Nurse Reporter Spring 2009 - Wyoming State Board of Nursing
Nurse Reporter Spring 2009 - Wyoming State Board of Nursing
Nurse Reporter Spring 2009 - Wyoming State Board of Nursing
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<strong>Nurse</strong><br />
<strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Vo l. 5 Nu m b e r 1<br />
Ma n a g i n g Ed i t o r<br />
Marcia L. Dale, RN, EdD, FAAN<br />
R E P O R T E R<br />
“protecting the public through excellence in nursing...”<br />
T a b l e o f Co n t e n t s<br />
Wy o m i n g<br />
Published by the<br />
<strong>Wyoming</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>Board</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Nursing</strong><br />
1810 Pioneer Ave.<br />
Cheyenne, <strong>Wyoming</strong> 82002<br />
Phone: 307-777-7601<br />
Fax: 307-777-3519<br />
Web Address: http://nursing.state.wy.us<br />
Agency Mission: The <strong>Wyoming</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>Board</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Nursing</strong> is responsible for the protection <strong>of</strong> the public’s<br />
health, welfare, and safety through the regulation <strong>of</strong><br />
nursing, nursing education, nursing practice, and<br />
disciplinary standards. The responsibility <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Board</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Nursing</strong> is to implement a cost-effective and efficient<br />
system <strong>of</strong> regulation, which meets the consumer<br />
demand for safe, competent, ethical practitioners <strong>of</strong><br />
nursing which includes advanced practice nurses, registered<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional nurses, licensed practical nurses,<br />
and certified nursing assistants.<br />
Ex e c u t i v e Di re c t o r<br />
Mary Kay Goetter, PhD(c), RNC, NEA-BC<br />
Assistant Ex e c u t i v e Di re c t o r ,<br />
Pr a c t i c e a n d Ed u c a t i o n Co n s u l t a n t<br />
Mary Beth Stepans, Ph.D, RN<br />
Co m p l ia n c e Co n s u l t a n t<br />
Patti Hefflin, BSN, RN<br />
Brenda Burnett, MSN, RN<br />
Fi n a n c i a l a n d Hu m a n Resources Officer<br />
Cindy Stillahn<br />
Ex e c u t i v e Assistant<br />
JoAnn Reid<br />
Li c e n s i n g Co o r d i na t o r<br />
LaVelle Ojeda<br />
Li c e n s i n g Co o r d i na t o r<br />
Maxine Hernandez<br />
Disciplinary Assistant<br />
Debra Ball<br />
Nella Martinez<br />
<strong>Wyoming</strong> <strong>Nurse</strong> <strong>Reporter</strong> does not necessarily<br />
endorse advertisements contained herein. The<br />
publisher reserves the right to accept or reject<br />
advertisements for <strong>Wyoming</strong> <strong>Nurse</strong> <strong>Reporter</strong>.<br />
For Advertising Information:<br />
Victor Horne<br />
vhorne@pcipublishing.com<br />
501.221.9986 or 800.561.4686<br />
Created By:<br />
Publishing Concepts, Inc.<br />
Virginia Robertson, Publisher<br />
vrobertson@pcipublishing.com<br />
Bo a r d o f Nu r s i n g Members<br />
Jennifer Zettl, RN<br />
President<br />
Tracy Wasserburger, GAPRN Vice-president<br />
Marguerite Herman<br />
Consumer Secretary<br />
Kim Williamson, LPN<br />
Member<br />
Marcie Burr, RN<br />
Member<br />
Carrie Deselms, APRN, FNP-BC Member<br />
Kellie Clausen, FNP, WHCNP, RN Member<br />
www.thinkaboutitnursing.com<br />
Publishing Concepts, Inc.<br />
14109 Taylor Loop Road<br />
Little Rock, AR 72223<br />
EDITION 16<br />
3 WSBN 1909-<strong>2009</strong>: Dreaming to the Future<br />
4 Letters to the Editor<br />
5 100 Years <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Wyoming</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>Board</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Nursing</strong><br />
6 Scope <strong>of</strong> Practice Decision Tree<br />
11 Line Up Your Stars<br />
12 First Licensed <strong>Nurse</strong> in <strong>Wyoming</strong><br />
14 Scope <strong>of</strong> Practice Issues<br />
16 Disciplinary Actions<br />
17 NCLEX Workshop for Educators<br />
18 <strong>Wyoming</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Assistance Program<br />
20 An Overview <strong>of</strong> Permissive Disclosures<br />
22 History <strong>of</strong> Today’s <strong>Nurse</strong> Practitioner<br />
23 NCSBN Celebrates 30th Anniversary<br />
24 Practice Questions<br />
24 Pictures from the Past<br />
26 1909 Examiner Act<br />
28 Wisdom <strong>of</strong> <strong>Nurse</strong>s: The Tough and the Tender<br />
30 Public Notice<br />
Greetings<br />
The <strong>Wyoming</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>Board</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Nursing</strong> (WSBN) is celebrating its<br />
centennial anniversary this month.<br />
Senate File No. 37 was approved<br />
February 18, 1909, and the first <strong>Wyoming</strong><br />
<strong>Nurse</strong> Practice Act (NPA) came<br />
into being. We printed the entire file<br />
here in this issue for our readers to<br />
peruse and hopefully enjoy as much<br />
as we did!<br />
It is particularly interesting how<br />
many similarities there are in the<br />
NPA <strong>of</strong> 1909 to today. Of course, the<br />
language <strong>of</strong> that day brings a smile,<br />
but the meaning is surprisingly unchanged:<br />
The board may revoke any certificate<br />
by a unanimous vote for<br />
dishonesty, gross incompetency, a<br />
habit rendering a nurse unsafe to be<br />
entrusted with, or unfit for the care<br />
<strong>of</strong> the sick, conduct derogatory to<br />
the to the morals or standing <strong>of</strong> the<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ession <strong>of</strong> nursing, or any willful<br />
fraud or misrepresentation practiced<br />
in procuring such certificate<br />
(NPA, 1909, p. 90).<br />
Despite the nursing pr<strong>of</strong>ession’s<br />
continued standing as the most<br />
trusted pr<strong>of</strong>ession (Gallup, 2007), it<br />
is a sad reality in <strong>2009</strong> that the pr<strong>of</strong>ession<br />
struggles more than ever<br />
with escalating complaints about<br />
nurses who are dishonest, grossly<br />
incompetent, have habits which render<br />
them unsafe to be entrusted with<br />
the care <strong>of</strong> the sick, and exhibit conduct<br />
derogatory to the pr<strong>of</strong>ession. In<br />
fact, since 2007, the WSBN has seen<br />
a 360 percent increase in complaints<br />
From Mary Kay Goetter<br />
Executive Director<br />
WSBN 1909-<strong>2009</strong>: Dreaming to the Future<br />
regarding nurses and nursing assistants.<br />
While the descriptive words <strong>of</strong><br />
“gross incompetence” or “conduct<br />
derogatory to the morals <strong>of</strong> the pr<strong>of</strong>ession”<br />
still hold the same meaning<br />
today, the exact manner in which violations<br />
occur has far exceeded what<br />
our pr<strong>of</strong>essional colleagues could<br />
have imagined in 1909.<br />
Today’s growth <strong>of</strong> technology and<br />
communications has exponentially<br />
added to the scope <strong>of</strong> nurses’ misconduct.<br />
For example, cell phones<br />
and wireless communication have<br />
become major players in pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
misbehavior. Inappropriate<br />
photographs <strong>of</strong> vulnerable patients<br />
are transmitted via cell phones and<br />
Internet Web sites; pr<strong>of</strong>essionals<br />
blog on personal Web pages com-<br />
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