Abstracts

Rationale: Over 90,000 of the approximately 300,000 children in the US with diagnosed epilepsy are not adequately treated. Level IV pediatric epilepsy centers nationwide care for those not adequately treated. When pursuing accreditation as a level four pediatric epilepsy center, a void was identified in the oversight and coordination of the comprehensive center's programs. A nurse program coordinator was implemented to serve as a liaison between providers and epilepsy team members and coordinate the various epilepsy diagnostic and treatment programs. Methods: The epilepsy nurse program coordinator (ENPC) functions autonomously with physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and other epilepsy staff. The ENPC is responsible for the management of several different epilepsy programs: ketogenic diet program, vagus nerve stimulator program, epilepsy surgery program, epilepsy monitoring unit, and epilepsy clinic. The ENPC organizes and facilitates bi-monthly epilepsy team meetings and all other meetings associated with the various programs such as Telemedicine, Epilepsy Surgery Conference and Neonatal Neurology. The ENPC is responsible for epilepsy education within the organization as well as throughout the community in the form of new nurse orientations, staff updates, school nurse education days, and presentations for the Epilepsy Foundation. The ENPC also maintains a database of ongoing research within the epilepsy center. Results: Since implementation of the ENPC in Fall 2011, the epilepsy center has seen tremendous growth in both staff and service. What began as a team of six (2 physicians, 2 nurses, 2 dietitians) has nearly tripled in size (3 physicians, 2 nurse practitioners, 5 nurses, 3 dietitians, 1 educator, 1 social worker) resulting in improvements in access to care for this patient population. New and follow up patient visits have doubled and continue to grow. The epilepsy monitoring unit also doubled in size from 2 to 4 beds. Numerous nursing awards and scholarships have been presented in the area of clinical excellence, nursing continuing education, nursing research and publications. Conclusions: Nursing program coordinators serve a pivotal role in the development, growth and nursing empowerment for a clinic. This role increases autonomy between providers, nursing and staff alike. Engaging nurses in interprofessional leadership roles not only promotes program expansion, but facilitates nursing professional development and enhances care for patients and families.