Continence Coach: Advancing and Acknowledging Excellence

  One of the primary reasons I genuinely enjoy working in the field of continence care is its rich diversity of trials and triumphs, afforded especially by the National Association For Continence (NAFC). On the patient front, we routinely interact with middle-aged women considering surgery for stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse to discuss procedural options and risk factors. Young mothers email us for advice, plagued by older children who cannot conquer bedwetting.

Elderly spouses call for guidance on product choices and strategies as caregivers to a husband with Parkinson’s disease or an aging wife with multiple sclerosis. And young vets injured in Afghanistan and Iraq who have sustained spinal cord injuries email us with questions about intermittent self-catheterization. The list is vast and seemingly endless — the aftermath of pregnancy and childbirth and the variety of traumatic injuries, chronic diseases, and childhood development concerns leave no shortage of challenges for providers in the trenches.

  Consequently, I recently was delighted to read of plans by the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates (SUNA) to offer an advanced practice track to debut at its annual conference in early October in Boston. The new track covers topics such as advanced pathophysiology of the lower urinary tract, female genital exam and pessary training, pediatric voiding issues, and advanced pharmacology.

  Designed to expand their already high-level skills, nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants undertaking the track are promised rich and expansive content to assist them in patient assessment, diagnostic interpretation, and choice of intervention. The new track is under the direction of a highly experienced and energetic SUNA leader, former president Jeffrey Albaugh, PhD, whose enthusiasm for the initiative is unparalleled.

  Surely, it was telepathy that coincidentally set in motion at the NAFC’s headquarters the creation of a new accolade, NAFC’s “Shining Star” recognition, to be awarded in San Francisco during the annual scientific meeting of the American Urological Association. This honor, made possible through funding from Pfizer, is intended to recognize a member of a clinic’s continence team for being patient-centered in all decisions and actions, going beyond the call for duty on behalf of the patient, and motivating others to do likewise. Nominations were submitted by NAFC’s Continence Care Champions — 54 people considered leaders in their respective disciplines for their contributions over the years to continence care in research, clinical practice, and education. Kathryn Burgio, PhD,  NAFC Continence Care Champion and former NAFC Board member, presented the award to Jeannine McCormick, MSN, CRNP, Nurse Practitioner and Research Behavioral Interventionalist, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Continence Clinic. Both initiatives — one of advanced training and the other of recognition and encouragement — reflect the importance of continually sharpening one’s knowledge to enable delivery of the finest and most responsive patient care possible, with continuous quality improvement at heart. Continence care is hardly just about absorbents — it is an ever-expanding field of rapidly evolving technology and ever-increasing, complex demands from a diverse patient population seeking to live full and productive lives.

  Congratulations to Jeannine McCormick, the NAFC’s first-named Shining Star. May the skies be filled with a constellation of sparkling brothers and sisters in the years to come, all focusing a giant spotlight on each and every patient on earth.