PG13: Getting Into The Zona: A Nurse's Guide To The Latest Developments In The ART Laboratory
Date:October 21,
2012
Time:8:15 am - 5:00 pm
Location:Room 3 - San Diego Convention Center
Presenters
Elizabeth B. West, R.N.C., B.S.N. (Chair), Institute for Reproductive Health
Laurie D. Black, M.S., C.G.C., Pacific Reproductive Genetic Counseling
Mark R. Hughes, M.D., Ph.D., Genesis Genetics Institute
Catherine Racowsky, Ph.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Supporters
Developed in Cooperation with the Nurses’ Professional Group
ACGME COMPETENCY
Practice-based learning and improvement
NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND COURSE DESCRIPTION
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) nurses play a pivotal role in educating patients, establishing their expectations, providing emotional support and coordinating communication between patients and the ART team. When patients have questions or concerns, they are most likely to contact a nurse first. The better informed nurses are about ART treatment processes in general, the more effectively they will be able to convey necessary information, allay fears and keep the practices for which they work operating efficiently. This is especially relevant in the context of the ART laboratory. New techniques and technological innovations make ART the vibrant and exciting field that it is, but they can also be daunting for professionals outside the laboratory who do not feel that they understand the work of laboratory professionals well enough to be able to explain it to patients.
This course, aimed at nurses in assisted reproduction practices, is intended to demystify the activities in the ART laboratory, highlighting preimplantation genetics and the latest developments in laboratory procedures, particularly measures taken to ensure that transferred embryos are of the highest quality.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:
- Discuss state-of-the-art lab laboratory procedures for culturing gametes and embryos and for assessing embryo quality.
- Summarize current procedures for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).
- Explain the roles of PGD and preimplantation genetic screening (PGS).
- Describe the role of the genetic counselor as it relates to ART.