On December 9th, 2011, Hoag Orthopedic Institute presented the 3rd Annual
Orthopedic Nursing Symposium. This symposium was organized for the educational
benefit of orthopedic nurses, certified nursing assistants, physical therapists,
occupational therapists, rehabilitation staff, orthopedic technicians/cast
technicians, peri-operative staff and clinicians working in the orthopedic
setting interested in learning more about topics related to musculoskeletal
issues. We are pleased to be able to interview Kanoe Allen RN, Executive
Director Nursing and Clinical Effectiveness, about some of the highlights
of the symposium.
HOI: Thank you for agreeing to an interview, Kanoe. From what we understand,
the symposium had some specific educational goals. Could you tell us,
in layman’s terms, something about the goals of the program?
Kanoe: The goals for the program were to provide information on surgical
techniques so the staff caring for post-operative patients had a clearer
understanding of the surgery. This included hip arthroplasty and spine
surgery. We also wanted to refresh and enlighten staff on anesthesia modalities,
early identification of emergencies one might see in the post operative
phase, special care of the geriatric fracture patient, as well as how
to identify and assist the orthopedic patient during rehabilitation.
HOI: Did you have a featured speaker at the symposium or were there a number
of different presentations?
Kanoe: We focused on the continuum of care of the patient. For this, our
symposium started with anesthesiology, then surgeons, then nursing and
rehabilitation staff. We are fortunate to have a host of experts on staff,
so they presented most of the symposium. This included Dr. Frank Sweeney
for anesthesia, Drs. Robert Gorab and Steven Barnett for the live-feed
anterior hip arthroplasty surgery, Carol Harvey, RN for care of orthopedic
complications (from Cypress College), Justin Matsuno and Katie Sherlock
for rehab, Dr. Patty Huang for geriatric care and Dr. Jack Chen for spine surgery.
HOI: Were there any highlights that you would like to mention?
Kanoe: Everyone was very excited about the live-feed from the OR to the
auditorium and the ability to see the surgery and to interact and ask
questions, all from the comfort of their padded seats!
HOI: When a symposium like this is organized, does it result in certifications,
awards or other types of credentials?
Kanoe: This symposium offers specialty continuing education credit that
supports the Orthopedic Rehabilitation Education efforts as well as contact
hours designated by the Orthopaedic Nurse Certification Board. Both these
organizations promote specialty certification and require the staff to
have ongoing education in their area of specialty. This means that your
caregivers who are certified, must meet stringent educational guidelines
that would support a high quality of safety and care.
HOI: Can you share with us some of the comments of the attendees and any
further personal observations that you might have?
Kanoe: The general consensus was very positive about the live-feed surgery
and the interactions between the surgeons. The attendees spoke about the
depth of knowledge provided as well as the relaxed and positive attitude
of the speakers. There were some lively moments of audience participation
and interaction with the speakers. The attendees left offering various
topics for next year’s presentation and wanting to ensure they were
on the mailing list! This symposium took a lot of organization and collaboration.
Our nursing education team, marketing team, physicians, AV department,
various departments and volunteers all made it happen. I was thrilled
with the attendance and the excellent education that was provided. It was fun!