Trauma and Emergency Nursing Skills is an essential seminar for all nurses and those working in related fields. In order to operate in this fast paced, demanding environment Ausmed has developed a course that will sharpen management skills of patients who present with trauma.
This is popular seminar that will fill quickly, book early to ensure your place!
If you have identified a professional need to improve your understanding of Trauma and Emergency as part of your planned learning activities, then this program will offer you an opportunity to gain continuing professional development (CPD) hours related to this topic.
Need for Program
Increasingly, nurses are required to work to their full scope of practice. This means they need to be up-to-date in regarding areas of clinical care that may, only occasionally, be a part of their practice. Trauma nursing represents a challenge for those nurses who do not regularly work in this discipline but who may occasionally require nursing skills to deal with traumatic injury. As well, nurses who work in trauma settings also need regular educational updates on this topic. It is important for nurses to have access to high quality, evidence-based, ongoing education about trauma and emergency nursing skills.All nurses are now required to obtain a minimum of 20 CPD hours in order to comply with their regulatory commitment and maintain their registration.
Aims and Objectives
This program provides up-to-date, evidence-based, clinical education for nurses, (who do not necessarily work in trauma and emergency settings), on the principles and practice of trauma nursing. It is expected that the nurse will gain confidence and learn skills that can be applied to a patient who experiences a traumatic injury.
At the completion of this program the participants will be able to:
Identify the context of trauma in Australia and the role of nurses in trauma management.
Describe injury patterns related to the ‘mechanism of injury’.
Demonstrate knowledge of the steps involved in the ‘Primary’ and ‘Secondary’ survey.
Demonstrate and discuss appropriate nurse actions for a range of different trauma scenarios.
Day 1
Day 2
Educators
Please be advised the Brisbane programs dated: 14 - 15 Jun 2012 & 13 - 14 Dec 2012 differ significantly from the outline given below. Please download PDF for full details.
8:30am - 9.00am - Registration and Introduction to Seminar
9.15am - Setting the Scene: Trauma in Australia in the 21st Century
This first session sets the scene for modern trauma management as it relates to the Australian context.
What are the special considerations that need to be taken into account when nursing in rural versus metropolitan settings?
Defining the pre-hospital role and understanding the significance of the'mechanism of injury'.
How to prepare to receive a trauma patient.
Reviewing the nurses' role in trauma care.
A look at the multidisciplinary team and their roles.
10.15am - Morning Coffee and Tea
10.45am - Performing the Primary Survey
Learn about the primary survey and how to quickly ascertain the extent of trauma using a systematised approach. This session includes guidelines and cautions regarding the patient’s:
Danger exposure (to both the patient and yourself).
Response of the patient and call for help.
Airway and C-spine control.
Breathing and oxygenation.
Circulation and haemorrhage control.
Deficits and disability management.
Environment/ exposure hazard control.
11.45am - Emergency Care of a Person Experiencing Shock
Shock is a life-threatening condition that requires urgent, informed treatment.
What are the different categories of shock?
An overview of the management of shock.
Haemorhagic shock and Massive blood transfusion.
Outline the four categories of haemorrhage and the expected presentation of shock in the vital signs.
Massive blood transfusion.
Policies and protocols.
Risks and concerns.
Maintenance of adequate cellular oxygenation.
12.45pm - Lunch Break
1.30pm - Chest Trauma: Imperatives in Nursing Care
Maintenance of life relies on organs located in the thoracic cavity. Trauma to this region can potentially be fatal. Understanding the types of injury that can occur to this region along with appropriate and timely management can be life saving. This session reviews chest trauma and looks at management priorities.
Be able to assess and identify traumatic chest injuries.
Outline the priorities in pneumo-haemothorax management.
Discussion of the nurses’ role in the management of chest trauma.
Understand and plan effective pain management strategies for chest injuries.
2.15pm - Pelvic and Abdominal Trauma
Pelvic and abdominal trauma can be severe and even life-threatening. They are often complex - involving bone and soft tissue injuries to the pelvis, and damage to the organs that are encased within. Their cause include: road traffic injuries, assault, falls and crush injuries.
Overview of the significance of abdominal trauma and the role of the nurse.
What are the main classifications of pelvic injuries?
How to assess a person with a suspected pelvic injury.
What are the main emergency management procedures when you suspect a person has a pelvic injury?
3.00pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee
3.30pm - Head Trauma: Injury Inside the Skull
Head trauma is the leading cause of death in trauma patients. Rapid assessment and management of a patient with head trauma remains the mainstay of prompt and effective treatment.
What changes occur in vital signs?
A review of the Glasgow Coma Scale and relevant documentation.
The nurse’s role in prevention of secondary head injury.
4.15pm - Spinal Trauma: Preservation and Minimisation of Neurological Damage
This final session of day one looks at the vexing issue of spinal preservation during traumatic events.
Pathophysiology as the basis of patient assessment findings.
Spinal shock versus neurogenic shock.
General guidelines for the initial assessment and nursing management of spinal injury.
Overview of current treatment of spinal trauma.
5.00pm - End of Day One
Start of Day Two
9.00am - Introduction to Day Two
9.40am - Understanding Secondary Survey for Trauma
Secondary survey only occurs after you have made an immediate appraisal of a traumatised patient for life-threatening injuries (the primary survey). It comprises a complete assessment of the patient from top-to-toe and is generally performed once resuscitation and stabilisation has occurred.
How important is history taking at this stage?
What should always be included in the physical assessment?
If a person’s condition deteriorates during this survey what should you do?
How should you document your findings?
10.30am - Morning Tea and Coffee
11.00 - Musculoskeletal Trauma
An exploration of the nurse’s role regarding extremity trauma.
Principles for assessment and diagnosis in musculoskeletal trauma.
A look at special considerations relating to the management of complex fractures.
Understand how age affects the patterns and severity of musculoskeletal injuries.
11.30am - Burns and Extreme Thermal Injuries
Burns can result from a range of environmental causes such as flame, electricity, chemicals etc. Hypothermia is also a potentially fatal condition. This session looks at the priorities of care for environmental thermal injuries and includes:
Assessment of the patient with burn injuries including burn depth and area.
Initial management of the patient with a thermal injury including the specifics of fluid resuscitation.
Special considerations in the management of the burn patient.
When to retrieve or refer the burn injured patient.
Management of patients with hypothermia.
12.30pm - Trauma in the Elderly
What are special considerations when managing an elderly patient who presents with trauma?
Identify the implications of chronic illness and its management in trauma.
Pathophysiology as the basis of elder response to trauma.
How to identify trauma caused by elder abuse.
Elder abuse reporting hotlines.
1.15pm - Lunch Break
1.45 - Paediatric Trauma
A brief look at some of the special considerations that nurses need to be aware of when managing children who have sustained trauma.
Assessing the paediatric patient.
Key considerations in trauma management of an injured child.
Life support considerations.
Mandatory reporting.
2.15pm - Pregnant Women and Trauma
The changes in a woman’s physiology give special challenges to the trauma clinician. This session will explore the importance of understanding these changes in order to effectively treat the pregnant woman.
Assessment in pregnancy.
The impact of the growing uterus and aorto-caval compression (supine hypotensive syndrome) on trauma care.
Domestic violence.
Medication management in pregnancy.
3.00pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee
3.15pm - Putting it All Together
This final session will be presented as interactive case studies designed to encourage participants to explore and apply current trauma management principles introduced as part of the last 2 days. Participants will be able to contribute to the nursing care of the multi trauma patient in two case studies relating to:
Adult multi-trauma
Paediatric trauma
4.15pm - Close of Program and Evaluations
Alex Hanlon
Alex currently works as a clinical nurse in the emergency department of a regional district hospital in Queensland. Alex has a Bachelor of Health (Nursing) and has consistently been involved in life-long learning since she qualified as a nurse in 1999. She has extensive experience and education in clinical aspects of emergency care, e.g. ‘Trauma Nursing Core Course’, ‘Emergency Nurse Paediatric Course – Trauma’, “Debriefing a Multi-Trauma – Are You OK? Training Workshop’, “Triage Workshop’,’ Intermediate Life Support’, ‘Peer Support Training’, ‘National Amphetamine Resource Training’ and much more. As well, Alex has completed extended workshops in ‘COPD Management and Education’ and ‘Asthma Education for Clinicians’. She also has an extensive interest in Addiction Studies, having gained education in alcohol, and substance abuse and counseling, as well as, dual diagnosis, – invaluable areas of care for emergency nurses. Alex brings to this education the added dimension of what it is like to be a trauma nurse in a smaller health care facility in regional/rural areas with limited resources.
Presenting in: QLD,
Wendy Livingstone
Wendy Livingstone RN/ANEF
B. Nursing, Grad Cert Emergency Nursing, Masters of Clinical Practice (Emergency), Diploma Workplace Training & Assessment, TNCC, ENPC, EMSB, ALS & BLS Instructor, TNP Instructor
Wendy Livingstone is an emergency nurse with over 17 years’ experience in practice settings from a rural hospital in NSW, to metropolitan Emergency Departments in USA. She holds a Masters of Clinical Practice (Emergency) and has completed a Diploma in Workplace Training and Assessment. Wendy is currently an Advanced Nurse Education Facilitator seconded to Flinders University each year as Topic Coordinator for the Post Graduate Certificate in Nursing (Emergency Nursing). She maintains a strong and current professional profile including founding member of the South Australian Emergency Nursing Association and scientific convener for the highly successful 9th International Emergency Nurses Conference here in Adelaide in 2011.
Presenting in: QLD, NSW, VIC, TAS, SA,
Christine Wilson
Associate Lecturer, Flinders University, School of Nursing. Christine has extensive experience in emergency care nursing including working as a coordinator of Early Management of Severe Trauma (EMST) and retrieval nursing (having obtained a Graduate Certificate in Nursing Science on this topic). Christine has worked in medical emergency team (MET) settings as well as intensive care and also has an impressive background in midwifery. Christine has a special interest in education relating to the care of people who experience severe trauma.
