Florida Neonatal / Pediatric Transport Network Association
October 2003 Newsletter
President’s report from President’s meeting on
Officers / Board of Directors
President:
Colleen Cowie
(786)662-5146
colleenc@baptisthealth.net
President-Elect:
Maria Fernandez
(305)666-6511 ext. 3320
maria.fernandez@mch.com
Secretary-Treasurer:
Nancy Burke
(786)662-8296
nancyb@baptisthealth.net
Board Member
Non-Licensed Neonatal Transport Team:
Donna Freshwater
(305)576-9499
fdfresh74@aol.com
Board Member
Licensed Neonatal Transport Team:
Sharon Chandler
(850) 416-4520 schandle@shhpens.org
Board Member/ Air Program:
Jim Howard
Board Member/Ground Program:
Clint Randolph
(800)940-0216
clintr55@Liberty-ambulance.com
10/8/2003 at 5PM.
Major discussion was on a driver’s oath (from 4-1 281)
that they are free of physical/medical illness and free of
substance abuse. There will be more information on
how this oath is to be certified (notarized).
Background screening for EMT’s $32 fee. Effective July
1, 2004, recertification for EMTs will be in effect for the
August 1, 2004 recertification. It was suggested that a
note be sent to all EMT/Paramedics win this passes.
Discussion ensued about the state vs. the National
exam for EMT’s. It will be decided by January 2004 or
an exam will be provided.
FUTURE MEETING DATES
January 21 to 23, 2004 is in Destin, FL
Location: the Sand Destin Gulf & Beach Resort
1-800-320-8115 or 1-850-267-8000. Room rate $90
April is scheduled for Tallahassee.
July is in Orlando
October is trying to be planned for Miami or the Keys
We will send out more formal notices prior to the
meeting dates.
ATTENTION all members- we would like to include a member directory to
increase networking potential. If you have any objections to being
included, please notify Nancy Burke prior to the next meeting.
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centered care using an interdisciplinary
approach. Furthermore, the winner must
be viewed as a leader by co-workers and
management.
Ms. Freshwater has been a nurse
for nearly 30 years. She has specialized in
neonatal nursing for 10 years. She is a
staff nurse in South Miami Hospital’s Level
II NICU and is the nursing coordinator for
Baptist Health Aeromed’s neonatal
transport team, based at South Miami
Hospital. She is a neonatal resuscitation
program instructor, teaching several
classes each year. She also evaluates
nurses in the NICU to determine their skills
are kept current and serves as an
instructor and mentor to new nurses.
Ms. Freshwater is also very involved
in professional organizations such as the
Southeast Florida Association of Neonatal
Nurses. She was recently named to the
Florida Neonatal and Pediatric Transport
Network Association’s Board of Directors
to represent non-licensed neonatal
transport teams in Florida.
SOUTH MIAMI HOSPITAL NEONATAL
NURSE HONORED
BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
NEONATAL NURSES
For the second consecutive year, a
nurse from South Miami Hospital’s
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has
been honored by the National Association
of Neonatal Nurses (NANN). Donna
Freshwater, R.N., is this year’s recipient of
the Robyn Main Excellence in Clinical
Practice Award, which recognizes a
neonatal nurse who demonstrates
excellence in patient care and is viewed as
a role model by other nurses. Ms.
Freshwater was honored at NANN’s
annual conference in Palm Springs, Ca.
this past week.
The Robyn Main Excellence in
Clinical Practice Award recipient is chosen
from nominees throughout the United
States. According to the award criteria, the
winner must possess knowledge of current
clinical practices, demonstrate excellent
communication skills and focus on family-
WANTED:
Newsletter items. Does your team have a unique story to tell, a member who deserves
recognition, or have you had a Kodak moment that you would like to share? Feel free to
contact Nancy Burke to submit items for this newsletter! Remember, an organization is
only as good as it’s members!
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11. The act of squeezing the heel has been
found to be the most stressful part of
the procedure, therefore assuring
adequate heelstick & good blood flow
can reduce the stress of the event, as
well as the accuracy of the results.
12. When comparing simultaneously drawn
samples obtained capillary (using
automated devices such as tenderfoot)
vs arterial, the lab results were not
statistically different for pH, PCO2,
lactate & sodium, and were only slightly
higher for potassium, ionized calcium &
hematocrit.
13. ITC and BD have automated lancets
available in both newborn & preemie
sizes. The blade delivers the incision &
retracts for user safety.
14. There are several commercially
available devices that are available on
the market & we will repost on the
results of the survey with the next
issue. This information is not intended
to endorse any particular brand of
heelstick device. The user is
encouraged to evaluate the various
devices on the market for suitability.
References:
 Kellam, B., Waller, J. et al. 2001.
Tenderfoot Preemie vs a Manual
Lancet: A Clinical Evaluation,
Neonatal Network 20 (7); pp 31-36.
 Johnson, K., Cress, G. et al. 2000.
Neonatal Laboratory Blood Sampling:
Comparison of Results from Arterial
Catheters with Those from an
Automated Capillary Device, Neonatal
Network 19 (1); pp 27-34.
Heelstick Devices
In the interest of safety, the issue of
utilizing heelstick devices to prevent injury
is being explored. Please check our
website (www.florida.air.medical.org) to
take the on-line survey to augment this
discussion. In reviewing the literature, I
found the following guidelines:
1. Heel punctures can be associated with
complications ranging from severe
bruising to osteomyelitis.
2. Improper depth of insertion can lead to
inadequate or inaccurate sampling/
results
3. Automated devices produce less
bruising and superior sampling, & less
repeat sampling is required (pain, time
& money are saved) .
4. The vascular bed lies 0.35-1.6 mm
below the skin surface.
5. pain fibers are abundant below the 2.4
mm depth.
6. A controlled depth of 2.4 mm or less is
safe for use in neonates.
7. when the skin is compressed, a device
that punctures to a 2.4 mm depth can
result in an incision depth of 3-4 mm.
8. care must be taken to avoid the medial
aspect of the heel.
9. Devices are available that will utilize
either the puncture method or the
pendulum arch method.
10. The pendulum arch method does not
deposit dermal debris at the incision
site, therefore allowing better blood
flow.
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National Association of Neonatal
Nurses Conference Report
October 8-11th brought the 19th annual
conference in Palm Springs, CA. It was attended
by over 600 neonatal nurses, with topics that
suited all levels of nursing experience. The
breakout session on transport was very
interesting. Many of the people present discussed
issues of recruitment & retention. Most of those
present did not have staff dedicated exclusively
to transport. It was felt that many of the team
members were overwhelmed by the
responsibility of having a patient assignment and
being asked to go out on a transport. It became
clear that if there is to be successful recruitment
of new members, the senior members need to be
able to feel that they are not taking advantage of
in such situations. It is well known that there is a
magic number of transports that would justify a
staff dedicated exclusively to transport, and that
this number is easier to achieve in referral
centers that serve large geographic areas, such as
those from Utah. It also became clear that the
teams that are not dedicated solely to transport
utilize residents, fellows & NNPs to perform
advanced skills such as chest tube insertions,
intubations & line placements. It was also
remarkable that our state is one of the few who
have any legislation regarding neonatal
transports- our founding members could be very
proud of their initiative & success. I also
inquired as to how many teams used hearing
protection on ground transports. Most teams who
did air transports used protection in the air- not
on the ground. This is similar to our own
inquiries within the FNPTNA. Please participate
in our on-line survey which you can take from
our website- www.florida.air.medical.org . Stay
tuned for the results in our next newsletter. We
hope to present a summary of the history of our
organization at the NANN conference next
October in Orlando- maybe it can inspire others
to become proactive in their own states. Hats off
to the founding members: Sharon Chandler,
Louise Bowen & Annie Fredericks, whose hard
work & dedication first formed this organization
in 1992.
HAPPY HAUNTING!
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Educational Opportunities
IABP Transportation
October 30,2003- 8am-5PM
Target audience : RN, EMT, EMT-P, RT
The STABLE Program
Held at:
Homestead Hospital Lime Room
St Josephs Hospital - Tampa FL
To register call 786-662-8139
Medical Arts Building Room 4
Send $115 (includes textbook)
Instructors: Daryl Harper, Datascope and Kevin
Grossman, Bayflite
to South Miami Hospital/ Education Services
6200 SW 73 Street
To Register: Call the SJH Education Dept @
813-870-4983
Miami, FL 33143
Cost: $10 for non-Baycare employees
8 CEU's for nursing and respiratory
Any other questions, contact Janell
Tatusko,RN,BS,CCRN, Education Specialist
@813-554-8746
***************************************
November 3-5th, 2003
or Kevin Grossman,RN,CEN,EMTP, Bayflite @
352-796-6450.
Air Medical Transport Conference
***************************************
"Big Sky - Bright Future"
November 18-21, 2003
RENO, NV
Air Medical Crew Core Curriculum
Reno Hilton
MECA, Inc
1-800-648-5080
Ft. Pierce
On-site registration only
***************************************
http://www.aams.org/conf&mtgs.html
November 18-20, 2003
***************************************
November 5-9, 2003
Rotor & Wing's Emergency Response 2003
2003 EMS Performance Conference and First
Annual NEMSMA Meeting
Long Beach Convention Center
Long Beach, CA
held in collaboration with HealthAnalytics
1.301.354.1828
Tampa, FL
Current Concepts in Neonatal/Pediatric
Transport
***************************************
November 17th, 2003 - 12noon to 1600
March 2-6, 2003
OR
Hilton Salt Lake City, Utah
November 18th, 2003 - 0800 to 12noon
(801) 588-4060
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