9:30 am – 11:00 am

Town Hall

Join us for a town hall discussion on current areas of key importance to the medical-surgical nurse and practice environment.

11:15 am – 12:30 pm

Concurrent Sessions

RN Leadership: The Incredible Journey

Elisa Romero, MSN, RN, CMSRN

In this interactive presentation, attendees will learn about the stages of leadership and the qualities demonstrated and needed to be successful.

Monoclonal Antibodies

Noelle Clark, MSN, RN, OCN, NPD-BC

This session will explore the use of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of diseases and discuss the role they play relative to treatment in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Working with Risk Management

Maureen Murphy, BS-HCA, RN, CMSRN; Sarah Bush, MBA, CPHRM

This session will discuss working with risk management issues in the nursing practice environment.

A Multi-Modal Approach to Improve Communication in the Inpatient Setting during COVID-19

Courtney Brumit, BSN, RN; Alissa Schick, MSN, RN, NE-BC; Deborah Gordon, MSN, MHA, RN, NE-BC

Explore how a large urban academic medical center piloted and implemented a standardized virtual communication model to improve patient care on an acute care telemetry COVID-19 containment unit.

Virtual Telecommunication End-of-Life Simulation: More Effective than Face-to-Face

Tiffani Chidume, DNP, RN, CCRN-K, CHSE

Discuss the use of a virtual telecommunication (VT) pilot simulation-based experience (SBE) used during COVID-19 to address communicating with the family of a dying loved one and produce feelings of empathy.

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Lunch on Your Own

2:00 pm – 3:15 pm

Concurrent Sessions

Writing a Successful AMSN PRISM Application

AMSN PRISM Award Committee Members

This session will provide updated guidance for submitting a successful PRISM application.

AV Blocks: What Every Med-Surg Nurse Needs to Know

Allison Perkins, PhD, APRN, ACNS-BC

This presentation will utilize a variety of teaching methods to empower nurses’ confidence in identifying different types of AV blocks.

When Your Unit Is Drowning: Staffing Response Team to the Rescue!

Julie Gillespie, BSN, RN, ONC; Allison Carlson, MSN, RN, CCRN, CMSN

Explore the use of a staffing response team (SRT) as an enhancement to the hospital-wide staffing plan to assist with integration of employees across all units, the enhancement of teamwork and communication, and the creation of a more positive culture.

Moral Injury in Nursing: Fractured Hearts and Wounded Souls

Terri Hinkley, EdD, MBA, BScN, RN, CAE; Patricia Pittman, PhD

Many nurses are familiar with the term moral distress, which is defined as "knowing the right thing to do but being in a situation in which it is nearly impossible to do it" (Jameton, 2017). Moral injury is a concept first defined and witnesses in military veterans when they bore witness to, or participated in, activities that ran counter to their individual moral code. Moral injury results in profound harm to the individual and can result in PTSD-like symptoms and maladaptive coping mechanisms and may lead to suicide. Exploration of this concept is just starting in the nursing profession and a research study is underway to understand nurses' experiences with moral injury. This session will examine the concept of moral injury, the system level issues contributing to moral injury, and the initial findings of the research project and will discuss and present potential solutions.

How “Smart” Are IV Smart Pumps?

Karen Giuliano, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN; Jeannine Blake, MS, RN

This session will review the body of evidence on intravenous smart pump usability and infusion-related medication administration errors in the context of acute care nursing practice. A variety of technical issues, which include the impact of manufacturer set-up requirements on flow rate accuracy for both primary and secondary infusions and the impact of dead space on medication infusion, will be discussed, along with an overview of the presenting team’s program of IVSP research.

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm

Beverage Break

3:30 pm – 4:45 pm

Concurrent Sessions

Telehealth: An Emerging Frontier of Medical-Surgical Practice

One of the big health services that has grown with the COVID-19 pandemic is the use of telehealth. This session will discuss telehealth in relation to the changing role of the medical-surgical nurse, focusing on what we practice, not where or how we practice. Discussion will include privacy concerns and medical-surgical nurses’ competency in this area and how we can better inform ourselves.

A to Z: Event-Focused Rapid Response Teams

Maria Hamidi, MSN, RN, NPD-BC; Darlene Lovasik, MN, RN, CCRN-K, CCTN

This presentation will describe the development and implementation of rapid response teams (RRTs), the role of mock codes in assessing the performance of the RRTs, and the function of the code review committee to report/resolve clinical issues that are identified during process/quality review.

Standardized Discharge Planning Process to Reduce Patients’ Length of Stay

Laila Moosa, DNPc, MSN, RN, PHN, CMSRN

This session will discuss how a standardized discharge planning process results in safe and coordinated care and reduces length of stay in patients.

Evidence-Based Practice, Quality Improvement, and Research, Oh My!!

Cristen Mackwell, MSN, RN, CMSRN, NPD-BC

Participants will leave this session with a better understanding of evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and research, with the goal to bring the information back to their institution to help elevate practice and improve patient outcomes.

Thinning Out the “Fluff”: Current Trends in Anticoagulant Therapies

Christy Greenhalgh, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC; Rachael Sweeney, DNP, APRN, AGACNPBC, FNP-BC

This session will discuss the latest in anticoagulation therapy, including guidelines for usage, advantages, and disadvantages of new medications in the market, side effects, and what to teach patients.