Healthcare Journalists Tour Nursing

The Association of Healthcare Journalists conference kicked off today with a tour of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Attendees saw:

How we’re taking on the opioid epidemic
Incredible tech advances in simulation
Nurses critical role in responding to domestic violence

The student-led session, “Answering the Crisis: Opioid & Harm Reduction,” was run by students Julia Cohn, Meredith Kerr, Bianca Palmisano, Christopher Stuckey, and faculty member Catherine Ling.

The opioid session had four stations: recognize opioid poisoning, administering Naloxone, harm reduction and stigma, and pain management.

“Try this exercise,” said Bianca Palmisano in an eye-opening step of the harm reduction station. “Google “Baltimore & opioid” and “Baltimore & cocaine.” What’s the media’s tone for different drugs?”

Surgeon General Urges Public to Carry Narcan. Here’s What Nurses Say

Next, attendees experienced incredible advances in simulation with Nancy Sullivan, Kristen Brown, Ken Dion, and Jessica Ockimey. First, they met Ben. He’s a mannequin with a fontanelle, a brachial pulse, he cries, and we can remotely change how difficult it is to access his airway. While participants cared for Ben, Dr. Brown joined remotely via a double robot.

It’s critical technology for our distance students to practice, but it’s also “how we’ll see our providers in the future,” she says. “For people with comorbidities, we’ll be able to access the whole care team through technology when you go to one provider.” Then they met Mr. Clarkson (aka Assistant Dean Kenneth Dion) who was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is home following a procedure.

Finally, attendees had lunch with Dr. Nancy Glass and Dean Patricia Davidson. In Dean Davidson’s introduction, she pointed out the critical need to tell nurses’ stories.

“Nurses are only represented in 4 percent of health care media, but provide at least 50 percent of care in developed countries, and up to 80 in developing countries.” We’re missing out on over 90 percent of the healthcare story worldwide.

Then, Dr. Nancy Glass’s presentation “The essential role of nurses in prevention and response to violence against women and girls” shed light on how nurses fit into intimate partner violence. “Women who talk to their nurses about abuse violence are four times more likely to use a referral for services like advocacy, shelter, legal, and more,” said Dr. Glass.