From 19-22 October 2011, approximately 476 forensic nurses and physicians met at the Hyatt Regency Montreal Hotel in Montreal/Quebec Canada.
This trip really began, for me, after landing around 10:30PM at the Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal. I was taken in a taxi, by "Mahmud" (originally from Lebanon, but who had come here as a reporter 37 years ago, and has one daughter who has borne 4 grandchildren...) to my hotel at the Travelodge across from the Hyatt. The Travelodge was half the cost of the Hyatt, and this conference was already beyond my budget.
The following are lectures/presentations I've attended the past few days:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
The morning keynote address by Helene Berman, RN, PhD was titled "Context Matters: Trajectories of Violence in the Lives of Girls".
Dr Berman's presentation was sobering in terms of considering how our North American culture continues to affect violence in our society. Movies, T.V. shows, Video Games inundate us with violence, desensitize us and depict acts of violence toward young girls, teens and older women. In her talk today, she discussed "gendered socialization", and how our culture needs to pay attention to the problem of violence in our communities. Her talk highlighted what most of us are already aware of, but brought the issue to the forefront. As she closed, she discussed the roles we, as forensic professionals, need to pay attention to methods of violence prevention in our society. What remains crystal clear, however, is that there is no distinct path, no easy road, to changing North American culture. There is no quick fix, no single answer, in order to solve this problem. The goal among all forensic nurses should be to become more involved in government/legislation, and work within local communities to educate communities concerning violence. The multilevel strategies we use to get there will hopefully not only leave long-lasting footprints for years to come, but blaze a pathway for a better world in the future.
Sessions I attended:
All in all, the conference has been both exhausting and invigorating. The time spent rising early in the morning coupled with jet lag and a few beers the night before, along with long hours sitting and listening to interesting presentations...still has taken a toll on my body. But the connections, the meeting of old friends and new, the stories and backgrounds of such wonderful professionals is enough to galvanize any said 'under-achiever' into action.
'Under-achiever' was a phrase I've heard often at the conference, although I think that anyone who's convened at this professional forum is far from an 'under-achiever'. Whether ADN/LPN, RN, NP or PhD/MD, each person is here to absorb information, share information, and each one is actively seeking ways to make valuable contributions to their communities in terms or violence prevention and/or response. Instead of professing (even jokingly) to be underachievers compared to our peers, let us each smile and simply congratulate each other on our activities and recognize those around us for their great efforts. Each of us makes our own contributions, whether seemingly great or small in society...and we never know the impact the slightest action may make. So be humble, all, and also know your self worth, and continue to make the world a better place one fingerprint, one footprint, one bit of trace evidence at at time.
~Cin
*****
*Disclaimer: This blog is solely the opinions and experiences expressed by the author and in no way reflects the opinions, policies or beliefs of the U.S. Government, the DoD or United States Navy.
This trip really began, for me, after landing around 10:30PM at the Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal. I was taken in a taxi, by "Mahmud" (originally from Lebanon, but who had come here as a reporter 37 years ago, and has one daughter who has borne 4 grandchildren...) to my hotel at the Travelodge across from the Hyatt. The Travelodge was half the cost of the Hyatt, and this conference was already beyond my budget.
The following are lectures/presentations I've attended the past few days:
Wednesday:
- Assessing Drug Ingestions: Toxidromes and Toxicology
- Do Come Over, Someone Has Killed Father (The Crime Scene Discussion of Lizzie Borden)
- The Coroner's Inquest: The Impact of Death Investigation on Prevention
- Motor Vehicle Collision Investigation and Reconstruction: Role of the Forensic Nurse
Thursday:
- Implementing a Clinical Forensic Nursing Program: Beyond the Obvious
- Bridging the Gap to Excellence. A Holistic Approach to Forensic-Medical Care in Military Treatment Facilities
- GHB Addiction
- Forensic Nurses Performing QI Studies in Forensic, Criminal Justice, and Investigative Settings
The morning keynote address by Helene Berman, RN, PhD was titled "Context Matters: Trajectories of Violence in the Lives of Girls".
Dr Berman's presentation was sobering in terms of considering how our North American culture continues to affect violence in our society. Movies, T.V. shows, Video Games inundate us with violence, desensitize us and depict acts of violence toward young girls, teens and older women. In her talk today, she discussed "gendered socialization", and how our culture needs to pay attention to the problem of violence in our communities. Her talk highlighted what most of us are already aware of, but brought the issue to the forefront. As she closed, she discussed the roles we, as forensic professionals, need to pay attention to methods of violence prevention in our society. What remains crystal clear, however, is that there is no distinct path, no easy road, to changing North American culture. There is no quick fix, no single answer, in order to solve this problem. The goal among all forensic nurses should be to become more involved in government/legislation, and work within local communities to educate communities concerning violence. The multilevel strategies we use to get there will hopefully not only leave long-lasting footprints for years to come, but blaze a pathway for a better world in the future.
Sessions I attended:
- Scene Investigations: Evidence Recognition, Protection and Documentation.
- Blending Forensic Nursing and Army Public Health Nursing to Aid in Eradicating Interpersonal Violence
- Confronting Youth Gangs as a Forensic Nurse
- (My own presentation): Interpersonal Safety of U.S. Military Women in the Deployed Environment of Afghanistan: A Grounded Theory Approach
All in all, the conference has been both exhausting and invigorating. The time spent rising early in the morning coupled with jet lag and a few beers the night before, along with long hours sitting and listening to interesting presentations...still has taken a toll on my body. But the connections, the meeting of old friends and new, the stories and backgrounds of such wonderful professionals is enough to galvanize any said 'under-achiever' into action.
'Under-achiever' was a phrase I've heard often at the conference, although I think that anyone who's convened at this professional forum is far from an 'under-achiever'. Whether ADN/LPN, RN, NP or PhD/MD, each person is here to absorb information, share information, and each one is actively seeking ways to make valuable contributions to their communities in terms or violence prevention and/or response. Instead of professing (even jokingly) to be underachievers compared to our peers, let us each smile and simply congratulate each other on our activities and recognize those around us for their great efforts. Each of us makes our own contributions, whether seemingly great or small in society...and we never know the impact the slightest action may make. So be humble, all, and also know your self worth, and continue to make the world a better place one fingerprint, one footprint, one bit of trace evidence at at time.
~Cin
*****
*Disclaimer: This blog is solely the opinions and experiences expressed by the author and in no way reflects the opinions, policies or beliefs of the U.S. Government, the DoD or United States Navy.
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