Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the National Conference for Nurse Practitioners at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Ten. The interest and enthusiasm were palpable at this sold-out show! From the opening session, where attendees were welcomed with live music, to the exhibit hall, where vendors updated us on the latest products and we enjoyed meals with our colleagues, this was the best NCNP yet!

    

From the Experts

At the conference this year, I was happy to see several sessions related to women’s health, which is my advanced practice area. I learned so much from these experts, as well as those who presented in the acute care and primary care sessions. Here are some things I learned:

“Virtually all cervical cancers are associated with persistent infection with high-risk HPV types.”
Update on Cervical Cancer Screening: Appropriate Use of Pap and HPV Testing
Nancy Berman, MSN, ANP-BC, NCMP, FAANP
 
“One treatment modality that improves survival in patients with COPD? Oxygen.”
Acute Care: COPD Across the Scale
Kayur Patel, MD, MRO, FACP, FACPE, FACHE, FACEP
 
“Primary care providers see 80% of patients with skin conditions. We need to know when it’s NOT acne.”
Acneiform-Pediatrics to Adults
Margaret Bobonich, DNP, DCNP, FNP-C, FAANP
 
“Sepsis is a medical emergency. First step in treatment is VOLUME -- 30mL/kg of crystalloid fluid within the first 3 hours.”
Acute Care: Understanding Sepsis
Sophia Chu Rodgers, ACNP, FNP, FAANP, FCCM
 
“Nearly 6% of deaths globally are attributable to alcohol (80K in U.S.)”
Alcoholism and Liver Disease,
Christopher Chang, MD, PhD
 
“Unlike vasomotor symptoms, vaginal atrophy can be progressive and is unlikely to resolve on its own.”
Comprehensive Menopause Management: An Update on Current Strategies
Nancy Berman, MSN, ANP-BC, NCMP, FAANP
 
“Maternal risk depends on complexity of primary cardiac lesion and if residual lesions or other clinical sequelae exist.”
Making Sense of Heart Disease in Pregnancy
Kismet Rasmusson, DNP, FNP-BC, FAHA, CHFN
 
“Switching between anticoagulants should be based on the pharmacokinetic profile of each anticoagulant, appropriate laboratory assessment of patient’s coagulation status, and the patient’s renal function.”
Acute Care: Understanding Direct Oral Anticoagulants
John Togami, PharmD, PhC
 
This is just a sampling of the takeaways I left with. What did you learn? What would you like to learn? Leave us a comment, and we’ll pass it along to the NCNP Planning Panel.