Another day of #AMSN23 is in the books! Today, the medical-surgical nursing community gathered for a full day of educational sessions, celebrations for their peers, and creating connections with exhibitors and colleagues. Here’s a recap of what took place on a Friday in Las Vegas.

A Morning to Remember

#AMSN23 attendees woke up alongside the sunrise over the mountains for some morning yoga to jumpstart the day. Then, the day officially began with the general session. First, AMSN President Marisa Streelman, DNP, RN, CMSRN, NE-BC, presented a very special AMSN President’s Award. Beth Ellen Norman, MS, RN, CNS, ARNP, ACNS-BC, CMSRN, was the recipient of this year’s award. The AMSN community deeply mourns the loss of Beth and is incredibly grateful for her contributions to medical-surgical nursing. After a touching video celebrating Beth’s life, career, and award, her family accepted the President’s Award. Thank you, Beth, for leaving such a legacy on the medical-surgical nursing practice.

Today’s morning general session covered a crucial topic in the nursing space: “What Happens When a Nurse Is Caught Diverting.” The panelists discussed the processes behind how some nurses may divert narcotics. They also discussed the actions that must legally be taken once someone is suspected of diversion. Although this is a deeply serious topic, it is necessary to understand the signs and the actions to take to continue to uphold the nursing profession and patient safety.

Key Concurrent Session Takeaways

Day 2 of #AMSN23 offered a full slate of educational sessions. Check out these takeaways from various areas of the convention:

• Curious about virtual nursing? AMSN hosted two sessions on the topic today, presented by Kelsea Cox, MSN, RN; and Jennifer Cohn, MSN. Keep an eye on the Med-Surg Moments Podcast feed for a special episode focused on implementing a virtual care nursing center, coming soon!

• Working with mentally ill patients requires medical-surgical nurses to take many factors into consideration. Nurses not only need to consider the nature of patients’ illness, but they also must evaluate their language skills, ability to regulate emotions, flexibility or adaptability to change, and any social skills. (Psychiatric and Interventions Education for Nurses Reducing the Stigma towards Mentally Ill Patients)
• Using a patient’s family and support system is a very underused tactic that nurses should put into practice more often. Patients’ family and friends know their medical information best, and they can provide guidance on how best to connect with or work with the patient. (Psychiatric and Interventions Education for Nurses Reducing the Stigma towards Mentally Ill Patients)
• How have Jeremy Juala, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CMSRN; and Barbara Rolin, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, reduced turnover and shifted the culture of their unit? They focus on four phases of onboarding: welcome, pre-onboarding, onboarding, and formal training. This four-step process has allowed new hires to feel more comfortable and in the know from day one on the job. (In the Name of Culture: A Medical Unit's Trifecta for a Healthy Workplace and Decreased Turnover)
• Laughter is the best medicine. Have you heard of laughter yoga? Attendees even practiced laughter yoga as a group! (Put on Your Mask First — Daily Practices to Combat Chronic Stress and Burnout)

• Loving kindness meditation is essentially about cultivating love and building positive emotions and personal resources. Give it a try to reduce stress and burnout in your practice and daily life. (Put on Your Mask First — Daily Practices to Combat Chronic Stress and Burnout)
• When it comes to viral infections and SARS COVID-19, get your immunization, get your rest, eat right, and exercise. Fresh air and sunshine can also work wonders, especially in Las Vegas! (Viral Infections, Your Patients, and You)
• As a way to better manage and reduce hospital-acquired pressure injury, Margaret Ecklund, MS, RN, CCRN-K, ACNP-BC, WTA-C, shared best practices and successes within her hospital system. These included the concept of “four hands, four eyes” to ensure that two nurses are assessing a patient for wound injury upon admission and at each handoff, as well as a “Coffee for CAPIs” program where nurses are rewarded with a coffee card for excellent skin assessment upon admission, ensuring an ICARE that was almost missed, and initiating a wound care RN consult with a possible CAPI. (All Things Skin: Resilience of a HAPI Prevention Program With Engagement, Energy, and Ownership)

What’s Next?

Day 2 was a wrap after five blocks of education sessions and so many opportunities to connect with our exhibitors, and now everyone is off to enjoy all that Vegas has to offer! Help us keep the conversation and thoughts going tomorrow and into the future. 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.