Spring Conference a Success

This year’s spring conference was held at Baptist Health North Little Rock on April 27, 2012 and was well received by all who attended. As you see from the agenda below, it was quite robust and topics timely.

Presenters and presentations included: Decreasing Risk-And Meeting Regulatory Requirements by Phyllis Dorrough, Evidence Based Practice: Understanding It & Applying It to Nursing by Sheila Sullivan, and Healthcare Litigation: What We’re Seeing Now and How Nurses are at Risk by Michelle Ator.

Decreasing Risk and Meeting Regulatory Requirements

Patient Safety Officer:What is it? How do we use one? Does it really make a difference?

Presenter: Phyllis Dorrough, RN, Patient Safety Officer, Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock

Phyllis Dorrough, MA, RNP, CPHQ, has over 40 years of experience in healthcare; practicing in medical-surgical nursing, case management, quality and patient safety and as a faculty member for a school of nursing. In her current role, Dorrough is the Patient Safety Officer for Baptist Health in Little Rock and is responsible for maintaining and improving the quality and safety of clinical services in the 827-bed acute tertiary care center and 120-bed acute rehabilitation hospital. Additionally, she leads and directs the processes for meeting The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) and other standards. An advocate in the healthcare quality and patient safety field, Dorrough sits on the board of directors, and has twice served as President, for the Arkansas Association for Healthcare Quality. She is also active in the National Association for Healthcare Quality and holds the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality credential. For over 10 years, she has served on the board of examiners, and as a judge, for the Arkansas Governor’s Quality Award program, which utilizes the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality criteria to provide opportunities for all types of organizations throughout the state to measure their progress in the journey of performance excellence.

Evidence Based Practice: Understanding It & Applying It to Nursing

Presenter: Sheila Sullivan, PhD, RN, VHA-CM, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock

Sheila Cox Sullivan, PhD, RN, VHA-CM is the Associate Nurse Executive, Research with Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS).

She received her BSN from Harding University, her MSN from the University of Virginia and her PhD from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Dr. Sullivan is the Chair of the Research and Development Committee at CAVHS and a member of the Steering Committee for the National Nursing Practice Network. She was named Arkansas Federal Employee of the Year for Science and Medicine in 2011 and has been published in Who’s Who in American Nursing from 1993 to present.

Healthcare Litigation: What We’re Seeing Now and How Nurses are at Risk

Presenter: Michelle Ator, JD, Partner, Friday Eldredge & Clark, LLP

Michelle Ator is a partner in the Medical Malpractice Section of the law firm of Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP. She devotes her law practice to representing doctors, nurses and hospitals in medical malpractice lawsuits. She is currently listed in Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA in the area of medical malpractice law, and is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Ms. Ator is the President of the Pulaski County Bar Association, the largest local bar association in Arkansas. She is a past recipient of the Pulaski County Bar Association’s President’s Award in recognition of outstanding service and dedication to furthering the association’s goals of service, professionalism, collegiality and education among members of the bench and bar. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the Pulaski County Bar Foundation. Mrs. Ator is an appointed member of the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Civil Practice. She is a Master of the Bench and Past President of the Henry Woods American Inn of Court, and a past recipient of the Arkansas Bar Foundation Award for Excellence in Legal Writing. Mrs. Ator earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado and a Juris Doctorate with Honors from the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law where she worked as an Associate Editor on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Journal. Mrs. Ator is licensed to practice in Arkansas state courts, federal courts in Arkansas, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and before the United States Supreme Court.

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