stop, look, and listen: continue your own education

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AORN educafion Stop, look, and listen: continue your own education Continuing education and the continued education unit are, in fact, very important parts of today's nurses' lives. It is the thing to do; the current topic of conversation. Many pros and cons to the subject are up for grabs. OR nurses STOP, LOOK and LISTEN to the many facets of discussion this topic brings about. STOP and join in on the conversations when continuing education or the CE unit is talked about. Some nurses consider this a very good tool to be used toward bet- tering the standards of practice. Then there are those nurses who feel this will never be a necessary problem and pass it off with a shrug of their shoulders or a quick com- ment like, "I haven't got time." Then there are others who want courses, programs and the CE units handed to them in a gift wrapped box. LOOK around and actually see how much is already made available to you. There are many approved courses offered to RNs in many areas, even in the smaller towns. Hospitals can have many inservice training programs approved to offer the CE unit. Many already are using this ave- nue of instruction to aid the RN in continuing her education. Attendance at regional institutes, national seminars, con- ventions and Congress earns CE units for audience participants. OR nurses have many chances to better their educational knowl- edge with all these opportunities availing themselves. Now, LISTEN to the advantages offered to you by collecting the continuing educa- tion units. By so doing you will be prepar- ing yourselves for certification of intent to practice nursing, if this comes into being, and the possibilities lean toward the posi- tive. It could also be in preparation for relicensure by proof of continuing your ed- ucation in one manner or another, if and when this comes to be. We are advancing our nursing practices and we must continue to educate ourselves to keep up with what we do. How else can we expect our stand- ards of practice to improve if we are not willing to improve ourselves? I was recently at a regional institute and there was much talk of the CE unit and the August 1973 23

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AORN educafion

Stop, look, and listen: continue your own education

Continuing education and the continued education unit are, in fact, very important parts of today's nurses' lives. It i s the thing to do; the current topic of conversation. Many pros and cons to the subject are up for grabs. OR nurses STOP, LOOK and LISTEN to the many facets of discussion this topic brings about.

STOP and join in on the conversations when continuing education or the CE unit i s talked about. Some nurses consider this a very good tool to be used toward bet- tering the standards of practice. Then there are those nurses who feel this will never be a necessary problem and pass it off with a shrug of their shoulders or a quick com- ment like, "I haven't got time." Then there are others who want courses, programs and the CE units handed to them in a gift wrapped box.

LOOK around and actually see how much i s already made available to you. There are many approved courses offered to RNs in many areas, even in the smaller towns. Hospitals can have many inservice training programs approved to offer the

CE unit. Many already are using this ave- nue of instruction to aid the RN in continuing her education. Attendance at regional institutes, national seminars, con- ventions and Congress earns CE units for audience participants. OR nurses have many chances to better their educational knowl- edge with all these opportunities availing themselves.

Now, LISTEN to the advantages offered to you by collecting the continuing educa- tion units. By so doing you will be prepar- ing yourselves for certification of intent to practice nursing, if this comes into being, and the possibilities lean toward the posi- tive. It could also be in preparation for relicensure by proof of continuing your ed- ucation in one manner or another, if and when this comes to be. We are advancing our nursing practices and we must continue to educate ourselves to keep up with what we do. How else can we expect our stand- ards of practice to improve if we are not willing to improve ourselves?

I was recently at a regional institute and there was much talk of the CE unit and the

August 1973 23

AORN Certificates given out for them. Many felt that everyone in attendance should obtain credits for being there. Others felt that those who walked in and out and didn't stay to complete the educa- tional lectures should not receive as many units or credits as those who participated longer. Some felt they should be able to pick up certificates for their friends if they had to leave early. I even heard one nurse say it would be easy to pick up more than one and fill in the blanks to get more credits for other institutes or seminars not attended. Who i s right? Can we justify one way or the other? Who can say? Perhaps we had better look inside ourselves and think about what we really want to get out of these educational programs. Are we going just to get these CE units, just to be able to say we can be certified or re- licensed because we have enough points? Granted, we have to have these points or

units in the present plan to prepare for whatever happens in relicensure, but what we really need is the education to better ourselves. This i s what this whole plan i s all about.

So do STOP, LOOK and LISTEN; and get on the band wagon and continue your own education. Do it for what is in it for you. Don't you want to be a better nurse?

AORN is able to help. There are so many good educational meetings planned each year. Attend some of them and see what you can learn.

-Barbara Massaro, R N Member Na f ional commif f ee

on educafion Yuma, Arizona

New irrsfrumenf for cafaracf removal A new instrument for eye surgery that may greatly simplify the removal of cataracts has been developed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration researchers working with a prominent ophthalmologist.

The small hand-held instrument uses a combination of high frequency vibrations with a small pumping mechanism t o liquify and remove cataract and lens material effectively. I t has been tested successfully on the eyes of animals.

A four-man team at the NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, developed the instru- ment in a cooperative program with Wil l iam J. McGannon, MD, a leading eye surgeon in the Cleveland area.

At present, a cataract surgery is a very delicate operation. It requires that a semi-cir- cular incision be made over the lens of the eye, then stitched after the cataract and lens are removed. This procedure often takes up t o an hour ond patient convalescence lasts as long as six t o eight weeks.

The new instrument makes only a small puncture in the eye and would minimize the prob- lem of stitching in most cases. "The purpose of the new instrument i s t o reduce the operating time and the patient's convalescent period," Dr. McGannon said.

The instrument is about the size of an electric toothbrush, smoll ond light enough t o be held in the hand. The tool can be easily manipulated by the surgeon during an operation.

24 AORN Journal