Multispecialty Conference brings together diverse group of topics

AORN Journal,  Nov, 2003  

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An educational Collaboration brought together ambulatory services, education, and diverse other groups during AORN's Multispecialty Conference, Sept 25 to 28, 2003, in Denver. The conference included a variety of separate conferences on ambulatory services, education, and rural/small hospitals.

Attendees enthusiastically responded to the reenergizing appeal of the conference, and many achieved the conference goals of sharing critical information to apply to their professional lives, learning strategies to improve leadership and management effectiveness, increasing understanding of perioperative patient safety issues, and sharing experiences with peers. Attendees were overwhelmingly positive about the conference and the speakers. "The key speakers were fantastic," said one attendee. Another said, "This weekend has proven to me that AORN is the premier provider of perioperative education." Still another said this was "one of the best conferences I have been to, ever."

The range of offerings revolved around patient safety in the OR, leadership, infection control, and productivity. Space limitations prevent covering more than a few of the numerous sessions available. Here are some highlights. More are described in the Patient Safety article oil page 8.

Disaster preparedness

John E. Eiland, RN, MSN, LTC, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Ft Campbell, Ky

Key Points:

* A disaster is anything--either natural or manmade--that completely overwhelms the system.

* Plan ahead for disasters, including areas that may be less obvious.

* Every disaster is local.

* Facilities in the Washington, DC, area with just-in-time inventory systems were not prepared to have to completely deplete their surgical services supplies on 9/11.

* What may overwhelm a small facility may be just a "blip" at a major trauma center.

What's happening in the legislative/ regulatory arena in regard to ambulatory surgery centers

Craig S. Jeffries, Esq, American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Johnson City, Tenn

Key Points:

* Grassroots involvement is important in the legislative process.

* The process is not intimidating.

* Nurses need to get involved.

* Educate your legislators about what nurses do.

Insurance for ambulatory surgery centers (ASC)

Ann B. Geier, RN, MS, CNOR, Progressive Surgical Solutions, LLC, Anderson, SC

Key Points:

* ASC insurance purchases should coincide with actual need. For example, when an ASC is at the point of hiring employees, it should purchase workers compensation insurance.

* Contact a reputable carrier or independent agency that will shop for the best policies.

Skills for the clinical educator

Claire R. Everson, RN, CNOR, CCAP, Banner Desert Medical Center, Mesa, Ariz

Key Points:

* Educators need to recognize that learning has not occurred until behavior has changed.

* Adults have unique learning styles and are more learner centered, self-directed, and task oriented then children.

* Adults learn best by interacting with information.

* Adult learners are motivated to change if the education applies to their real world, and only then will they take steps to integrate the information.

Copyright

Claire R. Everson, RN, CNOR, CCAP, Banner Desert Medical Center, Mesa, Ariz

Key Points:

* Beware of copyright infringement.

* Many educators believe copying online articles, textbook charts, or cartoons for staff members represents "fair use" of a publisher's copyrighted work, but these types of items are protected by copyright law.

* The fair use exemption permits making one copy for personal use, but it is illegal to make additional copies for colleagues or students.

* When in doubt, always ask for permission.

Thriving on multiple priorities

Brian C. Lee, CSP, Custom Learning Systems Group, Ltd, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Key Points:

* Establish a priority matrix to increase productivity.

* The four quadrants of the productivity matrix range from major projects with short deadlines to tasks that are much less important.

* To achieve the highest productivity, spend 80% of your time on major projects and daily tasks.

* To be proactive, however, also spend one hour per day working on future planning or long-range projects.

* Low-priority tasks (eg, filing, reading e-mail) should be delegated, done now, or dumped.

Stop living life like an emergency

Diane Sieg, RN, BSN, CLC, Personal Balance, Estes Park, Colo

Key Points:

* It's easy to miss the physical and emotional clues that tell you your life is out of control.

* Take personal "universal precautions" to find more time and energy:

* Get "gloved"--that is, get your hands out of everything. Make tough choices about how not to spend your time and energy. Postpone saying "yes" to take time to assess and "triage" priorities.

* Get "gowned"--that is, surround yourself with people who can help. The expense of paying someone else to do it often is an investment in your own health and well-being.

* Get "goggled"--that is, learn to see through excuses and focus on the outcome you want to achieve.