Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. - -Chinese Proverb
Are you just beginning your education in skin and wound management? Or are you a seasoned veteran looking to expand your skills and expertise? Perhaps you are somewhere in between.
Whatever your answer, you will find that the 16th Annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care provides the perfect learning environment for professionals of all levels. Because the Clinical Symposium has beginner, intermediate, and advanced sessions, you can decide which sessions are right for you, then tailor the conference to your specific learning needs.
This year's conference-the original and longest-running multidisciplinary conference for skin and wound care professionals-will take place September 20 to 23 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The conference theme is "Evidence to Practice: Closing the Gap to Improve Patient Outcomes." This is also the theme of the keynote address to be delivered by Courtney H. Lyder, ND, GNP, FAAN, from the Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT, on Friday, September 21. Our special guest speaker will be Ted Kennedy, Jr, who will lecture on "Facing the Challenge" on Thursday, September 20 (See A Special Guest Lecture).
Hands-on Experience
Learning by doing is one of the best educational experiences for attendees. Three preconference workshops on Thursday, September 20, offer ample opportunity for hands-on experience.
The full-day workshop "Practical Aspects in the Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcerations" will be led by James A. Birke, PhD, PT, CPed, and Larry Lavery, DPM, MPH. Other options include a half-day workshop on "Burn Scar Management: Nets, Wraps, and Bandages," led by Reg Richard, MS, PT, and Marlys Staley, MS, PT, and the half-day" Vascular Evaluation and Compression Bandaging Workshop," featuring lectures and demonstrations by Luther C. Kloth, MS, PT, CWS, FAPTA, and Joseph M. McCulloch, PhD, PT, CWS.
The scar management and vascular evaluation workshops have limited enrollment. So act quickly if you are interested.
Main Conference Sessions
Sessions of note during the main conference include:
* Lower Extremity Compression... What Should I Use on My Patient? intermediate level (Saturday, September 22). Compression is available in a variety of forms. The one selected will depend on the patient's status, economics, and other variables, including individual preferences. G. Allen Holloway, MD, will examine several of these options in this session, as well as considerations for their use to allow caregivers to select the therapy most suited to their patient.
* Osteomyelitis: Diagnosis and Treatment Options, intermediate level (Saturday, September 22). Early detection of an underlying bone infection often involves a high index of suspicion, appropriate clinical examination, and ancillary testing. Larry Lavery, DPM, MPH, will discuss clinical, radiographic, and surgical techniques to diagnose osteomyelitis, as well as medical and surgical treatment options.
* Wound Dressings: Choices, Challenges, & Competency, basic level (Saturday, September 22). In this 2-part session, Sharon Baranoski, MSN, RN, CWOCN; Andrea McIntosh, BSN, RN, CWOCN; and Christine Barkauskas, BA, RN, CETN, will focus on the use of appropriate dressings for various types of wounds. They will discuss the options available and the challenges of providing wound care in a cost-controlled environment. They will also share a take-home competency tool.
* Lymphedema Management Challenges, intermediate level (Friday, September 21). Therapy for lymphedema has evolved dramatically over the past decade, allowing for much higher success rates. Improper treatment, however, can significantly impede wound healing. Andrea Cheville, MD, will discuss the current state of the art in lymphedema management, with emphasis on accurate lymphedema diagnostic and treatment skills.
* Documenting for Dollars, intermediate level (Friday, September 21). Cathy Thomas Hess, BSN, RN, CWOCN, and Kathleen D. Schaum, MS, RD, will highlight the effects of the prospective payment system on skin and wound care professionals practicing throughout the continuum of care. Key documentation tips to support clinical and financial outcomes will be reviewed.
* Skin Deep: Ethical Challenges in Skin and Wound Care Today and Tomorrow, general session (Saturday, September 22). Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, a frequent guest on CNN and other news outlets, will use case vignettes to illustrate the real-world ethical challenges faced by providers of wound care. He will address such issues as access to care, how much and what type of care to give, denials of care by insurers, selecting the appropriate treatment strategy, medical/legal issues, and end-of-life issues for elderly patients.
* Diagnostic Dilemmas: How to Diagnose Unusual Wounds, advanced level (Friday, September 21). Wounds associated with inflammatory, infectious, or malignant diseases are less common than the chronic wounds clinicians are accustomed to seeing, presenting special diagnostic challenges. In this session, Tania J. Phillips, MD, will discuss how to recognize these unusual wounds.
* NPUAP Report-Pressure Ulcers in America: Prevalence, Incidence, and Implications for the Future, advanced level (Friday, September 21). Three past and present members of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP)-George C. Xakellis, MD, MBA; Janet Cuddigan, PhD, RN, CWCN; and Dan Berlowitz, MD, MPH-will review how we have done in reaching NPUAP's 1989 goal of "reducing pressure ulcer incidence by 50% by the year 2000."
* Skin...the Seam that Shackles: Tubes, Drains, Fistulae, and Draining Wounds, basic level (Friday, September 21). Skin protection is the common denominator linking the management of tubes, drains, fistulae, and draining wounds. Nancy Faller, PhD, MS, CETN, will discuss the principles of skin protection and related goals for these patients.
For More Information
This is just a sampling of the exciting educational program developed by the conference's multidisciplinary planning panel. For the complete program-including hotel and registration information-visit http://www.woundcarenet.com. Or consult the program polybagged with this issue.
A SPECIAL GUEST LECTURE
Make sure you arrive at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in time to hear the special guest lecture by Ted Kennedy, Jr, "Facing the Challenge." Kennedy will speak on Thursday, September 20, from 6 to 7 pm, immediately preceding the grand opening of the exhibit hall. His lecture is supported in part by an educational grant from ConvaTec, A Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. FIGURE
Kennedy, an attorney specializing in health law and disability law with Wiggins & Dana, New Haven, CT, is well acquainted with the challenges of disability. In 1973, at age 12, he lost one of his legs to bone cancer. Undeterred by this disability, he has led an active life and has devoted much of his energy to advocating for the civil rights of people with disabilities. In his lecture on September 20, he will share his personal story and his message of advocacy.
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