I am taking the rest of this week off to spend time with family and friends. I hope all of you are getting time off, as well. To those of you pulling a shift or taking call, my hopes that you will find it a quiet holiday, and that somewhere in all of it is a meal shared with people you enjoy. And for all of us, let us take a few moments to find gratitude in the small things, even in the midst of what are for many, challenging times.
Happy Thanksgiving. I will see you back here Monday.
I was perusing Medscape last night and noticed there are several items that may be worth your time, including several CE and CME offerings from October and November:
Vodka Tampons to Get Drunk (Chief Complaint Blog)
Sexual History of Adolescents in the Emergency Department (CME)
(more after the jump)
November 25th begins 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. From the site:
Participants chose the dates November 25– International Day Against Violence Against Women-and December 10– International Human Rights Day- in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.
I had a question from a reader wanting to know if there were any webinars on domestic violence and animal abuse. I think Allie Phillips is doing some of the best work out there on the topic, and one of her webinars is archived over at ASPCA: The Linkages between Violence to Animals and People. From the site: This webinar will explain the research and theories behind the linkage of violence to animals and people. Investigation and prosecution strategies on handling “Link” crimes will be discussed, as well as the psychological impact of animal abuse on children, and how to include animal protection in your multi-disciplinary team to better prevent, investigate, and cross-report all forms of abuse.
Add: Thanks Allie, for the following message:
I just provided a webinar on the Linkages between violence to animals and people. Please visit http://ndaalearning.wordpress.com/animal-abuse/archived-courses/ and you will be prompted to request a password to access the webinar.
I’m in Miami this week, and I’m desperately trying to put a challenging week behind me. So I leave you with some excellent reading by Jackson Katz in today’s HuffPost on the media and Penn State. Have a great weekend.
(p.s. If you are a serious multitasker, you may also want to read this.)
To all of you who posted such lovely comments on the site yesterday, or who sent me private emails, thank you so much. I am overwhelmed by the show of support for this site. What’s most interesting is that in the wake of controversy comes dozens of new subscribers in a single day, and, no exaggeration here, 4 times the average number of both visitors and page views. Of those visitors yesterday, 40% were brand new to the site. So to the hundreds of loyal readers, many thanks for continuing to come back. And for all of you who are new to FHO, welcome, and make yourself comfortable. Browse through the pages and stay awhile.
One of the best parts of living in DC is the ability to attend live events across a broad spectrum. Today, for instance, I was able to attend a briefing at the National Press Club on the AAUW report I mentioned on FHO last week. The panel was fascinating, and high school students were invited to attend as a way to include their voices in the conversation.
So a post from almost exactly a year ago is generating a lot of conversation, and not in a great way. It’s too bad, because the post was written for this site. It was written because humor is critical to sustaining ourselves in the face of tragedy day in and day out. And I gave permission for others to use it in a very limited way. Certainly not in the way it was used, sadly. I encourage anyone who has questions about the content on this site to visit the About page and the FAQs and review the very personal nature of FHO. And I thank those of you who know me well, and know what a struggle this weekend has been, for the kind words of friendship and support.
When I think about the research out there being done on the impact of violence on health, I typically don’t think of the Nurses’ Health Study. So I was surprised to see this article in HuffPo about the linkage between childhood abuse and heart disease, as presented at the American Heart Association meeting this past weekend. That got me wondering…
I am fortunate enough to spend many of my days teaching for, and training with servicemen and women from all branches of the US military. I am the proud daughter of a Vietnam vet, the proud granddaughter of a WWII vet, and the very proud partner of an active duty soldier. It is with heartfelt respect and gratitude that I wish all of you who have served, and all of you who support those who have and continue to serve, a very happy Veteran’s Day.
Thank you, Eve Ensler. I believe you’ve summed it up quite effectively.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project just published the findings from their survey on teens and social networks: Teens, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Network Sites. Read the full report here (PDF), or review the section breakdown (with hyperlinks) after the jump…
I attended a meeting last week in which we discussed the criminalization of nursing errors, and I have to admit, it was one of the highlights of the meeting. Punitive and finite steps (this may be one of the most tragic examples) are often the response by institutions, which may result in a culture of silence in the face of mistakes, rather than promoting solutions to avoid repeating them.
In the wake of the serial child sexual abuse and assault being uncovered at Penn State, it seems prudent to make sure we all understand what our obligations are regarding reporting these types of crimes. Mind you, these are just our legal obligations. As we’ve seen in the Penn State case, doing the right thing is about much, much more than just fulfilling legal obligations.
While my brain is very much consumed (and repulsed) by the details of the abuse–and rampant failures to report said abuse–at Penn State, it can be hard to remember there’s anything else going on in the world. But this report, by the AAUW, reminded me there’s plenty. Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School “…presents the most comprehensive research to date on sexual harassment in grades 7-12 and reveals some sobering statistics about the prevalence of sexual harassment and the negative impact it has on students’ education.” See also their blog series on the topic.
Happy Forensic Nurses Week to my fellow forensic nurses around the world! 
Perhaps, as I have been today, you occasionally find yourself a bit out of your element. And you can choose to fight it, or you can just give in to it and see what kind of magic might actually develop. Sort of like this, which showed up in my inbox courtesy of one of my oldest and best friends, who is apparently in my brain.
Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.
“A chance encounter and shared moment with one of natures greatest and most fleeting phenomena”. I think the filmmakers’ reactions make this short piece that much better. Thanks, Rock.
Vera Institute of Justice is offering a webinar this month, Understanding Domestic Violence and Disability. The session will be held November 29th from 3-4:30pm ET. It appears to be the 1st in a series of webinars on working with victims with disabilities.
It’s time once again for Articles Note. These are a selection from the late September, October and November peer-reviewed journals that feel particularly relevant to our practice. Remember, it’s in no way a comprehensive or exhaustive list, but it’s an excellent place to start. The majority of the links will take you to PubMed. There is also one free full-text article in here. Lots of sexual assault and elder abuse research this month.
A few things that have been piled up in my inbox that are worth mentioning. The first is a new CME offering (and really, Medscape, you could only manage to make this one for docs?): Domestic Violence Intervention Improves Referral, Disclosure Rates, based on research published this month in The Lancet.