Aparna Hande, RN (far right), was among those honored as a candidate for the National Association of Indian Nurses of America's Nurse Excellence of the Year Award, which went to Aney Abraham, RN, MSN, of Illinois (fourth from left).
Californians Betty Smith Williams, RN, DrPH, FAAN, and Sheba George, PhD, gave presentations at the association's first national conference, “Indian Nurses in America: Embracing Diversity, Celebrating Excellence.” The event took place Sept. 26-28 at the Holiday Inn Chicago North Shore and Skokie Banquet & Convention Center in Skokie, Ill.
Attention to culture is vital to a society that is becoming more diverse, said Williams, who is president of the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations in Culver City, Calif. She gave an overview of the profession's diversity and a historical perspective of the development of minority nursing organizations in the U.S.
George, an assistant professor at Research Centers in Minority Institutions at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science in Lynwood, Calif., discussed the challenges Indian nurses face after immigrating to the U.S. They become minorities overnight, she said, and often have little or no orientation to the country or their healthcare facility. George, whose qualitative research focused on Indian nurses' acculturation experiences, maintained that immigrant nurses need a comprehensive and standardized orientation program with a curriculum that addresses the history of the U.S. racial and ethnic relations, cross-cultural competencies, and communication skills.
The association also presented its Nurse Excellence of the Year Award to Aney Abraham, RN, MSN, of Illinois and honored the other award candidates, who included Aparna Hande, RN, a nurse manager at Pacific Alliance Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Family nurse practitioner student Evelyn Shober examines a girl.
(Photo by Rhonda Ramirez)
Associate Professor Valerie Dzubur, EdD, FNP-C, and about a dozen family nurse practitioner (FNP) students went on a two-week mission to hospitals, orphanages, and villages in and around Vientiane, the capital of Laos, to provide free healthcare for Hmong residents.
The trip is part of Dzubur's new one-unit elective, “Interpreting Healthcare in a Global World.” The mission was an eye-opener for the students, who encountered diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, and malaria that are less common in the U.S.
But despite the limited clinical care the students could provide, “I think ... it gave some people a sense of comfort knowing we wanted to help,” FNP student Evelyn Shober told Samuel Merritt College Office of the President enews.
With money from the college and the Windhorse Foundation, the group also purchased and delivered a gurney and microscope to a public Laotian hospital.
Angela Halpin, RN, and Deborah Forsythe, RN
(Courtesy of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian)
Angela Halpin, RN, MN, CNS, and Deborah Forsythe, RN, OCN, have received a grant from the DAISY Foundation for their project “A Nausea Scale.” The foundation has awarded grants of up to $5,000 to 10 nurse teams to improve the treatment of patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Courtney Lyder, ND
(Courtesy of UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations)
Courtney Lyder, ND, began his new position as dean Aug. 1. Lyder, a licensed nurse in three states and fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, most recently served as director for diversity initiatives at the University of Virginia School of Nursing and medical center.
As a senior consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he has played a central role in shaping federal policies on elder care. His study on how hospital errors affect Medicare patients influenced the government's recent decision to stop paying for preventable conditions contracted in hospitals.
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