TekkenDanser

What did you end up doing? I graduated recently this past May as a PMHNP and became board certified in August. I had planned to move as well, but couldn't make the transition quick enough. I am now seeking employment in my current state and giving myself another 6 months for relocation to a different state. So I am curious if you decided on a course of action since making this post...

Is anybody going to the APNA 29th Annual Conference in late October? It will be held at Lake Buena Vista in Orlando, FL. I am a Psych-NP student planning to attend and would like to save as much money as I can on hotel/lodging expenses. Any advice? The hotel rate that is offered through the conference is fairly reasonable for $129/night, but for 4 days that amounts to $516, and with the conference registration fee, I'm anticipating the total cost of the whole trip to be $1000+! Any ideas about options around the area, or any hosts in the nursing community who are willing to come forward, please share. Thank you!

I can't actually PM you until I have a certain number of posts...

I actually just sent an e-mail to my research preceptors to see how they felt about limiting it to a group of RNs in general or NPs. Both of them are APRNs and I am a student in the Psych NP program. I think we are hoping to recruit FNPs, Pedi NPs, and Psych NPs, but if that sample population is too limited and there are not enough encounters to investigate, then we would have to consider expanding the inclusion criteria. I am also hoping to get their opinion on whether or not we should modify the age group to 8-12 year olds. I would like to see if this age group is particular in terms of developmental stages, based on current pediatric research. I really appreciate your post and would definitely be interested in learning as much as I can from the research and experiences you have already acquired. In Massachusetts, I believe the topic of sexuality, specifically LGBT issues, are more "socially acceptable" in general. I wonder if this contributes to youth in Mass being more likely to inquire about these things than in other states, which is why we are also looking at regional differences. As mentioned, youth nowadays are more exposed to media in various formats and are highly influenced by them. In Boston, especially, youth will grow up being exposed to way more variations in the way people live their lives than perhaps a less urban area. I will PM you!

Yes, research assessment methods! That is what we are hoping to do for healthcare providers who find themselves in the situation of a curious child that is asking questions. It may not be an appropriate topic for discussion for patients who are not exhibiting any curiosity about sexuality. Fine. But it would not be a sufficient response to tell your pediatric patient, "Sorry, but we can't discuss this until you are old enough. You should not be asking these kinds of questions." The research topic was chosen from a personal experience with this. We are hoping to equip healthcare providers with an assessment method that can be used to prepare them if such an encounter arises. The initial pilot study is to do exactly this- figuring out if this is a meaningful study by surveying, in our chosen sample, nurse practitioners.

Thanks for all the input. The study is at its very very beginning stages, so the other two researchers and I are scattering around to explore our options, including nurses' reactions and opinions to the study as well as their experiences or level of exposure. We do keep in mind that using an anonymous forum carries its risks. One of our ethical considerations is whether or not this topic should be kept as a personal matter between parents and child, but research has shown that children approach healthcare professionals and initiate conversation, rather than the other way around. Sometimes children will more readily tell a provider something they may be embarrassed to disclose with a parent. The study came about for that reason actually.

I am an RN and student in a Psych NP program at Northeastern University. I have teamed up with two other nurse researchers to investigate the interactions between nurses and young children, ages 6-10 who have brought up sexuality questions. They may have expressed curiosity about LGBT lifestyles, or something made you think that as a nurse you should bring it up as part of a complete assessment. This is a multi-disciplinary topic and we would like to hear from any and all nurses who have had encounters with this type of pediatric patient. How did you handle the situation? What is your specialty (if you have one)? Would you be wiling to participate in a survey regarding this topic? As an RN, I have not had many opportunities (or maybe not enough time) to get involved in research, but I am grateful that as a nursing student, I am encouraged to participate in the research process to promote nursing professionalism and evidence-based practice. I would be so grateful to get even a handful of responses... Or a suggestion of a way to reach out to more nurses...