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USNA Nominations - USNA members, our board needs YOU!

This year there are three positions up for nomination during Spring Conference. The available positions are:

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Vice President

Treasurer

President Elect

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Serving on the USNA board is a wonderful way to get more involved in the school nursing community in Utah. Joining the board will give you the opportunity to collaborate with other districts, help plan conferences for professional development, voice in on student advocacy concerns, improve communication across the state... and much more!

If you are interested in running for a position please contact Rachel Pommerening at rachel.pommerening@jordandistrict.org. Each candidate must submit a nomination form. All nomination forms must be submitted by April 20th, 2019.

We hope that you will join our team!

Welcome Our New School Nurses!

Janessa Whitesides, RN

Weber School District - Ogden, UT

I knew when I was two years old that I wanted to be a nurse. I took a minor detail along my path to becoming a nurse and got my bachelors degree in Health promotion and nutrition education. I spent a few years working at WIC as a nutrition educator. I reached my goal of becoming a nurse a little over 10 years ago. I started my nursing career on a surgical unit and then went to an intermediate care unit. I spent the last 4 years on an LDRP unit where I specialized in childbirth and lactation education. 

I have been married for 18 years. My husband has type 1 diabetes. We have three children, the youngest started school full time and it was the perfect timing for me to accept a school nurse position in Weber County School district. I love that I get to combine my nursing skills, my bachelors degree and my families personal experience with diabetes to help educate and care for these kids. 

My hobbies include playing volleyball and soccer. hiking, running, and to create some balance in my life, watching Netflix. Some interesting things about me is that I can salsa dance and I can also put my entire fist in my mouth, just not at the same time. 

Deann Brown, CNM, DNP

Garfield County School District - Panguitch, UT

I am the new district nurse for Garfield County, home of Bryce Canyon National Park.  This job is in addition to my full time job as nurse administrator and certified nurse midwife at Garfield Memorial Hospital.  I have been a nurse for 36 years.  I have enjoyed this new challenge and enjoy working with educators to help assure that students are at their best in order to achieve academic excellence.  I have especially loved working with the students and getting to know them on a different level.  Our district is spread out over 5000 square miles so I get to do a lot of traveling.  

My husband and I are empty-nesters, we have two sons.  We are farmers/ranchers, we raise alfalfa, beef cattle and quarter horses.  One thing that distinguishes me from others is that as a CNM, I have delivered some of the students I now get to work with at school. I look forward to learning and growing in this new role.

Anna Deltejo, RN

Spectrum Academy - Pleasant Grove

I work At Spectrum Academy which is a charter School in Pleasant Grove. We also have a North Salt Lake Campus. 

A little about me, I went to nursing school in New York and graduated in 2013. I was a phlebotomist prior and worked as a clinical assistant at a infectious disease clinic in Staten Island, NY.

I moved back to Utah in 2014 and started working at an Urgent Care facility, my adventure continued when I was offered a job at St. Marks hospital on the oncology unit - I loved it. As time went on I was feeling the famous "burnout" syndrome and felt it was time for change, so I applied for the School Nurse position here at Spectrum and feel like I found a 2nd home.

Karen Thelin, BSN, RN

American Preparatory Academy - Draper, Salem, West Valley

We have 6 schools that range from preschool to 12th grade. I have worked as a Physical Rehabilitation Nurse and with disabled children. 

 I am a wife to an amazing husband who is always helping me to be the best me that I can be and is always supportive of my crazy ideas. He is the Ying to my Yang! I am a mom to 7 kids. 5 girls and 2 boys. My oldest is 11 and my baby just turned 1. We are busy as ever at my house. We have a farm in our backyard of chicken, ducks and a turkey. We have a beehive. I used to milk goats and loved it but it was a little hard to keep up on with a new baby. I'm looking forward to having them again sometime soon. Besides school nurse hours and holidays, I love being able to be at the school where my kids are. I love working with kids and comforting them and teaching them at the same time. 

 Currently, my most favorite thing to do in my "no kids" time (which is very rare) is to sew. It is very relaxing for me. I love to date my husband and try new foods. I like to read books with my kids and ask them random questions to see what their answers will be. I like to be creative and craft but time doesn't permit that much. I love to garden in the summer and dig in the dirt. I love living in Utah because we have all 4 seasons in all their glory, for the most part. I have a love-hate relationship with change. I am always looking for a better way to be organized. 

 Something that I feel makes me different and unique to myself is that I am a very optimistic person. I always try looking for the good in a situation and try finding a solution. And I can multitask with the best of them!