Nurse Practitioners Recognized at Houston Methodist West
By Sarah Fleming, Houston Methodist West
It is not every day that the governor sends out a proclamation declaring a dedicated day to a specific group of people, let alone an entire week. In Texas, Nov. 9-15 was officially proclaimed Nurse Practitioner (NP) Week by Gov. Rick Perry to help raise awareness of NP’s role in modern health care. Thousands of highly skilled NPs provide high-quality, personalized health care to countless Texans and support the well-being of communities throughout the Lone Star state. More than 100 NPs work within Houston Methodist in various practice settings, such as critical care and acute care units, outpatient centers, preoperative services, diagnostic cardiology, interventional radiology, palliative care, psychiatry and the emergency department. Nurse practitioners are an integral part of the multidisciplinary team that staff the intensive care unit (ICU) at Houston Methodist West Hospital. The ICU Nurse Practitioner Service and intensivist team gained momentum in June/July 2014 with the addition of an NP recruit from South Carolina, Mike Blew, a nurse practitioner manager, Elizabeth Gigliotti, and three intensivists, Murtuza Ahmed, Mir Alikhan and Olakunle Idowu. Jamal Razzack, MD, is the medical director of the ICU and NP Service, and the NPs are Carlotta Woodard, Ruben Melendez, Wilson Martir and Viviane Teixeira. Currently one part-time and five full-time NPs deliver care to ICU patients 24 hours a day. In addition, NPs respond to rapid response calls and code blues throughout the hospital. They provide an advanced level of care to patients as well as be a resource to staff nurses.
HMWB HOSTS PHILIPPINE NURSES ASSOCIATION SEMINAR More than 100 nurses from across the greater Houston nursing community attended the Philippine Nurses Association of Metropolitan Houston North Chapter’s third annual fall seminar at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital on Nov. 15. The all-day event, titled “Illuminating Nursing Practices Based on Research — Reflection on the Processes and Outcomes of Quality Nursing Care,” was devoted to promoting evidence-based practice in nursing Houston Methodist speakers included • Robin Howe, MSN, RNC-OB, RN IV, and chair of the Houston Methodist WIllowbrook Hospital Research Council, and Glenn Dennis, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, presented on how attendees could begin implementing evidence based practice initiatives and use EBP in process improvement. • Wendi Froedge, MSN, RN, CCRN, shared literature and best practices on recognizing and preventing delirium. • Cristina Dimafiles, BSN, RN, and Elaine Ngitit, BSN, RN, CCRN, drew from their experiences at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital and shared real-world application of evidence-based practice in their units and the resulting outcomes in ventilator associated pneumonia and early mobility. • And Sanjay Kunapuli, MD, gave a talk on the use of TR bands. Ludy DeLeon, RN, CVRN, chair of the education committee, credits much of PNAMH-North’s success to the support of community hospitals. “Houston Methodist encourages professional growth in supporting an organization like PNAMH-N and its educational activities,” she said. “This is a true Magnet moment. Together, PNAMH-N and Houston Methodist have one goal: Excellence!”
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