Author: Amy Siple

Follow the Path to Understand Pharmacology

Posted on | by Amy Siple

Many pharmacologic agents block or mimic a few key neurotransmitters in the human body. Acquiring an understanding of the roles of these neurotransmitters equips learners with practical application tools to advance pharmacologic knowledge. This interactive presentation is designed to engage learners in understanding pharmacologic content that applies to current agents and those yet to be brought to market.

Learning Outcomes

  • Participants will identify how understanding the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system aids in understanding several pharmacologic agents.
  • Participants will identify the role of dopamine in the body and the impact of blocking or mimicking it.
  • Participants will identify the role of serotonin in the body and the impact of blocking or mimicking it.

Selected References:

Using Your Why To Shape The Future

Posted on | by Amy Siple

Our purpose, or “Why”, drives our decisions, actions, and goals. It is the inspiring picture of the future that energizes us to achieve.  This interactive presentation will offer 10 practical steps in identifying our “why” and provide tools we can use to shape our future.  

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

  1. At least 2 reasons people fail to identify their why.
  2. At least 2 considerations when measuring the cost of your why.​
  3. At least 5 steps to put your why to the test.  ​

 ​Selected Bibliography:

Caprino, K. (2021, September 8). Three simple steps to identify your life purpose and leverage it in your career. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2018/11/28/three-simple-steps-to-identify-your-life-purpose-and-leverage-it-in-your-career/

Khamlub, S., Harun-Or-Rashid, M., Sarker, M. A. B., Hirosawa, T., Outavong, P., & Sakamoto, J. (2013, August). Job satisfaction of health-care workers at health centers in Vientiane Capital and Bolikhamsai Province, Lao PDR. Nagoya journal of medical science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4345678/

Maxwell, J. C. (2014). 15 invaluable laws of growth: Live them and reach your potential. Center Street.

Maxwell, John C. (2009). Put your dream to the test: 10 questions that will help you see it and Seize it. Thomas Nelson.

Rostami, F., Babaei-Pouya, A., Teimori-Boghsani, G., Jahangirimehr, A., Mehri, Z., & Feiz-Arefi, M. (2021, July 20). Mental workload and job satisfaction in Healthcare Workers: The moderating role of job control. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.683388/full

Warley, S. (2024a, February 15). Find your why to get unstuck. Life Skills That Matter. https://www.lifeskillsthatmatter.com/blog/find-your-why

Warley, S. (2024b, March 3). The #1 self-awareness habit. Life Skills That Matter. https://www.lifeskillsthatmatter.com/blog/number-one-self-awareness-habit

Parkinson Disease Management

Posted on | by Amy Siple

The chronic neurodegenerative nature of Parkinson’s Disease can create challenges for clients and caregivers. This presentation will review common symptoms associated with Parkinson’s Disease including Parkinson’s Dementia. Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments will be addressed.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to recall:

  • At least four symptoms associated with Parkinson’s Disease
  • At least two considerations in the diagnostic criteria of Parkinson’s Disease Dementia
  • Why an interdisciplinary approach is important in the care of clients with Parkinson’s

Talk is Cheap, but Communication is Pure Gold

Posted on | by Amy Siple

To achieve success in your professional and personal life you must develop the art of communication. This is a skill set we can acquire through intentionality which can open doors we may never have imagined possible.  Skilled communicators have better relationships, less conflict, and enhanced influence.  This interactive session will focus on practical steps we can take to improve our communication skills.

Objectives:

  • Participants will be able to identify:​
  1. At least 3 ways to improve their communication techniques​
  2. At least 2 strategies to find common ground with those who hold opposing views.​
  3. At least 2 practical steps to inspire others through the art of communication. ​

AANP State Award for Excellence Recipient Stands for Those Who Cannot Stand

Posted on | by Amy Siple

Article Link – https://www.aanp.org/news-feed/aanp-state-award-for-excellence-winner-stands-for-those-who-cannot-stand

Published August 22, 2023

Become inspired by this Kansas nurse practitioner’s story advocating for the profession and prioritizing patient care.
Every year, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) honors deserving nurse practitioners (NPs) and NP advocates with the State Award for Excellence. This award is comprised of both the NP State Award for Excellence and the Advocate State Award for Excellence — the former is given to an NP “in each state who has demonstrated excellence in clinical practice and has shown efforts to advance the image, profile and visibility of NPs at the state level,” and the latter “is given to an individual in each state who has made a significant contribution toward increasing awareness and recognition of NPs.”

Recipients of the State Award for Excellence are individuals who have raised awareness of and advocated on behalf of NPs and the transformative, person-centered work they provide for their patients and communities. Each state, district or territory may be represented by one NP and one NP advocate. In 2023, 51 NPs and 47 NP advocates were honored with a State Award for Excellence.

Amy Siple, APRN, FNP, GS-C, is one NP who received the NP State Award for Excellence in 2023. Hailing from Kansas — one of the most recent states to pass full practice authority (FPA) — Siple was involved in the passage of that legislation both as a member of AANP and president of the Kansas Advanced Practice Nurses Association. Speaking with AANP about her State Award, Siple also discussed what she believed helped her coalition pass FPA, her passion for helping older adults and her hopes for the future of health care.

Leading in Geriatric Care
Siple found her passion in geriatrics. “That has been such a blessing,” says Siple about working within this specialty. “I really enjoy the complexity of the clientele that I care for. Every day requires me to use lots of neurons, as I’m dealing with multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy and the opportunity to impact lives.” This impact was especially felt by her patients during the pandemic. “I was one of the only people allowed to go in [to see patients],” she remembers. “My management of their multiple comorbidities was not as critical at that time as me holding their hand, making eye contact with them and listening,” she says. “They had touch starvation, and the ability to just be a physical presence became more important than my knowledge about medicine and health care.”

Securing FPA for Patients and NPs in Kansas
Kansas became the 26th state to pass FPA on April 15, 2022. NPs and other advocates for high-quality health care access had worked for a decade to turn the proposed legislation into law. “It was nothing like I thought it would be,” said Siple of the political process. “You can’t come in with a bunch of evidence and think that’s going to work. First of all, you have to just sit and listen.”

What helped make the campaign for FPA successful was — in part — coalition building, which required bringing together multiple organizations and crisscrossing political lines. “We said, ‘We are going to keep the main issue the main issue. Everybody else is politically divided in this world, but we are not going to be.’” Building a coalition, related Siple, “was a game changer.” In addition to working with AANP, Siple and other NPs “went out and we gave speeches to these organizations, we met with their leaders and pulled in 25 outside organizations to fight with us.”

In addition to showing up in person, listening to legislators and making sure her organizations included “NPs on both sides of the political aisle,” Siple stressed the importance of patience in leadership. “It can be hard to lead really independent professional people. Don’t give up and recognize that your colleagues have a lot on the line. Just stay the course and make sure that you’re listening.”

Inspiring Broader Change
In addition to her work as an NP and organizational leader, Siple is a national speaker on aging and caring for older adults. One of the goals of her advocacy, she explains, is to give the families of geriatric patients the tools they need to support their elders in the comfort of their homes before moving them to an outside provider of long-term care. “I am confident this can be done if we can come alongside those caregivers and give them real, practical tools and resources for engaging with their loved ones,” Siple says. Right now, however, “so many people just really struggle with how to manage neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dementia in particular.”

Siple is also an advocate for mindful prescribing of psychotropic medications for geriatric patients. Working directly with other health care providers, she is able to assist them in managing certain neuropsychiatric symptoms without psychotropic medication. Siple recounts assisting one facility move from being in the 91st percentile and I got them down to the 9th percentile. “We saw a decline in the report of behaviors. I’m really thrilled to have the opportunity to maybe repeat that.”

When asked what all her work has in common — her advocacy on behalf of the elderly, for increasing health care access and more — Siple spoke of her faith. “My personal mission for my life is to serve the Lord to the best of my ability, and to positively impact those in my sphere of influence,” she said. “I used to tell my nursing students — what your role is as a nurse or a NP is to stand for people when they cannot stand, and to speak for people when they cannot speak. A big part of your job is to be their advocate.”

Nominate an NP or Advocate for a State Award
Do you know an NP who you believe should be recognized for excellence in clinical care, or an NP or advocate who should be recognized for increasing awareness and recognition of NPs? If so, consider nominating (or self-nominating, if the NP or advocate is you!) a deserving individual for the 2024 State Award for Excellence by Sept. 11. Nominees are not required to be members of AANP, but they cannot be current AANP elected leaders. Recipients of this prestigious award will receive either an AANP membership or an extension on an existing membership, and many other advantages related to the 2024 AANP National Conference.

The ABCD approach for managing neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia

Posted on | by Amy Siple

Article Link – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37471361/

Published 2023 Aug 1;53(8):24-28. doi: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000942784.14340.1f.
The ABCD approach for managing neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia
by Amy Siple

Affiliation

Amy Siple is a national speaker on healthcare issues that impact older adults and the empowerment of healthcare givers. She has served the primary care needs of residents in long-term care as an NP for over 2 decades.

PMID: 37471361 PMCID: PMC10355332 DOI: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000942784.14340.1f
Free PMC article

The neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dementia, often referred to as unwanted behaviors, are one of the most difficult aspects of this disorder for caregivers to navigate. This article presents strategies to manage dementia-related neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Managing the Stress in Your Life

Posted on | by Amy Siple

Stress can push us to become the best versions of ourselves. Growth and change rarely occur without it. However, stress can also be disabling with potentially dire consequences to mental and physical health. This presentation is designed to help participants recognize and manage stress.  

Objectives:

The participant will be able to identify:​

  1. The impact of stress on professional growth and development.
  2. At least two risk factors of unmitigated stress.
  3. At least four steps to promote meaningful management of stressful situations.

You Can’t Manage Time – But You Can Manage Yourself

Posted on | by Amy Siple

Time is one of the most valuable commodities on earth and we all get the same amount. While we cannot control the number of hours in a day, we do have influence over how we spend our time. This presentation is designed to help participants consider a thoughtful review of how they use their allotted time. Through a systems approach, participants will be challenged to take steps towards more intentional time (self) management.

Objectives:

The participant will be able to identify:​

  1. The importance of time management.
  2. A strategy for analyzing their time utilization.
  3. At least two action items to promote time management.

Workplace Resilience Through the Power of Social Connections

Posted on | by Amy Siple

There is a strong correlation between the power of social connections and workplace resilience. Studies show productivity can be increased by 74% through strong friendships. An epidemic of loneliness has settled over our world and the impact has been disastrous. This interactive presentation explores the impact of social connections on job and life satisfaction. Steps to promote healthy friendships will be discussed. Conflict resolution strategies will be reviewed and listening exercises will be included. Strong social connections can have a dramatic impact on life quality measures. It is important to take intentional steps to foster and preserve these relationships.

Objectives:

The participant will be able to identify:​

  1. The impact of social connections and friendship on workplace resilience​
  2. At least two risk factors associated with loneliness​
  3. At least four steps to promote meaningful social connections and friendship
  4. At least two ways managers can encourage social connections among staff.

Psychotropic Reduction: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Posted on | by Amy Siple

The off-label use of psychotropics to manage the neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dementia is historically widespread. This is despite evidence showing limited benefits and high mortality risk. This interactive presentation is designed to explore a root cause analysis of these neuropsychiatric symptoms using an interdisciplinary approach.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

  1. Differentiate between a root cause analysis and a medication-based approach to neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dementia.​
  2. Identify at least three potential adverse events associated with psychotropics. ​
  3. Identify at least three common etiologies behind neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dementia.​
  4. Recall at least three benefits of an interdisciplinary approach for neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dementia ​