Description: The nursing workforce today includes members of five different generations. Generational differences can create new challenges for achieving a harmonious workplace because of the merging of generations, including diverse work attitudes, beliefs, and values in the workplace. Presenter: Donna M. White, RN, PhD, CARN, CADC II, LADC 1 Date: Thursday, May 23 Time: 5:30... Read more »

Description: Drug addiction is a brain disease. Although initial drug use might be voluntary, drugs of abuse have been shown to alter gene expression and brain circuitry, which in turn affects human behavior. Once addiction develops, these brain changes interfere with an individual’s ability to make voluntary decisions, leading to compulsive drug craving, seeking, and... Read more »

Description: Nurses are now ranked as the second most commonly named defendant in a malpractice lawsuit. This program will describe the anatomy of a lawsuit including potential sources of claims and documentation issues as well as the chain of command utilized to address patient concerns. The program will include case study and analysis. Presenters: Janell L.... Read more »

Description: With the need for life-saving organs being more critical than ever, nurses play a key role in organ donation and have the unique opportunity to care for both the dying patient and support the patient’s family. This experience allows for the nurse to improve countless lives through the gifts of organs, tissue, and eye donations.... Read more »

Description: This program will describe the difference between antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotic resistance as it explores the broader scope of AMR worldwide. The global concern and threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in healthcare facilities will be explained. Evidence-based infection control procedures will be described to combat antibiotic resistance, including when to isolate patients with AMR;... Read more »

Description: Work-related injuries or diseases can alter a worker’s life. Nurses and healthcare professionals need to know typical barriers in accessing timely Workers’ Compensation-related healthcare, including current legal and union protections. The presentation will utilize case studies to focus on the essential steps individuals must take when reporting and documenting an injury to avoid greater... Read more »

Description: Patients with substance use disorder are a medically and socially vulnerable population, and often experience overdose, co-occurring mental illness, and chronic disease. Despite the need for healthcare, these patients are often reluctant to seek care because of stigma and previous negative experiences within the healthcare system. Through lived experience, this program will examine how person-centered... Read more »

Description: This program will explain the common infectious agents affecting pregnant individuals and newborns. Strategies for preventing vertical transmission to the fetus will be discussed. Best practice standards for infection control measures during labor and delivery will be outlined. The program will conclude with a discussion of neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, and other common infections as well... Read more »

Description: This program will provide nurses with the advocacy skills and communication strategies to respond when they hear, “Just do your best” when nursing judgment determines they cannot safely meet the needs of the patient. Discussion topics include patient abandonment, mandatory overtime, and assuming an assignment under duress or objection. Documentation of unsafe assignments and mandatory... Read more »

Description: Nurses, first responders, and other healthcare workers are at risk of contracting bloodborne diseases. The three most common bloodborne pathogens workers are exposed to during their daily activities while caring for patients are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). This program will discuss the currently known best... Read more »

Description: CSEC is an ever-changing form of interpersonal violence impacting all communities across the Commonwealth. Nurses are in a unique position to identify and support patients who are experiencing this abuse and provide interventions that can connect survivors to services for a safe exit and healing trajectory. Hear from a survivor of CSEC, turned doctoral-prepared... Read more »

Description: Nurses, first responders, and other healthcare workers are at risk of contracting bloodborne diseases. The three most common bloodborne pathogens workers are exposed to during their daily activities while caring for patients are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). This program will discuss the currently known best... Read more »

Description: There are about 1.4 million transgender people in the United States, which is about the same as the prevalence of type 1 diabetes. Rates of transgender identity are increasing among youth, with 2.9% of Massachusetts high school students describing themselves as transgender or questioning their gender. Yet, many in healthcare have little to no formal... Read more »

Description: One of the greatest factors that can affect a nurse’s experience — with everything from nurse-practice standards and continuing education to patient safety and work satisfaction — is the state in which they are licensed. Yet, forty-one states have joined the “Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact” (NLC), which allows nurses who are licensed in one “Compact”... Read more »