Each event title will be clickable when registration information becomes available.
2022
Our wonderful speaker, Barb Bancroft will be retiring in 2023, so 2022 will be her last series of webinars for us. So please, take advantage of Barb’s knowledge base this coming year and your students need to come too!
January 12th – Physical Assessment
The most important part of any physical exam is taking the patient HISTORY. Learn how to characterize the chief complaint by asking the right questions—the PQRST + AAA way. Barb provides examples of how to use this mnemonic to get the most information in the least amount of time. Barb will then guide you through assessment basics—where to “listen” if you only have a minute, where to “look” if you only have a minute, where to “feel” if you only have a minute. Barb correlates anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology for each major system discussed—the heart, the lungs, the abdomen, and the nervous system. You will also be amazed at the information you can glean from basic vital sign evaluation. Last, but not least, Barb discusses various drug classes and the side effects that can confound a physical exam.
Feb 14th – Interpretation of Lab Tests
Enjoy the latest update on the Interpretation of Lab Tests and their clinical relevance to disease and dietary interpretation. Barb will discuss serum proteins, including albumin and the lipoproteins and their relationship to nutritional assessment and dietary manipulation. Anemias will also be correlated to B12, folic acid and iron deficiency. The WBC and differential will be discussed as it relates to various infections and their clinical manifestations. Barb will also include the influence of common drugs on various lab tests.
March 10th – Heart Failure
“HEART FAILURE…pathophysiology, pharmacology and physical assessment”–this live webinar will focus on the total assessment patient with heart failure. Barb will review risk factors, pertinent A & P, and correlate pathophysiology the pharmacologic treatment of heart failure. The physical assessment and laboratory interpretation will also be included–listening for extra heart sounds and the use of the BNP to evaluate prognosis and discharge from the hospital.
April 14th – Pharmacology: A Class Act – Part of the Nurse Educator Institute
This session will enable the learner to apply evidence-based practice in pharmacology as it relates to the care of the patient across the lifespan. Barb will discuss various classes of pharmacological agents in relation to the treatment of common clinical conditions and the associated lab values, interactions with food, and alternative therapy. Antimicrobial and other drug therapy is discussed in the prevention and treatment of infectious disease and the pros and cons of hormonal therapy with related nursing implications
May – No webinar
June 22 – What’s New in the World of Infectious Disease?
This one-day seminar provides an up-to-the-minute overview and update on current issues in the world of infectious diseases. New vaccines, new diseases, new drugs, and new bugs!! Barb will answer many questions you might have including: What’s new in the world of vaccines? Is it safe to travel the world today? Is it safe to eat the food where you travel and for that matter, is it safe to eat the food you buy here at home? What is the critical prenatal period for the ZIKA virus? There are lots of “microbes on the menu” in today’s world—how can you avoid them and what are their clinical manifestations and treatment? Barb discusses the benefits of antibiotic stewardship for all patients—not just patients in long-term care facilities. The ever-expanding role of fecal transplants in chronic C. diff patients, as well as some new experimental uses of fecal transplants, will be explained. Senior living and STIs will open your eyes! Learn about why DEET is your new summer fragrance, how summer picnics can be hazardous to your health, why hand washing is still important, but also why there are a few “hazards” of using alcohol-based gels. Learn how long a tick has to be attached before you can acquire Lyme disease, how long a flu virus lives on a doorknob, how long a herpes virus lives on a toilet seat, the absolute risk of acquiring hepatitis C from a fingerstick, and the absolute risk of acquiring hepatitis B from the vertical transition from a mother. Barb’s seminar on infectious disease is infectious—with laughter, enthusiasm, and a plethora of pearls you can take home and take back to your clinical practice.
July – No webinar
August 18th – Neuro for the Not-So-Neuro-Minded
It’s a great lecture for neuro novices as well as seasoned neuro nurses–everyone learns some new tidbits as well as refreshing some old tidbits. This seminar includes an overview and update of functional neuroanatomy and neuro assessment. Barb takes a “journey” through the brain–the Cerebral Cortex (all four lobes and their functions), and how to assess the 4 lobes as well as pathophysiology, including head injuries, brain tumors, and dementias; the basal ganglia and assessment, including the patient with a movement disorder–Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s chorea, and athetosis; the brain stem–assessment and clinical correlations including cranial nerves; spinal cord and the reflex arc.
September 20th – The Big C: Myths, Mysteries and What’s New in Cancer
This seminar provides an update and overview on the pathophysiology of cancer–how it starts, how it spreads, the role of oncogenes, the role of the environment (viruses, hormones, chemicals, etc.) as well as many other facts and tidbits about the growth and differentiation of cells. The terms hyperplasia, metaplasia, and dysplasia will also be explained. Tumor markers and their use for diagnostic purposes will also be included. Specific cancers to be discussed include breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, hematologic malignancies, brain tumors and GI cancers.
October 14th – Journey Through the GI Tract
Join Barb for a day-long journey through 33 feet of gastrointestinal tract and a few associated structures. This seminar covers the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of the GI tract from top to bottom. Beginning with the mouth and oropharynx, this lecture discusses the teeth, the tongue, the mouth, the gums, the esophagus, the stomach, and the small and large bowel. Specific clinical entities include the relationship between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease, tonsillitis and adenoiditis and growth disturbances, esophageal varices, eosinophilic esophagitis, the many causes of cirrhosis of the liver, GERD and Barrett’s esophagus, NSAID gastropathy, peptic ulcer disease and H. pylori, Celiac disease, long-term consequences of gastric surgery and gastric sleeves for weight loss, diabetes and the GI tract, the many causes of diarrhea including C. difficile, food borne pathogens and gastroenteritis, the microbiome and weight gain and loss, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, appendicitis, colon cancer and rectal foreign objects. Barb discusses disease presentations as well as the newest treatment modalities for the above clinical conditions. The journey is entertaining, enlightening, and educational.
November 7-8 – Pharmacology: A Class Act – 2 Day series
“Oh no! Not two full days of pharmacology, you scream.” YES, two fun-filled, fact-full, fascinating days of learning the numerous classes of drugs—what they do, who they do it to, what side effects they cause, what drugs/supplements they interact with and the clinical pearls you need to know in order to provide the “best practice” for your patients.
The four major principles of drug absorption, drug distribution, drug metabolism, and drug excretion will be covered and correlated with a myriad of cases for each principle. For example: Some drugs need gastric acid pH for absorption; however, drugs that suppress acid secretion can interfere with the absorption of these drugs. When would this be clinically important? Drugs are classified as lipid-soluble (lipophilic) or water-soluble (hydrophilic) for distribution. Drugs that cross the blood-brain barrier need to be lipid-soluble—how does this affect drugs for seizure disorders, depression, psychosis, Parkinson’s disease, and neurological side effects of drugs? Other drugs are water-soluble and need a certain “volume” of distribution. This “volume” of distribution changes based on age and can be a problem in Geriatric patients. A myriad of liver enzymes metabolize drugs into more active drugs or less active drugs. What do you need to know about these metabolizing enzymes? A brief discussion of grapefruit juice enters right about now. Important drug-drug and drug-food-supplement interactions will be covered as they occur frequently when polypharmacy is the norm. Drug excretion is primarily via the kidneys and this can be a problem in patients with renal insufficiency and renal failure. The stacking effect is a major problem in our geriatric population. This problem rears its ugly head when multiple drugs have the same side effect. For example, numerous drugs retain potassium. Hyperkalemia can cause a fatal cardiac arrhythmia. This is not a desirable side effect. Nurses need to be aware of the “stacking effect” for obvious reasons.
And, now? On to the classes of drugs. Learning the suffix of each class is a tremendous help when confronted with a mile-long drug list in a single patient. Barb will cover the “prils” (ACE inhibitors), the “sartans” (ARBs), the “olols, alols, and ilols” (Beta Blockers), the “statins” (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors—HUH? The drugs that lower cholesterol production in the liver), the “prazoles” (PPIs for GERD), the “tidines” (H2 blockers and other anti-histamines); the “afils” (ED drugs), the “azoles” (anti-fungal drugs), cyclovirs (anti-herpetic drugs), the “triptans” (acute migraines), the “gepants” (acute migraines), the “mabs” (monoclonal antibodies for multiple purposes—asthma, autoimmune diseases, migraines and OH so many more conditions), the “dronates” (osteoporosis), the “setrons” (anti-emetics), the “cillins” (antibiotics), the “flozins” (type 2 diabetes), the “glutides” (type 2 diabetes), the “quinolones” (antibiotics), the “parins” (anti-coagulants)…OMG, and more??? Yep!!! Mechanisms of action, side effects, adverse effects, nursing considerations…Join us for the two days and your knowledge of pharmacology will skyrocket—to the moon, Alice!!
December – No webinar