Vascular & Interventional Education Days for Technologists and Nurses

Since 2004, the Dotter Interventional Institute has organized yearly Vascular & Interventional Education Days for technologists and nurses. The goal of these meetings has been to update technologists and nurses about recent developments in interventional treatment. The two-day course has usually started with lectures on radiation safety, patient care, pain control during procedures and prevention of complications. Multiple topics have been then presented and discussed during the past six meetings including new interventional treatments of vascular, heart and liver disease, stroke, interventions in trauma, venous diseases, new techniques for cancer treatment and updates on neurointerventions and embolization. The faculty has consisted each year of 18-24 highly experience interventionalists, physicians from other specialties, technologists and nurses from the Dotter Institute and other Oregon hospitals. Prominent interventionalists from Canada, California, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Washington have been honored guest speakers. Yearly, between twelve to eighteen companies exhibited at the meetings and their representatives were available to participants for discussion of emerging technology. Twelve hours of category A continuing education credit are available to meeting registrants.

The first four meetings were held at University Place in Portland. Increasing interest and attendance required a larger facility so we moved to Embassy Suites in downtown Portland. Altogether, 648 technologists and nurses from Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Canada and Saudi Arabia have attended the six Educational Days. The 8th Vascular & Interventional Education Days will take place October 28-29, 2011 at the Embassy Suites, Portland, Oregon. For more information, contact Dixie McWilliams mcwillid@ohsu.edu or phone(503) 494-3918.