The Online CE Library will also continue to offer one free CE session per person, CE credit included, until May 31, 2013. Choose from hundreds of sessions made at our national conferences, a little thank you from us for all your dedication and hard work.  Use code: NURSESRULE at check out.

National Nurses Week is May 6-12, 2013, and Contemporary Forums would like to thank all of the nurses who make a difference in the lives of patients each day. Nursing is often described as an art and a science, as it is a profession that combines dedicated people with different strengths, passions and interests playing multiple roles in the care of their patients.  Regardless of specialty, nurses are all united by a passion for the profession.

Contemporary Forums has had the pleasure of providing continuing education (CE) to nurses for the past 30 years.  We have provided ongoing education to nurses working in women’s health, pediatrics,  critical care, nursing education, psychiatry, neonatal care, and more.  Contemporary Forums takes pride in giving nurses the tools they need to improve their clinical skills and make a difference in the care of their patients.  Pam Jenkins Wallace, the Vice President of Program Development for Contemporary Forums states, “We celebrate Nurses Week with the more than 300,000 nurses we have served over 30 years of being the leader in quality continuing education for nurses. We congratulate and honor all nursing professionals during this special week of celebrating all they do to promote the health and well-being of patients and families.”

Contemporary Forums is celebrating National Nurses Week by offering $75 off any 2013 Main Conference Registration purchased during National Nurses Week , May 6-12, 2013.  Use Code NW13 when registering online. Remember, this offer is only good during National Nurses Week for new registrations and the code will expire after May 12. Visit our 2013 conference calendar to view our summer and fall continuing education conferences or view our (CE) conferences by specialty.  Also, the Online CE Library is giving away one free CE session per person during National Nurses Week. Choose from hundreds of presentations made at national conferences. Simply watch and earn CE. Enter code: NURSESRULE at check out.

We look forward to providing quality, state-of-the-art conferences for your professional enrichment. Click here to watch a short video from Contemporary Forums on the progression of nursing.

The authors go on to say in  JAMA Surgery  , “We applaud the introduction of patient satisfaction as a metric of health care, recognizing that satisfaction measures the important customer service component of a patient’s experience. However, the use of patient satisfaction as a comprehensive measure of quality to determine hospital reimbursement must be questioned in the absence of other reliable outcome metrics.”

Given the new research, should patient satisfaction be thought of as a metric hospitals get paid for? What about the patients who rate their hospital trip highly, even when it didn’t result in better care? Comment and let us know your thoughts.

The policy at most hospitals does not allow for pet visitation.  However, a few medical institutions have taken a different approach and opened their doors to patients’ own dogs and cats letting them visit along with other family, children and friends.  To name a few, The University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore,  University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics in Iowa City, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and two hospitals associated with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, all allow family pets  to visit their owners, so long as certain requirements are met.

Policies vary among the institutions but many share some of the same requirements such as a doctor’s order, clearance from the veterinarian that the animal is healthy and up-to-date on shots, the animal must be groomed within a day of the visit and be on a leash when walking through the hospital. If the dog or cat wants to be with the patient on a bed, a covering must first be laid down. If the room is shared, the other patient must agree before a pet may visit.

Rush University Medical Center spent three years studying the issue before its new pet visitation policy went into effect. Diane Gallagher, the hospital’s Associate Vice President of Nursing Operations, described some of the questions: Would animals transmit infections to patients, or vice versa? What were the liability issues? Could allowing pets to visit interfere with patient care? In the end, officials decided that the benefits of comfort and reduced stress for patients were more substantial than the risks.

Research on the impact of patients health with pet visitation hasn’t been done, however one small 2010 study performed by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth’s Center for Human-Animal Interaction, found that both unfamiliar and familiar dogs provoked a relaxation response and reduction in blood pressure and levels of cortisol.

Would you agree that visitation from a beloved pet may help the overall well-being of a patient? In the situation of hospice and long term care facilities, should patients have the right to spend their final days with their beloved pets? Read more about this topic in an article titled, “When Best Friends Can Visit” posted by the New York Times. Comment below and let us know your thoughts…..

“Each summer conference is developed with nationally-known experts as Conference Chairs and speakers and provides ACCME and ANCC accredited CE hours for advanced practice clinicians and nurses,” said Pam Jenkins-Wallace, MS, NP, Vice President, Program Development for Contemporary Forums. She continues, “Clinicians always enjoy the combination of excellent CE in a setting of breathtaking natural beauty and these conference schedules allow time to enjoy outdoor activities and adventures in a family-oriented location. From a learning perspective, over 85% of past attendees report plans to make changes in their practice based on what they learned at these conferences.”

During each four day conference, attendees will spend time in morning CE sessions and will have the afternoons to explore the resort and the surrounding environment.  Each conference is fully accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation (ANCC) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

The Jackson Hole conference site, the Snow King Resort, is undergoing a $16 million renovation to be completed in early June 2013. Guests will experience a first class resort in a world class destination with beautifully remodeled rooms, renovated restaurant and bar area with 180 degree views of the mountain landscape, remodeled meeting space, updated pool, spa, and work-out facilities, complimentary airport transportation, additional service staff and enhanced WiFi capability.

The Westin Snowmass Resort is a family resort offering activities for everyone. Guided nature trail hikes, mountain bike clinics and supervised children’s programs at the Treehouse Kids Adventure Center and new Ice Age Discovery Center are all part of the Snowmass experience.  Snowmass Village also offers a free outdoor concert each week on Fanny Hill, where you can picnic on the lawn under the stars and enjoy the music.

The following (CE) summer resort conferences are offered by Contemporary Forums:

Hot Topics in Primary Care – July 21-24, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Register by June 10th to qualify for the early fee. Designed for NPs, MDs, PAs, CNMs, and RNs from primary care settings, the 4th annual conference is sponsored, in partnership with JNP: The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. An outstanding panel of clinically active faculty members will discuss the challenges faced daily in the office or clinic setting.  A “Pharmacology Update” Preconference is available on July 21st to learn newer trends and options for pharmacotherapy.

Emergency Care Summit – July 21-24, Snowmass, Colorado

Register by June 10th to qualify for the early fee. The Emergency Care Summit conference will address a diverse set of Emergency Department (ED) topics and knowledge gaps, from resuscitation controversies to prescription drug abuse and street drugs, as well as hematologic emergencies and sepsis. Do you have questions about tricky 12-Lead ECG strips, or what to consider when managing an obstetric trauma patient? Our faculty and your colleagues will provide answers and problem-solving guidance to assist in working through challenging cases such as these and towards the best possible outcomes for your highly vulnerable patients.

Office Gynecology – July 28- 31, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Register by June 17th to qualify for the early fee. Designed for NPs, MDs, CNMs, PAs and RNs from women’s health and family practice settings, the 11th annual conference brings together a stellar panel of clinician experts to address clinical challenges faced daily as you manage the care of female patients. Bring questions and puzzling cases … the dynamic faculty will give you answers and guidance.

In addition to the resort conferences, Contemporary Forums also offers the following summer conferences:

National Conference of Neonatal Nursing – June 23-26, San Francisco, California

Register by May 13th to qualify for the early fee.New guidelines; diagnostic, treatment and monitoring advances; ethical dilemmas; anticipating and preventing complications; optimal patient comfort; staff/family interactions are just some of the challenges in caring for critically ill neonates. Join clinical experts as they share their extensive knowledge and experience, and encourage thought-provoking discussions and problem-solving.

Revolutionizing Nursing Education: Using Interprofessional Teams and Technology – July 25-27, Anaheim, California

Register by June 13 to qualify for the early fee. The health care system will face dramatic changes over the next decade. Interprofessional practice teams and the reliance on health information tools will be integral components of the transformation of health care. To prepare the healthcare workforce of the future, we need to reinvent the education of healthcare professionals. Revolutionizing Nursing Education offers a unique opportunity to increase awareness of new technology and experience how to integrate selected techniques into your interprofessional education practices by using a “how to” approach.

Although there are many highlights of this years’ conference, we are very excited to have Ina May Gaskin as part of our faculty this year.  Ms. Gaskin has an impressive biography as an author, activist and innovator.  She has lectured all over the world and promoted a low-intervention but effective method for dealing with shoulder dystocia. This has resulted in a method called, the Gaskin Maneuver, the first obstetrical procedure to be named for a midwife which has since been adopted by many practitioners. On April 23 at 8:00 a.m. Ms. Gaskin will be presenting “Maneuvers for Successful Labor: Shoulder Dystocia, Positioning in Labor and 2nd Stage”

Ms. Gaskin is also the visionary behind “The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project”, a national effort developed to draw public attention to the current maternal death rates, and the underreporting of maternal deaths in the United States. The quilt is made up of individually designed blocks, each one devoted to a woman in the U.S. who has died of pregnancy related causes since 1982. Ms. Gaskin will be displaying several of these quilts at the Obstetric Nursing conference and will be presenting “Maternal Mortality: Not Just a Concern for the Past “on Monday April 22 at 10:00 a.m.

Ms. Gaskin is the founder and director of the Farm Midwifery Center.  The center has handled approximately 3000 births, with remarkably good outcomes, and Ms. Gaskin herself has attended more than 1200 births. Her Center is noted for its low rates of intervention, morbidity and mortality despite the inclusion of many vaginally delivered breeches, twin and grand multiparas.

We hope you are as excited as we are to have Ina May Gaskin with us at this conference. We are positive you will learn a vast amount from her experience and expertise.

Pediatric Nursing: Care of the Hospitalized Child – April 10-13, 2013 – Anaheim, CA

The Young Child with Special Needs – April 11-13, 2013 – Atlanta, GA

Contraceptive Technology – April 17-20, 2013 – Washington D.C.

Obstetric Nursing – April 21-24, 2013 – New Orleans, LA

In addition to the possibility of winning an iPad Mini, Contemporary Forums is continuing its 30^th Anniversary Celebration with free tuition giveaways.  We will be raffling off one tuition at each conference good for any 2014 Main Conference and every attendee will receive special anniversary themed items.

Be sure to register now if you have not already done so and we will see you in session!

Patti Neighmond examined the statistics in her recent article posted on NPR’s Health News. She explores the largest study to date which shows that as many as 1 in every 7 women suffers from postpartum depression. Published in the journal, JAMA Psychiatry, the study finds that among women followed for a year after delivery, some 22 percent had been depressed. The study also recommends that all pregnant women and new mothers be screened for depression, to diagnose the problem and expedite treatment.

Why some women are more vulnerable to postpartum depression is unknown, but genetics likely play a role as well as hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy. Additionally, the sleep deprivation that typically occurs in caring for a newborn can compound with the  embarrassment a woman might feel in admitting she feels depressed.

What are your thoughts regarding implementing a universal screening for depression that could help women sort  through their feelings and identify those at risk for depression? The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says more evidence is needed before that type of recommendation can be made, but does suggest that doctors and health care workers perform a thorough psychiatric evaluation for any woman who has a history of depression.

What does your health care facility implement to screen for postpartum depression? Do you feel more could be done to identify depression early on and treat new mothers?

On January 25^th at the end of a 2-day meeting, the majority of the FDA’s Drug Safety and Risk Management advisory panel had recommended that it should be reclassified, because stricter controls on prescribing are needed to address the current epidemic of abuse, misuse, and diversion in the United States.

As you know, Schedule III allows written or oral prescribing, and five refills within 6 months, while schedule II drugs require handwritten prescriptions and other restrictions.

Those voting in favor of rescheduling said that it would result in a net public health benefit by making these drugs less available for abuse and reducing the amount that ends up in medication cabinets and on the street.  But panelists voting against rescheduling said there was no evidence that rescheduling would have an impact on abuse and diversion, and would likely result in an increase in the use of heroin and other illicit drugs, and problems with other schedule III drugs. They were also concerned about the negative consequences of rescheduling on the treatment of pain, with the increased burden and reduced access to effective pain medications for patients in pain, particularly those in rural areas or those who have difficulty getting to a doctor for a prescription renewal.

What are your thoughts? Comment below and let us know.  Read more about this topic in an article titled, “FDA panel backs more restricted hydrocodone prescribing”, by Elizabeth Mechcatie in the Rheumatology News Digital Network.

The early fee deadlines are approaching for the following conferences, so hurry and register on or before these dates:

Contraceptive Technology in Washington D.C. – April 17-20, 2013 – Register by March 6, 2013 and Save Up to $140 – Earn up to 25 hours

Obstetric Nursing in New Orleans, LA – April 21-24, 2013 – Register by March 11, 2013 and Save Up to $110 – Earn up to 24.25 hours

The Young Child with Special Needs in Atlanta, GA – April 11-13, 2013 – Register by March 14, 2013 and Save Up to $ 100 – Earn up to 20 hours

Advances in Health Care for Women Over 40 in Scottsdale, AZ – April 28-30, 2013 – Register by March 18, 2013 and Save Up to $120 – Earn up to 20.25 hours

Adolescent Health Care in Orlando, FL – May 2-4, 2013 – Register by March 21, 2013 and Save Up to $90 – Earn up to 19.5 hours