Nashville Conference Buzz: Sneak peek into ‘Yes SIRS, No SIRS’

Editor’s Note: This is the second post in a series of articles showcasing speakers at the 6th Annual ACDIS conference in Nashville, May 21-23. Michelle Fournier, RN, MN, presents “Sepsis and respiratory failure:Yes SIRS, No SIRS, and deep cleansing breaths,” on Wednesday, May 21 at 8 a.m.

ACDIS: Tell us a little about your background and how you got into CDI. 

MF: I retired from a 24-year career as an Army nurse and was working in the personal leadership arena. I served as a facilitator and coordinator for a 90-day goal achieving program. After 3 ½ years I  went looking for something back in the nursing arena. While attending a national critical care conference hosted by the American Association for Critical Care Nursing, I saw a ‘Be a Consultant’banner at a J.A. Thomas booth. I was hired a month later, having no idea what a DRG or case mix index was, and now five years later, the rest is history.

ACDIS: What has been the biggest challenge in creating your presentation on SIRS?

MF: Getting everything I want to cover down to 50 or so slides. And certainly, getting my presentation together four months ahead of the conference.

ACDIS: How will your ACDIS presentation help attendees with this topic?

MF: It will help them understand the pathophysiology behind SIRS, sepsis, and respiratory gas exchange. My goal is that attendees will leave confident in knowing when to ask or not to ask for sepsis as a documentation clarification request.

ACDIS: Tell us something about yourself that we can share with your future audience.

MF: I joined the Army because of a cute guy named Kevin. I’m the co-author of a book “Freeing Godiva: A Woman’s Journey of Self-Empowerment.” When I was in the Army I jumped out of perfectly good airplanes and rappelled out of helicopters. I love to play golf.

ACDIS Note: That cute guy named Kevin is not longer part of Fournier‘s life. We say that’s his loss! She has never been to Nashville and is looking forward to the trip.