Welcome and Introduction

Acceptance: What Is It and What Comes Next?

Acceptance is known to make people more positive and, for some, it is a key to happiness. This session will discuss acceptance as a therapeutic concept, including what it is not. Discuss:

• What do we have to accept?
• What is the role of values when it comes to acceptance?
• How does it apply to professionals?

Caring for Our Bariatric Patients

With the incidence of obesity increasing and the reality that traditional diet, exercise and behaviour modification programs only produce short term results, bariatric or weight loss surgery (WLS) is becoming more accepted as the most appropriate intervention for sustained weight loss. The increase in WLS procedures in Australia means that nurses will progressively come into contact with and care for more patients who have had WLS. As the nurse plays a key role in all healthcare sites, it is important that nurses understand the WLS treatment options available today, as well as how to best care and understand the specific requirements for patients living with WLS in the short and long term. This session includes:

• The obesity epidemic and history of weight loss surgery (WLS)
• Available procedures in Australia
• Who is eligible?
• How to prepare someone for WLS?
• Pre/post-op nursing care of patients undergoing WLS in hospital
• Long-term care and implications of WLS
• Nutritional
• Psychological
• Medical

‘Good Squiggles & Bad Squiggles’: Rapid ECG Interpretation Skills

The ECG is a fundamental component of patient assessment and can provide the nurse with information about the critical status of a patient’s condition. Knowing the red flags to look for is essential. This session aims to provide a hands-on approach for rapid interpretation for a handful of critical dysrhythmias. This session will:

• Review basic cardiac anatomy and electrophysiology
• Explain the 3-lead and 12-lead ECG
• Look at shortcuts to ECG interpretation
• Discuss interpretation skills for key dysrhythmias

Acute Behavioural Emergencies

Acute behavioural emergencies may occur in any healthcare setting but, like most acute conditions, the patient may first present to an ED. This session will showcase the latest data from an ongoing study (EDAPT) in South Australia on drugs consumed by people who are presenting to ED departments. It includes:

• The causes of acute behavioural emergencies
• Management strategies for people experiencing acute behavioural emergencies
• The role of antipsychotics and benzodiazepine drugs for pharmacological management - pros and cons

Best Practice in Wound Management

Wound management may be complex, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to apply best practice to wound care. This session provides a framework for managing all patients with a wound. It includes:

• The importance of diagnosing the aetiology of the wound
• Factors that impact on healing
• Wound assessment using the T.I.M.E framework
• Wound dressing selection

We Need to Talk About This: Masculinity and Mental Illness

Men have traditionally been told that they have to be the strong ones, but they can only take so much. This session discusses why some healthcare professionals are advocating for a gendered treatment approach. It will discuss:

• Why are men less likely to seek mental health services?
• What are the mental health resources currently available to men?
• How might masculine stereotypes play a part in men’s mental health?

Fake Practitioners

There has been an increase in the incidence of individuals posing as health practitioners when in fact they do not and, in most cases, have never held any registration or undertaken an approved course of study that leads to registration. The impact of these individuals gaining employment in the workforce is considerable. This session will explore the incidence of fake professionals in our system and the changes in the national regulation law to increase the penalties applied to these cases.

Crimes in the Profession

As we see an escalation of criminal conduct in the community, we often do not reflect upon how many of those prosecuted are health professionals. What types of criminal activity are registered health professionals involved in and does this impact upon the reputation of the profession and the trust of the consumer? This session will explore the criminal history standard, including tribunal decisions following criminal convictions of health professions and the impact this has on the reputation of the professions.

Supporting People with Diabetes and Low Health Literacy

Over 60% of Australians have low health literacy. This session will explore how to identify and address the needs of these people to improve diabetes care outcomes across Australia. It includes:

• What is the definition of health literacy?
• How can you identify people with diabetes who have low health literacy?
• How can we plan for successful diabetes outcomes?
• What are the resources to assist us in reaching these outcomes?

All About CPD

Continuing professional development (CPD) is a concept we are all familiar with but may still have questions about. This session includes:

• What does the CPD registration standard for nurses say?
• Do we have to document CPD when working in non-clinical settings?
• Why are some nurses exempt from CPD?
• What are the ways we can maintain currency in practice?

The Debilitating Effects of Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a crippling condition that can affect people in many different ways. Often, with a chronic disease, the person will experience not only changes physically but chronic pain that can also impact their psychological, emotional and social health. This session will include:

• What is chronic pain?
• What challenges are there for people living with chronic pain?
• How do others perceive chronic pain, and how can this affect those with chronic pain?
• How do a person’s mental health, lifestyle and behaviours impact on chronic pain?
• How is chronic pain managed?

Patient Culture and Communication

The challenge of nursing and communicating with patients from a range of cultures is continually increasing. This session looks at:

• The scope of this issue in contemporary nursing; and
• Ways to ensure high-quality nursing care with patients from different cultures