PAENA - Horizons 2008!
Horizons is the annual education program sponsored by the Pennsylvania Emergency Nurses Association. June 5 and 6 it was held in Reading Pennsylvania at the Sheraton Berkshire Inn. The Berks ENA hosted the event for the first time. There were 143 attendees registered for the event. Several walk-in attendees also arrived. There were a total of 146 people who attended.
The conference started off in the morning with a brief welcome by Michael Whalen, the chairperson for the conference. The keynote address was given by Juliet Geiger from the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation. There were several breakout sessions during the morning, including topics such as stroke, cardiac CT, and pediatric triage.
The conference attendees enjoyed a boxed lunch and then spent time mingling with the vendors. The theme of the basket raffle was "Hometown" with each chapter donating a basket of goodies from their area of the state. Philadelphia chapter had a wonderful large goodie basket including many items from Philadelphia sports teams and a large cooler. Other chapters donated wines from their areas. The basket raffle raised close to $2000 for the state. There was also a silent auction with many donated items, and a 50/50 raffle.
The Thursday afternoon breakout sessions included topics like pelvic fractures, neurological nightmares, and venous access devices. One of the most well attended sessions was Re-Engineering on the Front End: Solutions to Overcrowding by two presenters from York Hospital. The interest in this topic speaks to the continued problem of crowding shared by all Emergency Departments.
A group of people were shuttled to the Reading Hospital and Medical Center for a tour of the ED built in 2005 and the trauma unit at the hospital. The Reading Hospital graciously provided the transportation and tour guides.
In the evening, the Rita Celmer dinner was held. Danyelle Whalen and Betty Ann Coyne made a wonderful video about Rita Celmer. Rita was instrumental in starting the Pennsylvania Emergency Nurses Association. The greatest honor in the organization is to win the award named after Rita Celmer. At this dinner, the winner was Debbie Lesniak. The Mary Bailey education award was won by Denise Ramponi and presented by Mary Bailey who attended the conference. The leadership award was won by Merlann Malloy. The John King Dance band then entertained the crowd with music. Everyone enjoyed dancing and having a good time.
Friday, June 6 opened with breakout sessions in the morning. Topics included pediatric overdose, healthy work environment, and violence in our society. A mid morning long break allowed attendees to check out and spend time with the vendors. Lunch time included a hot meal, and a last chance to bid on your favorite raffle items.
The closing session, given by Diane Gurney was a tribute to emergency nurses who volunteer their time. Several nurses from Pennsylvania were included in the presentation. The conference was closed by President Betty Ann Coyne.
It was a wonderful, inexpensive conference. We hope you will join us next June when the conference will be held near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and hosted by the Buxmont chapter.
