This past April over 1600 nurses specialising in the expanding scope of peri-anaesthesia nursing practice arrived at the southern state of Florida to participate in the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses’ (ASPAN) 31st National Conference. In this sun-belt region of the United States, Orlando is nicknamed ‘The City Beautiful’. It is best known for the iconic Walt Disney World featuring favourite characters created by the Walt Disney Company. Most memorable is the world famous Mickey Mouse and his friends. Orlando is also home to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, Animal Kingdom and Gatorland.
The conference theme, ‘Beacons of Change, Focusing on the Future’, defined the brilliant location for this conference, the Hilton Orlando. The official start of the conference began on Saturday with a morning ‘pre-conference’ conference. The subject of this session was the popular ‘Pain Assessment and Management’ presented by Chris Pasero, RN, MS, FAAN. Chris is a nationally recognised pain management author, educator and clinical consultant from El Dorado Hills, California. She is a co-founder and past president of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Chronic Pain Association. Chris is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and is certified in pain management nursing. Chris willingly shares her enormous passion for and wealth of knowledge of pain management in nursing practice, is widely sought as a speaker and has published numerous works on the topic. The afternoon ‘pre-conference’ conference featured Dr. Mitchell Austin and Krista Bragg, DNP, CRNA, who co-presented the subject ‘Pediatric Perianesthesia Essentials’. Together they reviewed essential information for nurses who care for paediatric patients on an infrequent basis.
The main serious event on Sunday was the Representative Assembly (RA). This entity is the actual voting body of ASPAN and consists of all voting members of the Board of Directors, all Standing Committee Chairs and two representatives selected from each of the 40 component organisations within the society. The RA, facilitated by ASPAN President Chris Price, met for informal hearings during the morning to discuss questions, issues and topics related to ASPAN. The candidates for national office were presented, who gave their campaign speeches, followed by the actual election process. The formal session of the RA was held in the afternoon. This was the period of time during which representatives actually voted on issues before the assembly, which ultimately determine ASPAN's future.
The main event of entertainment on Sunday was the traditional ‘component night’. This session offers the opportunity for attendees to mingle, compete, dance, share laughs and memories while celebrating a dedicated theme. This year, much like Alice, we celebrated the Happy Unbirthday Party in Wonderland. Soon after the doors opened the room filled with Mad Hatters, Rabbits, Alices (in all sizes and shapes!), Cheshire Cats and the King and Queen of Hearts, to name a few.
During the official opening ceremonies on Monday morning, President Chris Price presided. An excerpt from her passionate speech is given: ‘You wear your passion for perianesthesia nursing like a Beacon, a light in the darkness, or at the end of the tunnel. As practitioners, YOU are like the symbol of the lighthouse – which is there to guide the way. YOUR Beacon of practice is a symbol of hope and safety for your patients – where no one is ever really alone, YOUR light shines throughout the day and into the night – as the need for YOUR expertise is never extinguished and remains ever visible. I would charge each of you today to take pride in the Beacon of Your Practice – and know that this very passion practice is what guided our founding members – and will continue to guide you – and others – towards the safest path’. The ceremonies ended with a keynote speaker known for his entertaining use of comedy and music. With a portable keyboard slung over his shoulders, David Glickman combined humour and music in an exciting programme unlike anything you had ever seen. The room was filled with laughter during the course of his entire presentation.
The following 2 days were filled with the delivery of current, relevant and welcome education on a variety of practice topics. Sessions covered every scope of practice from leadership to bedside nursing, every phase of peri-anaesthesia care from pre-operative testing to discharge planning, with multiple clinical topics in between. These topics included caring for the obstetrical patient, controversies in blood product transfusion, malignant hyperthermia, benefits of acupuncture, minimally invasive surgery in paediatrics, obstructive sleep apnoea, breast reconstruction, research dissemination, current trends in anaesthesia, neurophysiology of pain, peri-anaesthesia complications, metabolic surgery and patient safety. There were numerous other offerings as well throughout the week. Nearly 100 posters graced the walls of the exhibit hall, boasting best practice success stories and completed nursing research. Topics here included family visitation, documentation standards, staff cross-training, post-operative teaching, pain management and patient satisfaction, glucose control, compartment syndrome and many more.
As the conference began to wind down, the traditional ‘President's Reception’ took place. Although the attire was a bit more formal than what Alice in Wonderland may have worn, the evening provided ample opportunity for great food, animated conversation, the ever-growing congo dance line and of course a wonderful cash bar! This evening provided attendees the opportunity to express their appreciation for the grace, aplomb and leadership that Chris Price had demonstrated during the previous year.
Thursday's closing ceremonies brought a sense of new beginnings. Following a delightful seated breakfast, the 2012–2013 National slate of Board of Directors was officially installed. Taking the podium for the first time as the newly inaugurated President, Susan Carter of Oceanside California delivered her much anticipated President's speech. She shared the following words: ‘You may remember the parable of the three brick layers. Each of these workers had a very different attitude and opinion about the work they were performing. Although each worker was diligently working as a member of the same team, toward the same overarching goal, they had very different views about the value of the work they performed. Day after day, the three worked side by side, carefully laying and leveling each brick to complete their assigned portion of the overall project. Watching them, a passerby approached and asked the first brick layer what he was doing and was gruffly told, “I'm laying bricks.” When he asked the second worker what he was doing, the man replied, “as you can plainly see, I'm putting up a wall.” Unsatisfied, he approached the third, who responded enthusiastically and with great pride, “I'm building a cathedral.” How do you see what you do each day?’
With the conference coming to a close we are already looking forward to the future…the 2013 National Conference will be held in the ‘Windy City’ of Chicago Illinois, soon followed by the second International Conference for PeriAnesthesia Nurses (ICPAN) in Dublin, Ireland. It is such a privilege to attend these conferences, affirm my passion for peri-anaesthesia practice and, above all, continue to nurture and grow my friendship with other peri-anaesthesia nurses.
