Opportunities from the Center for Perioperative Education

PERIOPERATIVE NURSING COURSE 101

AORN's Perioperative Nursing Course 101 is a comprehensive program for educating new perioperative nurses. The curriculum covers 27 crucial topics in a scripted lecture format with PowerPoint presentations and is designed to be integrated with your facility's specific policies and procedures.

Perioperative Nursing Course 101 will help you develop confident, better-educated, safety-conscious employees. The course includes overviews, reading assignments, glossaries, bibliographies, posttests, preceptor guidelines, handouts, slide presentations, a critical skills assessment checklist, a “Preparing the Preceptor” module with free contact hours, and more. For a free information packet, contact Laurie Clark at (800) 755–2676 × 258 or × 280, or visit AORN Online at http://www.aorn.org/education/periop101.htm.

DISTANCE LEARNING

Visit http://www.aorn.org/education for the latest continuing education opportunities. AORN Journal Home Studies published since January 2003 are available online at http://www.aorn.org/journal/homestudy/default.htm. Home Studies are available in portable document format (PDF) to print and complete. Use these programs to earn contact hours and stay abreast of the latest nursing information.

Online courses. The following online courses may be taken by themselves or used with AORN's Perioperative Management Resources seminars and manuals for more in-depth understanding. In Budgeting, you will learn

• •basic cost accounting,
• •essential steps in the budgeting process,
• •components of capital and operating budgets, and
• •steps to improve budget performance while providing safe patient care.

In Understanding and Interpreting Financial Statements, you will learn how to

• •describe the key components of a financial statement,
• •identify ways to use statistical data to improve day-to-day operational efficiency,
• •describe the types of statistical data used to support budget development,
• •discuss two types of statistical reports that nurse managers can use to evaluate purchasing decisions,
• •demonstrate the proper use of various statistical techniques,
• •define the importance of personnel budgeting, and
• •use statistical data to support program development or maintenance.

The Meeting Management course will provide you with practical guidelines for planning and conducting effective and productive meetings. You will learn to

• •state two vital purposes for meetings,
• •identify rationales for choosing a particular meeting type,
• •demonstrate how a meeting agenda outlines the purpose or direction of a meeting,
• •identify several types of meeting processes,
• •identify ways to facilitate positive group interaction,
• •identify logical components of a meeting, and
• •identify tools to evaluate a meeting's effectiveness.

The Performance Improvement (PI) course provides a basic knowledge of

AORN CONFERENCES.

53rd AORN Pre-Congress

March 18, 2006

The Washington Convention Center Washington, DC

http://www.aorn.org/congress/2006/attendees

53rd AORN Congress

March 19–23, 2006

The Washington Convention Center Washington, DC

http://www.aorn.org/congress/2006/attendees

PI activities that will allow you to meet regulatory requirements by analyzing performance gaps, planning and developing interventions for PIs, and evaluating the results of these improvements. You will learn how to

• •list the objectives of a PI program,
• •discuss different plans that can be used, and
• •develop a PI plan to address a specific need.

The completed Budgeting, Understanding and Interpreting Financial Statements, and Performance Improvement courses each are worth four contact hours. The completed Meeting Management course is worth two contact hours. To register, visit http://www.aorn.org/managers/online.asp. For more information, call customer service at (800) 755–2676 × 1, or visit http://www.aorn.org/managers.

Preparing for the CNOR Examination—online version. This program will alleviate participants' fears of taking the CNOR examination by walking them through the examination's format. Subjects are related to clinical situations with which perioperative nurses are familiar. The program also provides effective test-taking strategies. This self-paced, online program is available for six months after registration. Visit AORN Online at http://www.aorn.org/events/cnoronline/default.asp for information.

Online master of science (MS) degree programs. AORN and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC) School of Nursing are offering preferred tuition rates for MS in health care leadership and MS in health care informatics courses. Course work is available entirely via the Internet.

The MS in health care leadership consists of 37 credit hours. This course work prepares nurses for roles in nursing management and leadership in hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, clinics, health departments, and private health-related businesses, as well as the public policy arena and other decision-making roles in health care. The courses taken in the Perioperative Management Certificate program offered in collaboration with UCHSC are required courses for this MS program.

The MS in health care informatics course consists of 34 credit hours. The courses taken in the Nursing Informatics Certificate program offered in collaboration with UCHSC are required, and up to 12 credit hours from these courses can be applied to this MS program.

Participants must meet admission and course requirements to be accepted into the School of Nursing. Participants must be AORN members to receive the preferred rate for the health care leadership program. For more information, visit http://www.aorn.org/education/culeadership.asp and http://www.aorn.org/education/cuinformatics.asp.

Perioperative Management Certificate program. This certificate program is offered in collaboration with the UCHSC School of Nursing. It is ideal for any perioperative professional with a bachelor's degree in nursing who wants to improve his or her skills in management and leadership with a goal of successfully managing single or multiple perioperative nursing departments. The next offerings are

• •Jan 23 to May 19, 2006—Management of Patient Care Services, and
• •Summer 2006—Health Care Financial Management.

For more information, visit AORN Online at http://www.aorn.org/education/management.htm, or contact Holly Heston at (800) 755–2676 × 318 or hheston@aorn.org. Course schedules are subject to change.

Nursing Informatics Certificate program. AORN and the UCHSC School of Nursing are offering preferred tuition rates for an online nursing informatics certificate program. Health care informatics is an interdisciplinary field that draws on knowledge from computer information and health sciences. This program uses informatics as a broad framework with a specific focus on nursing.

The course work in the certificate program is developed using the American Nurses Association's definition of nursing informatics. The certificate program courses focus on the core content for nursing informatics and provide a total of 16 graduate level, academic credits. For more information, contact Holly Heston at (800) 755–2676 × 318 or hheston@aorn.org, or visit http://www.aorn.org/education/informatics.htm.

Clinical Educator Certificate program. This convenient, comprehensive, distance-learning program gives nurse educators information on developing successful education programs for nurses in their facilities. The program is offered by AORN in collaboration with the UCHSC School of Nursing. Three courses, which provide a total of seven academic credits, can be taken at the undergraduate level or at the graduate level by nurses with a bachelor's degree. Graduate level courses require more course work. The next offerings are

• •Jan 23 to May 19,2006—Business Issues in Clinical Education, and
• •Summer 2006—Program Development and Evaluation.

For more information, visit AORN Online at http://www.aorn.org/education/cueducator.htm, or contact Holly Heston at (800) 755–2676 × 318 or hheston@aorn.org.

Ambulatory Surgery Administrator Certificate program. This six-month, online program will provide the skills and tools needed to manage every aspect of an ambulatory surgery practice, from daily operations to regulatory requirements. After the initial seminar, participants will complete 11 online modules. Visit http://www.aorn.org/events/ambadmincert to register, or call customer service at (800) 755–2676 × 1.

Online Advanced Ambulatory Surgery Administrator Certificate program. AORN has developed a certificate program that addresses the needs of directors and administrators of ambulatory surgery centers. This course begins with a web-based seminar (ie, webinar) taught by experts in the field. The webinar is divided into two three-hour sessions presented on different days in the same week. Both sessions are required.

After the webinar, participants will take online course modules. Participants need to complete seven of the nine modules to earn the certificate and contact hours.

The program addresses issues facing directors or administrators of ambulatory surgery centers, such as compliance and regulatory issues and inventory management. Topics covered include

• •competencies,
• •managed care contracting,
• •the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996,
• •budget and business plan development,
• •Stark/Safe Harbor, and
• •inventory management.

The course will be offered in spring and fall 2006. To register, visit http://www.aorn.org/events/advambonline.asp or call customer service at (800) 755–2676 × 1.

FREE CONTACT HOURS

Free 2.4 contact hours for independent study. AORN members can earn contact hours by completing this independent study based on four sessions from AORN's 2005 Leadership Conference. Topics include the ABCs of teaching young children about nursing and three sessions on creative methods to discuss practice issues: the aging workforce; using AORN's Standards, Recommended Practices, and Guidelines beyond the OR suite; and medication errors. For more information on free contact hours for AORN members, visit http://www.aorn.org/education/freeed.asp.

Free 1.5 contact hours for online patient safety program. Free contact hours are available to AORN members via an AORN Online program, “Patient Safety in the OR.” The goal of this program is to provide information to perioperative nurses about medical errors and adverse events in perioperative settings. Topics include

• •definition of a medical error,
• •frequency and types of medical errors,
• •the contribution of system flaws to medical errors, and
• •risks for medical errors.

Visit http://www.patientsafetyfirst.org/Continuing_Education/ to complete this free program online and print your contact-hour certificate.

Free contact hour for Perioperative Nursing Data Set (PNDS) online program. Learn about the PNDS, test your knowledge, and receive one free contact hour. Visit http://www.aorn.org/PNDS/defaulthtm, complete the course online, and print your contact-hour certificate.

Free 5.8 contact hours for independent studies. These independent studies are taken from past conferences on infectious diseases. Topics include

• •patient safety from a national perspective,
• •severe acute respiratory syndrome 2004 and beyond,
• •perioperative hypothermia and infection,
• •infections in minimally invasive surgery, and
• •prevention of surgical site infection.

For more information on free contact hours for AORN members, visit http://www.aorn.org/education/freeed.asp.

Free 4.8 contact hours for comprehensive Safe Medication Administration Tool Kit independent study. This independent study will help

AORN members implement safe medication administration practices in their facilities to ensure safe patient outcomes. Developed by AORN with an educational grant from Sandel Medical Industries, the tool kit provides concrete resources to enhance perioperative medication competencies and creates awareness of safe medication administration among surgical team members. For more information on free contact hours for AORN members, visit http://www.aorn.org/education/freeed.asp.

Free 3.4 contact hours for viewing online AORN 2005 Position Statements. Learn about AORN's stance on important perioperative issues. The videos review how and why the position statements are developed and the stance AORN has taken on seven important practice issues, including safe on-call practices, orientation in the OR, entry into practice, RN and surgical technologist staffing ratios, patients with implanted electronic devices, fire safety, and the role of the scrub person. For more information on free contact hours for AORN members, visit http://www.aorn.org/education/freeed.asp.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT HOURS

Contact hour opportunities may be used independently or in a group setting to educate perioperative staff members. Nurses can earn contact hours by purchasing and reading or viewing the following materials.

CD-ROMs/Videos

Various topics from the 2002,2003,2004, and 2005 AORN Congresses and a set of five sessions on safety in the perioperative setting are available on CD-ROM from Sound Images, Inc, Englewood, Colo. To order, call Sound Images at (888) 649–1118, or visit http://www.aorn.org/education/cds.htm.

Educational videos, CD-ROMs, and digital video discs (DVDs), most of which include independent studies, are available through the AORN perioperative nursing video library. Programs available for purchase address

• •clinical topics,
• •communication and conflict resolution,
• •infection control,
• •patient and family member education topics, and
• •patient and staff member safety.

Discounted group rates for contact hours are available. For details, visit http://www.aorn.org/education/videos.htm. To order call Ciné-Med, Woodbury, Conn, at (800) 633–0004, or visit http://www.aorn.org/education/videos/htm.

Print

An independent study program based on AORN's 2005 Standards, Recommended Practices, and Guidelines is available for 20 contact hours. A minimum score of 80% is necessary to earn the contact hours. The deadline for submitting the posttest and evaluation is March 31, 2006. The purchase price includes the contact-hour fee. The program may be ordered online at http://www.aorn.org/bookstore/default.asp.

Perioperative management resources. AORN has developed a series of perioperative management resources to meet the needs of current OR managers and staff nurses who are considering moving into managerial roles. These resources consist of printed manuals, online modules, and one-day regional seminars. The following manuals are available:

• •Accreditation/Regulation/JCAHO,
• •Block Time,
• •Budgeting,
• •Criteria for Selection and Implementation of Information Systems,
• •Evaluation of New Technology,
• •Meeting Management,
• •OR Renovation/Construction,
• •Performance Improvement,
• •Risk Management,
• •Statistics for Perioperative Managers,
• •Stress Management: How to Stay in Control,
• •Time Management, and
• •Understanding and Interpreting Financial Statements.

Online modules on Budgeting, Understanding and Interpreting Financial Statements, Meeting Management, and Performance Improvement also are available now. For more information, visit http://www.aorn.org/managers/online.asp, or call customer service at (800) 755–2676 × 1.

Home Studies. Nurses may obtain contact hours by completing Home Study Programs in the AORN Journal. New Home Studies are published every month. To print them from AORN Online, visit http://www.aorn.org/journal/homestudy/default.htm

Group Study Modules

AORN's Center for Perioperative Education has inservice program, education, and specialty modules to assist nurses in making presentations to their peers and other staff members. The modules are designed to help orient new nurses and provide staff members with information about various required topics. Most modules can be presented in one to two hours.

All modules contain a printed study guide with visual aids formatted in PowerPoint, which are available only on CD-ROM. The modules are in a scripted format for the instructor. Stopping points included in each module facilitate discussion of specific facility policies and procedures, as well as various aspects of the module, and provide an opportunity for group interaction. AORN's Standards, Recommended Practices, and Guidelines is used as a blueprint for the presentations.

Module prices are $189 for AORN members and $249 for nonmembers. The following inservice program modules are available:

• •Aseptic Technique,
• •Disaster Preparedness,
• •Electrical Safety,
• •Fire Safety,
• •OSHA Regulations,
• •Radiation Protection in the Perioperative Suite,
• •Skin Preparation, and
• •Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions.

Contact hours for the following modules are available:

• •Care of the Elderly Patient,
• •Environmental Sanitation and Terminal Cleaning,
• •Laser Safety,
• •Latex Allergy, and
• •Positioning the Surgical Patient.

Contact hours also are available for modules on the following specialties:

• •cardiovascular,
• •neurosurgery,
• •ophthalmology,
• •orthopedics,
• •otorhinolaryngology,
• •pediatrics, and
• •plastic/reconstructive surgery.

Preparing the Preceptor module. This expanded preceptor module from AORN's Perioperative Nursing Course 101 is available for purchase separate from the course. The module uses the most current knowledge available to provide an opportunity for experienced OR clinicians to practice building their precepting skills with some helpful coaching. If your facility currently is licensed for the Perioperative Nursing Course 101, you should have this updated module in your course binder already. Two contact hours are awarded for completion of this module. To order modules, call customer service at (800) 755–2676 × 1, or visit http://www.aorn.org/education/inservice.htm.

REGISTRATION

Single-day attendance is possible at most activities. Fees vary, and details regarding refunds and substitutions are specific to each event. To receive an event brochure, call (800) 755–2676 × 1. AORN ensures that no individual with a mobility, visual, or hearing disability is excluded, denied services, or treated differently than other individuals because of the absence of auxiliary aids or services. For information, visit http://www.aorn.org/education.

ACCREDITATION

AORN is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

AORN is provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP 13019.