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NewsBriefs_April 5/5/11 11:35 AM Page 8 NEWS BRIEFS Education Is Key at Annual Maine Nurses' Conference M MAINE aine nurses met April 9 for the Maine State Nurses' Association (MSNA) annual conference to discuss and build their knowledge of key nursing areas, to celebrate recent victories, and prepare for challenges ahead. MSNA nurses have settled seven contracts this past year, with all hospital contracts including hard-won language addressing staffing— several with minimum core standards and one with actual ratios. These have not been easy fights, but real progress is being made. The conference allowed nurses from all over Maine to relay their respective contract wins. Central to the conference was a series of courses by NNU's nursing practice department on topics ranging from how best to use professional practice committees and assignment despite objection forms to advocate for patients, to the troubling rise 8 N AT I O N A L N U R S E Twitter, and other social in workplace violence for Registered nurses from media websites. "Especially nurses and how to prevent it. across Maine gathered in in rural communities like "There are resources availPoint Lookout for their annueastern and northern Maine, able to improve patient care al conference to celebrate information that might and protect nurses," said victories and strategize appear indistinct may be Cokie Giles, RN, president of against challenges enough for other readers to MSNA and CNA board memconnect the dots and identify patients," ber. "It's important to apply that education to explained Judy Brown, RN, president of the our practice. It's also helpful for us to learn bargaining unit at Eastern Maine Medical that we're not alone, but that nurses all over the state and country face similar challenges." Center. Brown covered both the pitfalls of sharing personal and confidential informaIn another course, Maria Woodman, a tion in a way that can be permanently lawyer with experience in healthcare, recorded and forwarded, as well as the posireminded nurses that the fundamentals of tive ways social media can promote health documentation haven't changed, even in education and public awareness. light of advanced technology. "The way you Lora Cook, an RN from Portland, Maine, document has certainly changed," Woodcapped the conference off with her story man explained, "but good nursing care is about volunteering in Haiti with RNRN, still the same." She used Maine law and her NNU's Registered Nurse Response Netown experience to inform nurses about the work. "They appreciated anything we could legal disciplinary process, emphasizing do for them," she said about her patients. clear and accurate documentation as a Despite the cloying sweat and tarantulas, nurse's first and best defense. Cook said, "None of us wanted to leave." Nurses were also treated to a course on the right and wrong ways to use Facebook, —Jessie Mellott, RN W W W. N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G APRIL 2011