Fitzgerald Health Education Associates (FHEA) is committed to the success of nurse practitioners; we publish practical information for practicing NPs and NP students, which includes NP interviews, NP certification Q&A;, avoiding malpractice, and news.
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Click to View Previous Issues... L ook for b old orange text for clickable web links. Our " i " information icon is a clickable web link. ALLERGY & ASTHMA CONSULT Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis: A Blooming Nightmare This Year! Christy Yates, MSN, FNP-BC, NP-C, AE-C D id this year's allergy season seem to be particularly severe for your patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis or perhaps even for you? Was there something unique about this season's pollen load? Did you have a harder time provid- ing allergy symptom relief for your patients this year? If so, you are not alone. I have p rovided care for patients with allergies and asthma for the past 15 years, both in s pecialty practice and in primary care, and this allergy season seemed particularly s evere for my patients. An unusually wet fall in 2014 followed by an unusually wet and cold winter in 2015 primed the plants and root systems to produce more pollen this spring and summer. Whether or not a "pollen vortex" occurred this year is debatable, but the weather pattern did lead to more pollen produc- tion and therefore a worse allergy season. Once a gain, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foun- d ation of America, Louisville, KY, where our prac- tice is located, was in the top five Spring Allergy Capitals this spring. Many other cities across the country were hit hard this year. Whatever the severity of the allergy season, I hear many questions and comments from pa- tients about their allergies. These are some of t he most common. I am 54 years old and have never had allergy symptoms. Can I suddenly develop allergies at my age? Inside Allergy & Asthma Consult ............................. 1 Certification Q& A ............. 7 Review Courses ................ 8 Avoiding Malpractice .... 13 News Briefs ..................... 18 2015 & 2016 Live Courses Pharmacology Update (2-day course) The Art of Wound Repair (1-day course) NP Essentials (4-day course) NP Certification Exam Review C ourse Tracks Family, Adult-Gerontology, and Adult Primary Care A dult-Gerontology Acute Care P ediatric Primary Care Psychiatric-Mental Health W omen's Health Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. f hea.com Committed to the success of nurse practitioners 1 Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. 978•794•8366 Volume 15, Issue 7, July 2015 continued on page 3... Look for bold orange text for clickable web links. Our " i " information icon is a clickable web link. Certification Q&A; A ssessing Patient Decision-Making Capacity in Clinical Practice Margaret A. Fitzgerald, DNP, FNP-BC, NP-C, FAANP, CSP, FAAN, DCC A S A STUDENT, I learned that a patient must be considered capable of making decisions in order for informed consent to be valid. How do I determine w hether a patient has the ability to make an informed decision in daily clini- cal practice? R espect for a patient's right to make autonomous choices regarding his or her health care is a fundamental ethical principle underlying all healthcare interac- tions between clinician and patient. Clinicians show respect for autonomy by ob- t aining informed consent, whereby the patient makes an autonomous decision to undergo or forgo a procedure or treatment or to take part in research. For informed consent t o be valid, the patient must have the ability to make healthcare decisions, a concept known as decision-making capacity. 1 Because the clini- c ian's assessment of decision-making capacity has important ethical implications for a pa- tient's self-determination—that is, what role t he patient will play in making choices about his or her own health care—all clinicians should have a good understanding of deci- sion-making capacity and how to assess it. W hat is capacity and how is it assessed? Decision-making capacity is a functional assessment and a clinical determination made by a clinician regarding whether a patient possesses the ability to make in- f ormed decisions about his or her health care. It differs from competence, which is a legal concept that can be formally determined only by a judge in court. I nside Certification Q& A ............. 1 Review Courses ................ 8 Allergy & Asthma Consult ............................. 9 Avoiding Malpractice .... 17 News Briefs ..................... 21 2015 & 2016 Live Courses Pharmacology Update ( 2-day course) The Art of Wound Repair ( 1-day course) NP Essentials (4-day course) NP Certification Exam Review C ourse Tracks Family, Adult-Gerontology, a nd Adult Primary Care A dult-Gerontology Acute Care Psychiatric-Mental Health Women's Health P ediatric Primary Care F itzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. fhea.com Committed to the success of nurse practitioners 1 Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. 9 78 •7 94 •8 366 Volume 15, Issue 8, August 2015 continued on page 3... Look for bold orange text for clickable web links. Our " i " information icon is a clickable web link. Avoiding Malpractice: A Case Analysis Scope of Practice: When the Nurse Was Right and the Employer Was Wrong Carolyn Buppert, NP, JD C an a women's health NP provide general primary care? Can an acute care NP perform Botox-related procedures? NPs frequently ask scope of practice questions like these, seek- ing clarification on whether certification allows the NP to see a certain subset of patients or to perform a specific procedure. The answers to these questions are found in three places: state law, certification agency statements about what that agency's Inside Avoiding Malpractice ... 1 Review Courses ............ 8 C ertification Q& A ........ 9 Clinical Update: Addiction Treatment ...16 Clinical Update: STDs ..19 FHEA Faculty News ......20 Spotlight on Guidelines ....................22 News Briefs ................. 24 2 015 & 2016 Live Courses P harmacology Update (2-day course) The Art of Wound Repair (1-day course) N P Essentials (4-day course) NP Certification E xam Review Course Tracks Family, Adult-Gerontology, a nd Adult Primary Care Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Psychiatric-Mental Health Women's Health Pediatric Primary Care F itzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. fhea.com Committed to the success of nurse practitioners 1 Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. 978•794•8366 Volume 15, Issue 9, September 2015 continued on page 3... August 2015 September 2015 July 2015 Look for bold orange text for clickable web links. Our " i " information icon is a clickable web link. 50 Reasons to Celebrate the Best Profession on Earth: Nurse Practitioners I n honor of 50 years of the NP pro- f ession and Nurse Practitioner Week (November 8-14), we have compiled a list of 50 reasons to cele- brate the role of NPs. Enjoy reading this, and please send your reason to us at CS@fhea.com , and we'll publish it in an upcoming issue! F itzgerald Faculty Members Celebrate NPs 1 "It is truly a privilege to serve patients, be a part of their l ives, and practice in the best profession on earth." Margaret Fitzgerald, DNP, FNP-BC, NP-C, FAANP, CSP, FAAN, DCC 2 "The NP profession is the best profession because I get to w ork daily doing what I love: working in an exciting h ealthcare environment, constantly learning, getting to know patients and their families, and striving to make a difference in the lives of others." Christy Yates, MS, FNP-BC, NP-C, AE-C 3 "What a rare blessing it is to love what you do and be rewarded every day by the trust of your patients—sharing i n their joys, heartache, struggles, and triumphs. It is a true privilege and honor to care for them." Sue Feeney, DNP, MS, NP-C, FNP-BC Inside 5 0 Reasons to C elebrate NPs ............... 1 R eview Courses ............ 9 Certification Q& A ...... 10 D NP Policy Update .....14 Spotlight on Guidelines.....................19 C elebrate NP Week .....22 News Briefs ..................24 2016 Live Courses Pharmacology Update (2-day course) The Art of Wound Repair (1-day course) NP Essentials ( 4-day course) NP Certification Exam Review Course Tracks Family, Adult-Gerontology, and Adult Primary Care A dult-Gerontology A cute Care Psychiatric-Mental H ealth Women's Health Pediatric Primary Care Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. fhea.com Committed to the success of nurse practitioners 1 Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. 978•794•8366 Volume 15, Issue 10, October 2015 continued on page 3... October 2015 Look for bold orange text for clickable web links. Our " i " information icon is a clickable web link. Maintaining the Health of Family Caregivers Margaret A. Fitzgerald, DNP, FNP-BC, NP-C, FAANP, CSP, FAAN, DCC A family or informal caregiver is a relative, friend, or neighbor who provides care and assistance for a person with a chronic or disabling condition. Family and informal care- givers provide the vast majority of community-based long-term healthcare in the United States. The most common conditions leading to a need for caregiving are frailty due to advanced age, dementia, cancer, stroke, and heart disease. 1 While caregiving can be highly rewarding, it often places great psychological, physical, and financial burdens on caregivers, many of whom are older adults with their own health issues. Inside F amily Caregivers ........ 1 Review Courses .......... 10 Certification Q& A ...... 11 Clinical Update .......... 20 News Briefs ................. 24 2016 Live Courses Pharmacology Update (2-day course) The Art of Wound Repair (1-day course) NP Essentials (4-day course) NP Certification Exam Review Course Tracks Family, Adult-Gerontology, and Adult Primary Care Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Psychiatric-Mental Health Women's Health Pediatric Primary Care Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. fhea.com Committed to the success of nurse practitioners Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc. 978•794•8366 Volume 15, Issue 11, November 2015 continued on page 3... 1 November 2015