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Page 2Montana Nurses Association PulsePULSE SUBMISSIONSWe are gathering articles that are relevant andappealing to YOU as a nurse. What is happeningin your world today? Is there information we canprovide that would be helpful to you? The Pulseis YOUR publication, and we want to present youwith content that pertains to your interests.Please submit your ideas and suggestionsto Jennifer.Jennifer@mtnurses.orgNovember, December 2016, January 2017PUBLISHER INFORMATION & AD RATESCirculation 17,000. Provided to every registered nurse, licensed practicalnurse, nursing student and nurse-related employer in Montana. The Pulseis published quarterly each February, May, August and November by ArthurL. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. for Montana Nurses Association, 20 OldMontana State Highway, Montana City, MT 59634, a constituent member ofthe American Nurses Association.For advertising rates and information, please contact Arthur L. DavisPublishing Agency, Inc., 517 Washington Street, PO Box 216, Cedar Falls,Iowa 50613, (800) 626-4081, sales@aldpub.com. MNA and the Arthur L.Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. reserve the right to reject any advertisement.Responsibility for errors in advertising is limited to corrections in the nextissue or refund of price of advertisement.Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement or approval by theMontana Nurses Association of products advertised, the advertisers, orthe claims made. Rejection of an advertisement does not imply a productoffered for advertising is without merit, or that the manufacturer lacksintegrity, or that this association disapproves of the product or its use.MNA and the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. shall not be held liablefor any consequences resulting from purchase or use of an advertiser’sproduct. Articles appearing in this publication express the opinions ofthe authors; they do not necessarily reflect views of the staff, board, ormembership of MNA or those of the national or local associations.WRITER’S GUIDELINES:MNA welcomes the submission of articles and editorials related to nursing orabout Montana nurses for publication in The PULSE. Please limit word sizebetween 500--1000 words and provide resources and references. MNA has theright to accept, edit or reject proposed material. Please send articles to:jennifer@mtnurses.org.CONTACT MNAMontana Nurses Association20 Old Montana State Highway, Clancy, MT 59634 Phone (406) 442-6710 Fax (406) 442-1841 Email: info@mtnurses.org Website: www.mtnurses.orgOffice Hours: 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Monday through FridayVOICE OF NURSES IN MONTANAMNA is a non-profit, membership organization that advocates fornurse competency, scope of practice, patient safety, continuingeducation, and improved healthcare delivery and access.MNA members serve on the following Councils andother committees to achieve our mission: Council on Practice & Government Affairs (CPGA) Council on Economic & General Welfare (E&GW) Council on Continuing Education (CCE) Council on Advanced Practice (CAP)MISSION STATEMENTExecutive Director Report continued from page 1has allowed MNA to transform into the associationthat can truly be the recognized leader and advocatefor the professional nurse. Designating fundsfor member engagement, legislative action andcampaigns, solidifying a 3rd labor representative toincrease member service and securing an RN CEspecialist to support our educational needs as our CEdepartments services have skyrocketed.We are able to secure our 10 staff, with livingwages and benefits. We should all be very proudof that. We have an Executive Director (ED), ChiefFinancial Officer (CFO), Administrative Assistant,Director of Continuing Education (CE) with 2 CEspecialist and a Labor Program Director and 3 laborrepresentatives.ED—a full-time professional who provides theleadership, communication and coordination thatassures an effective and transparent organization andwill be your lobbyist for the 2017 legislative season.CFO—responsible to provide financial andmembership oversight and leadership. She has hadlaser focus on membership compliance and financesare pristine.Admin Assistant—responsible for supporting theadministrative needs of the Executive Director, theMNA association and staff and assisting with MNApublications. Additionally she will be assisting our statedistricts with elections and meetings—emails flyers etc.www.mtnurses.orgPublished by:Arthur L. DavisPublishing Agency, Inc.Director of CE—This person provides keyleadership in operation of MNA’s accreditedprovider and approver units in adherence to ANCCAccreditation Program standards. Included in thisdepartment is our CE Specialist and our RN CEspecialist. Our CE department has been recognizedwith distinction and is setting standards for other CEdepartments across the US.Labor Program Director—responsible for thedevelopment, implementation and communicationfor the Collective Bargaining Units and Economicand General Welfare Programs. Included in thisdepartment is our Labor Representatives x 3!!Your Labor Dept. has increased our local units andmembership support and provides representation forbargaining, member engagement, grievances, labormanagement, organizing, and providing education.Our main product at MNA is member service andwe are continuing to adjust and think out of the box tosupport our members.Member engagement example—ANA qualityconference this year where 6 nurses from across thestate attended the Quality conference in Orlando.Talk to Jack from Butte, Willow from Basin, Brandifrom Missoula, Heather from Missoula, Gina fromHelena, and Debby from Lewistown. They all attendedthis national conference and obtained invaluablenetworking opportunities with nurses from around thecountry and awarded contact hours from the educationprovided that they can bring back to their facilities.I occasionally get calls from nonmembers (RNsAPRNs) and we assist them with limited advocacy as itis the right thing to do. We also take the opportunity toinform and educate them regarding their professionalassociation.This is your investment into your professionalassociation, we can drive your nursing issues evenwhile you are working in the hospital, at the clinic,providing home care, staffing the long term carefacilities and educating student nurses . you investedin MNA allowing MNA to advocate for you and it is ourpleasure.The Montana Nurses Association promotes professional nursing practice,standards and education; represents professional nurses; and providesnursing leadership in promoting high quality health care.CONTINUING EDUCATIONMontana Nurses Association is accredited as an approver of continuingnursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’sCommission on Accreditation.Montana Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of continuingnursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’sCommission on Accreditation.MNABoard of DirectorsExecutive Committee:Board of Directors PresidentBoard of Directors Vice PresidentBoard of Directors SecretaryBoard of Directors TreasurerBoard of Directors Member at LargeBoard of Directors CPGABoard of Directors CEBoard of Directors CAPBoard of Directors EGWLorri Bennet, RNTerry Dutro, MSN, AGPCNP-BCMary Ann Zeisler, MSN, RNVacantDelayne Gall, RN, OCNTeresa Lehman, BSN, CMSRNDebby Lee, BSN, RN-BC, CCRPJohn Honsky, APRNDaylyn Porter, RN, OCNCouncil on Practice & GovernmentAffairsCPGAJoey Traywick, CMSRNDeanna Evans, BS, RNEve Franklin, MSN, BSNCouncil on Continuing EducationCESandy Sacry, MSN, RNJennifer Taylor, BSN, RN, CCRNGwyn Palchak, BSN, RN-BC, ACMSara Leland, BSN, RN, CMSEmily Michalski-Weber, BSN, RNBonnie Hash, BSN, RNC, PNMegan Hamilton, MSN, RN,CFRN, NR-PMargaret Johnson, RNMickie Simonson, BSN, RNTeresa Menicucci, RN, RNCTammy Wilhite, RN, RNCPolly Troutman, MSN, RN-BCCouncil on Advanced PracticeCAPTerry Dutro, MSN, AGPCNP-BCNanci Taylor, APRNDeborah Kern, MSN, FNPKeven Comer, APRNCouncil on Economic & General WelfareEGWJack Preston, RNDelayne Gall, RN, OCNDeanna Evans, BS, RNOrpha Montgomery, RNCNational Federation of NursesJennifer Taylor, BSN, RN, CCRNDaylyn Porter, RN, OCNLucy Ednie, RN-BCMNA Staff:Hope is always within reach.Suicide is never the only option.If you or a loved one are in crisis,Call the Montana Suicide Prevention Lifeline atWWW.DPHHS.MT.GOV/AMDD/SUICIDEVicky Byrd, BA, RN, OCN, Executive DirectorPam Dickerson, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, Director of Continuing EducationMary Thomas, BA, RN, OCN, RN Continuing Education SpecialistKathy Schaefer, BA, Continuing Education SpecialistRobin Haux, BS, Labor Program DirectorAmy Hauschild, BSN, RN, Labor RepresentativeCaroline Baughman, BS, Labor RepresentativeSandi Luckey, Labor RepresentativeJill Hindoien, BS, Chief Financial OfficerJennifer Hamilton, Administrative AssistantQuestions about your nursing license?Contact the Montana Board of Nursing at: www.nurse.mt.gov

November, December 2016, January 2017Montana Nurses Association PulsePage 3My MNA Leadership ExperienceAs an ASN preparedRN, returning to schoolfor my BSN meant carefulconsideration of the variousassociated factors suchas cost, location, and, thebiggie:time.However,while considering the timecommitmentassociatedwith a return to school, Ionly considered my owntime: can I balance work,Brittany Lee, RNCmy husband, kids, and theirMNA Local 13various activities, as well asMembermy own various activities,with school? What I never considered, or even thoughtfor a second to consider, was the time commitmentrequired from other people for me to complete mydegree.Enter, Vicky Byrd, BA, RN, OCN current ExecutiveDirector of the Montana Nurses Association (MNA).When she considered the position of ExecutiveDirector of MNA early 2014, she no doubt weighedthe various aspects of the position in the context ofher own life. What she did not do was consider myschooling needs as part of her decision to take theposition. As it turns out though, her willingness togive of herself and her time was an additional time“requirement” that my BSN journey could not haveprogressed without.I needed a leadership rotation for a leadershipclass, I needed it now, and my distance educationschool did not already have an established affiliationagreement with my local, small town hospital.Rendered incapable of completing a leadershiprotation at the hospital, I racked my brain for otheroptions, eventually thinking of Vicky as a potentialnurse leader to shadow.Taking a deep breath I picked up the phone andcalled the MNA office. Because I was unsure of theappropriateness of my forthcoming request, I decidedto filter it through her secretary, leaving Vicky an easyroute by which to dodge the idea. To my fleetingdismay, Vicky was the one who answered the phoneand I was forced to buck up and ask her directly.Her voice didn’t waver, halt, stutter, lower, or doanything at all to raise any doubts as to the authenticityof her enthusiastic response: a chiming “Sure!” Theweight of the assignment fell – I’m sorry, make that“tumbled” – off my shoulders in that instant, and withina few minutes we had all the details worked out and adate and time scheduled for me to shadow her.The day came and was everything I needed itto be. To best describe it, let me first tell you what itwas not. It was not boring, tedious, or dull. I was notsituated in an obscure, minimally comfortable locationwhere my dismissible presence allowed for operationsto proceed uninhibited. I was not given directives ofsilence, nor was I ever shunned from a conversation.Rather, I was warmly welcomed and my pre-written,undoubtedly blasé questions were answered withenthusiastic responses. I was shown respect I havein no way earned, and kindness I couldn’t haveanticipated.During that time I learned how the leader of astatewide professional nursing association, thatincludes union and non union members, juggles afacility complete with staff, grounds, and problems;nurse members with questions, problems, orcomplaints; and professional affiliates such as ANAand AFT. Thrown into the juggling act is the currentYour Nurse Wears Combat Boots campaign.Suffice it to say that I learned a great deal aboutnursing leadership, and I earned a 100% on theassignment!Announcements and Awardsldson, ourto Brenda DonaCongratulationsfor 2016!!rse of the YearDistinguished Nuson BA , RNBrenda DonaldRN, OCNVick y Byrd BA ,Delayne Gall RN, OCN is the 2016Economic & General Welfare CouncilAchievement Award winner!!Clinical Resource Registered NursesMinimum of two (2) years experience in clinical nursing.Teaching experience preferred. Current unencumberedRN license in the State of Montana Required.For further information about this employment opportunityand a MCC application please view our website atwww.milescc.edu.Barbara Schaff won theMNA Historian Award for2016!Vicky Byrd BA , RN, OCNBarbara Schaff DNP, FNP-BCJennifer Taylor BSN, RN, CCRPwas awarded with the Excellence inNursing Education Award of 2016!Congratulations toKeven Comer, MN, APRN, FNP-BC!!She was named the MSU College ofNursing Outstanding Alumni!Missoula County Partnership Health CenterSeeking the following positions:APRN-PsychiatryRN and LPNFor more information, please visitwww.missoulacounty.usMiles Community College is an equal opportunity employer.Or contact Elizabeth Herd at (406) 258-4187or herde@phc.missoula.mt.usDistrict 3 receiveOur 2016 Political NurseLeadership Award went toLaurie Glover MN, APRN, FNP!d our 2016 Membership Award!Vick y Byrd BA , RN, OCNJames FredricksonBSN, RN

Page 4Montana Nurses Association PulseNovember, December 2016, January 2017HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BABY!Last year, at the MontanaStudentNursesAnnualConvention, I talked aboutthe connection betweenWELLNESS and SERVICE.The obvious connection isWELLVIS!! We danced andlaughed and discussed howto take care of yourself inthe busy atmosphere that istoday’s healthcare system.It was also one year agoJoey Traywick,that I wrote my first articleCMSRN, B.S.for THE PULSE! I rememberKinesiologywriting about the conferenceand how I had spoken at the Academy of MedicalSurgical Nurses annual conference in Las Vegas justbefore coming to Helena. I remember the pictureaccompanying the article, in fact. There I was, in myElvis costume, wig and all, right in front of a restaurantwith a sign that read, “350 lbs and over eat free!”That photo was a great contrast to my WELLVIS!!concept, to say the least!This year, I had the opportunity to speak for theMontana Nurses Association annual convention ANDthe Montana Student Nurses Association! What ablast! But, I knew they were on to me now and wouldbe looking for me to get them up and dancing and forme to wear a costume again this year. So, this year,for my presentations, I was very clear that I would bemuch more serious and much less entertaining butHome CareNursesFind yourcareer today!Search job listings in all50 states, and filter bylocation and credentials.Browse our onlinedatabase of articles andcontent.Find events for nursingprofessionals in your area.Your always-on resource fornursing jobs, research, and events.nursingALD.comPartners in Home Care isa nationally accredited,not-for-profit, fullservice home care agencylocated in spectacularMissoula, Montana.We recruit registerednurses for our Hospiceand Home Healthprograms to serve clientsin their homes.Additional informationand applicationscan be found at:www.PartnersInHomeCare.orgJack Preston RN, Lorri Bennet RN, Katlin VanMeel RN, Joey Traywick CMS, RN and Cindi Smith RNthat the subject matter would be about the same.But they were on to me from the start.Yes, I talked about stress in the workplace and howwe MUST take care of ourselves if we are to take careof others. I offered strategies to help with self-care. Imentioned mindfulness and how to create betterhabits. We reviewed the efficiency of seven minuteworkouts and the benefits of eating less processedsugar. Then, just when they thought I was done, Ichanged into my STAYING ALIVE outfit! My purple andgreen “leisure suit” was a perfect match with my goldsunglasses and big hair wig! We discoed and, I mustsay, nurses can DANCE!While I don’t think anyone was shocked that I talkedabout self-care nor that I came out in a costume, Ido think we were all surprised that we could learn somuch while having so much fun! That really was thetheme of the entire convention! We all had a blastlearning about topics like constructing a medicalnarrative and skin cancer prevention as well as thenew developments in the “Your Nurse Wears CombatBoots” initiative. The speakers were engaging andpassionate (not to mention UBER smart) and theattendees were all smiles and hugs no matter wherethey were from.One speaker that stuck out to me was Shawn Paul.He is the Director of Security at his hospital and he isSUPER passionate about preventing the physical andverbal abuse of nurses. But the moment that stuckout most to me during his presentation was whenone of the audience members made a comment thatwe should all MAKE the time to address violenceprevention education in our facilities, “We HAVE thetime,” she said, “we just need to make it a priority.”B.I.N.G.O.While she may have been talking about violenceprevention (which is a TOP priority for all of us at MNA)I immediately wrote down her comment and asked herif I could use it in MY presentation. She agreed and Iwas very thankful. Because, you see, whether it ismaking time for educating a patient about skin care ortaking the time to review safety policies with colleaguesto prevent abuse, we all DO indeed have the time forthe priorities that we put in place for ourselves.It has been a year of me writing this little piece inThe Pulse and I couldn’t be more proud. The questionI want to leave you with is “Have you made YOURSELFa priority, this year?” If so, well done, keep it upand continue to be the role model to your sphere ofinfluence. If not, why not make that a goal for yourself?You really DO have the time. You simply need to makeYOU a priority.Will I see you next year? I sure hope so! You can tellme all about YOUR journey to being better! And I havegood information that cowboy hats and chaps will beallowed! Can’t wait! I’ve got JUST the costume!Yoga scrub pants by MC2 are socomfortable you’ll need a pair forhome and for work. They have thesame EZ-FLEX fabric you’ve come tolove from the rest of Med Couture’sline, with the added comfort of aknit waistband. Front side pockets, double cargopockets and an extra accessory pocket mean thesepants aren’t just stylish, they’re highly functional.Available now at

November, December 2016, January 2017Montana Nurses Association PulsePaul Lee CCRNCheryl Richards MS, BSN, RN-BCPam Dickerson PhD, RN-BC, FAANDeborah LeeBSN, RN-BC, CCRPPage 5Carroll College Students: Alexa Daskalos,Terry McClement, Jessica Denborne104thAnnual ConventionAlex Redfern RN, Julian Rogers RNJennifer Tanner RN, CCRN, NREMTTerry Dutro MSN, AGPCNP-BCKeven Comer MN, APRN, FNP-BC,John Honsky APRN, Nanci Taylor APRNEllen Osborne BSN, RN, CEN,Pam Majerus BS, RN, CEN, Tami Schoen RN, BSNPatricia Kelly MSN,CNP, FNC-BC,NP-CBack: Brian McCord CCRN, Brooke O’Neil CCRN,Jennifer Taylor BSN, RN, CCRN, Paul Lee CCRNFront: Leslie Shepherd RN, Anita Doherty AND,Karen Gaare RN, CCRNJanet Ivers MSN, RNLorri Bennet RN, Jewel Crist RN, Chelsee Baker RNJames Fredrickson BSN, RN; Shawn PaulRegional Director Safety and Security

Page 6Montana Nurses Association PulseNovember, December 2016, January 2017Your Nurse Wears Combat Boots UpdateEmbracing the Legislative Process 101On a 0-10 scale (whichevery nurse is familiar)with 0 defined as noconfidence and 10 definedas super confident, I wouldrate my confidence levelregardingcommunicatingwith legislators a negative5. I have never enjoyed it,desired to be a part of itor engaged in it as I havenever felt that I could makeBrenda Donaldson,a difference. After all, theseBA, RN, MNApeople were so muchCampaign Chairmore knowledgeable andwell-spoken than I. I found the whole process veryintimidating. I always rationalized that this type ofpolitical advocacy should be left to the “professionals.”As I have embarked on a journey with a greatgroup of professionals addressing workplace violencein healthcare through the Your Nurse Wears CombatBoots Campaign, it has become painfully apparentto me that I needed to find my place in the legislativeadvocacy process. Step one, recognizing I neededto engage, checked off. The second step seemeda little more perplexing. How? After getting a littleadvice from some experienced people, I learned thatengaging legislators is not really about making sure Ihad a 50 page document covering every statistic, factand study related to workplace violence to providethem. Instead, it was about sharing a personal story orpainting a picture for legislators of how violence affectsme, my coworkers and patients and what action I wantthem to take to address it.I made a plan to first send my area legislators ane-mail. In my mind this would be non-threatening andsafe. I wouldn’t actually have to talkto any of them. This seemed easyenough until I started drafting anintelligent, from the heart and less thansixteen page message. After anotherconsultation with the pros, I drafted anemail a few sentences longDear ,My name is Brenda Donaldsonand I am a 30 year RegisteredNurse from your District. This is thefourth consecutive year that rates ofworkplace violence have increasedin healthcare. Many of my colleagues have beenassaulted while at work, and it is a constant thoughtin my mind each day I go to work “will it be me today”Please support the nurse assault bill LC0223 (this isthe draft bill number)Your communication should include three shortpoints:1. Introduce who you are and you are aconstituent from their district2. Your personal story or how you have beenaffected by workplace violence.3. Action (what you want them to do)I really didn’t expect any replies, but I actuallygot a response from one Legislator wanting moreinformation over coffee. Wow! It worked!My mentor then said that I should follow up thee-mail with a phone call. Gulp! Hurdle number three,here I come. I prepared what I would say, but secretlyhoped that none of them would answer their phonesand I could just leave a message. First call no answer,message left. Second call no answer, message left.This would be easy, so I proceeded down the list untilone legislator answered my call. Iwas a little taken back but somehowmanaged to spit out my rehearsedmessage and invited them to theYour Nurse Wears Combat BootsRoadshow the following day. I waitedfor one of two things to happen:the person on the other end to hangup or to start asking questions that Icould only envision I would not be ableto answer. Neither happened and Iwas pleasantly surprised by the greatconversations that followed. All butone seemed to appreciate the information and call.The following day at the Roadshow threelegislators/candidates attended the Roadshow andlistened intently to the information and asked manyquestions. I liked to think my actions influenced theirattendance.This experience served as a valuable learninglesson in a couple of ways. First, short, personal andto the point is better than trying to articulate a longdrawn out communication. Second, my individualeffort is important and effective.Be on the lookout for some tools to help youcommunicate with your legislators. Make sure we haveyour current e-mail address to receive these tools.You can also access these tools on the mtnurses.orgwebsite as they become available.Encourage your friends and family to also contacttheir legislators as well. Assault not only affects thehealthcare worker, but also their family and friends thatmake up their support system.I would challenge you to become engaged in thisprocess. Be assured that your individual efforts domake a difference.How a Bill Becomes a LawNurses have a self-sacrificing nature. It’s an honorabletrait. But your workplace has become among the mostdangerous more so than in mining or construction. It’stime to make the work of taking care of others safer foryou, patients, co-workers, and for the next generation ofnurses. You deserve nothing less.The Your Nurse Wears Combat Boots campaign isfocused on getting a law passed making it a felony toassault a healthcare worker or emergency responder. Thepath to a new law is simple.In Montana we have a citizen Legislature. We haveno fulltime legislative politicians. Our elected lawmakersSandi Luckey,convene for 90 days every odd numbered year to add,Laborremove, or alter the laws that make up our collection ofRepresentativestate laws called Montana Codes Annotated (MCA). The2017 Montana State Legislature, most of whom will be selected by your vote thisNovember, will begin their official work January 2, 2017.The bill draft for our proposed law has been requested by Montana StateSenator Ed Buttrey. The bill draft is called LC 0223. LC stands for LegislativeCounsel and indicates a bill draft that has not entered the legislative process. Theactual words that make up a bill are drafted by the state’s Legislative ServicesDivision which includes a legal review. Our bill will begin the process in the Senatebecause it was requested by a Senator instead of a Representative in the House ofRepresentatives.Once it has been introduced in a Senate Committee, its name will change toSenate Bill ### (For example: SB 999). The official bill number is given to eachactive bill based on the order it was officially introduced so LC 223 might becomeSB 15, for instance. Every bill that passes into law, comes before each chamber atleast three times. Bills that don’t get a passing vote, eventually die.The three times a bill is heard in short summary:1. On 1st reading the bill is assigned to a committee to be heard,2. On 2nd reading the committee may amend it and/or recommend it forpassage, or it may fail,3. On 3rd reading there are no more amendments allowed and the fullchamber has the recommendation from the committee that heard it on 2ndreading. If it passes 3rd reading, it has successfully passed one chamber ofthe Legislature.During Transmittal, which is so

Board of Directors CPGA Teresa Lehman, BSN, CMSRN Board of Directors CE Debby Lee, BSN, RN-BC, CCRP Board of Directors CAP John Honsky, APRN Board of Directors EGW Daylyn Porter, RN, OCN . Provided to every registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, nursing student and nurse-related employer in Montana. The Pulse