Pediatric Diabetes is a growing concern and California is trying to legislate school districts into a corner. In an effort to better understand the issues, I've joined the Diabetes Educator Association. With membership, I now have access to position papers and research that isn't only supplied by the American Diabetes Association. I'm not in anyway criticizing the ADA, they do immensely important work and bring it to the people who need it most. However, as a scientist, I need data from different sources.

But speaking of the ADA, I went to a great workshop last Friday sponsored by the ADA. There were presentations from 4 experts in the field of pediatric diabetes and how to get appropriate care in schools. Dr. Bruce Buckingham talked about cutting edge research, showing the lasted and future "artificial pancreas" otherwise known as a pump. Melinda Lanham, School Nurse in San Jose, gave parents tips on how to advocate for their child's needs with administrators and other school personnel. There were a couple of other speakers, but these two were the highlights for me. This was part of the ADA's SAFE at school program.

One last note, although the ADA's position is that anyone should be trained to administer insulin, most of the parents I met at this gathering had a licensed professional, such as a nurse, working with their child every day while they are in school. If ADA's position is for parents to have non-nurses to monitor their children, why do so many parents REQUIRE a nurse to be with their child all day? These parents have it specifically written in to the 504 or IEP. Can anyone answer this for me? What am I missing?

CSNO 2009 Conference Archive

Though this post isn't CEU, but education related. sometimes conference handouts can be really useful tidbits of information and hard to find unless you went to the conference and had the direct link sent to you. Here are the conference handouts for last year's California School Nurse annual conference.

I'm still working on finding this years

Ventilation and Tracheostomy CEU's

Passy-Muir offers free continuing education units one hour per class. Here are the 5 classes they offer.

1. Assessment and Placement	--	Begin Course
2. Dysphagia and Improving Swallowing	--	Begin Course
3. Pediatric Issues and Applications	--	Begin Course
4. Transitioning Issues	-	Begin Course
5. Ventilator Application -- Begin Course

One year later..

A year ago next week I took the boards. A little more than a year ago, I though I would have been in a very different place than here. I'm not complaining though, not at all. I think that I'm happier in school nursing. It's a job I can do until I'm 70 if I want to. It's an excellent job to have as a nurse and I'm very glad I fell into it.

The Life List

No New Year's Eve resolutions for me. I'm starting a life list. Here are a few of the things that I want to do. Probably not in the next year, but while I can and in no particular order.

Climb Mt Whitney, with or without Tom.
Visit the White House and if I can, meet the President, but I'm not sure how I'm going to do that.
See Prairie Home Companion Live and I don't care where!
Work on public policy related to health care, (maybe that's how I can meet the President).
Go on this hike.
Do something good for Sigma Theta Tau and Alpha Gamma Sigma!
Visit the historic Ape Cache in Washington before it goes away!