April Totman, Ms. Ed, BA, ADN, PMH-BC, CARN; Health Care Consulting Services; Camden, Maine Survey and Nursing CE

• Presentation Slides

  (pdf)
  

Learner Objectives:

1. Discuss the 3 goals of detox according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
   
2. Review symptoms of an Alcohol Use Disorder as part of the DSM V.
   
3. Review signs and symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
   
4. Learn the variety of ways a person can detox from alcohol.
   
5. Review medications and protocols that can be used for treating alcohol withdrawal with the goal of preventing seizures and delirium tremens.

Presenter Bio:

April has spent much of her career educating and helping others.  She started off teaching at the high school level and coaching sports, earning her Master of Science degree in Education- Teaching and Learning, then shifting to a nursing career once her children were born to fulfil a lifelong dream of entering the healthcare field.  She spent the first part of her nursing career as a Special Care, RN at Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, Maine working with critically ill patients, earning her Progressive Critical Care RN certification.  This is where she began working with patients dealing with addiction and mental health disorders, detoxing the most difficult cases, and working to stabilize those whose mental health issues needed a high level of care, and she also saw the devastating effects both.  She saw need for more education and treatment for those struggling with addiction and mental health issues, and she shifted her career to working at a dual diagnosis addiction and recovery treatment program, McLean Borden Cottage, in Camden, Maine.  Here she became the Nurse Manager and spent nearly 5 years working intimately with those in their most vulnerable states of both addiction and mental health under McLean Hospital’s guidance.  She ran Psychoeducation, Recovery Principles, Understanding Addiction, Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome, Preventing Addiction Related Suicide, CBT, and other groups for the residents there, as well as educating the staff on topics necessary to work with this population.  She became a Certified Addictions Registered Nurse (CARN) and a Psychiatric Mental Health-Board Certified, RN.  Most recently, April has started her own Health Care Consulting company specializing in private home detox services with Executive Home Detox, health care consulting where she assists facilities with licensing and programing, as well as continuing to do recovery coaching privately.