History of MNDAKSPAN

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Excerpts from the March 2000 issue of PAR Excellence, "MNDAKSPAN Roots Planted 25 Years Ago"

"In 1975, few educational opportunities were available for the recovery room nurse. Responding to this educational need a group of nurses organized a seminar for recovery room nurses. Held in June in 1975 in Rochester, Minnesota, the conference was sponsored by St. Mary's Hospital. The response to the seminar was tremendous. Nurses from Iowa, North and South Dakota, and Minnesota attended."

"Following the seminar Connie Nosbisch, RN organized a meeting to form the Minnesota Association of Recovery Room Nurses (MARRN). The infant organization boasted thirteen members and later met in Minneapolis to form the first Board of Directors and elect Nobisch as the first president."

"The first official MARRN seminar was held at Mercy Medical Center in Minneapolis on May 1, 1976. The plans were to have a spring seminar in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and a fall seminar in an outstate area to benefit nurses all over the state."

"Also in 1979, MARRN joined the newly organized American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses (ASPAN). Mary Lou Barnett, RN from Minnesota was on the original founding ASPAN Board." "The spring of 1987 brought a name change from Minnesota Association of Recovery Room Nurses (MARRN) to Post Anesthesia Nurses of Minnesota (PANOM)."

"Responding to educational needs of nurses in the neighboring Dakotas the membership voted to incorporate North and South Dakota into the Minnesota PANOM organization. This occurred in 1994 with the formulation of the new organization, the Minnesota-Dakotas Society of Post Anesthesia Nurses (MnDakSPAN)."

Looking Back at the Beginning

Submitted by Teresa Neuzil, RN, BSN, Editor (PAR Excellence 2008)

Upon getting the position of Publisher I also inherited boxes of scrapbooks, photos and other papers. The person handing off these boxes was very excited at the thought of more storage space now created in their spare room. It was fun going through the scrapbooks, still recognizing a few of the people from over 25 years ago. It made me think of the beginnings of MNDAKSPAN, then called ‘Post Anesthesia Nurses of Minnesota’. It was interesting to find out that we are older than ASPAN and one of our own was on the founding board of ASPAN, Mary Lou Barnett.

So, I decided to go further back and take a brief look at the recovery room history. This information I found on ASPAN’s website. In 1751 there is a mention of a recovery area in England. In the 1860’s when things really get started by our favorite nurse, Florence Nightingale, who placed patients after surgery in a separate room after anesthesia. We then jump ahead to the 1940’s where the first documented ‘recovery room’ was at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, MN. It was during WWII that they began to separate patients. The anesthesiologist managed medical care of patients in the Post Anesthesia Room. They recognized that the patient needed to recover from the anesthesia first, then the surgery. They placed the post op care units near to the operating rooms to minimize the deaths from respiratory failure immediately after the surgery.

In the 1950’s hospitals began to develop and equip Postanesthesia Care Areas to stabilize the patients before transfer to another unit. Surgical ICU’s were developed. It was also the time of developing more respiratory support equipment. They began to recognize post anesthesia complications and specialized education was started for the staff.

In the 1960’s modernization continued, in surgical techniques, medications, technology, and increased ratio of nurses to patients. The fist ambulatory surgery program was started in Grand Rapids, MI. The 1970’s saw a continual enhanced development of the Recovery Room. Outpatient Surgery Units were established, the Aldrete Discharge Scoring was introduced, and BLS and ACLS were made a requirement. Nurses were actively organizing by geographic regions to educate Recovery Room Nurses. In 1979 nurses representing their state/regions met to discuss forming a national organization. This was sponsored by the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

1980 was the founding meeting of ASPAN. 1983 saw the first ASPAN Standards of Care released.

Let us get back to our beginnings and the boxes in inherited. I was going through the old minutes typed on very thin typewriter paper that was yellowed and brittle with age. Remember the type where the periods really stood out on the page. I would guess that there are some out there who never had the experience of the old typewriters, let alone the manual typewriters I was taught on at school.

Things began in June, 1975 after a seminar for Recovery Room nurses was held in Rochester, MN with a tremendous turnout from five states. From the interest shown at the seminar a group met and formed the ’Post Anesthia Nurses of MN’. Connie Nosbisch was elected as the first (acting) President. They worked to develop a constitution and by-laws. The original board members were, Connie Nosbisch, Elizabeth Whitaker, Kathy Skjeveland, Carleen Maynard, Sharon Radill, Gloria Hostak, Mary Kamphake, Rosemary Krauel, Delores Wortel, Alice Nix, Laurie Shields, Barbara Lehto and Donna Voorhees. In 1976 the membership started with 153 members.

I was surprised at what they started and what we are still doing today. Their newsletter, “Par Excellence” still has the same name and they voted to have two seminars a year to promote efficiency and quality patient care. One in the Twin Cities and one in the out state area. The dues have changed a little; their first year was $7 and even dropped to $5 because of high enrollment. The organization has gone through a few name changes over the years. In 1977 the name was changed to ‘MN Association of Recovery Room Nurses’, MARRN.

Mary Lou Barnett, in 1980 brought her leadership and knowledge together with others to form the national organization, ASPAN. Recognizing the speciality PeriAnesthesia and having enough numbers to bring together and educate.

The first ‘workshop’ was held May, 1976 in Coon Rapids, MN. The cost was $15 including lunch. The topics were: Basic Concepts in Cardiology, Significance of Laboratory Values related to Surgery, Anesthesia and the Post Operative Period, Effects of Abnormal Temperatures and Legal Aspects of the Recovery Room. These topics are still relevant today. The chapter made a $240 profit for the workshop.

In 1978 talks already began of having a regional or multi-state chapter.

1984 the organization became involved in the Nurse Alliance program under the leadership of Elaine Franks. This helps to keep us current on what is happening in our legislature. Now we have the role of Director of Public Affairs. Dues are up to $12.

In 1985 the board decided to follow the recommendation of ASPAN and have all the recovery rooms in MN hospitals change their names to Post Anesthesia Care Areas (PACU). The name reflects Post Anesthesia Nursing as in ASPAN. Three nurses in MN are certified with CPAN.

Another name change was made to MARRN at the request of ASPAN in 1987 to Post Anesthesia Nurses of MN (PANOM). A state wide contest was held for a new logo. The board reduced the number of board members from 11 to 9, which is the number we currently have filled.

PANOM was proud of Kathy Carlson in 1989 began editor of the ASPAN Journal while also being chapter president.

1990 saw the first Post Anesthesia Awareness Week of MN, decreed by then Governor Rudy Perpich.

At last, in 1994 our PACU nurses have joined together with our neighbors to the west, North and South Dakota! PANOM in now Mn Dak SPAN. This has changed to be written as MNDAKSPAN as we know it today.

In 2004 the Presidency position was changed to a two year term, with one year as vice president/president elect, then president and one year as past president.

It has been 15 years since the start of MNDAKSPAN and we continue to grow as a chapter, in membership and in the leadership development at the board level.

Historical MNDAKSPAN Logos