Victoria Area Nurse Practitioners Newsletter
July 2010

VANP Vision
The vision of VANP is to create a comfortable environment that will allow NPs to work cohesively together and learn from one another. With such a small group it is important that we come together focusing on what the future holds for NPs in our area.  

VANP Website
VANP will begin using our website (www.vanps.org) for all VANP correspondence. Be sure to sign up to receive future meeting notices, updates from VANP, job postings, meeting minutes, etc. 

Free Membership
All Members and Students attending at least 4 of the 6 yearly meetings will be placed in a drawing for FREE membership for the following year. Congratulations to Daniel Squyres – winner for 2010.

$100 toward TNP Conference
All Members participating on a committee will be placed in a drawing for $100 toward the TNP Conference held in September each year. Congratulations to Kyra Smith – winner for 2010.

September 9-12, 2010 
The 22nd annual Texas Nurse Practitioners conference is right around the corner. It is not too late to register. 

September 16th – Group Photo for NP Week
The September meeting has been changed to 
September 16th. A professional group photo will be taken at 6pm sharp. This photo will be placed in the Victoria Advocate for NP Week (November 2010). Active NP members will be included in the photo if dues are paid before September 16th. The location is to be announced. 

A Guide for APN Practice in Texas.  A valuable tool that all NPs should read is the manual for purchase by the Texas Nurse Practitioners state organization http://texasnp.org/.  This provides all the laws we should be abiding by as NPs in Texas. 

Community Events

* Health-O-Rama – October 2nd (Saturday) 
10:00am – 3:00pm. Volunteers are needed. Please contact Mary Gail Moody if you are interested in helping. This is a great opportunity to network and to get your name out in the community. Volunteers will be allowed to have their business cards at the booth. Students are welcome.

Dues
Dues are due every year on September 1st.
$50/members; $25 students. Please mail checks to:

VANP
P.O. Box 4710
Victoria, Texas 77903

New Officers: September 2010
	              
Chair	Joy Holladay
joy.holladay@frontierschool.edu 	
Vice Chair	Shanna O’Donnell
shanna@plclinic.net	
Secretary	Cheryl Campbell
clynn21@hotmail.com	
Treasurer	Pam Wagner
pamelawagner1@yahoo.com	

VANP meets 6 times a year
          
           6:00pm  Social         6:30pm  Speaker

Upcoming Meetings
September 16, 2010
November 11, 2010
January 13, 2011
February 10, 2011
May 12, 2011
July 14, 2011

Clinical Pearl 
With low Vitamin D and the need for supplement, don't forget to also recommend supplementing adequate calcium. Since many individuals are on PPIs or have had bariatric surgery which alters gastric pH, the recommendations are to take calcium citrate (not carbonate) which dissolves more completely in these patients.    

Legislative Update
CNAP continues to make inroads with legislators about changing laws affecting APRN practice. The proposed changes to current law offer a solution to the health care crisis facing Texas and the nation. Check out the CNAP website for updates and to donate one hour of pay monthly. Feel free to join Jean Gisler (jean.gisler@crossroadsfp.com)
or Mary Gail Moody (572fast@tisd.net) as they attend CNAP meetings and meet with legislators as a group. Future meeting dates are Aug. 13, Oct. 8, Nov. 12 and Dec. 3, 2010.

Interesting Article
As a Nurse practitioner doing primary care
how does your salary compare.  If you are carrying the same workload as an MD shouldn’t you be receiving similar wages.  Perhaps not equal, but similar for your level of education and experience. 
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110106/the-worst-paying-jobs-fo

If you have any recommendations on upcoming educational events please contact Shanna O’Donnell at shanna@plclinic.net

Local DNP News
1)	Congratulations to Rachel Wunsch for completing her DNP at the University of Alabama. We are so proud of you!
2)	April Hall and Daniel Squyres will begin the DNP Program at the University of Alabama in the August.

Community Education and Awareness Project
The annual fundraiser has given VANP an opportunity to fulfill its mission to educate the community about NPs. A proposed health day project is something to seriously consider as an option to showcase our presence, knowledge, skills, and unity as a profession to provide quality healthcare to our community.

The following is idea was proposed by Mary Gail during the May meeting. Below is the highlighted information provided by Mary Gail after speaking to Sandy McCoy (future TNP president) about a similar, but much larger project she has done successfully in TX. It involved an all volunteer wellness physical examination clinic for children.  

•	They had the clinic in a local school and partnered with churches and civic organizations.  
•	Little advertisement was done other than to the children at the school where the clinic was held.  
•	No shots or invasive procedures were done.  
•	A referral system was in place for any abnormalities that needed further attention (a couple of pediatrician offices in the area agreed to see these pts.) The indigent care system was not used.  
•	On site, they had a nutritionist to offer counseling about obesity and an orthopedist, pediatric internist, family practice physician, and NPs.  
•	Only lab on site: finger sticks for glucose.  
•	They saw between 250 and 300 pts.    
•	All records were held by the school.  
•	No further contact with the children after the clinic day.  
•	No issues with law suits or legal issues have surfaced.  
•	About 25 providers and numerous volunteers were needed for sign in, obtaining vital signs, bringing people to exam rooms, keeping the kids supervised.
•	Everyone brought their own exam equipment.  They used school desks with paper on top for exam tables. 
•	Project took 6 months to put together and deliver.  

Another idea proposed by Joy at the July meeting was to have a diabetes screening and education day. She has been in discussions with a diabetes educator at the Victoria Health Dept. who is willing to partner with VANP on this project. She has numerous resources that VANP lacks. The proposed date is November 16th (close to NP Week). 

Please consider what we as NPs can do for our community and provide feedback to one of the officers. If you are willing to participate please call Joy at 920-5694. We would like to have a project in the works by the September meeting. Thanks!