Congress education session updates: Saturday, March 29, to Thursday, April 3, 2008

AORN Journal,  Feb, 2008  

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The 2008 Congress Education Planning Committee, whose members were appointed by AORN President Mary Jo Steiert, RN, BSN, CNOR, reviewed more than 290 Congress proposals and identified the programs that best reflect

* needs identified by the members,

* recent regulatory issues,

* trends in perioperative nursing, and

* advances in evidence-based practice.

The committee also reviewed more than 150 Clinical Improvement/Innovation poster abstract submissions. The committee will evaluate the posters displayed by 2 PM on Friday, March 28, 2008, and will select the top 10 Clinical Improvement/Innovation posters.

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for an education session at Congress in 2009, do not miss the networking session that the committee has planned for Wednesday, April 2, from 7 to 7:50 AM to discuss helpful hints for submitting a proposal. See the Congress Program on-site for this session's room location. Members of the Congress Education Planning Committee are

* Kevin Metzing, RN, BS, CNOR, chair;

* Patricia Chapek, RN, CNOR;

* Marilyn K. Christian, RN, BSN, CNOR, CASC;

* Holly Ervine, RN, BSN, CNOR;

* Sarah Anne Fairchild, RN, MS, CNOR;

* Jeanette Gavin, RN, BSN;

* Julie Martin, RN, BSN, MBA;

* Barbara Medling, RN, BSN, CNOR;

* Barbara S. Rusynko, RN, MSEd, CNOR;

* Elaine P. Sweeney, RN, BSN, CNOR;

* Dawn Myers Yost, RN, BSN, CNOR; and

* Susan Banschbach, RN, MSN, CNOR, Board liaison.

SESSION UPDATES

Following are updates to the information that appeared in the "2008 Congress Education Sessions" article in the January 2008 issue of the AORN Journal. One or more tracks are identified for each education session. The tracks identify the broad content area for each session. Most sessions have threads of several content areas. The following definitions are used to identify broad content areas:

A         Ambulatory--Issues specific to
          ambulatory surgery, hospital-based,
          flee-standing, and/or office-based
          practice.

C         Clinical--Relates to the care of the
          patient, including surgical procedures,
          direct patient care, evidenced-based
          practice, and/or ethical issues.

I         Informatics--Sessions that cover
          computer applications in perioperative
          nursing.

L/M       Leadership/Management--Empowering,
          motivating, and organizing
          people to achieve a common
          goal; gaining additional information
          as to how things work or
          how to make things work better.

L/MWF     Management education sessions
          with a focus on the workforce.

P         Professional development/issues--Sessions
          for acquiring and updating
          professional knowledge and
          skills.

[check]   Sessions with information and insight
          into perioperative safety trends.

An (R) after a session number denotes a repeat session. Sessions that qualify for AORN risk management credit are denoted by a +.

(e) indicates the number of continuing education contact hours awarded for a session. You must attend 90% of an education session to earn the contact hours.

SESSIONS ADDED

The following sessions have been added.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2008

8 TO 9:30 AM

2322 L/M 1.5 (e)

Leadership: The Powerhouse of Ethical Partnerships--Stephen Born, RN

Perioperative care demands practitioners who are passionate about caring. Leadership practice, which patients feel immediately, only is built on ethical partnerships in caring. These partnerships are the powerhouse of leadership practice. They transform patient's lives in our care and only can happen when practitioners are committed first to working with each other through ethical partnership in care. This presentation will discuss how leadership is more about people than leaders. Are you passionate about developing a leadership practice that will illuminate your profession and enrich your life?

THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2008

8 TO 9:30 AM

2339 P I 1.5 (e)

Hot Topic: The Importance of Informatics to Perioperative Practice--Speaker to be determined

Session overview not yet available.

1:30 TO 3 PM

2351 (R) P I 1.5 (e)

Hot Topic: The Importance of Informatics to Perioperative Practice--Speaker to be determined

2362 (R) P + 1.5 (e)

The Clinical and Financial Impact of MRSA--Carolyn L. Twomey, RN, BSN

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a specific strain of SA bacterium that has developed antibiotic resistance to all penicillins, including methicillin. Although MRSA has traditionally been seen as a hospital-acquired infection, there is currently an epidemic of community-acquired MRSA in the United States. Therefore, it is imperative that health care professionals remain aware of the challenges presented by MRSA. This continuing education activity will provide the participant with up-to-date information on both hospital-acquired and community-acquired MRSA. It will present an overview of the latest MRSA statistics and trends, including its clinical and financial impact on the health care system. The current challenges of community-acquired MRSA will be explored. Various infection prevention strategies with proven success also will be discussed. There will be opportunity for questions and a discussion of the issues.