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CEU for journal club stimulates attendance at chapter meetings
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CEU for journal club stimulates attendance at chapter meetings To cope with the increasing demand for professional continuing education, our AORN chapter developed a journal club. Keeping current with the literature is necessary to quality patient care, but who has time these days, with so many other activities? The club is one solution for our chapter. Our program committee developed these objectives for the journal club: 1. to become acquainted with the many journals, periodicals, and books available for health care
Carolyn J Mackety, RN, is clinical coordinator of operating room services at the William S Middleton Memorial Veterans Administration Medical Center, Madison, Wis. A diploma graduate of Hackley Hospital School of Nursing, Muskegon, Mich, she received a bachelor’sdegree from the College of St Francis, Joliet, 111.
986
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to identify available outside resourcesfor continued improvement of perioperative patient care to become proficient in critiquing the literature to improve patient care by expanding our knowledge and keeping current with the literature. Three of nine chapter meetings per year are set aside for the journal club. The meetings are held either in formal settings or informal settings, such as dinner meetings. Both chapter members and their guests can attend the club meetings. Registered nurses and active members make the presentations voluntarily on a rotating basis. At each meeting, three members make informal presentations. They present a 15-minute critique or summary of the article, followed by about 10 minutes of open discussion, questions, and answers. No written report is required, but most presenters have notes to refer to and bring a copy of the journal with the article they have reviewed. When the proposal for the journal club was approved by the membership, they decided each person presenting should be free to choose what to review. Articles reviewed have been from RN magazine, Surgical Rounds, Nursing Forum, Nursing Research, Journal of Nursing Education, the Regan Report on Nursing Law, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. No one has yet elected to present a book review. Presenters may select material from any source pertinent to operating room nursing. Presentations have been made by nurses from many levels of practice-staff nursing, instructors, clinical specialists, and nurse managers. All of them are practicing OR nurs-
AORN Journal, April 1979, Vol29, No 5
ing in Madison (Wis) area hospitals. Their education varies from associate degrees to master’s degrees in nursing. Each nurse is qualified to present material by virtue of current knowledge of nursing practice. Chapter members believed the journal club would increase attendance at our meetings, especially if continuing education units (CEU) could be awarded for participation.The chapter formally applied to the Wisconsin Nurses Association (WNA) for endorsement of CEU, supplying this information: 1. brief description of offering 2. journal club objectives 3. behavioral objectives 4. instructional methods 5. learner population 6. facilities to be used 7. evaluation form We developed our own evaluation form and attendance record.Attendance is not required, but we hope the meetings will be interesting enough that members will want to attend. After evaluating our program, the WNA approved the awarding of 1.8 contact hours for each journal club meeting. We are excited that our efforts were rewarded. The ultimate reward has been increased attendance and participation by chapter members. Although I believe active participation in my professional organization-including attending chapter meetings-is reward enough, that is not every member’s challenge. We hope that increasing incentives to come to meetings will challenge members to become active and significantly decrease apathy. We will share further information with other AORN chapters if they would like to develop a similar format. It has worked for our chapter, and it may for many others who need more challenges or incentives for participation and attendance.
Carolyn J Mackety, RN Madison, Wis
988
Assistance available on technology issues The availability of specialized information and assistance on legal issues associated with medical technology has been announced by ECRl (formerly Emergency Care Research Institute). The service is available for health professionals, hospital attorneys, and patients, as well as insurers and risk managers. ECRl is a nonprofit agency that evaluates and tests medical devices, investigates hazards and accidents involving medical devices, and inspects health care facilities. It provides letter and telephone consultation, case merit review, case development assistance, literature searches, accident investigation, product investigation, and expert witnesses. Through its twice-monthly publication, Health Device Alerts, ECRl summarizes reported problems, hazards, and recalls involving medical devices, usually by brand name and model number. Information about services is available by writing ECRI, 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, Pa 19462.
Conference to examine childhood cancer “The Changing Scene of Childhood Cancer” is the topic of a day-long conference Wednesday, May 9, in Hartford, Conn. Especially designed for nurses (school, public health, hospital, and office), social workers, parents, pediatricians, dieticians, school teachers, and the clergy, the conference will concentrate on the current concepts of childhood cancer and coping with long-term survival. The conference, sponsored by the Connecticut Candlelighters;the American Cancer Society, Connecticut Division, Inc; and the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center, is limited to 200 registrants. Cost is $25. For information, write to Childhood Cancer, 850 Howard Ave, New Haven, Conn 06519 or telephone (203) 436-8712.
AORN Journal, April 1979, V o l 2 9 , No 5
Speak out
CEU for journal club stimulates attendance at chapter meetings To cope with the increasing demand for professional continuing education, our AORN chapter developed a journal club. Keeping current with the literature is necessary to quality patient care, but who has time these days, with so many other activities? The club is one solution for our chapter. Our program committee developed these objectives for the journal club: 1. to become acquainted with the many journals, periodicals, and books available for health care
Carolyn J Mackety, RN, is clinical coordinator of operating room services at the William S Middleton Memorial Veterans Administration Medical Center, Madison, Wis. A diploma graduate of Hackley Hospital School of Nursing, Muskegon, Mich, she received a bachelor’sdegree from the College of St Francis, Joliet, 111.
986
&
to identify available outside resourcesfor continued improvement of perioperative patient care to become proficient in critiquing the literature to improve patient care by expanding our knowledge and keeping current with the literature. Three of nine chapter meetings per year are set aside for the journal club. The meetings are held either in formal settings or informal settings, such as dinner meetings. Both chapter members and their guests can attend the club meetings. Registered nurses and active members make the presentations voluntarily on a rotating basis. At each meeting, three members make informal presentations. They present a 15-minute critique or summary of the article, followed by about 10 minutes of open discussion, questions, and answers. No written report is required, but most presenters have notes to refer to and bring a copy of the journal with the article they have reviewed. When the proposal for the journal club was approved by the membership, they decided each person presenting should be free to choose what to review. Articles reviewed have been from RN magazine, Surgical Rounds, Nursing Forum, Nursing Research, Journal of Nursing Education, the Regan Report on Nursing Law, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. No one has yet elected to present a book review. Presenters may select material from any source pertinent to operating room nursing. Presentations have been made by nurses from many levels of practice-staff nursing, instructors, clinical specialists, and nurse managers. All of them are practicing OR nurs-
AORN Journal, April 1979, Vol29, No 5
ing in Madison (Wis) area hospitals. Their education varies from associate degrees to master’s degrees in nursing. Each nurse is qualified to present material by virtue of current knowledge of nursing practice. Chapter members believed the journal club would increase attendance at our meetings, especially if continuing education units (CEU) could be awarded for participation.The chapter formally applied to the Wisconsin Nurses Association (WNA) for endorsement of CEU, supplying this information: 1. brief description of offering 2. journal club objectives 3. behavioral objectives 4. instructional methods 5. learner population 6. facilities to be used 7. evaluation form We developed our own evaluation form and attendance record.Attendance is not required, but we hope the meetings will be interesting enough that members will want to attend. After evaluating our program, the WNA approved the awarding of 1.8 contact hours for each journal club meeting. We are excited that our efforts were rewarded. The ultimate reward has been increased attendance and participation by chapter members. Although I believe active participation in my professional organization-including attending chapter meetings-is reward enough, that is not every member’s challenge. We hope that increasing incentives to come to meetings will challenge members to become active and significantly decrease apathy. We will share further information with other AORN chapters if they would like to develop a similar format. It has worked for our chapter, and it may for many others who need more challenges or incentives for participation and attendance.
Carolyn J Mackety, RN Madison, Wis
988
Assistance available on technology issues The availability of specialized information and assistance on legal issues associated with medical technology has been announced by ECRl (formerly Emergency Care Research Institute). The service is available for health professionals, hospital attorneys, and patients, as well as insurers and risk managers. ECRl is a nonprofit agency that evaluates and tests medical devices, investigates hazards and accidents involving medical devices, and inspects health care facilities. It provides letter and telephone consultation, case merit review, case development assistance, literature searches, accident investigation, product investigation, and expert witnesses. Through its twice-monthly publication, Health Device Alerts, ECRl summarizes reported problems, hazards, and recalls involving medical devices, usually by brand name and model number. Information about services is available by writing ECRI, 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, Pa 19462.
Conference to examine childhood cancer “The Changing Scene of Childhood Cancer” is the topic of a day-long conference Wednesday, May 9, in Hartford, Conn. Especially designed for nurses (school, public health, hospital, and office), social workers, parents, pediatricians, dieticians, school teachers, and the clergy, the conference will concentrate on the current concepts of childhood cancer and coping with long-term survival. The conference, sponsored by the Connecticut Candlelighters;the American Cancer Society, Connecticut Division, Inc; and the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center, is limited to 200 registrants. Cost is $25. For information, write to Childhood Cancer, 850 Howard Ave, New Haven, Conn 06519 or telephone (203) 436-8712.
AORN Journal, April 1979, V o l 2 9 , No 5