Overall Description:

The 5th Annual Physician Assistant (PA), Nurse Practitioner (NP), and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Bariatric Surgical Symposium is a course directed toward Advanced Practitioners in the Bariatric surgical specialty – concurrently offering information valuable to all medical professionals. This year’s course will focus on the optimizing patient results and professional success for the Bariatric Surgery Advance Practitioner. Topics including but not limited to the psychiatric evaluation of the Bariatric surgical candidate, optimizing potential of the Bariatric Advanced Practitioner, addressing common problems for the post-surgical patient, and analyzing weight regain will be presented. The intent of the course is to be informative, engaging, and offer foundational information that can be used to enhance the practice of a tenured or new Bariatric Advanced Practitioner.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Enhance ability for proper psychiatric evaluation a Bariatric surgical candidate
  2. Increasing knowledge and treatment of common post-surgical Bariatric problems
  3. Adding insight into the potential advanced practitioners offer to a practice, patients, and personal growth

11:00am Introduction
Michael Dougherty, PA-C; Connie Klein, NPC CBN
11:03am Psychiatric Evaluation of the bariatric Patient: Optimizing Success
Paul Davidson, PhD
11:18am The Bariatric Advanced Practitioner: Optimizing Potential
William Gourash, PhD CRNP RN
11:33am Addressing Post-Op Pitfalls: Dehydration, Vitamin Compliance, Constipation, & More
Deb Allis, PA-C
11:48am Analyzing Weight Regain: Optimizing Patient Results – Surgery vs Medical Management
Jaime Ponce, MD FACS FASMBS; Angela Fitch, MD
12:18pm Closing question & answer
12:30pm Adjourn