“A small state making big difference for the cardiovascular team.”

CREDIT: Google

The ACC Rhode Island Chapter recently held its first ever CV Team Section educational conference at the Marriott Hotel in Providence, RI. Leanne M. Burke, MSN, APRN-CNP, ANP-BC, AACC, ACC Rhode Island Chapter CV Team representative, and David M. Donaldson, MD, FACC, ACC Rhode Island Chapter governor, organized this educational conference specifically for the CV Team Section members.

The audience of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists and cardiovascular technicians enjoyed the exciting one-day educational conference. More than 100 members attended the conference, including 85 course participants, 12 speakers, and 11 pharmaceutical and device representatives.

David M. Donaldson, MD, FACC, ACC Rhode Island Chapter governor, at the ACC Rhode Island Chapter's first ever CV Team Section educational conference.

After opening comments were given by Donaldson, the keynote address was performed by Cynthia Bither, MSN, ANP, ACNP, CHFN, AACC, a cardiovascular nurse practitioner from MedSTAR Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, and past president of the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses.

Bither delivered an inspirational opening address about the role of the cardiovascular care team in patient care and discussed the future role of the cardiovascular care team. She also shared an amazing summary of her career, which inspired the audience about the importance of teamwork in cardiovascular care.

After the keynote address, the conference continued with a relatively new educational format. It was comprised of four blocks – each block was one hour long, with three highly condensed 15-minute frontal lectures followed by a 15-minute panel discussion with audience participation.

The first block included a broad-spectrum of topics including management of unstable angina, peripheral vascular disease and postprocedural complications. The second block included interesting talks on advanced lipid management, nutrition for the cardiovascular patient and introductory device management. The third block comprised discussions about technology advances for hand-held devices, basic cardiovascular radiology and device and pharmacology in heart failure. The final block included fascinating talks on introductory arrhythmia analysis, high-risk pharmacology and recent advances in heart failure management.

The faculty was a diverse spectrum of cardiology experts including five nurse practitioners, four physicians, one physician assistant, one nurse, one nutritionist and one doctor of pharmacology.

Although many of the experts practiced in Rhode Island, additional state representation included Massachusetts, Connecticut and Washington, DC.

At the end of the educational and inspiring conference, 4.5 CMEs or 4.5 CEUs could be earned. The conference also gave attendees the opportunity to learn about educational benefits of the ACC and hear from peers and colleagues who embrace their role in the cardiovascular care team at the highest level.

If you are interested in learning further about the ACC Rhode Island Chapter experience, contact ACC Rhode Island Chapter Governor David M. Donaldson, MD, FACC, at daviddo20@hotmail.com.

This article was authored by David M. Donaldson, MD, FACC, governor of the ACC Rhode Island Chapter.