In a significant development for mental health services in the military, U.S. Navy Lieutenant j.g. Lindsay Bender demonstrated strong leadership and empathy in her contributions throughout her military career, particularly at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This resulted in her being chosen to fill the critical leadership billet of Assistant Service Chief.
U.S. Army Col. Wendy Woodall, Walter Reed’s director of nursing, emphasized that “This role is typically for an O-3 or higher and GS-12,” acknowledging the significance of Bender’s assignment.
Additionally, in March 2024, Bender was accepted into the Uniformed Services University (USU) Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. This achievement and progress involved Bender’s leadership ability, empathy, and collaborative mentality.
Daily Nurse named U.S. Navy Lieutenant j.g. Lindsay Bender the Nurse of the Week for her outstanding contributions as a Navy nurse, including her caring nature, innovative mindset, clinical expertise, commitment to nursing excellence, and military mental health services.
While at Walter Reed, Bender took on multiple roles, notably serving as the Assistant Service Chief of a 20-bed medical-surgical unit and efficiently leading more than 60 military and civilian personnel. The George Mason University graduate understood the gravity of occupying a role usually reserved for higher-ranking individuals, crediting her success to the guidance received and her experience in nursing leadership.
“I feel very fortunate to have been selected to fill this role,” Bender remarked. “I owe a lot of gratitude to the mentors and leaders I’ve worked with throughout my career, who have helped shape me into who I am today.”
Recognizing her work as Assistant Service Chief as a continuation of her recent experience as a floor nurse, which influenced leadership decisions, Bender added, “Nursing is a team effort, and I approach each day as a unique opportunity to improve upon the previous day, with the awareness that influence can be felt throughout every level of the leadership structure.”
She also acknowledged her “floor experience” for providing a distinctive perspective when discussing unit operations and management with other nursing leaders, underlining the significance of a supportive and collaborative environment.
Additionally, Bender was a Patient Safety Advisor and ‘Super User’ for MHS GENESIS, the DOD’s new electronic health records system.
As a Patient Safety Advisor, Bender played a significant role in enhancing patient safety and quality improvement, fostering an environment of understanding and compassion essential for patient care.
Adapting to change, Bender led efforts during the MHS GENESIS implementation as a ‘Super-User,’ contributing to staff proficiency by linking traditional practices with new technology.
Committed to innovation and process improvement, Bender used her ‘why’ approach to revamp the nursing workflow for lab specimen handling across the directorate, improving policies and resulting in increased scanning compliance rates among nursing staff.
Bender’s dedication to military mental health services was further fueled by her personal experiences, leading to her pursuit of a degree in Psychiatric Mental Health from USU. This degree program begins this month.
“Throughout my career, I have encountered various stigmas and barriers toward seeking mental health care, which has fueled my passion for advocacy for change,” Bender explained. “This is why the opportunity to complete the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Nursing Practice degree through USUHS is so exciting!”
Her advocacy was driven by recognizing the need among service members, including the challenges of military life and seeking mental health treatment.
“I hope to be an advocate for change and another person in the fight to increase mental health services for service members,” shared Bender. “The opportunity to attend USUHS and receive a top-quality education is life-changing, and I’m extremely grateful.”
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
Nurse practitioner Judy Vire has dedicated her life to establishing care for patients in rural parts of Central Texas. Her clinic, Kocurek & James, is one of a few providers offering medical care to communities desperate for easier access.
Vire has a master’s degree in nursing, was a nursing educator, and worked in many nursing roles, but she said her love of small-town America and the people there inspires her life’s work.
Daily Nurse proudly names Judy Vire the Nurse of the Week for her dedication to providing access to care to small-town and rural communities and caring for the most vulnerable patients, those who are unable to leave their homes.
Vire and her family settled in Flatonia, where she helped open the Rural Health Clinic in Flatonia and Schulenberg. Medical care is paramount for people in this rural part of Central Texas.
“It’s critical. Without having access to care close to home, people would be commuting into Austin, Katy, Victoria — that’s at least an hour’s drive any way you go,” Vire says. “These small communities depend on having these home-grown clinics close to home for convenience and access to care.”
Vire often makes house calls to the most vulnerable patients who cannot leave their homes.
“Because it’s a rural area, we serve an older population. The 65 and older are our largest population, and they, of course, need the most care,” Vire explains.
Regardless of whether a patient is old or young, Vire believes establishing trust is most important.
“Healthcare is personal. And when you have to tell someone bad news that impacts their lives, that is very personal, and people let you do that and trust you to do that,” she says.
That trust, she says, is why she’s given over 40 years to this career. Throughout her time at the Schulenberg clinic, she has seen generations of families making a daily impact on these communities.
In 2003, Vire was named Nurse Practitioner of the Year, and this year, she’s a Remarkable Woman nominee.
“It feels wonderful, and I was very surprised because there are a whole lot of more remarkable women than myself,” she says.
When asked about her most treasured career accomplishment at this clinic, she said it’s time.
“Maybe it’s longevity,” Vire says. “I can’t believe it’s been 30-some-odd years, and I am still doing this. I am proud of that.”
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
Infantile spasms are a rare but serious form of epilepsy that is often misdiagnosed. The disorder occurs in approximately 3 cases per 10,000 live births and usually begins in the first 4-8 months of life but can occur in children up to age 3. Most cases are associated with an abnormal brain wave pattern that can cause harm to a young, developing brain. Recognizing symptoms and initiating early treatment are critical in diminishing the long-term effects on these children. Because of this reason, raising awareness and aiding in early recognition is critical.
Recognizing the Symptoms of Infantile Spasms
Sadly, most cases of infantile spasms are misdiagnosed as reflux, colic, or normal startle reflex of infancy. These seizures can look like sudden stiffening of the arms and legs, bending forward of the body, or arching of the back. The key to differentiating these from normal infancy movements is that they often occur in clusters lasting 1-2 seconds and can occur up to 100 times per day. Spasms are also most likely to occur when the baby has just woken up.
Children with infantile spasms are at a much higher risk for developing intellectual disability, autism, and epilepsy. These spasms may also be associated with specific disorders such as genetic abnormalities, brain injury, or infection. In some children, no cause is found. The best plan of attack for infantile spasms is prompt recognition of the spasms, a full medical workup, and early intervention.
Parents vs. Practitioners: A Team Approach is Essential
The first line of recognition falls on parents, but too often, their concerns are dismissed by practitioners. It is important to educate both parties on infantile spasms, including what the spasms look like and the need for prompt evaluation and treatment.
If parents know the symptoms, they need to document and record them in real-time so there’s evidence. Then, they should urgently seek medical attention. Parents are encouraged to use their cell phones for video evidence of what they are seeing, and it can be beneficial in helping the practitioners acknowledge their concerns. Learning the appropriate language to communicate to physicians can also make dismissal less likely. It can be helpful to describe these spasms in detail, including words like “stiffening” and “clusters” and how often they occur.
Healthcare workers need to be informed on how to recognize the symptoms of infantile spasms and the necessary workup and treatment after an initial diagnosis. To find a diagnosis, practitioners are responsible for recognizing the concerns of the parents or caretakers and analyzing the available evidence in addition to a workup that includes a neurological exam, EEG, and MRI. Most of these workups require admission to the hospital so they can be performed in a timely manner, and appropriate therapy can be initiated on an urgent basis. Infantile spasm cases can come into the pediatrician’s office, urgent care, or even the emergency department, making widespread education necessary. Early and effective treatment for these infants can improve the prognosis and lessen the severity of future epilepsy and degree of developmental delay.
Staying Educated and Informed
All healthcare workers are required to complete continuing medical education regularly. Part of this CME could include information and the most up-to-date statistics for infantile spasms. It is the responsibility of the healthcare community to create these in-services and provide this material to bring awareness and education. As mentioned before, these children can present to a multitude of different doctors and clinics, so widespread education is needed for everyone. Recognizing, testing, and treating requires a multi-faceted team approach that could consist of pediatricians, nurse practitioners, Emergency Physicians, and neurologists. These providers can take the information, stay informed on the standards of care, and help spread awareness to their fellow practitioners. This awareness can make all the difference in the world for the next infant that comes into the ER with spasms and gets the correct treatment instead of being discharged.
Recognizing Infantile Spasm Awareness Week
Infantile Spasms Awareness Week (ISAW) is held annually, December 1-7, to raise awareness of infantile spasms for everyone, especially parents and health practitioners. As an ER physician and mother of a little boy with a genetic abnormality, Duplication 15q Syndrome, I understand the essential need to spread awareness of this seizure disorder. When going through the stressful process of diagnosing my son, my family was a victim of a physician dismissal even though I’m a physician myself. We had recognized developmental delay issues in our son for almost an entire year before we convinced the pediatrician to run the necessary tests that led to his Duplication 15q Syndrome diagnosis. This specific genetic condition is associated with hypotonia, developmental delay, and infantile spasms with a high incidence of future epilepsy. Even as a physician, I was unprepared and uninformed when it came to his diagnosis and complications while also being a physician in the past who was not educated on infantile spasms or similar disorders.
As a result, I decided to educate myself on the most up-to-date information regarding spasms and their evaluation and treatment. I took every opportunity to educate my co-workers on my son’s diagnosis as well as on infantile spasms so that we could spread awareness and effective medical care. Receiving my son’s diagnosis was the hardest thing I have gone through and came with a huge emotional journey. However, it has also made me a much better physician. Since his diagnosis and my educational journey, I have conducted seminars on infantile spasms and personally cared for and treated several babies in the ER with possible spasms. I have been able to recognize the symptoms and arrange full workups and consultations to identify the underlying cause and initiate treatment. I encourage other healthcare workers, especially those who work in ERs, to seek similar education on infantile spasms and understand how critical early intervention is with this disorder.
As a popular career path, nurse practitioners have been in the ascendant for some time now, and 2024 is no exception. Every time you turn around, it can seem like someone else you know is in NP school or considering applying. No matter how you slice it, the nurse practitioner career has been enjoying its day in the sun, and the trend is destined to continue for the foreseeable future.
U.S. News Chooses NPs
As the year begins, many publications like to make their predictions and prognostications for the coming 12 months, and one area always worthy of attention is where the hot jobs are. U.S. News is one such publication that offers comprehensive lists, and their crunching of the economic numbers is generally highly trusted.
Nurse practitioners are familiar with making headlines, and the U.S. News has not disappointed. When they published their list of the top 100 jobs and their Best Jobs in America in 2024 profiles earlier this month, NPs emerged wearing the crown, with nurse anesthetists also making a commendable appearance. NPs also made the list of the best STEM jobs and the best healthcare jobs to boot.
There are many factors to consider when weighing which jobs are the most viable at any given time, and no measurement can tell the whole story. In their measuring, U.S. News includes several key metrics, among others:
Projected job growth
Rate of unemployment
Wage potential
Job safety and stability
Work-life balance
While not all NPs may agree with the rosy picture being painted by these reports, the fact remains that the numbers tell us quite a bit about the state of careers in our country.
What’s So Great About Being an NP?
According to the editors at U.S. News, multiple factors have worked in concert to put NPs over the top.
Median salary: $121,610
Salary means a lot in these days of skyrocketing housing costs, not to mention the cost of most everything else, including food, transportation, consumer goods, education, travel, and healthcare.
The numbers show that nurse practitioners earn an admirable salary of $121,610, although not in the upper reaches of what’s possible. However, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reporting the mean annual salary for all occupations as $61,900, the fact that NPs earn about twice that amount might be a consolation for some nurse practitioners.
While the cost of living is something to consider when looking at salary data, the best-paying cities for NPs include the following:
San Jose ($199,630)
San Francisco ($190,070)
Napa, CA ($189,190)
Vallejo, CA ($180,990)
New York City ($170,320)
Unemployment rate: 0.6%
After spending money, blood, sweat, and tears on graduate school, no nurse practitioner wants to face the prospect of being unable to find work. U.S. News reports that NPs have an unemployment rate of 0.6%, which should encourage those entering the job market. Demand and jobs are there, and talented NPs with a solid work history, well-written resumes, and good interview skills should be able to find employment in the current climate.
Job growth: 44.5% or 118,600 jobs by 2032
As more and more people choose NP school as their career path, we want to see encouraging projections into the future. For quite some time, projected job growth for nurse practitioners has been positive, and the current numbers are just that: with the BLS projecting 6% job growth for RNs through 2032, we see a stark difference in the 44.5% for NPs.
What Can We Conclude?
In terms of the U.S. News data, nurse practitioners have much to be happy about regarding job growth and salaries.
Meanwhile, nurse anesthetists aren’t doing too badly either, with a median salary of $203,090 and unemployment of 1.9%. However, job growth is only projected as being 8.9% through 2032, which makes this a much more competitive career path, with only 4,400 new jobs that will be created between now and then.
On the not-so-bright side, the stress experienced by NPs on the job is characterized as high. NPs also have average job flexibility regarding work-life balance and alternative work schedules (although self-employed nurse practitioners who run their practices have more control over their schedules and may have yet to be included in the U.S. News data).
As the best overall job in the U.S., the best STEM job, and the best healthcare job, nurse practitioners have done well for themselves in 2024. While not all NPs might agree with these conclusions, the comparative picture is positive.
Only time will tell if job projections hold up, and we must also acknowledge that economic changes brought on by war, climate change, recession, and other factors can’t be predicted.
That said, the nurse practitioner career path is having its day as 2024 gets underway, and there is no doubt many NPs feel quite good about their career choice as they scan the horizon for a glimpse of a promising future.
Christina Flint-Lowe, a nurse practitioner at Bay Pines VA, works continuously to ensure Veterans and their loved ones know they are safe at the VA.
“What I value about working at VA is that we approach challenges with our Veterans’ care at the forefront. When I worked in the private sector, the model was always very results-driven, but being here flips the script a little. I get to honor the Veteran with each decision I make,” says Flint-Lowe.
Flint-Lowe’s connection to her culture didn’t deepen until she became an adult, and her heritage and work are inextricably intertwined.
Daily Nurse is proud to name Christina Flint-Lowe our Nurse of the Week for her dedicated service to our Veterans and outreach to local native communities to educate staff about Native American customs and traditions.
“I am a member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. I didn’t grow up on the reservation, but my grandparents were part of the community. Growing up, they didn’t talk much about being native, but I think part of that was a protective feature. They were living in a time when it wasn’t popular to identify as being Native American.”
When Flint-Lowe visited her reservation, there was a familiar feeling. The more she learned, the more knowledge she craved, and the desire for understanding deepened when she gave birth to her son.
“My want to learn is for myself and my son because I want to pass our heritage on to him. Later in my adulthood, I decided to go back to school to receive my master’s in Native American Leadership. Through those courses, I realized I have a responsibility to something greater than myself.”
In addition to her role as a nurse practitioner, Flint-Lowe also serves as Bay Pines VA’s American Indian/Alaska Native Special Emphasis program manager. In this role, she conducts outreach to local native communities and educates staff about various customs and traditions.
“I encourage people to remain curious and open because, through that process, people reach a mutual understanding and respect of one another. My story is just one of many, but I feel honored to be a representative of the community. It’s something I don’t take lightly.”
Flint-Lowe has never shied away from voicing what she feels is right but knows that being a representative in any capacity requires balance. Advocacy remains at the forefront of her mind as both a nurse practitioner and a Special Emphasis program manager.
“My work requires managing my expectations while truly considering the needs of those around me. Being provided the opportunity to have leadership in both roles at VA fills me with gratitude.”
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
UT Physicians HIV medicine expert Robin Hardwicke, PhD, FNP-C, was recently honored for the second time by the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC), receiving the Joanne Ruiz Achievement for Excellence in Clinical Practice in HIV Award, honoring an outstanding nurse clinician who brings knowledge and care to people infected with the disease.
Hardwicke was nominated for the award by Diane M. Santa Maria, DrPH, RN, FAAN, dean of the Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston, Jane, and Robert Cizik Distinguished Chair, and Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair in Nursing Education Leadership at Cizik School of Nursing.
“Nominating Dr. Hardwicke was an easy choice for me. She is the go-to HIV care provider in our community,” says Santa Maria. “Not only does she provide exceptional care to our patients, but she is a resource for providers across Houston and the nation.”
For nearly 25 years, Hardwicke has been a passionate nurse practitioner committed to HIV/AIDS research, advocating for patients’ rights, educating the next generation of nurses and physicians, and challenging preconceived notions concerning the disease.
Daily Nurse is proud to honor Dr. Hardwicke as the Nurse of the Week as a passionate nurse practitioner committed to HIV/AIDS research for more than 25 years, advocating for patient’s rights, the education of the next generation of nurses and physicians, and challenging preconceived notions concerning the disease.
“While science and appropriate treatment options have allowed those with HIV to live longer and vibrant lives, there is still work to do to reduce the discrimination, persecution, and fear associated with the diagnosis. There are few afflictions, if any, which carry the same level of stigma,” says Hardwicke. “Your neighbor, coworker, or friend may tell you about a diagnosis of cancer or diabetes, but they would unlikely disclose an HIV diagnosis.”
Hardwicke’s affiliation with ANAC has spanned two decades. On a regional level, she currently serves as the president of ANAC’s Houston Gulf Coast Chapter and is a founding member.
For the 2023 conference, the chapter will receive ANAC’s Chapter Recognition Award.
“I am proud to see the Houston Gulf Coast chapter being recognized as the ANAC’s chapter of the year – now for the second time in our group’s history. With our membership continuing to grow, we are as strong as ever,” Hardwicke says. “Through continuing education, networking, and scholarship, we aim to be inclusive of all healthcare professionals interested in HIV/AIDS care. These efforts help ensure our local representation of nurses are the strongest advocates, clinicians, researchers, and educators in the county in the field of HIV.”
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
