Opportunities from the center for perioperative education

AORN Journal, July, 2005

* how infection rates can be reduced and surgical outcomes improved,

* the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

* how to keep the OR functioning during construction,

* the latest information on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other emerging diseases,

* the effect of staff member fatigue on patient care, and

* the latest information on improving patient safety.

The conference is targeted at perioperative managers, staff nurses, infection control practitioners, risk managers, and anyone concerned about protecting patients and health care providers from disease. To register, call customer service at (800) 755-2676 x 1, or visit http:// www.aorn.org/events.> DISTANCE LEARNING

Visit http://www.aorn.org /education for the latest continuing education opportunities. AORN Journal Home Studies published since July 2002 are available online at http://www .aorn.org/journal/homestudy /default.htm. Home Studies are available in portable document format (PDF) to print and complete. Use these programs to earn contact hours and stay abreast of the latest nursing information.

Online courses. The following online courses complement the Perioperative Management Resources seminars and manuals. You will earn contact hours, and links are provided for additional resources.

In Budgeting, you will learn

* basic cost accounting,

* essential steps in the budgeting process,

* components of capital and operating budgets, and

* steps to improve budget performance while providing safe patient care.

In Understanding and Interpreting Financial Statements, you will learn how to

* describe the key components of a financial statement,

* identify ways to use statistical data to improve day-today operational efficiency,

* describe the types of statistical data used to support budget development,

* discuss two types of statistical reports nurse managers can use to evaluate purchasing decisions,

* show the proper use of various statistical techniques,

* define the importance of personnel budgeting, and

* demonstrate the ability to use statistical data to support program development or maintenance.

The Meeting Management course will provide you with practical guidelines for planning and conducting effective and productive meetings. You will learn to

* state two vital purposes for meetings,

* identify rationales for choosing a particular meeting type,

* demonstrate how a meeting agenda outlines the purpose or direction of a meeting,

* identify several types of meeting processes,

* identify ways to facilitate positive group interaction,

* identify logical components of a meeting, and

* identify tools to evaluate a meeting's effectiveness.

The completed Budgeting and Understanding and Interpreting Financial Statements course each are worth four contact hours. The completed Meeting Management course is worth two contact hours. To register, visit http:// www.aorn.org/managers/online. htm. For more information, contact Holly Heston at hheston@aorn.org.

Preparing for the CNOR Examination--online version. This program will alleviate participants' fears of taking the CNOR examination by walking them through the examination's format. Subjects are related to clinical situations with which perioperative nurses are familiar. The program also provides effective test-taking strategies. This two-week online program will be offered twice more in 2005: