Top nursing leaders gather in Louisville for ANNA symposium

Nurses seeking to enhance their nephrology practice and make new professional connections will gather during Kentucky Derby Week for the American Nephrology Nurses Association 47th National Symposium in Louisville, KY.

Along with a wide variety of education sessions and networking opportunities, nurses will experience the most energized week of the year for Louisville as well as Derby-inspired special events. The meeting features the top leaders and speakers in nephrology and draws nurses and other health care providers from around the country.

Nephrology nurses attending the symposium can stay current on the latest advances, therapies, and treatments for their specialty, along with obtaining continuing nursing education contact hours and pharmacology credits.

Along with clinical topics, the symposium includes sessions on leadership, research, advocacy, and health policy. There is an interactive exhibit hall as well that allows attendees to meet with industry representatives and discuss the latest innovations, products, and services.

The Conference

47th National Symposium

American Nephrology Nurses Association

May 1-4

Marriott Louisville and Kentucky International Convention Center

Louisville, KY

Complete symposium details and a downloadable PDF version of the brochure are available at the ANNA website, www.annanurse.org

The symposium begins with a two-day Volunteer Leaders workshop from Saturday, April 30 to Sunday, May 1. Also on Saturday is the official Welcome and Networking Reception. There will be five preconference workshops on Sunday. These include a certification review course and sessions on acute care issues, home treatment modalities, hands-on assessment skills, and financial issues such as Medicare, Medicaid and insurance coverage.

Opening ceremonies and the Janel Parker Memorial Session kick off the symposium main events beginning at 4:00 pm Sunday. The session, entitled “Are we practicing to the fullest extent? Licensure, accreditation, certification, and education,” will be delivered by Suzanne Miyamoto, PhD, RN, Senior Director of Government Affairs and Health Policy, American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Dr. Miyamoto will address today’s nursing workforce challenges and practice changes.

Concurrent sessions will run May 2-4 (Monday-Wednesday) and will include such topics as hemodialysis and patient safety, transplant and organ donation, the IOM Future of Nursing report updates as it relates to nephrology nursing, research and evidence-based practice.

Featured speakers on Wednesday include Victor Gura, MD, FASN, and Nancy Colobong Smith, MN, ARNP, CNN, who will discuss advances in the development of the wearable artificial kidney. Dr. Gura and Ms. Smith will follow-up from last year’s presentation with updates on research, progress, and study results.

The symposium will end Wednesday with an optional post-conference workshop, “Managing obesity across the continuum of care,” presented by Vishal Kothari, MD, FACS, and Laura Byham-Gray, PhD, RD. They will discuss the prevalence of obesity in the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population and treatment options.