The Nebraska Association of Occupational Health Nurses held its annual conference on August 5 and 6 in Lincoln. Registration rates were available for both days or for one day. Lunch and breaks were included with the registration fee.

The conference featured a variety of speakers and topics pertaining to occupational health. They include:

• Liane Donovan MD: Top Down Pain Management: Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar
• Linda Stones RN: State of the Nebraska Nurses Address
• Scott Swanson MD: Foot and Ankle Injuries
• Adam Kafka MD: Treatment Approach for Upper Extremity Strains and Sprains
• Doug Fletcher, OSHA Update
• Doug Kavanaugh PT: Shoulder Pain and Impingement Treatment
• Ally Dering-Anderson, PharmD, RP: No Rx doesn't mean-- No Risk
• David Durand MD: How to Get the Difficult Injured Worker to MMI
• Nancy Waltman APRN/Cathy Parker RN: Headache Management Clinic in the Workplace

For registration information and a printable brochure see (Brochure). Contact person is Cathy Parker, Conference Planning Chairperson at 402-481-8946, catherine.parker@bryanlgh.org .

A leader who motivates and empowers - those words were used to describe Sandy Stutzman, a registered nurse at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital who was recently named one of the top five nurses in Nebraska. She was recognized during an awards presentation by the Lincoln Journal Star on May 2 at Madonna.

Stutzman has 33 years of nursing experience and started in 1977 as a staff nurse on Madonna’s first rehabilitation unit. She earned her bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and has held a variety of positions at Madonna, including: nurse’s aid, rehabilitation nurse, rehabilitation charge nurse and home health nurse. In her current role as Employee Health and Safety Manager, Stutzman is responsible for developing and directing a proactive, interdisciplinary approach for promoting and supporting employee health and safety including prevention of injury/illness, coordination of the recovery and rehabilitation of ill/injured employees to return to work, consultation with employees regarding health issues or concerns. Stutzman also provides leadership in wellness programming activities, Employee Safety initiatives, Worker's Compensation benefits and adherence to federal and state regulatory requirements.

Stutzman has earned advanced certification as a certified occupational health nurse and is also a certified case manager.