OCT. 24, 2014 • Issue 3 of 3 • 11 PAGES
PUSHING THE PEDAL ON PRACTICE President Puts the Focus on Our Resources and Our Reporting By Amy Carpenter Aquino, Conference Connection
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s ENA President Deena Brecher, MSN, RN, APN, ACNS-BC, CEN, CPEN, welcomed attendees to the Racing Capital of the World on Oct. 9, she invited them to take advantage of all the learning opportunities in Indy but also to remain focused on the issues most pertinent to emergency nurses. The ongoing response to the Ebola crisis was the most concerning issue, Brecher said, with special emphasis given to providing resources for emergency nurses. ENA’s goal was to ‘‘make sure that you have all the tools you need to care for these patients,’’ she said. She said it was up to emergency nurses to speak up if they saw something that was not right. ‘‘We stand at the front door of our hospital. We stand at the opportunity to help prevent an epidemic in this country,’’ she said. Brecher’s other messages included working to finally change the culture of workplace violence after nine years of collecting data on the issue; expanding ENA’s outreach to industry partners; being diligent about reporting events; and keeping practice safe by using the resources provided and maintaining credentials. ‘‘I have complete and total faith in the brain trust in this room,’’ Brecher said.
Expanded coverage from the ENA Annual Conference will appear in your December copy of ENA Connection!
Featured Speakers
‘It’s About the Patient’ E
Mending With Mindfulness ‘W
hen you’re living life like an emergency, it’s easy to miss the warning signs.’’ Diane Sieg, RN, CYT, CSP, a former emergency nurse, told the story of a stressed, frantic patient who came to the ED one morning seeking pain medication and left before Sieg could tell her she was having a heart attack. ‘‘What don’t you have time for right now?’’ Sieg asked Opening Session attendees on Oct. 9. ‘‘Your family, your friends? What about your own heart attacks?’’ Sieg cited research showing that two out of three healthcare providers were suffering from burnout. She led attendees through a mindfulness session intended to help them shift their mind-set from chaos to calm and to help them let go of old hurts and anxieties. ‘‘Mindfulness is so powerful,’’ Sieg said. ‘‘It allows us to listen and connect and problem-solve and create at a much higher level.’’ Attendees practiced deep breathing, stillness and meditation exercises that Sieg, a yogi, said could be performed any time they needed a mindfulness break. Amy Carpenter Aquino
mergency nurses understand how an interactive team works — with everyone showing respect for everyone else — and have the best vantage point for seeing how to create process improvements that provide truly safe patient care. ‘‘It’s not about the doctor, it’s not about the emergency room, it’s not about the nurse,’’ said General Session speaker John Nance, a best-selling author, pilot and air safety analyst/advocate for ‘‘ABC World News.’’ ‘‘It’s about the patient — patient-centric care. ‘‘Everything, everything — including the interests of the CFO — is subordinate to the best interests of the patient.’’ That simple concept is in direct opposition to what Nance called the most dangerous phrase in medicine worldwide, ‘‘This is the way we’ve always done it.’’ Other obstacles arise from what Nance called the ‘‘Who’s on first?’’ question, or confusion over whose job it is to keep the patient safe. The culture in American medicine must be changed because the results are no longer effective on any level, said Nance, citing a 2013 published study showing that 440,000 deaths due to medication errors, infections and other avoidable reasons occurred in hospitals each year. Culture changes take years, sometimes decades, yet emergency nurses have amazing capabilities to enact change at record speed and are poised to take a leadership role, he said. Amy Carpenter Aquino
‘If You Want to See Change, You’re the One Who Has to Do It’
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eadership expert John Spence is known for making the very complex ‘‘awesomely simple.’’ Acknowledging that no other industry changes as rapidly as healthcare, Spence’s enthusiastic Closing Session presentation covered the six critical strategies for building and sustaining a highly successful organization. His colorful stories and anecdotes provided actionable advice for immediate real-world application. He covered the key elements of a winning culture, attributes of a great place
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to work and the seven keys to trust. Spence says a simple mnemonic will help you remember the four C’s of how to gain trust: consistently communicate that you’re competent and you care. See the December issue of ENA Connection to read about Spence’s main message: the six things leaders must implement to ensure a successful change management process. Marie Grimaldi, Communications & Public Relations Manager
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SIX WHO WERE THE ONE
‘PowerofOne’EventDemonstratesJustWhat’sPossible
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n Oct. 10, Jeff Solheim, MSN, RN-BC, CEN, CFRN, FAEN, introduced conference attendees to six heroes during the ENA Foundation exclusive event, ‘‘The Power of One: Engaging Generations of Nurses to Give Back and Do Incredible Things.’’ Solheim, an internationally recognized motivational speaker, shared the stories of these heroes from around the world who worked to provide a Robert Nabulere (left) chats with presenter Jeff Solheim better future for others. Some of those heroes include the following: about his efforts to help the impoverished in Uganda. • Robert Nabulere, who overcame the hardship of his early life in Uganda through education and hard work, was motivated to help those still stuck in poverty. Ten years ago, he moved his family to the Kampala slums and started a church and a school. In 2013, he broke ground on a four-story clinic and plans to add a university and a teaching hospital. • ENA members Joan Eberhardt, MA, RN, CCRN, FAEN, and Helen Sandkuhl, MSN, RN, CEN, FAEN, during one of their trips to Cochabamba, Bolivia, saved a badly burned boy from a lifetime of hardship. They raised $25,000 to bring him to the U.S., where he spent seven weeks in a burn unit. After his release, he lived with Eberhardt because his family was too poor to care for his needs during his recovery. The women eventually raised enough money to send Luis back to his family and have kept in contact with him. ‘‘I hope as you walk away this evening, that you feel as empowered and as changed as I have been,’’ Solheim said. The event raised more than $28,000, which will be used to send 10 emerging professionals to the Emergency Nursing 2015 conference in Orlando, Fla. Amy Carpenter Aquino
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Joan Eberhardt (left) and Helen Sandkuhl tell their moving story.
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A STATELY AFFAIR More than 650 delegates from all 50 states gathered on Oct. 8 - 9 at General Assembly for the official business of ENA: discussing and voting on nine bylaws amendments and 10 resolutions, including the topics of firearms safety, reduction of prescription drug abuse, national standardization of emergency codes and support for a national trauma system.
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Education
Film Interpretation Presession: X-Rays Are a Great Way to Start O
n Oct. 8, Emergency Nurses Day, more than 50 eager attendees began their 2014 Annual Conference experience with a presession. Laura L. Kuensting, DNP, APRN, PCNS-BC, CPNP, CPEN (left) presented ‘‘Chest, Abdomen and Skeletal Plain Film Interpretation.’’ Speaking to an audience primarily composed of advance practice nurses, Kuensting outlined a systematic approach to radiologic interpretation. She began by discussing the importance of collaborating with radiology technicians and radiologists for optimal radiologic interpretation, including requesting input from these colleagues to determine the best imaging study to order and to document assessment findings that indicated the study. After a review of basic radiology terminology, Kuensting presented two mnemonics for an approach to X-ray interpretation. The BSA mnemonic is the initial ‘‘quick scan’’ of an image, looking for obvious abnormalities in the body, surface and other abnormalities, while the A-F mnemonic is a more in-depth analysis of the image. Kuensting emphasized that providers should be describing the images and not making a diagnosis based on the X-ray alone. The chest X-ray portion of the presession started with a review of basic anatomy in common views. Kuensting presented a systematic approach which included evaluating the RIP (rotation, inspiration and penetration) of the X-ray, with identification of the diaphragm, costophrenic angles, heart, hilar markings and lung markings. Case presentations were given after each section. Attendees had a great start to their 2014 Annual Conference experience and walked away much more confident in their X-ray interpretation skills. Alyssa M. Kelly, MSN, RN, CNS, CEN Senior Associate, Nursing Education
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Education
A Lesson in Removing FEAR T
he closing statement ‘‘Fear is false evidence appearing real’’ resonated through this educational session, reminding us that for centuries, infectious diseases have ranked with wars and famine as significant challenges to human survival and progress. False evidence appearing real can easily cause panic, misinformation and chaos. Infectious diseases should not be taken lightly or disregarded, but rather their emergence should provide an opportunity to evaluate health practices, emergency preparedness and appropriate health education. What better way to understand emerging infectious disease than to study epidemiology. In ‘‘Something Old, Something New: MERS and Other Emerging Infections,’’ presented by Sheri-Lynne Ann Almeida, DrPH, MSN, Med, RN, CEN, FAEN, Ebola became a focus topic. However, Almeida quickly reminded attendees
that while Ebola is of great concern now, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), chikungunya, pertussis and measles are some examples of other emerging infectious diseases. Infectious diseases remain one of the leadings causes of death and disability worldwide, and against the constant background of established infections, epidemics of new and old infectious diseases periodically emerge. Almeida reviewed MERS, chikungunya, pertussis and measles, describing the history of each disease, epidemiology, clinical features, case definitions, prevention measures, nursing interventions and infection control recommendations. The session served as a reminder to separate fear from fact regarding emerging infectious diseases. Monica Escalante, MSN, BA, RN, Senior Associate, Institute for Quality, Safety and Injury Prevention
Attendees Learn to Do CNE Programs Right . . . by Night
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rofessional Development of CNE Products’’ has become a mainstay anchor of the Night Shift sessions. This regular educational session is always on the subject matter of continuing nursing education, but a different spin is presented at each annual conference. This year, a special interactive session targeted interprofessional attendees who are responsible for any major aspect of providing CNE products, including nurse planners, activity coordinators, speakers, content experts and planning committee members. The goal was to provide learners with insight into some of the most challenging aspects of CNE program development, such as the
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developing a gap analysis, preserving content integrity, resolving conflict of interest and constructing meaningful behavioral objectives. A special ‘‘Test Your Knowledge’’ interactive challenge was the main feedback strategy that facilitated critical thinking and problem identification and solving. This session actually provided emergency nurses with the needed ANCC background to move forward into the valued role of a qualified nurse planner. Upon completion of this Night Shift session, learners should have been able to return to their program planning desktops and start developing programs and CNE applications that will result in the
implementation of fine quality educational programs that will promote professional development with their learners. As the speaker, I was impressed that more than 30 attendees opted to spend a lovely Friday night in downtown Indianapolis to attend this session and learn to improve, enhance — and in some instances — create highly regulated CNE products. I was truly honored to have served as the speaker for those dedicated learners. Janet Crawford, MSN, ACNS-BC ANCC Lead Nurse Planner
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LEARNING MEETS LEISURE Attendees got to experience the latest in emergency nursing products and services from approximately 200 vendors in the Exhibit Hall, where attractions such as free hand massages and the ENA Relaxation Station were only steps from educational eye-openers at the e-Learning and financial wellness booths.
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EMERGENCY NURSES OFF DUTY The Welcome to Indy Party on Oct. 9 was an explosive celebration to formally open the ENA Annual Conference, with food, camaraderie and high-energy live music from the Endless Summer Band.
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FORMAL FINISH The ENA Annual Awards Gala ended the conference in style on Oct. 11, with Annual Award winners, 17 Lantern Award recipients and nine inductees to the Academy of Emergency Nursing all getting their time in the spotlight.
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♦
ENA ANNUAL CONFERENCE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULES CLIFFORD ♦
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