Medical-Surgical Nurses To Meet In DC For Annual Convention

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 21 May 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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As the single largest group of health care providers in the United States, medical-surgical nurses need ongoing education to care for the country's adults. One of their primary sources is the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses' (AMSN) Annual Convention, slated this year for September 9-14, 2009, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.

The convention features the broadest variety of topics ever offered by AMSN, ranging from drug-resistant organisms to management skills, according to Program Committee Chair Gloria Hurst, BSN, RN-BC, CMSRN. Hurst said planners researched current medical-surgical nursing practice and chose the most urgent and timely issues that nurses are facing today to build this year's program. They also chose the country's leading experts for the presentations.

The convention draws staff nurses, clinical nurse specialists, educators, managers, administrators, students, researchers and nurse practitioners from hospital, community and long-term care facilities.

In addition to the education sessions, attendees will earn Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credits, network with colleagues at special events, visit with vendors in the exhibit hall and view poster presentations. In addition, AMSN will offer all attendees free access to a Convention Online Library after the event. Nurses will be able to retrieve sessions they weren't able to attend in person and earn additional CNE credits.

A complete registration brochure is available on AMSN's Web site.

Program

Pre-convention workshops will be offered September 9-10. The two-day Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Review Course and Overview will prepare candidates for the Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN®) certification exam. There will also be clinical, research and leadership workshops.

Later on Thursday, keynote speaker Margo McCaffery, MS, RN-BC, FAAN, will discuss the new and emerging theories about pain management in her presentation, "Misconceptions that Hamper Pain Assessment."

Concurrent sessions will run from Friday, September 11, through Sunday, September 13. Topics include:

- Managing diabetes in the medical-surgical setting
- Multi-drug resistant organisms - how they are transmitted, effective prevention strategies
- Caring for orthopaedic trauma patients - assessing and treating injuries
- Surviving a stroke - the importance of quick diagnosis and treatment
- Alcohol withdrawal syndrome - safe and effective care
- "Do These Genes Make Me Look Fat?" - the role of genetics in obesity; lifestyle modifications

Closing Events

The convention will end on Sunday with an interactive Town Hall meeting and a closing address, "The Practice: Sharing Best Outcomes," on nurse empowerment by Denise Verosky, MSN, MS, RN, CNS CMSRN. Verosky will explore how medical-surgical nurses can influence outcomes measured by oversight organizations like the Joint Commission.

Certification Exam

The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB) will offer the CMSRN certification exam on Monday, September 14, onsite at the convention. A separate application and registration fee are required for the exam. To download an application, visit www.msncb.org. The application deadline is July 17, 2009.

Continuing Nursing Education

Attendees can earn up to 16.5 contact hours of continuing nursing education during the convention; an additional 13.75 contact hours for the two-day Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Review Course and Overview; or 5.0 contact hours (each) for the Clinical, Research or Leadership workshops. Viewing the posters will also provide at least 1.0 contact hour.

This convention is co-provided by AMSN and Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc..

Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc. is an accredited provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation (ANCC-COA).

Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc. is an approved provider of continuing education by the California Board of Registered Nursing, CEP No. 5387.

Source
The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses

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