Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Anesthesia….
But Were Too Busy to Ask

Whether you're a nursing novice or veteran, here's the seminar which will answer all the questions you've never had time to ask about why anesthesia providers do what they do….and perhaps even why you do what you do with surgical patients!

This intensive overview of anesthesia techniques, pharmacology, and complications will be specifically related to nursing actions along the anesthesia continuum from pre-anesthesia assessment through the operating room and PACU to discharge to ward or home.

Using real case histories from her extensive clinical experience, Deborah will sharpen your understanding of the factors and choices at work in anesthesia decision-making. Your increased knowledge will increase patient safety, bolster your professional self-confidence, and improve teamwork.

Seminar topics include:

•  General Anesthesia inhalational agents neuromuscular blockade narcotics adjunctive agents •  Regional Anesthesia spinal anesthesia epidural anesthesia peripheral blocks •  Local Anesthesia
	•  Sedation and Analgesia •  Monitoring •  Selected Anesthesia Complications "the lost airway " malignant hyperthermia •  Preanesthesia Assessment •  Post-anesthesia Assessment •  Discharge Criteria

Bring your questions and interesting cases for discussion!

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Legal Aspects of PeriAnesthesia Nursing

For all nurses who care for patients receiving anesthesia: your practice places unique demands and responsibilities on you. High patient turnover and intensive patient-care demands can put you at risk for legal action.

• Do you ever worry about a nursing malpractice lawsuit?
• Do you wonder how your care and documentation will stand up if placed under the legal microscope?
• Do you know the most common areas of alleged nursing negligence?
• Do you know the pitfalls of "defensive documentation?"

Join us for an intensive, fast-paced day of updated information about legal aspects of perianesthesia nursing care, including:

• Reviewing legal aspects of nursing care. You will hear about real perianesthesia cases from the literature as well as the instructor's experience as a legal nurse consultant and legal nurse consultant.
• Strengthening practice areas which might be viewed as weak in the legal system. You will receive practice advice related to perianesthesia care from an active clinician.
• Improving personal and professional confidence in daily practice with effective risk management strategies. Risk management does not "belong" just to administration…every nurse needs to develop strategies to protect individual practice.

Deborah is an active member of The American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants. During the past decade, she has consulted and testified in both plaintiff and defense cases. She has written two medical-legal chapters, and she has served as a guest editor for Nursing Clinics of North America. She has also served as an Associate Editor of both editions of Legal Nurse Consulting Principles and Practice, published by the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants.

Bonus!
How to Get Started in Legal Nurse Consulting

At the end of the seminar day, Deborah will present an optional non-credit hour for interested participants about the challenges of this branch of professional nursing. This is a casual nuts-and-bolts discussion with plenty of time for your questions.

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Are You Competent for Perianesthesia Emergencies?

True emergency events in anesthesia care are fairly rare. That rarity may diminish readiness by denial and reduced recognition of critical events as well as lack of team preparation. Are you ready to provide the critical nursing care your perianesthesia patient may need in an emergency situation?

This workshop will focus on the unique elements of perianesthesia care and situations which can develop into emergencies.

We will

…identify critical assessment elements

…list nursing actions aimed at preventing development of crisis situations.

…describe appropriate interventions for crisis management.

Real case histories from Deborah's extensive clinical experience will illustrate situations which can develop into emergencies. We will synthesize didactic information with real-life assessments to develop action plans and improve critical thinking skills in perianesthesia care.

By the end of the workshop, you will develop strategies to increase your personal and professional capabilities in crisis situations, personalizing the seminar's information to your own clinical practice.

Although the seminar information is intensive, it is presented in a friendly, non-threatening teaching environment.

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Advancing Your Perianesthesia Nursing Practice

Perianesthesia patient care is a challenging environment which includes a wide variety of acute patient problems, advanced technology, complicated pharmacology and frequent clinical crises.

This seminar is designed to advance the skills of nurses in perianesthesia care, perioperative care, ambulatory surgery and surgical intensive care nursing. By participating in this seminar, all nurses with experience caring for patients along the anesthesia continuum will…

…sharpen their professional abilities

…improve patient safety

…increase individual and team confidence

…boost personal satisfaction with a job well-done!

Topics are based on some of the most interesting cases from Deborah's extensive experience as well as the clinical literature. It's an intensive day in a friendly, easy-going learning environment.

Specific topics include:

• What's New in Anesthesia: How recent advances in anesthetic drugs, techniques, monitoring and philosophies impact on your nursing care
• Polishing Your Competence and Confidence for Clinical Crises - Including updates in resuscitative protocols, ACLS tips for the non-ACLS nurse, unique aspects of crisis management in the perianesthesia unit.
• Critical Teamwork: The Lost Airway - How airway management is determined throughout the various parts of anesthesia care, nursing roles in preventing an airway crisis, techniques and equipment for airway management scenarios, the vital steps of the ASA Difficult Airway Algorithm and associated nursing actions.
• "I was awake during my operation." Controversies about the role of the BiSpectral Index (BIS) monitor in preventing intra-op awareness as well as its place in cost-containment in anesthesia care. Learn the nursing actions essential for the patient who tells you he has experienced awareness under anesthesia.
• Demystifying Neuromuscular Blockade: The paralyzing drugs used in anesthesia care have many advantages, but they also carry disadvantages and dangers. An understanding of their pharmacology, physiology, clinical usage and monitoring is essential for patient safety. Real case studies will illustrate the vital principles nurses need to know to provide safe care to patients who receive these drugs. Learn how to recognize and treat the "Floppy Fish Syndrome."
• Protecting Your Personal Practice and Thriving at the Bedside: The medicolegal world infiltrates our everyday clinical practices, often without our awareness. As an active clinician who is also a Legal Nurse Consultant, Deborah will share case histories which illustrate strengths and weaknesses of perianesthesia nursing practice. Participants will have the opportunity to compare their own practices with real medicolegal cases and to improve their individual and team strategies for pro-active focus.