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Reminder **UNP Election 2011** ends April 1

Posted about 13 years ago by Wendy Rusin

Utah Nurse Practitioner Members,

 Thank-you to the many individuals who contacted me regarding the UNP elected positions for the upcoming year. Below I have included the nominee biographical information for individuals who have agreed to serve UNP for the upcoming year.

 Please vote electronically via the following link.

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BKMY9R2

 Voting is currently open and will close Friday April 1, 2011 at 5:00 pm.

 In addition to the newly elected positions, the following individuals will be continuing their terms of office:

            Immediate Past President—Jennifer Clifton

            President—Wendy Rusin

            Secretary—Ronda Lucey

            Board Member—Jennifer Stock

 Thank-you for your continued support of UNP,

 Julie Balk

Immediate Past President/Nominations Chair

 President Elect

 Patricia Rushton

My name is Patricia Rushton.  I have an MS in oncology nursing and a Ph.D. in higher education, both from Brigham Young University.  My certificate as an adult nurse practitioner is from the University of Utah and I am certified as an oncology certified nurse practitioner by the Oncology Nurse Certification Corporation of the Oncology Nursing Society.   I am currently an associate professor of nursing at Brigham Young University and working part time PRN for both Applegate Home Care and Hospice and at the Salt Lake City Veterans Administration Hospital.  My area of research emphasis is pain management and nursing history. 

I have appreciated being a member of the UNP.  I feel that the record of the organization in advocating for Utah nurse practitioner practice and in providing continuing education for its members has truly been outstanding.  As president of the organization I would surely wish to promote the organization’s agenda in both of these areas.  I also feel that nurses are not very good at telling their own story.  The public does not really have an understanding of what nurses do and the important contributions of amazing staff nurses and of outstanding nurse practitioners to the community in which they live.  I would work to change the perception of the public by making our contributions more apparent through acquiring the accounts of amazing nurses, the stories of the service they provide, through publication and presentation of those stories. 

Treasurer

 Jacolin Dehler Shifrar

 I have been an OB-GYN nurse practitioner for 31 years and CNM for 14 years.  Currently I am employed in a private OB-GYN practice.  Outside of my clinical practice, I am active on the Medical Advisory Board for Utah Cancer Control Program.  In the past 5 years I have been a UNP board member, pharmacology conference committee member, and UNP awards chair.  I plan to cultivate my involvement with UNP and co create with the board means to increase membership, as well as some creative fundraising ideas, with the hope of increasing revenue for UNP scholarships and other activities sponsored by UNP.  More recently I have become a member of a fundraising committee for the International Cervical Cancer Foundation (INCCA), a non-profit organization which provides free medical care to indigenous women in Peru.

 

 Board Positions

 Kara Diersing Clapp

Kara has been a Family NP since 2006, a CNS since 1995, and earned her PhD from the University of Utah in 2005. She has been in practice for 29 years. She is independently employed as an NP since 2006. Independent employment has brought a lot of NP issues to her business doorstep. In 2009 she opened the door for all NPs to be listed in Aetna’s provider directory (previously only physicians were listed) and to have 85% of the physician reimbursement schedule for independents (which required Aetna not to list NPs as specialists who needed a referral for family practice). She also successfully won a review in 2008 from the attorney generals office for allegations of impersonating an MD when she chose to use the word doctor in her clinic name and in advertising. She would like to serve as a board member and bring some of the issues facing independent employment to the forefront. As one of the first plenary states for independent practice, Utah’s NP organization should always include self employed NPs when speaking for many NPs across the state.

 Grace Forsythe

Grace is committed to advancing the role of nurse practitioners providing health care in Utah. She specializes in psychiatric/MH nursing and currently works in the SLC VA Mental Health Clinic. She is the secretary of the Utah APNA Board and a past Chair of the Psychiatric Nursing Council. She has worked on the Crisis Team at the VA and the Psychiatric Consult Team at the U of U. She has taught psychiatric nursing at 3 universities including the U of U. She has a part time private practice and is a mediator in the Utah State Courts. She is interested in representing NP interests in legislative issues and promoting the role of NPs in health care reform. She has a collaborative style and values working as an NP on multidisciplinary health care teams.   Grace sees NPs in her own personal healthcare.

 Donna Freeborn

I received my Master’s Degree, FNP and CNM from University of Southern California and my PhD in nursing from Oregon Health and Science University. I have taught at BYU since 1999 and have been the coordinator of the FNP program since 1994. I still practice weekly at the Volunteer Care Clinic and, of course, precept students. I feel that an important issue for UNP is facilitating the preceptor process for NP students. Each of us were precepted when we were students and part of giving back to the profession to precept current students. The UNP is in a unique position to bring preceptors and students together.

 Barbara Holstein

As a new member, I would like to serve in a UNP board position. It would be an opportunity for me to become actively involved in my professional organization as well as to become better acquainted with fellow members. I am a 2003 graduate of the MSN program at Westminster College here in SLC and as an FNP I have learned so much about myself and other people through involvement with low income and underserved populations. I have been teaching in the MSN/ DNP program at the University of Utah since 2006. I would readily share my experiences and knowledge-gained and be inspired by achievements of other UNP members and do this as part of a consolidated effort to promote our profession through education, legislation and community service.        

Debbie Whipple

I have been a member of both the ANA and UNP organizations for many years. I   organized the Northern Utah Nurse Practitioners in Ogden for networking among the varied specialties and to offer educational opportunities. I am interested in furthering my involvement with the Utah Nurse Practitioners at this critical time in our health care debate. Trying to create opportunities for the distant Nurse Practitioner to become more involved using video technology would be a suggestion to present to the organization for consideration in building a larger coalition of members.

I have practiced as an Adult Nurse Practitioner and currently I am certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner. I work full time and have provided preceptorship sites for students since 1996. In addition I have been both volunteer adjunct faculty and adjunct faculty at the University of Utah College of Nursing. I recently completed my Doctorate in Nursing Practice and feel I have experienced the full scope of nursing through my years as a RN, APRN and nurse educator.