By Brooke Ballenger
From June 11-15, The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) held its annual National Conference in Grapevine, Texas. Three Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States (KPMAS) nurses attended the convention, which attracted about 3,000 attendees who had the opportunity to learn about the latest technologies, services, and products.
Attendees were able to choose from more than 70 educational sessions. These sessions ranged from topics on sepsis in the pregnant patient, to the biology of menopause, and many more.
“Many Kaiser Permanente OB nurses have enjoyed AWHONN conferences in the past,” said Ann Jordan, MSN, RNC, and Regional Program Manager for Women’s Health. “Stacey Garnett, Grace White, and I were all repeat attendees.”
KPMAS Nurse Grace White attended a specialty session on Creating Obstetric Competencies in the Real World. She stated, “I received needed guidance on creating competencies that attend to the various domains of learning, implementing a systematic process for choosing competencies, and many methods to validate learning in participants.” The nurses took away valuable information and skills from these sessions to use in their everyday practice.
One highly attended session that really hit home for a lot of nurses was a talk given by Captain Ginny Beeson, RN (USN, Ret) on the topic of Resiliency: Maintaining Strength and Spirit in Challenging Times. “Her colorful descriptions of real-world nurse experiences brought groans of recognition from the audience, then chuckles of agreement, and finally, tears of pride in how nurses pull together to care for their patients and each other during a crisis,” Ann said.
The Annual AWHONN Convention is the biggest educational event for Obstetric, Neonatal, and Women’s Health Nurses and is a great opportunity for those who attend. Our KPMAS Nurses gain so much through participating and are already looking forward to next year’s conference in New Orleans.
