CHAIR MESSAGES

CNNT Chair Message

Melinda Martin-Lester, RN, BA, eCNN, CHC

The summer has flown by this year. We had a record number of nominations for both nurses and technicians, as well as the Carol Mattix Award. The council members reviewed all the nominations and were able to choose a winner in each category. The winners will receive their awards at SCM23 in Austin, TX, next April. I want to thank all of the nominees and the executive council members for their effort in this endeavor.

This summer has been busy for all Council members as we have been reviewing NKF patient information on the website. This collaborative effort will ensure that NKF has accessible, up to date information for nephrology patients searching for additional information on kidney health and therapies.

The program committee has been working diligently to put together a multidisciplinary program that will provide both nurses and technicians continuing education units and opportunities for networking with peers. In addition, PERC will begin adding more free education programs for all members starting in October 2022. Free CEU’s will continue to be available as one of the membership perks.

Another member benefit is the ability to apply for educational grants to attend the Spring Clinical Meeting. Applications for the educational stipend will be available starting in October of this year with an application deadline of December 31.

I want to welcome all of our new members and hope that current members will continue to renew their membership and join us at the 2023 Spring Clinical Meeting in Austin, TX.

CNSW Chair Message

Melissa Fry, MSW, NSW-C

As I write this report, the leaves in Wisconsin are just starting to change to their beautiful fall colors.  Fall is my favorite time of year when the weather becomes cool after a hot and humid summer.  The fall air is light and crisp and has its own unique scent of rain, earth, tree bark, and leaves.  This is the time of year that reminds me to be mindful and take deep, long breaths filled with the scents of nature.   This year, however, is a little different in my house.  My oldest son moved to college, and we are adjusting to the new normal of only having one son at home.  While we definitely miss my oldest at home, there are some benefits that have come with his move.  My younger son and I are spending a lot more time together, and there are fewer dishes, and noticeably less laundry in my house. 

When our patients are first diagnosed with kidney disease, and throughout their disease, they need to learn to adjust to their new normal.   As social workers, we are there to help them through these adjustments with our clinical skills.  We assist with helping them discover what their new normal will look like.  We are there for them to hear their stories and help them process the multitude of changes that happen in their lives.  We assist with finding the positive aspects in the changes to their lives, which can be quite difficult at times. 

The CNSW Executive Committee has been busy advocating for kidney social workers.  We submitted comments on the ESRD Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule to CMS.  We collaborated with NASW, who submitted comments as well.  We also made comments on the Social Work Licensure Compact which is in draft form.  The Standards of Practice for Nephrology Social Work is also being reviewed and updated by the committee.  The CNSW Executive Committee is committed to advocating for our members and the patients our members serve. 

CRN Chair Message

Matilde Ladnier, RD,LD

Recently, a survey went out to all CRN members. We, the national NKF- CRN Executive Committee members (CRN-EC), have been reviewing over four hundred and fifty survey responses. Reviewing these responses, which included many open-ended questions, as you can imagine, is taking time and effort to dissect. Our goal is to produce solutions and improvements for the benefit of all the current and future NKF-CRN members.

Let me give an update of all our ongoing and future projects. Several of these projects and activities will hopefully answer many of those questions from the survey and gratify some requests as well. Many of you responded to the survey as not being familiar with the Professional Education Resource Center (PERC). This is on the NKF website: after you log in, it will take you to “Member Home” page, then, on the right side under “Member Resources,” go to Online CME/CE. This is where you and other professionals have the opportunity to earn continuing education credit. If this is your first time taking a course, you will need a Case Hippo account. Personally, I use the same login and password as my membership. We are adding new and great presentations all the time. For example, if you type “Plant based diet” into the search, it will take you to Dr. Shivan Joshi’s presentation from SCM 2021, which can be viewed free of charge for members. Case Hippo will verify your membership immediately, and you can start viewing the presentation. The CRN-EC is working to create ways to help you better navigate all of CRN membership benefits… stay tuned for future improvements!

Each member of the CRN-EC, the Region Representatives and Alternates, and their committees are working hard to improve your membership opportunities. Some of the things that are being worked on include the following: creating a comprehensive “Speakers Bureau” list, taking steps to start a Renal Dietitian Facebook page, updating the CKD RD database and streamlining the application process, reviewing and selecting the nominations for different awards which will be presented during the SCM 2023, and working with JRN to get writers for product reviews, to name a few. In addition, All EC members have been communicating with their Region’s CRN Chapters for re-affiliation which are due this year, or helping them create new chapters, or combining chapters, etc. We are continuing our efforts to contribute more “superfoods” information on the NKF website. We are also helping to finalize the NKF Emergency Handbook. The SCM Chair and committee members are currently working hard to bring another successful Dietitian program April 11-15 in Austin, Texas next year. Please keep an eye out for the preliminary program coming early 2023 and get ready to attend in person or virtually.

Patients in earlier stages of CKD need to see a renal dietitian to help them slow the progression of CKD. We know that low protein and mainly plant dominant diets will help these patients. But we need the doctors to refer these patients to us. We also need more and better prepared renal RDs to provide these services. Therefore, CRN is collaborating with Renal Practice Group (RPG) by helping update the modules available in NIH (NIDDK) for CKD education. One of our mutual goals is also to work with universities and internship programs to help encourage more students to become renal dietitians by offering to help them prepare updated renal nutrition curriculum.

We will have our first joint (CRN-RPG) booth during SCM 2023 where our focus audience will be MDs, NPs, and PAs, to encourage CKD MNT. We thank the NKF for supporting us. We hope to see you in Austin, but feel free to get involved anytime, in any of the areas mentioned here. You can volunteer to write an article in RenaLink, or about a superfood, become part of the Speaker’s Bureau, nominate dietitians for awards, become a member of the NKF-CRN Executive Committee, become a CKD RD, etc. There are lots of opportunity to grow professionally with CRN. We have what it takes to continue to be leaders in the renal community. Thank you for reading my message and good luck in your career.

I wish you all the best for this holiday season.

RPG Chair Message

Rory C. Pace, MPH, RD, CSR, FAND

Chair, Renal Practice Group for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

As we enter the final months of the year, there is much to be thankful for. We continue to soldier on through the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had tremendous impact on people with kidney disease and the people who care for them. As we’ve gained more knowledge and steadier footing, we’ve come back together in person, at events such as the NKF Spring Clinical Meetings, to reconnect, learn, and develop strategy for the future. I look forward to more of the same as we head toward 2023.

Every October, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics convenes its Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE), the largest meeting of nutrition professionals in the U.S. Each year, the Renal Dietitians Practice group (RPG) has the opportunity to present a Spotlight session at FNCE to share timely topics in nephrology nutrition with the audience of over 10,000 nutrition and dietetics practitioners, educators, and students. This year’s Spotlight session, titled “Optimizing Kidney Transplant Care Through Nutrition and Exercise,” was presented by Golnaz Friedman, RDN, CCDT and Erick Smith, ACSM-EP. Their presentation highlighted opportunities to enhance assessment, improve interventions, and coordinate care to improve transplant outcomes.

Staffing shortages, the subject of this issue, have continued to challenge and impact how we deliver care, particularly in dialysis. Shortages are impacting nephrology dietitians in ways I have not previously experienced in 25 years in the industry, both directly and indirectly. The engaged partnership between NKF-CRN and RPG this year includes goals to increase awareness of, and comfort with, nephrology nutrition practice in hopes of attracting dietitians in other areas of practice to our “tribe.” Our shared goals also include strategies to explore opportunities to reach students and interns to increase the quality and impact of instruction on nephrology nutrition. These strategies may help us to address shortages of trained RDs to care for the CKD population.

An additional perceived shortage in nephrology nutrition is of dietitians with the specialized knowledge and training to care for people with earlier stages of CKD. As the focus in nephrology shifts toward value-based care models, there is a significant opportunity for nephrology dietitians to use medical nutrition therapy (MNT) to improve clinical outcomes, reduce costs, and increase engagement of people with CKD. RPG and CRN are also partnering in developing tools to support nephrology-trained dietitians in expanding their practice to include MNT for CKD stages 1-5. As part of this strategy, RPG hosted a webinar, “The Business of MNT: Private Practice.” This well-attended continuing education event covered fundamentals for setting up a practice to provide MNT for CKD and is available through the Academy’s CPEU page at Eatright.org. RPG plans to continue the conversation and learning with future webinars on medical coding for MNT and telehealth. We invite dietitians in all areas of practice as well as other nephrology providers to participate in these learning events to expand understanding of the impact of MNT in people with CKD.

Wishing you a healthy, happy, and safe holiday season!