On March 8th and 9th, 134 critical care nurses gathered at the Ritz Charles in Overland Park for the 25th Annual Visions Symposium.  This conference opened with a keynote address by AACN National President Mary Stahl presenting her theme Together, Stronger, Bolder. Other speaker highlights included Barb McLean discussing her experiences in Haiti after their disaster and our local stroke expert Debbie Summers on Stroke Management. This conference had something for everyone whether you work in ICU, Progressive Care or Pediatric Critical Care.

We were honored to have 12 critical care nurses from Joplin Missouri who shared with us their journey since May 2011 when an F5 tornado hit their hospital. I was awed with their stories of courage and heroism although they humbly say that they just did what was needed.

Once again we had a good group of vendors on Friday that gave us the opportunity to shop during our breaks. You could purchase anything from candles to purses and then some. The silent auction provided entertainment as well as funding for the scholarships that Greater Kansas City Chapter of AACN provides each year.

Please plan to join us next year for the 26th Annual Visions Symposium on February 28th and March 1st, 2013.  We plan to continue to grow and improve and would like you to join us in this journey.

Mechanical Ventilation: Basics and Beyond was a Huge Success!


This year, your Greater Kansas City AACN Education Chairs developed an initiative to host three continuing nursing education offerings for critical care and progressive care nurses.  Results from the GKC AACN Chapter Needs Assessment survey guided the topics of focus for these sessions.  Our first education offering, Mechanical Ventilation: Basics and Beyond with Lynelle Pierce, RN, MSN, CCRN was held on January 24, 2012 at St. Joseph Medical Center.  The course qualified for 3.5 contact hours, Synergy CERP category A.  

In addition, the Greater Kansas City AACN Chapter coordinates the Certification Review Course for CCRN and PCCN twice a year.   The Education Chair and Chair-Elects coordinate this offering.  Local expertise is utilized for speakers/presenters.

The fall review course was offered on November 14th and 21st and hosted by St. Joseph Medical Center.  We had 32 participants.  We would like to thank the following individuals for your time and effort.

Tammy Carroll, Education Chair
Caryl Goodyear-Bruch, Education Co-Chair Elect
Heather Nelson, Education Co-Chair Elect
JoAnn Jenkins, Site Coordinator for Day 1

NOVEMBER SPEAKERS
Maria Fox
Marci Ebberts
Kay Luft
JoAnn Jenkins
Jim Waterman
Akiko Kubo
Amanda Gartner 

Twice a year, the Greater Kansas City Critical Care Consortium Hospitals plan the entry level Critical Care/Progressive Care Courses (CCC/PCC), attended by nurses with a minimum of 3 months experience in critical care or progressive care.  There is no cost for attendees from hospitals that are part of the consortium.  In return, the expectation is for each hospital to contribute resources towards the classes. 

Many nurses from the consortium group of hospitals volunteer their time and resources to make this happen.  In addition, the speakers are locally identified from within the consortium with no expectation of compensation for their preparation and presentation time.   We would like to recognize the following individuals for making the 2011 CCC/PCC successful. 

SPRING 2011 Planning Committee & Site Coordinators
Ashley Peacock (coordinator), Shalan Stroud (coordinator), Willa Carroll, Joey Barton, Vivian Porter, Sandra Merritt, Cheryl Buntz, Barb Flakus, Armida Torres, Polly McNeece

SPRING 2011 Speakers
Juli Hogan (NKCH), JoAnn Jenkins (KCVA), Mary Benson (NKCH), Stephanie Lininger (SMMC), Cheryl Rader (Saint Luke’s), Jim Waterman (KUH), Tammy Brown (SMMC), Kay Carpenter (SJMC), Karen Luken (SMMC), Polly McNeece (Research), April Kimball (NKCH), Jen McKenna (OMH), Maria Fox (KUH), Ben Wano (KUH), Jana Braklow (OMC), Craig Shipley (KUH), Mellissa Ott (MTN), Akiko Kubo (KUH), Amanda Gartner (KUH)

 FALL 2011 Planning Committee & Site Coordinators
Ashley Peacock (coordinator), Shalan Stroud (coordinator), Barb Flakus (coordinator), Willa Carroll, Joey Barton, Vivian Porter, Shalan Stroud, Laura Barnes, Cassandra Showalter, Cheryl Edwards, Alisha Studer

FALL 2011 Speakers
Karna Stuchlik (SLELS), JoAnn Jenkins (KCVA), Mary Benson (NKCH), Stephanie Lininger (SMMC), Kristen Sollars (Saint Luke’s), Cheryl Rader (Saint Luke’s), Tammy Brown (SMMC), Kathleen Henderson (SJMC), Michael Ballinger (Saint Luke’s), Polly McNeece & Cheryl Edwards (Research), April Kimball (NKCH), Jen McKenna (OMC), Susan Hanson (Saint Luke’s), Dianne Studer (NKCH), Mellissa Ott (MTN), Jana Braklow (OMC), Jane Dunham (CTMC)