Volunteer opportunity in El Salvador - Operating Room Nurses

Healing the Children SW Chapter needs 3-4 operating room nurses for a surgical trip to Santiago Texacuangos, El Salvador. The trip's focus will be ENT and Plastics ages children through 17 years of age. The team will stay in San Salvador, El Salvador. The trip is from February 28-March 7th 2015. Voluneers pay, air, lodging and meals (dinners and breakfast). This organization will be returning to the hospital "Hospital La Divina Provdencia" for the 6th year and welcomes nurses willing to take on the challenge of operating in a less-than-familiar settings. :)

If interested, please email healingthechildren@comcast.net

The Art of Nursing and the Science of Medicine - Sue Averill

From Sue-

Last month I traveled with other nurses and doctors to Port Au Prince, Haiti with Project Medishare, working at Bernard Mevs, the only neuro-surgical and trauma facility in the region.  Project Medishare’s goal is to train Haitian doctors and nurses and to establish sustainable programs so the facility can function independently beyond the departure of expats.

Among my role as ER and Triage nurse, I was anointed “The Hysteric Whisperer." Many teenage girls and young women came to the hospital via ambulance or private vehicle presenting in catatonic states, hyperventilating or as “post-ictal seizure” patients.  We soon learned, these were anxiety/panic attacks. One teenage girl was brought, ambulance lights blazing and sirens blaring for "seizures" – but made eye contact and was purposefully moving around in the gurney - not in a post-ictal state. The doctor approached the patient and shouted, "Prepare to intubate!"

Three minutes later, I held the girl’s hands and helped her off the gurney and onto a chair.  Intubation was certainly not necessary. With an astounded look on his face, the doctor asked “How did you do that?  That was magic!”  I replied, “Want to know the magic? I put my face down close to hers, spoke very slowly, softly and quietly into her ear, and told her  'It's OK' over and over and over.  I pet her cheek, made eye contact and suddenly big crocodile tears began to slide out."

The Haitian population has several factors working against them:  the traumatic events of the 2010 earthquake - the country is still piecing itself together.  The fact that Haiti is an impoverished developing country with limited resources.  Add to that frequent sexual violence against women, family issues, loss of not only loved ones but schools and homes and churches, plus the surging hormones of teenagers, it's no wonder these young female patients frequently present with anxiety and hysteria.

A nurse’s approach is humanistic. It's thoughtful.  It involves comfort, care, touch, words and warmth. It's holistic. Nursing approaches patient care - whether in a hospital, a clinic, or a tent in Africa – from another direction than medical doctors.  Our professions are intertwined yet quite different.

It's the art of nursing versus the science of medicine.

- Sue Averill, RN

Navigate the World of One Nurse At A Time

David Fox and Sue Averill just finished working on this little gem for One Nurse At A Time. It is an excellent video and it takes about 4 minutes of your time to watch. The video briefly describes what we do, how to use the website, what is on the website and some great educational tools at your disposal.





I hope you enjoy this little gem of a video! I did! Please pass on to others if you wish!


Navigate the World of One Nurse At A Time - Video




Cheers -

ONAAT

Barco's Nightingale Scholarship Winner

One of our Barco’s Nightingale Scholarship winners Anne Daly is leaving for Kenya to start her mission trip with the organization Prevention International No Cervical Cancer (PINCC.) PINCC is a nonprofit, volunteer medical service organization whose mission is to create sustainable programs that prevent cervical cancer by educating and treating women, training medical personnel and equipping facilities in developing countries. The organization works with local community personnel to provide and inexpensive way to screen for cervical cancer, some of the countries this organization works with are Latin America, Africa and India. 

Today cervical cancer kills around 300,000 women worldwide each year, even though it is completely preventable. The process is relatively easy, it is done by visual inspection of the cervix and the use of vinegar. The vinegar allows the medical personnel to see if any changes are present that should be evaluated further. PINCC was established in 2005, by Dr. Kay Taylor, a gynecologist who during a medical mission in Honduras witnessed more women dying from cervical cancer then in her entire career. From this, Dr. Taylor and her team visited three health clinic sites where there they began to train healthcare workers in screening and treatment.

From Anne:

I am about to go to Africa for the first time - Kenya - with an organization that I really enjoy working with. It is PINCC, or, Prevention International, No Cervical Cancer. This is a NGO based out of Oakland, CA and it works to establish screening for cervical cancer (still a big problem in developing countries) in local communities by using a one-step screening process. This is important because the pap testing that we are often used to requires a lot of infrastructure and coordination - that often is not possible in these countries. 

With these trips I have the privilege of getting to know a small part of the community into which we are welcomed - in a deeper way than I would by just being a tourist. I also get to teach and interact with local health professionals and I learn so much from them. More, I sometimes think, than they might learn from me!! Being of service - wherever it might be, in any agency, community, location anywhere in the world, is profoundly gratifying for me and I am honored and privileged to be able to do this with the help of organizations that support these causes. I also feel a little less "alone" when I know I am going with the support of others - and that is extremely gratifying."

Thanks Anne! We wish you a great trip and hope to hear of your mission trip when you return.

-ONAAT CREW

Are you happy?

Over the holidays, my mother and I were scrolling through Netflix one afternoon when the kids were fast asleep and we came upon a friendly picture.  We paused for a brief minute and then looked at each other and said "Yes, let's watch it!"  

The movie Happy is a 2011 feature documentary film directed, written and co-produced by Roko Belic. Roko is an American film director, producer, cinematographer and actor. He had a directorial debut with the movie Genghis Blues (1999). That movie was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature.  The title Happy pretty much sums up what the movie is about. The movie literally takes you into the lives and countries of about 14 different people. 

Why you ask am I blogging about this? Because it touches exactly what we do with our organization. It was amazing to see it, hear it, and watch how humanitarian volunteering can create happiness. Happiness is not just about volunteering, it's about several different aspects of life, and this documentary has tied up in a neat little bow for your viewing pleasure. The director Roko Belic was originally inspired to create this film after producer/director Tom Shadyac showed him an article in the New York Times entitled "A New Measure of Well Being From a Happy Little Kingdom".  According to this article, the United States is ranked the 23rd happiest country in the world. 

So, what makes a person happy? It was amazing to see and learn that a rickshaw driver in Kolkatta was happy running in the blistering heat, monsoon weather and living in a plastic shack. His happiest moments were coming home and seeing his son waiting for him and his son yelling out "Papa Papa!" Not only was he happy about his job, but he truly enjoyed his house, and his neighbors, they were a large family, caring for each other.  

The movie did break it down into research and statistical data of what and where happiness comes from - basically the happiness is about 50% genetic, our circumstances, such as our job, income, status, money and how healthy we are only makes up about 10%. Here's the interesting part--- 40% of happiness is based on intentional behavior...so the things we do to increase our level of happiness- this is where we have the most control over our OWN happiness!

To drill down further here some of the things you can do to improve your happiness :-)

1. Increase your physical activity - any kind of physical activity, change it up too, just don't go to the gym every day! 

2. Connections - family, friends, community - fascinating fact, a person who makes $150,000 a year isn't necessarily happier than someone who makes $40,000 a year. Interestingly, people who focus on making money or status are often more depressed and anxious. 

3. Appreciate all that you have - a great suggestion was to "Write down 5 things you are grateful for and do this every Sunday". Your happiness levels are bound to improve.

4. Compassion and Service to others - I love this!  People who focus and meditate on compassion have a higher level of happiness. The Dali Lama said "the true aim of cultivation of compassion is to develop the courage to think of others and do something for them". 

I loved this documentary, it touched something in me that I hope to keep my focus on this year. I loved it so much, I watched it twice! I hope you take the opportunity to watch it too. 

Compassion and happiness, 

-ONAAT CREW

http://www.thehappymovie.com/

Happy New Year Wishes from One Nurse At A Time

Can you believe that the year is already coming to an end? I find it amazing as I get older how much faster time seems to fly. It's almost as if my life is on a constant fast forward!

One Nurse At A Time has had a wonderful year, but we also had several sad parts along the way- we lost two of our very active and incredibly valuable volunteer nurses - Staci Kelley and Nancy Leigh Harless. Both nurses gave their heart and soul to the organization and were incredibly gifted in their talents!

With losing two volunteers we also gained help as well!  Our team has grown in leaps and bounds this year. We are very happy to have David Fox, Helen Jose and Christine Van Horn be part of our team. The three of them have provided tremendous energy and work towards our goals and mission.

As usual Sue has been working non-stop! She has met with several people this year, connecting and marketing our organization, even to top organizations like the Red Cross!  With Sue's never-ending energy, she gives us all life and energy to continue our work for the mission and goals of One Nurse At A Time.

Jo's Mission will be a the big kick-off for the beginning of 2013. We are excited and ready to start the process of assisting new nurse volunteers merge into the volunteering community. We will be reporting on the mission and updating our blog with it's progress.

Lastly, if you have not had the opportunity to see our latest short film we would love for you to take about 3 minutes and watch - we are very honored to be working for this organization and we hope that we can continue to provide assistance, education and help to those who have the passion and drive to volunteer throughout our world.

Here is our video:

Thank you for a wonderful year, looking forward to what 2013 brings us!


Cheers-

ONAAT Crew

Barco's Nightingales Foundation

We recently and graciously were offered a $5000.00 donation from the amazing organization Barco's Nightingales Foundation. Their foundation was established in December of 2008 by Michael and Frida Donner on behalf of Barco Uniforms. Their donation to One Nurse At A Time is their way of saluting the countless numbers of nurse volunteers we send around the world, caring and helping for people of all cultures.

Barco’s Nightingales Foundation objective is to support the vitality and courageous heart of nursing, while also dedicating themselves to honoring the spirit of those women and men who choose nursing by focusing their philanthropic efforts on helping to mend the lives of children and their families.

Missions for Humanity

We have already had the grand opportunity of selecting our first Barco’s Nightingales Scholarship Recipient, Wendy Libowitz, who will be traveling with Missions for Humanity next year from July 5^th to July 19^th 2013. More details to come on her trip soon!

Barco’s Nightingales has asked if we would include information about a survey looking at the Image of Nursing. It is their goal to elevate the perception of the profession and to help people understand and appreciate all that go into being a nurse. The feedback provided from the survey will be essential in accomplishing their goal.

Barco’s Nightingales Foundation has completed an initial qualitative phase of the research for the project and the information received during the interviews has been invaluable in all efforts.

The next phase of their project is to validate and provide statistical data to support the qualitative feedback gathered thus far.   Their research partner, Bovitz, Inc., has crafted an online survey and the link is below.  They survey is approximately 15 minutes in length and all answers will be kept strictly confidential and used for research purposes only.  Please be objective and honest in your responses as the validity in the data they receive is very important.

Please click the link below to start the survey, or copy and paste the
URL into a new browser window.

Barco's Nightingales Foundation Survey - Image of Nursing

Thank you Barco's Nighingales Foundation for your generous support. We appreciate all that you do!

- ONAAT

After the storm - Hurricane Sandy

After the disaster, what can you do to help? The three top organizations out there to help with Hurricane Sandy are The Red Cross, The Salvation Army and FEMA. The Red Cross by far has the easiest website to navigate for assistance. Here is the site: FIND HELP - RED CROSS  The Red Cross also has excellent information listed on their twitter feed and on their Facebook page.  Red Cross Facebook Page

The other two organizations also have easy to follow directions to find help. For the Salvation Army, select a state and then follow the directions for shelters or emergency assistance. I found the best up to date information was their twitter feed as well as their Facebook page. Both provided excellent information that was posted at least every 12 hours. Salvation Army Facebook Page 

Information listed on FEMA’s page has great resources for shelter services: To find a shelter, individuals can download the Red Cross Hurricane app, visit the Red Cross web site, or call 1-800- RED CROSS (1-800-733-3767) or check our local media outlets. Other things you can do is to register on the Red Cross Safe and Well website, a secure and easy-to-use online tool that helps families connect during emergencies. To register, visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

FEMA’s distribution centers have an overall inventory of more than 5 million liters of water, 3 million meals, 900,000 blankets and 100,000 cots. FEMA and the Department of Defense have established Incident Support Bases in Westover, Mass. And Lakehurst, New Jersey to pre-position supplies including water, meals, blankets and other resources closer to potentially impacted areas.

Other great information is found here: www.ready.gov and www.listo.gov The FEMA mobile site (http://m.fema.gov) , smartphone app (www.fema.gov/smartphone-app), and text messages (www.fema.gov/text-messages) also provide regular updates. Sharing information using social media tools is also a good way for residents to stay informed. Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog , www.twitter.com/fema, and www.facebook/fema and www.youtube.com/fema

I hope I have given out information that can be helpful if you are in need, but if you would like to help with establishing shelters, giving food, or emergency medical assistance here are your resources. Interestingly on FEMA’s website, the easiest way to volunteer and help is to provide a financial contribution to a recognized disaster relief organization. As you can imagine, this allows the organization to fund response and recovery efforts, obtain goods and services locally, and provide direct financial assistance to disaster survivors to meet their own needs. If you need help with deciding which organization to give to, a National Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster website has a list of major non-profits that are active in disaster work. 

If you are interested in giving a hand- here is your best bet: Volunteer with a local organization to help with the disaster victims. Ideally if you volunteer, register and are trained in disaster relief you are able to provide it when the next big event occurs. Many organizations and faith-based groups in your community have active disaster response programs that are always looking for volunteers.

The following groups are a list of suggestions for disaster volunteerism:

www.nvoad.org

www.serve.gov

www.citizencorps.gov

www.helpindisaster.org

www.networkforgood.org

Lastly, if you are unable to physically help, or financially help, organizations will always take in donated goods such as clothing, miscellaneous household items, and mixed or perishable food.

We are praying for those affected by the hurricane and pray that aid and help comes quickly to those in needs. Please keep them close in your heart and prayers.

          - ONAAT

***If you are any of these organizations we are always looking to provide information to nurses about immediate needs or urgent needs, so if you have one, please contact us at onenurseatatime@gmail.com

Nurse.com announces Mountain West Nursing Excellence Awards!

On the night of August 10^th celebration and recognition for the 24 regional finalists of Nurse.com’s 2012 Nursing Excellence Program was held at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler, Arizona. Judith G. Berg RN MS FACHE, was the host of the evening as well as the former vice president and nurse executive of Nurse.com West and Heartland/Midwest editions.

From Nurse.com’s website:

“We consider it a true privilege to recognize nursing excellence in this beautiful way,” Eileen Williamson, RN, MSN, senior vice president and CNE at Gannett Healthcare Group, publisher of Nurse.com, said about the program. “We wait with great anticipation for this night all year; truly it is one of the highlights of the year for us at Nurse.com.”

Each of the 24 Nursing Excellence regional finalists was given a corsage and received a plaque bearing his or her name and regional achievement. Of those 24, six extraordinary nurses were chosen to represent Mountain West in the national Nurse Excellence awards to be announced this fall. The six regional winners each received an elegant sail-shaped, etched-glass award to commemorate the evening.

The program's national sponsors are The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future and University of Phoenix College of Nursing. 

Our very own Sue Averill won the Mountain West Nursing Excellence Award for Volunteerism and Service.

Here is what Nurse.com had to say about her:

Sue Averill, RN, BSN, CEN, MBA, president and co-founder, One Nurse At A Time, and ED nurse, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle

When faced with the choice of continuing to work for a luxurious cruise line or working in undeveloped, inhospitable and far-flung places, Averill chose the work that paid her nothing. 

A nurse for 33 years in the ED, her own home care company, hospital management and business operations for Holland America, Averill changed course midstream in 1996 when she decided to work as a per-diem nurse stateside and as a volunteer nurse anywhere else that needed her.

Averill’s humanitarian work began with the 1985 earthquake in Mexico when she and 19 others grabbed their gear, flew south and helped set up a free clinic. Some time later, Guatemala called. Then Liberia. Then Ethiopa, Uganda, Nigeria, Cambodia, Darfur, South Sudan, the Philippines and Pakistan, where mothers and grandmothers of girls having surgeries wanted to take care of her.

“They were so kind and so loving and wanted to take me in,” Averill said. “They’d say, ‘Come up here on the bed with us,’ and we’d sit around together. I had a lipstick with a mirror. I’d take it out and put on the lipstick and then pass it around. Pretty soon everyone had on bright red lipstick and there was this huge bonding over it. Lipstick was not allowed in Pakistan society, but we could do that as this secret little group of women at the hospital.”

Averill said every country and group of people, no matter how different they were in terms of security concerns or heartbreaking situations, became a passionate interaction that made her feel alive. “Your focus is totally different,” she said. “Everything is new and you notice every little thing. Stepping away from our routine makes us feel alive. I come back from missions a better person, and then I also like nursing better.”

To connect other nurses to the satisfying experience of humanitarian work, Averill founded One Nurse At A Time, which links nurses with volunteer opportunities, offers scholarships for travel costs and provides preparatory information on international work and diseases uncommon in this country. Tens of thousands of underserved people across the world have received medical services through ONAAT’s support of nurses, her nominator said, and it is the go-to resource for volunteering information.

Averill, however, believes she is the lucky one. “I’m just this little nurse in Seattle and look at this amazing life I’ve been allowed to live,” she said. 
 

Cheers-

ONAAT