Scott Chisholm Lamont, RN.

Latest Pages Added:

I was asked to be the speaker for the 2006 UNM Children's Hospital Memorial service, which was organized by the Mariposa Pediatric Hospice Program. You can find a copy of my homily on loss and grief here.

So, I think that posting PowerPoint presentations is going to work, altough it looks like it will work better if I flesh out the notes part of the slides, which I almost never use. However, that aside, here are two more of my presentations. The first is brand new, entitled "How to Develop the Scholarly Aspect of your Nursing Practice", which I just presented to the UNMH Nursing Research Rounds. The second is on pediatric spinal immobilization, which I presented at the Tuscon Southwest Regional Trauma Conference in 2002. Once again, your comments are welcome.

And here is my first attempt at posting some of the PowerPoint presentations I have kicking around. This is a presentation I gave to the American Assembly for Men in Nursing at their 2002 Annual Meeting, which was hosted at the Vanderbilt School of Nursing in Nashville, Tennessee. It is entitled "Enough With the Spit and Bailing Wire!: Improving the image of nursing through fundamental change". Let me know what you think.

I have posted an essay on the concept of professional autonomy. This was a concept analysis I wrote for one of my doctoral courses on nursing theory. It needs re-writing, but I thought that it was still worth sharing even though it is a work in progress.

My new podcast, called "The Nursing Station", is finally up and running. As far as I know, it is the first podcast by a professional nurse specifically on nursing. The purpose of this podcast will be to share information, research, and opinions about current issues in nursing and health care that are of interest to practicing nurses and the public, and interviews with some of the fascinating nurses I've met in my career. I've even learned how to set us an RSS feed so that you can stay tuned!

I have posted an advice sheet I created for my students on how to effectively study for and write exams. I hope anyone who is faced with writing exams finds it useful.

I have posted the graduation speech I made on behalf of the RN to BSN grads at the UNM College of Nursing December 2001 ceremony. I think it has some points worth thinking about regarding the challenges facing nursing and nurses over the next decade.

I have posted an old article on the concerns I have with professional nurses participating in trade unions. It was published in the Alberta Association of Registered Nurses Newsletter back in 1994. At the time, I was a union local president for a small hospital, and I was becoming more convinced that trade unions were not the best vehicle of registered nurses to use to address either workplace or practice issues. I obtained permission to post it here (and from that page you can also download it as a .PDF file). I will try to get the very thoughtful answer that was published in response to this by the provincial president of the other major nursing union in Alberta posted as well. My thinking on this subject has not exactly changed in the intervening years (or change in practice locations), but it has certainly become more nuanced. I think that it is time for me to update this by writing a new article. I'll keep you posted when it is up.

Coming Soon:

I'm currently hard at work developing a page about nursing documentation and standardized nursing classification language. I've had many hits to my page by people searching for information on nursing documentation. I'm also very interested in the development and use of SNCL, and have contributed to the NIC and NOC systems, and am involved with NANDA International and the NDEC project. I'm also a member of NLinks. One of the things I will offer in this section is advice on writing and using care plans.

I will be posting some other essays that I have written here over the next few months. Subjects will include:

Family presence during resuscitation and invasive procedures

Pain management

End of life care in the ICU

Independent practice for nurses

Site News:

Due to moving, work pressure, and school, I've not posted in over a month (nor posted a new podcast episode). My appologies, I will get back on track when the dust settles.

I've submitted my nursing pages to be included on the Nursing Ring hosted by WebRing. If you would like to check out the ring, the navigation bar is at the bottom of this page.

I'm working on learning how to mount PowerPoint slideshows on the web. Once I get it figured out, I will post some of the lectures I've done.

Click here for a longer bio.

From NANDA International:

Contribute to the revolution in nursing diagnosis by submitting to the International Journal of Nursing Terminologies and Classifications.

As the official publication of NANDA International, the International Journal of Nursing Terminologies and Classifications is leading the way in the worldwide effort to develop standardized nursing languages and their applications for nurses, educators, and administrators. Editor Rose Mary Carroll-Johnson, MN, RN, is actively seeking submission for peer review. Submit your article or commentary reflecting knowledge development related to:

• Nursing terminology and classification for diagnoses interventions, and outcomes
• Use of nursing language in practice and education
• The processes of clinical judgement and knowledge presentation
• Use of nursing language and classification in research, practice, and education

To access complete submission guidelines click here. While on the site, see what this unique journal is all about by using the links on the left to the free Sample Issue on Blackwell Synergy. Be sure to sign up for our free eTOC service after you finish reading the online content so that you'll receive each new Table of Contents as it publishes!

Current Nursing News:

New Data Confirms That Shortage of Nursing School Faculty Hinders Efforts to Address the Nation's Nursing Shortage

From American Association of Colleges of Nursing Press Release, Tuesday, March 08, 2005.

"Almost 3,000 Qualified Students Turned Away from Graduate Nursing Programs; Enrollments Rise in Accelerated and RN-to-Baccalaureate Programs"

WASHINGTON, DC, March 8, 2005 - According to new survey data released today by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), enrollments in entry-level baccalaureate programs in nursing increased by 14.1 percent in fall 2004 over the previous year. This enrollment increase is even greater than AACN's preliminary data released on December 15, 2004 which showed a 10.6 percent increase. Despite this significant gain, more than 32,000 qualified applications were turned away from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs last year, including almost 3,000 students who could potentially fill faculty roles.

AACN's findings are based on responses from 590 nursing schools (85.9 percent) in the U.S. and its territories that grant baccalaureate and/or graduate degrees. AACN data reflects actual counts reported in fall 2004 by nursing schools, not projections or estimates based on past reporting. The survey found that total enrollment in all nursing programs leading to the baccalaureate degree was 147,170, up from 126,954 in 2003. Within this universe, 112,180 students were enrolled in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs.

"Increasing enrollment in baccalaureate programs is a key first step to addressing the nation's diminishing supply of nurse educators," said AACN President Jean E. Bartels, PhD, RN. "Since the overwhelming majority of nurses with master's and doctoral degrees began their education in baccalaureate programs, efforts to overcome the faculty shortage must focus on boosting enrollment in four-year nursing programs."

The top reasons reported by nursing schools for not accepting all qualified students into entry-level baccalaureate programs, include insufficient faculty (76.1 percent), admissions seats filled (75 percent), and insufficient clinical teaching space (54.5 percent). In the 2004-2005 academic year, 122,194 completed applications were received at schools of nursing with 84,002 meeting admission criteria and 54,577 applications accepted. The application acceptance rate was 44.7 percent.

"Given the nation's diminishing supply of nurse faculty, it's particularly disturbing to see that almost 3,000 qualified applicants were denied entry into graduate nursing programs last year," said Dr. Bartels. "Efforts to address the faculty shortage will fail unless we can ensure that all qualified nursing students seeking graduate education can be accommodated."

One innovative program that is gaining momentum and helping to bring younger faculty into nursing is the Baccalaureate to Doctoral degree program. These accelerated programs provide an efficient pathway to careers as nurse educators, researchers, and leaders for highly motivated students. Intense clinical experiences are embedded in these 4-5 year graduate programs, which build on the solid foundation provided in baccalaureate programs. AACN's latest survey shows that 49 Baccalaureate to Doctoral programs are available nationwide, up from 45 programs in 2003, with an additional 12 programs under development.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Rosseter
(202) 463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu

Click here for more details or to order a data report.

Click here or some examples of how individual nursing schools have expanded enrollment despite facing challenges.

AACN Website

Nurse visit program improves post-natal outcomes

From Morning Edition, Wednesday, December 08, 2004

"A new program gives first-time single, poor mothers guidance from trained nurses. The nurses supervise the pregnancy and the first two years of the baby's life. According to the journal Pediatrics, the program is cheaper and more effective than any other early intervention plan. Hear NPR's Michelle Trudeau."

The studies were published by Dr. David Olds of the Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his colleagues. Here are the citations:

Olds DL, Robinson J, Pettitt L, Luckey DW, Holmberg J, Ng RK, Isacks K, Sheff K, Henderson CR Jr. "Effects of home visits by paraprofessionals and by nurses: age 4 follow-up results of a randomized trial." Pediatrics. 2004 Dec; 114(6):1560-8. PMID: 15574615 [PubMed - in process]

Olds DL, Kitzman H, Cole R, Robinson J, Sidora K, Luckey DW, Henderson CR Jr, Hanks C, Bondy J, Holmberg J. "Effects of nurse home-visiting on maternal life course and child development: age 6 follow-up results of a randomized trial." Pediatrics. 2004 Dec; 114(6):1550-9. PMID: 15574614 [PubMed - in process]

Action Alert:

Call your Senator! Senate bill 3013 will interfere with the ability of pain management providers to care for those experiencing chronic pain by using nation wide data collection as an intimidation technique. Click here for details.

Update Dec 17, 2004: I confirmed with the offices of both Senator Boxer & Senator Feinstein that this bill is still in committee, so there is still time to act. Please contact your Senator.