| 2008 ~ Triage First Newsletter ~ Issue 3 | |
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Triage Specialist Course
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Message from the President Any business that provides education for a group of specialty healthcare professionals must be intimately acquainted with constant change! So when a question came to our office regarding the latest update on the Canadian Triage Acuity Scale, recently released by the Canadian Association of Emergency Providers (CAEP), it took us only a moment to respond: Did we at Triage First know about the changes - and would we have to change the resource guides that we have widely distributed to many of our students? I am so happy to say we are well ahead of the change curve! This is one reason why Triage First is the best choice for education!! We are not only quickly responsive, but we are drivers of change. The update that is on the CAEP website is information that we have had for well over a year, before our pocket guides were printed, and before our last poster revision. (Some of you may not have the most current poster, and may be missing a few finer points.) Our 2008 course updates also included all these changes, as well. In short, the CTAS group added the revisions that were made in 2004 to their CEDIS lists and spreadsheets. The following is a short summary of their revisions. Most interesting is the fact that almost everything they added was information that Triage First developed as CTAS modifications years ago. The following is a short summary of the changes (already noted in previously published Triage First materials):
So we sigh with relief, thankful to not have to change this time, and we share this with you as a reminder of our commitment to keep abreast of the most current literature for you, our professional colleagues and, most of all, for our patients. This commitment will often require change, and the pains that accompany it. But we believe it is very much worth it. Yours for ever better patient care - and balance,
In each issue we feature a patient presentation that has significance for the nurse at triage. Ready to test your triage skills? Check out this month's case presentation. Read more...
 Ask the Experts This column provides answers to questions we receive from emergency nurses regarding both the clinical and practical aspects of triage and emergency nursing. Read more...
Featured Personality We will share a visit with someone we've met who we believe embodies the heart of nursing, someone who has made an impact on us and our faculty. Read more... Literature & Research The goal of this column is to keep you up to date with the latest literature and research relevant to emergency nursing. Read more...
What's New at Triage First What a year this has been! As of this writing, we have nearly 60 Triage Specialist Course graduates licensed to teach our two-day live Comprehensive ED Triage Course, and we have one more course scheduled for January 18-23, 2009. These educators are keeping us on our toes with scheduling and support, and we are very excited about the evaluations from course participants, who have numbered in the hundreds. We are making some adjustments around here. Our online modules (in support of the two-days live education) are swelling our database, so we have purchased another server - and will be "moving" files around to make room for the future. That's what happens in the virtual world - you "move" in computers. (Oh, well, at least we don't have to buy packing boxes and bubble wrap!) We have officially gone online with HealthStream (www.healthstream.com) for our standalone ESI and CTAS specific triage-acuity training and clinical expertise courses. There is no other online acuity-specific course in the entire United States. This is it, at least for now. Everything anyone needs for ESI training is there, with the exception of the ESI algorithm, which needs to be downloaded, free from www.ahrq.gov, and is referred to as participants go through the ESI training. The CTAS versions we have online with HealthStream are modified for the United States as needed for our trauma criteria and federal guidelines and mandates. In addition to the ESI/CTAS training and clinical expertise modules, we also have our subscription service: Continuing Triage and Competency Training (CONTACTS). So if you know any healthcare providers who need online training that is specific to ESI and CTAS, send them our way and we'll make sure they get over to HealthStream. Along the topic of online offerings and education in general, some clarification may be in order with respect to Triage First's accreditation. We have dropped our accreditation through ENA. We have opted instead to undergo the rigors and scrutiny of the American Nurses Credentialing Center in order to become an Approved Provider. This is the same accrediting body for all ENA courses, as well. This is not to say we are equal to ENA in the amount of education we offer over the broad range of emergency nursing subjects, but we do offer ED triage education that is unsurpassed by anyone. We are glad you have joined us, and we are very, very grateful for what you do for those sick and suffering who come to you for their healing. We can't think of anything greater in life than that - you all are so blessed to be doing what you do. Michael S. McNair, Director of Marketing and Sales
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