Velez

Betzy Martinez Velez

Naomi Mascharak

Michelle Mathieu

Kayla Mathis

Sidney Medina

Carolyn Merry

Welcome New FNA Members

Nadine Mheisen

Cassandre Milien

Sheylah Mola

Raul Montejo

Grace Monti

Delisa Nance

Taylor Napoli

Nirva Narcisse

Antonio Navarro

Ivette Nunez

Jaclyn Pacetti

Shariel Palmer-Danhi

Yaoska Pasquier

David Patino

Georgette Pena

Ana Penenori-Montoto

Sael Perdomo

Sherily Pereira

Maria Perez

Janie Perez

Jeannette Perez

Anya Perez

Sara Perez

Luceydis Pernut

Arelys Ramirez

Yiska Ricardo

Alexis Rivera Rodriguez

Pedro Rivero Gort

Lisandra Rodriguez

Jeannette Rodriguez

Ninozzka Rodriguez

Monica Rodriguez Gomez

Marguerite Rowell

April Rymer

Deborah Salani

Hilda Salto

Roselle Samson-Mojares

Neo Sanchez Cachon

Trucha Sanon

Sharon Sarig

Desreen Sharpe

Latoya Simon

Katiana St. Thomas-Azemar

Kayli Stampler

Princess Stanislaus

Yosday Suarez

Regine Suarez Melano

Maxine Sutherland

Deborah Tedder

Doris Teran

Nurys Thurmond

Kevin Tipton

Daisy Torres

Yislem Torres

David Trabanco

Shannon Ueberfluss

Mario Valdes

Maria Alejandra Varela

Victoria Vazquez

Abby Villarroya

Genna Wadler

Jaynie Westerh

Deborah Williams

Rayma Yero

Other

Cherre Alfonso

Sanique Cole Stephens

Elizabeth Diaz Agosto

Sandy Printemps