Practicing Under the Influence of Fatigue

Program Date: March 2010

Continuing Education Units: Nurse 1.5 Contact Hour

Course Description:

Have you ever driven home after work, but then realized you don't remember how you got there? Most of us have reached this level of fatigue at some point in our career. There is now scientific evidence that reinforces the short and long term effects of fatigue. This program reviews the danger and impact of fatigue on our patients, our co-workers and ourselves.

Course Objectives:

Identify fatigue as a potential threat to patient safety.
Review the physiology of fatigue.
Compare and contrast sleep patterns in shift workers.
Analyze the potential impact of chronic sleep deprivation on your personal health.
Discuss five countermeasures to combat fatigue.

Media Format(s): Video(English)

Course Instructor Bio(s)

Madge Buus-Frank, RNC, MS, APRN-BC

Madge Buus-Frank is a neonatal nurse practitioner who has been caring for infants and families for over 30 years. She is an honors gradate from Boston College and is currently clinically active in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) at The Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth. Madge is an Instructor in Pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School. Additionally Madge is the principal consultant and co-founder of Dynamic Neonatal Solutions, a consulting firm that provides education and innovative programmatic and clinical solutions to newborn intensive care units, health systems and hospitals across the US and Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and India.

In addition to her clinical, academic and consulting activities Madge was the Founding Editor-in-Chief for Advances in Neonatal Nursing: The Official Journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, a peer reviewed publication dedicated to advancing the art and science of neonatal care, serving for 5 years in this capacity.

Madge is a dynamic and motivating speaker. She is able to share a wealth of knowledge based on her extensive clinical experience balanced by thoughtful programmatic insights. Participants are challenged to improve their critical thinking and assessment skills, and integrate a parent- centered, team-oriented, evidence-based philosophy of care for infants and families in the hospital, community and the home.