Happy Spring!
Spring is such a wonderful time of year. Flowers and trees are budding and leafing out again after winter. In March, the weather should be warming up, and the outdoors is calling. The traditional start of spring came in, not like a lion, but certainly is going out as such. Arizona has had rain for over two days, and temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees are about 20 degrees lower than ‘usual.’ I expect many of you are also facing uncertain weather patterns.
Many of us also face uncertainty in many other areas of our lives. Last week, we held our first monthly “Connecting, Collaborating, and Caring” drop-in hour for members to learn more about Nu Upsilon and Sigma Theta Tau and meet and network. It was a powerful hour where members shared challenges and supported each other. I was and am in awe of how members at very different stages of their professional lives and who had never met came together to support each other without any direction or prompting.
Spring also means commencement and induction into Nu Upsilon and Sigma Theta Tau. Our virtual induction will be on April 27th, and our in-person induction will be on our main campus in Phoenix on May 1st. Information is on our website. Invitations for new members were sent by Sigma Theta Tau, please check your email and spam folders, and if you need help, please email Maria at welcome@nuupsilon.com
We have been very busy at Nu Upsilon with several activities to start off the New Year. Dr. Kate Fetter, our interim Vice President, arranged for a wonderful and thought-provoking webinar in January focused on Human Trafficking. February was Heart Health Month, and we co-sponsored a Hands-Only CPR Event on campus with the Student Nurses Association and the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions on Saturday, Feb. 24. We had over 90 participants, and many of our members volunteered to help support this first annual event along with clinical partners, Banner Health, Honor Health, Abrazo Health, Parma, Fire Department/University Hospital EMS Institute, and the American Heart Association. Rick Fetter, EMT lead with the University Hospital EMS Institute in Ohio, contributed 10 manikins to help this event be successful, which Dr. Kate Fetter brought from Ohio for the event! Mr. Fetter then donated all 10 manikins to Nu Upsilon for future events! THANK YOU, RICKY FETTER!
This event turned out to be even more important to me personally. On the evening of Feb. 23, my oldest daughter, in her 30s, had a major heart attack. She had 100% occlusion of her right coronary artery; her troponins were over 43,000 (normal is 0–0.04 mg/ml). She thought she was having acute heartburn, which she had never experienced before. She waited 12 hours before going to the hospital. She is an RN. This story is not uncommon among individuals who do not know or recognize symptoms, especially women who often do not exhibit the ‘traditional/usual’ symptoms of a heart attack. By the grace of God, my daughter was able to have a stent placed and is alive today. I have her permission to share her story with all of you to highlight the importance of continued advocacy and education.
We participated in the American Heart Association Heart Walk in Phoenix on March 23rd to continue our heart health advocacy. We also have teams led by members walking throughout the United States; you can find more information on our website: https://nuupsilon.sigmanursing.org/. This was a great way to connect with members, exercise, and support a great cause. You can still join your local heart walk; donations are not required 😊
Our elections are currently open, and I sincerely thank all who have consented to serve. Voting ends on April 5th, so please vote if you have not yet done so. The link to voting is on our website at https://nuupsilon.sigmanursing.org/. Please watch our website; there will be many more opportunities to become involved once our elections are over.