San Fernando
Valley AACN
Winter Newsletter
2014
President’s Message
It is with a grateful heart that I give thanks to all the wonderful people
on the SFVAACN board who have stepped forward, volunteering their
time and effort to keep this organization running smoothly. As I
contemplate the dedication and perseverance of all the many board
members throughout the years, I would like to extend a special thanks to
Annette Nelson, our Membership Chair and Historian, who has been a
member of the SFVAACN for almost forty years and served on the board
for over 20 of those years. She has served as secretary, treasurer elect,
treasurer, president elect and president, liaison chair and membership
chair! She has been a CCRN since 1980 and attended almost every NTI
since 1980. In the last three years that I have served on the board, I
have had the pleasure and honor of working with Annette. She has been a
guiding presence at every meeting, always ready to share her wealth of
knowledge and to offer guidance whenever I needed some. I thank you
Annette for your dedication throughout the years; you are an inspiration
to all and a difficult act to follow. As you move forward with your life, we
congratulate you and wish you well, but know that you will be greatly
missed!
Sincerely,
Cindy Kapucija, RN, CCRN
President 2013-2014
Get Certified in Critical
Care
By Anna Dermenchyan, RN, BSN, CCRN-CSC
CCRN specialty certification was introduced in 1976 by the
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) for
nurses providing care to acutely and/or critically ill adult,
pediatric and neonatal patients. More than 80,000 acute
and critical care nurses are presently certified worldwide in
adult, pediatric or neonatal nursing. CCRN certification
validates your knowledge of nursing care of acutely and/or
critically ill patients to hospital administrators, peers,
patients and, most importantly, to yourself.
CCRN
certification promotes continuing excellence in the critical
care nursing field.
Certified nurses voluntarily test themselves against a
national standard as role models of professional
accountability. They distinguish themselves through a
commitment to continuing professional development and
career advancement.
STEP FORWARD AND GET CERTIFIED!
San Fernando Valley AACN is looking forward to teaming up
with the Ventura County Chapter AACN in sponsoring a
Certification review course this summer. Stay tuned for
further details!
Fall Symposium Report
By Michele Long, RN, CCRN
Our fall Symposium was held on October 9, 2013 at the
Odyssey Restaurant. Our speaker was Krystal Coffman,
DNP, ACNP who shared her wealth of knowledge on
Neuro-Trauma.
Here are just a FEW tidbits I gleamed from her
presentation:
 Keep the patient’s head in neutral alignment at all
times.
 With basilar skull fracture patients, check any
fluid draining from the nose for glucose. CSF
contains glucose but plain nasal drainage does not!
 If the patient is receiving paralytics, the only
reliable neuro assessment is changes in the size
and reaction of the pupils.
 Always use a hard collar if ligament damage is
suspected in a patient with a spinal cord injury.
 Always call the MD if your patient’s condition
unexpectedly changes, new onset of seizures,
fever, or if you have “a bad feeling” about
something.
Here are some pictures taken at the symposium.
Thanks to our vendors for their generous support
and to everyone who attended!
We’re so glad so many people enjoyed the Symposium.
Here’s a letter we received from Mount Saint Mary’s
College:
:
SFVAACN Scholarships
Available
SFVAACN will be awarding two
scholarships this year to deserving
members. These scholarships can be used
to defray the cost of ANY educational
program including NTI. Please email your
contact info to SFVC.info@aacn.org by
April 1st if you are interested in applying
for a scholarship.
Here are a few pictures of the Holiday
Party held at Mary Lou McQueen’s home
on December 12:
SFVAACN SPRING
SYMPOSIUM
th
MARCH 19 and 20
Topics include:
th
Heart Failure,
Transfusion Medicine,
Sepsis and Procalcitonin,
Endoscopic Brain Surgery,
Nursing Leadership,
Progressive Mobility,
ACS, Treating Addiction,
Treating Dysrhythmias,
Mechanical Circulatory
Support and more…
Odyssey Restaurant
Earn 7.0 CEUs each day
Please register by Mail or
online via Eventbrite!!!
For any questions please
email sfvc.info@aacn.org
Please note the following
correction:
Scott Robertson will be speaking
on Treating Addiction