Our annual teaching visit in November 2012 was a great success. In addition to the VNP leaders, 10 volunteers from three states and 10 different educational and healthcare organizations joined us. They were:
- Robert Geibert, EdD, RN, Pediatric Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, San Rafael, CA.
- AnnMarie Hunt-Bellah, NP, RN, Nurse Practitioner, Division of Gastroenterology, Santa Clara Medical Center, Santa Clara, CA.
- Tess Johnsen, MSN, RN. Instructor, CNA/HHA Programs, Fremont Union High School Adult Community Education Program, Sunnyvale, CA.
- Sherry Ladegast, MSN, RN. Telemetry/Transitional Care Unit, Veterans Administration Hospital, San Francisco, CA, and Doctor of Nursing Practice Student, USF/SONHP.
- Melissa Levinson, BSN, RN, Transplant Coordinator, University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, CA.
Melissa was not able travel to Ha Noi with us; however, she developed and narrated a PowerPoint presentation that described the immediate postoperative care of the kidney transplant patient. This was presented during one of our educational sessions at Thanh Nhan Hospital.
- Arunee Nakhongsri, NP, RN, Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center, Berkeley, CA, and Doctor of Nursing Practice Student, USF/SONHP.
- Mathew Mitchell, PhD. Professor, USF School of Education and Co-Director, Center for Teaching Excellence.
- Ann Nguyen, MSN, RN, Clinical Coordinator, Wound Care Center, Regional Medical Center, San Jose, CA. Graduate of USF/SONHP Clinical Nurse Leader Program.
Ann is a certified wound care specialist, and the first recipient of the Vietnam Nurse Project “Above and Beyond Award” for her dedication and commitment to the Vietnam Nurse Project.
- Tim Porter-O’Grady, EdD, RN, President, Tim Porter-O’Grady Associates, Atlanta, GA, and Professor of Innovation, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ. Tim is a Certified Wound Care Specialist.
- Carly Searles, NP, RN. Breast Health Center, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA.
These dedicated and talented volunteers presented clinical and educational seminars at Thanh Nhan Hospital, An Khan Nursing School, and the University of Traditional Medicine, School of Nursing. Their audiences were nurses from TNH and Ha Noi Department of Health facilities, nursing students and faculty, and practicing clinical and administration nurses.
Nursing seminar topics included:
- Bronchial hygiene
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Care of patients on positive pressure ventilators
- Evidence-based Practice
- GI bleed patient care management
- Infection control
- Kidney transplant: Immediate Postoperative Care
- Leadership and Management: Shared Governance
- Lung Cancer
- Ostomy Care
- Patient Safety
- Pediatric Acute Diarrhea
- Pediatric Asthma
- Teaching with simulation
- Wound Care
The kidney transplant seminar was augmented with a narrated PowerPoint presentation developed by Melissa Levinson, BSN, RN, Transplant Coordinator, University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, CA. This was the first time we have used a pre-recorded narrated presentation and it was a great success.
During this trip, several volunteers were able to provide direct patient care in the TNH/ICU which primarily focused on diabetic ulcer wound debridement. Practicing alongside their TNH nurse colleagues was a great highlight for many of the volunteers.
I want to thank Dr. Mathew Mitchell, Co-director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of San Francisco, and professor in the USF School of Education. Dr. Mitchell assisted with many aspects of our November visit to Ha Noi. Most importantly, he served as our videographer and provided expert consultation to us for our effective use of educational technology. Dr Mitchell also produced the Vietnam Nurse Project Overview Video that appears on the Project Website. I had great empathy for Dr. Mitchell during our November visit to the Thanh Nhan Hospital intensive care unit, as there were times when he observed aspects of patient care that, while common to nurses, were anything but common for him. Dr. Mitchell photographed educational sessions, provided technical support during our live teaching broadcast to demonstrate best practice procedures in wound care from a patient's bedside in the ICU to the classroom environment several floors above in the hospital building. Dr. Mitchell also assisted the VNP leaders with the setup and broadcast for the successful launch of our Virtual Nursing Grand Rounds ceremony (a live, Hanoi-to-the University of San Francisco interactive broadcast). As with all our dedicated volunteers, his contributions enable our success in achieving the mission and objectives of the Vietnam Nurse Project.
I would also like to thank all those who donated generous contributions to the Vietnam Nurse Project over that past few months. The donations enabled us to purchase new stethoscopes for the 40 nurses in the TNH/ICU. They were genuinely appreciative, and we have had the pleasure to watch them use this important piece of equipment in providing patient care. Prior to receiving their gifts, nurses in the ICU rarely owned their own stethoscope and this made patient assessment and care more difficult. You all have made a great difference in supporting the practice of these wonderful nurses.
On Wednesday, November 14, 2012 we launched the Virtual Nursing Grand Rounds demonstration project with a live broadcast from TNH to the USF/SONHP (see October Director’s Update). The ceremony was attended by many dignitaries.
In Ha Noi:
The Honorable Nguyen Khac Hien, MD, PhD, Director, Ha Noi Department of Health.
Dao Quang Minh, MD, PhD, CEO and Director, Thanh Nhan Hospital.
Minh Phuong, RN, Head of Nursing Division, Ha Noi Department of Health.
VNP Leaders and Volunteers in San Francisco:
Father President Stephen Privett, SJ, President, University of San Francisco.
Judith Karshmer, PhD, RN, Dean, School of Nursing and Health Professions, University of San Francisco.
The Honorable Ms. Tran Thi Hieu Hanh, Deputy Consul, Vietnamese Consulate, San Francisco, CA.
Sharon McCole, MSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, San Francisco General Hospital, Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA.
During the November visit, we also formed a partnership with “Project Being There”, Knoxville, TN (www.projectbeingthere.org). This organization provides financial and material support for the St. An’s Orphanage, Nam Dinh Province, which is 130km from Ha Noi. St An’s is a Catholic orphanage.
Robert Geibert, EdD, RN lead a delegation of four volunteers including AnnMarie Hunt-Bellah, NP, RN; Ann Nguyen, MSN, RN: Tess Johnsen, MSN, RN; and Darell Bellah to visit the orphanage for the purpose of providing initial physical assessments for 80 children and the entire orphanage staff. The children ranged in age from a few months to 18 years of age. This was the first assessment by a health care professional that many of these children and staff had received.
The volunteers developed a healthcare record for all the children and staff in Vietnamese. What is remarkable about this effort is that these volunteers did all this work in 2½ days, and then returned to Ha Noi to present seminars. I would like to thank Tracy Foster, Director of Project Being There for providing this valuable and very rewarding opportunity for our volunteers.
In closing, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the volunteers and to Drs. DeBourgh, Prion, and Nguyen Thanh for their dedication and support of the Vietnam Nurse Project. Drs. DeBourgh and Prion dedicate enormous time and effort to ensure that the VNP meets the needs of our colleagues in Ha Noi, and they do this in addition to their full-time teaching responsibilities at USF/SONHP.
Dr. Nguyen Thanh, Director TNH/ICU, was honored with an appointment as affiliate faculty at the USF/SONHP during this trip. Dr. Nguyen has worked countless hours to ensure that we are well taken care of when we are in Ha Noi, and is, without question, a friend of nursing. Without his guidance and continued support, the Virtual Nursing Grand Rounds Project would not be possible.
Dr. Nguyen is also serving as a committee member for Arunee Nakhongsri’s DNP project. He is the first Vietnamese physician to serve on a DNP committee at USF/SONHP.
