Welcome to #AMSN23 Day 1

Welcome to the 2023 AMSN Annual Convention! We are thrilled to gather together again in fabulous Las Vegas for an education-packed three days of creating connections, learning from thought leaders, and absorbing clinical best practices that will impact your work and patient care.

Here’s a recap of all of the exciting events and education that happened on Day 1!

Viva Las Vegas!

After a convention orientation kick-off, the medical-surgical nursing community gathered for the first session of the convention, Opening Ceremony and Opening Address: Disruptive Innovation. AMSN President Marisa Streelman, DNP, RN, CMSRN, NE-BC, opened the convention, sharing exciting updates about what AMSN has accomplished over the past year. These accomplishments include membership growth, a new edition of the “Core Curriculum for Medical-Surgical Nursing,” a 100-episode milestone for the Med-Surg Moments Podcast, the first module of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Health Care Workforce bundle, and so much more! MSNCB President Wes Foster, MSN, BA, RN, CMSRN, OCN, then took the stage to acknowledge the MSNCB Board of Directors and celebrate key updates, including honoring CMSRN certificants.

A PRISM Award honorary video brought the energy to the crowd before the Kathleen Singleton Organizational Award was presented to UC Davis by AMSN and Medtronic. Next, AMSN Conference Planning Committee Chair Jennifer Miller, MSN, RN, CMSRN, ONC, came to the stage to set the scene for what’s to come at convention this week. She introduced Joyce Batcheller, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAONL, FAAN, the opening session speaker who addressed disruptive innovation.

Disruptive Innovation

“Which cat do you feel like?” That’s how Dr. Batcheller opened her presentation, bringing up a slide with five different cat pictures featured on the big screen. There’s nothing like a furry friend to help engage the audience! Then, Dr. Batcheller dove into her overall question: How can disruptive innovation help nurses practice to their highest potential in a rapidly changing environment?

First, attendees considered the question: What has and continues to change in healthcare? Dr. Batcheller shared examples of companies creating positive disruption in their communities. For example, CVS is researching neighborhoods and zip codes demonstrating poor outcomes to identify what they need for better care. Similarly, DispatchHealth is bringing care directly into the home and achieving stellar outcomes. Also, medical robots are a form of disruptive innovation. Overall, the metrics behind these strategies are driving enhance innovation and patient care.

Next, Dr. Batcheller asked the audience to consider how these changes impact medical-surgical nurses. The workforce has changed over the years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s up to medical-surgical nurses to encourage the next generation of nurses to explore what this area of the field is, why it matters, and the many specialties within the practice.

Disruptive innovation starts with ensuring medical-surgical nurses are managing their own well-being. From there, explore the references Dr. Batcheller shared in her presentation, as well as the variety of education presented at #AMSN23. Be innovative, raise your voice, and you will be on your way to tapping into real change and innovation.

Key Concurrent Session Takeaways

The first day of #AMSN23 presented five concurrent sessions before the Grand Opening Reception. Here are some key takeaways from the first round of education:

• Staffing challenges began before the pandemic did. Sarah Delgado, DNP(c), MSN, RN, ACNP, and Monica van der Zee, BSN, RN, CMSRN, are addressing the staffing crisis by digging into long-term, sustainable solutions. (Addressing the Staffing Crisis: Recommendations of the Nurse Staffing Task Force)
• A Nursing Task Force Think Tank identified three important staffing issues to address: Healthy work environments; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and work schedule flexibility. (Addressing the Staffing Crisis: Recommendations of the Nurse Staffing Task Force)
  • Pro-tip: Keep an eye on the Med-Surg Moments Podcast feed in the coming weeks, as Sarah and Monica will be featured guests!
• When caring for a patient with a respiratory illness like pneumonia, intervention is key. However you can motivate them to get up and get moving, do it! (The Impact of a Four-Day Clinical Care Pathway for Pneumonia)
• After a patient with a respiratory illness is discharged, ensure they have a five-day follow-up appointment scheduled, and create an action plan to empower them to own their care. (The Impact of a Four-Day Clinical Care Pathway for Pneumonia)
• Can we increase the number of 23-59-hour discharges among post-operative primary total joint replacement patients as measured by data from the EMR? This case study can, and the team behind it is reaching for the goal of sending patients home the same day. (Up in Three and Home in One: Creating an Outpatient Stay Unit)
• What is your best protection for nursing safety? Never turn away from a subject, keep your distance, and identify barriers and forms of self-defense. (Reading Body Language for Nursing Safety)
• EBP, or “evidence-based practice,” is a lifelong problem-solving approach to clinical practice that integrates external evidence from research, clinical expertise, and patient values and preferences. Does your practice culture support EBP? (EBP Master Series: Emerging RN)

What’s Next?

Day 1 wrapped with a Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibit Hall, where attendees mingled, shared snacks and beverages, and got to know our exhibitors. Keep the conversation and education going all the way into Days 2 and 3 and beyond. Want to write about an inspiring new takeaway or topic you learned from #AMSN23? Get published on the AMSN Blog by emailing content manager Morgan Manghera at mmanghera@amsn.org.