2026 AAENP National Conference: EmergNP

Move beyond the basics of ECG interpretation and sharpen your ability to recognize the subtle findings that can change patient outcomes. Through interactive cases and expert analysis, this session will explore high-risk ECG patterns, common interpretation pitfalls, and emerging concepts that help distinguish life-threatening conditions from more benign findings. You'll leave with practical diagnostic strategies, increased confidence in interpreting complex ECGs, and clinical pearls you can immediately apply to the next challenging tracing that comes across your screen.

Every trauma patient has a story—and the most memorable cases often leave the greatest clinical lessons. Through compelling case studies from the aeromedical environment, this session will examine the critical decisions, evolving priorities, and evidence-based interventions that influence outcomes for seriously injured patients. You'll strengthen your trauma assessment and clinical decision-making skills while gaining practical pearls that can be applied to the care of high-acuity trauma patients in any emergency setting.

Sympathetic Crashing Acute Pulmonary Edema (SCAPE) is a true emergency where rapid recognition and early intervention can dramatically alter patient outcomes. This session will provide a practical, evidence-based approach to identifying SCAPE, differentiating it from other causes of acute respiratory distress, and initiating timely management using high-dose nitroglycerin, noninvasive ventilation, and other key treatment strategies. You'll leave with greater confidence in recognizing this high-acuity presentation, avoiding common management pitfalls, and delivering life-saving care during the critical first minutes of patient evaluation.

Even the most experienced clinicians are susceptible to cognitive biases that can influence diagnostic reasoning and patient outcomes. Through engaging cases and evidence-informed strategies, this session will explore how common thinking traps affect clinical judgment in the emergency department and provide practical techniques to recognize and overcome them. You'll leave with a stronger diagnostic framework, improved clinical decision-making skills, and actionable strategies to reduce diagnostic error while delivering safer, more thoughtful emergency care.

Normal laboratory results don't always mean a patient is out of danger—and relying on them without considering the full clinical picture can delay life-saving care. Through rapid-fire clinical cases, this session will examine high-risk conditions that may initially present with deceptively normal laboratory values while highlighting practical strategies to integrate bedside assessment, trend analysis, and clinical judgment into diagnostic decision-making. You'll leave with greater confidence in recognizing serious illness early, avoiding diagnostic pitfalls, and making safer, more informed decisions when the numbers don't tell the whole story.