2024 Free Ped-E-Pearls Training
The Massachusetts Emergency Nurses Association Pediatric Committee is proud to announce a free learning series focused on pediatric emergency readiness!
This May, five hospitals across the commonwealth will graciously host 17 healthcare providers who specialize in pediatrics, hailing from three respected institutions of learning, as well as the attendees eager to strengthen their knowledge of pediatric emergency readiness.
These nursing and physician colleagues will speak on a host of topics ranging from injury prevention to pediatric seizure care, fevers and newborn emergencies. Many have been recognized nationally for their long-term work in their respective specialties while others are emerging professionals with proven knowledge and experience, eager to share their love of their practice. All of them are committed to ensuring that children living in our communities have access to timely high-quality emergency care.
Attendees have opportunities to earn up to 15 FREE continuing education units, specific to pediatric care. This is a unique opportunity, not only because it is free, but because many of these learners have limited opportunities to earn these CEUs as pediatric focused education has historically been difficult to find. Maintaining professional certifications in emergency pediatric care requires hundreds of hours of pediatric-specific education, typically acquired over a period of 4 years.
This will be the third installment of Ped-E-Pearls since its inception in the fall of 2019, first led by the previous chair of the MA ENA pediatric committee, Maureen Curtis-Cooper, RN. This project has evolved based on the valuable feedback we have received from past participants, and we hope feedback from this series will help program planners ensure its continued future success.
These five learning sessions will coincide with national nurses’ week and national EMS week, occurring later in the month of May. Ultimately the goal of the pediatric committee is to support pediatric readiness and the PECC role in the emergency department. The presence of a PECC (Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator) in emergency departments has been shown to improve the quality of care delivered in that environment. Ideally, nurse PECCs work collaboratively with physician PECCs to develop ED policies and education dedicated to the care of children, while also ensuring pediatric appropriate equipment is available in the environment of care. Ped-E-Pearls is an important extension of that ideal interdisciplinary professional collaboration.
The pediatric committee is also launching a t-shirt fundraiser in the hopes of keeping future programming free to all who attend, while allowing the committee to gift program volunteers with a small token (a t-shirt) of our collective appreciation. Buy your T-shirts here: bonfire.com/ped-e-pearls-2024.
