NEW YORK (Sept. 27, 2017) -- The Nurse Practitioner Association New York State (NPA) will host its 33rd Annual Conference Wednesday, October 18 through Sunday, October 22, in Saratoga Springs, New York. The conference theme is “Modernizing Healthcare.” Over 100 sessions will be held during the 5-day conference, covering some of the most timely topics in health care today. Attendees can receive up to 31 American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) Continuing Education Hours.Sample courses include: “Recognizing and Treating Children’s Environmental Health Exposures,” “Cultural and Clinical Competency in Transgender Care,” “Differentiation and Diagnosis of Dementia,” and “Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Gender Does Matter.”
Highlights of the conference include:
• Free buprenorphine Waiver Training for NPS & Clinical Providers. Offered collaboratively by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) AIDS Institute, The NPA, and the Harm Reduction Coalition.
• Braeburn REMS Implant Training for Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. Offered in collaboration with Braeburn Pharmaceuticals.
• Special course on Opioid Prescribing: Safe Practice, Changing Lives. Presented by the Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation. The curriculum was developed to meet New York State requirements for 3 hours of CE in pain management, palliative care, and addiction.
• Keynote Address by Scharmaine Lawson-Baker, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, titled, “The Modern Nurse Practitioner.” Dr. Lawson-Baker will present a compelling and thought-provoking narrative on understanding the overall challenges that the modern nurse practitioner will encounter daily. Dr. Lawson-Baker, a nationally recognized and award-winning NP in New Orleans, launched a house call practice in 2005, a few months before Hurricane Katrina. She was instrumental in caring for the sick and disabled following the hurricane.
• Presentation of Awards to the NP of the Year, and the NP Student of the Year.
NP Student of the Year: Darcie Morgan, BSN, RN, CPN, enrolled in
Masters NP Program at the University of Rochester
NP of the Year; Marie Carmel Garcon, DNP, FNP-C at
NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center
Stephen Ferrara, DNP, FNP, FAANP, Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs at Columbia University School of Nursing and Executive Director of The NPA, says, “The role of Nurse Practitioners as health care providers in hospitals, in private practice and in other settings continues to evolve and expand. What remains constant is the Nurse Practitioner commitment to evidence based, compassionate, and high-quality care for all patients.”
NPA President, David Dempsey, DNP, FNP-BC, says, “This conference is an opportunity for Nurse Practitioners from across the state to join with their colleagues in gaining new insights into the health care issues we are facing today and will be facing into the future. We are pleased to have a roster of outstanding presenters who will provide educational and engaging discussions on the full-range of health care topics nurse practitioners encounter in daily practice.”
The Nurse Practitioner Association New York State
Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses who have completed advanced education, at a Master’s or Doctorate level, plus additional preparation. These professionals are authorized to independently diagnose illness and physical conditions, perform therapeutic and corrective measures, order tests, prescribe medications, devices and immunizing agents, and refer patients to other health care providers. The Nurse Practitioner Association New York State (NPA), the only statewide professional association of nurse practitioners, promotes high standards of healthcare delivery through the empowerment of Nurse Practitioners and the profession throughout New York State. For more information visit, www.thenpa.org.
Awards to Nurse Practitioner of the Year and
Nurse Practitioner Student of the Year
Nurse Practitioner Association New York State Annual Conference
To Focus on Modernizing Healthcare
Dr. Garcon is being awarded for her outstanding commitment to providing compassionate care. Dr. Garcon has extensive experience working on the front lines of intensive care and oncology units and is able to advocate for patients and their families giving voice to those who cannot speak for themselves due to illness. Among her many noteworthy accomplishments over her 20-year career as a family nurse practitioner, Dr. Garcon established a support group for patients and families affected by pancreatic cancer.
Increased Emphasis on Safe Opioid Prescribing Practices
and Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
Ms. Morgan is being recognized for her leadership as a role model for other NP students and for her commitment to the community. Ms. Morgan has been very active in community efforts to promote vaccination of all children. This started while she was working as a school nurse and noticed that primary care providers were not always promoting universal vaccination. She has been active in the movement to dispel myths about vaccine risks.