‘Learn with the Best’ congress in Portugal features practical nurse programme and live surgery
From 8 to 10 November 2018, the first edition of the joint laparoscopy course meeting ‘Learn with the best’ took place in Lisbon, Portugal, at the Lisbon Marriott hotel.
EAUN proudly contributed four speakers to the nurses day. This three-day congress addressed both laparoscopic surgeons in urology surgery and operating room nurses and combined a scientific programme with both practical courses and live surgery. Dr. Rui Farinha from Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, EPE / Hospital de São José in Lisbon was one of persons in the organising committee who initiated contact with the EAUN. He invited the EAUN to collaborate in creating a laparoscopic surgery training programme for operating room nurses at the ‘Learn with the Best’ congress.
The team that presented in Lisbon at the EAUN-supported nurses laparoscopy course. From left: Linda Söderkvist (DE), Jeannette Verkerk-Geelhoed (NL), Birgitta Keil (DE) and Jane Petersson (DK)
Full-day programme for nurses
A full-day programme with various topics on patient safety in the operating room, prevention and infection control, patient positioning and dangers in laparoscopy from a nurse’s perspective, laparoscopic instruments and the future role of nurses in surgery (to mention a few) was offered specifically to operating room nurses on the first day of the congress. Around one hundred and thirty nurses were registered for the meeting and took part in the congress.
“This three-day congress addressed both laparoscopic surgeons in urology surgery and operating room nurses and combined a scientific programme with both practical courses and live surgery.”
Four members of the EAUN, including two Board Members, were invited as faculty for the nurses’ programme. We shared our field of expertise together with the Portuguese and Spanish nurse speakers. We were all a bit nervous that there might be a language barrier to understand us as international faculty, since we presented our topics in English, and the rest of the congress was in Portuguese. But it turned out that there was nothing to worry about, since we soon discovered that the nurses do understand a lot of English but prefer to speak their own language, for instance when they are giving a presentation.
L. Söderkvist (SE) and J. Petersson (DK) demonstrating laparoscopic insturments
Enjoyable and informative congress
As EAUN Board Members we were warmly welcomed by the organising committee and we enjoyed taking part in this congress. It was a great opportunity for all of us, both faculty and local nurses, to network and learn from each other with regard to our daily work with patients in the operating room.
On behalf of the EAUN we would like to thank Birgitta Keil (DE) and Jane Petersson (DK) for contributing to the first edition of ‘Learn with the Best’ and the nurses programme, Dr. Rui Farinha for inviting the EAUN to contribute to this successful nursing programme and Ana Pais (PT) for her valuable support.
Linda Söderkvist, EAUN Board, Member Karolinska University Hospital, Dept. of Urology, Stockholm (SE), l.soderkvist@eaun.org
Jeannette Verkerk-Geelhoed, EAUN Board Member, St. Antonius Ziekenhuis, Dept. of Urology, Nieuwegein (NL), j.verkerk@eaun.org