Safe and accountable practice requires all nurses need to be mindful of and understand the implications of their legal responsibilities. Attend this two-day seminar and find out about:
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain important knowledge. Book now!
8:30am - Registration and Refreshments
9:00am
This introductory session will discuss how the law interprets relevant codes of practice and standards and will explain how the courts use them when litigation occurs. Reviewing The Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia, it will reveal why Codes of Practice are a fundamental reference to nursing care and the protection of patients. It includes:
9:45am
We will now look at an example of a real case that was investigated under the National Law Act. You will be encouraged to consider the implications of the behaviour of the nurse and the points of law that were transgressed. Includes:
10:30am - Morning Tea
11:00am
Following the previous session, we will now look at another real case scenario where a tragic sequence of events led to the death of a surgical patient. It will enable you to consider other examples of your personal duty of care.
A woman who underwent a surgical procedure at a regional hospital developed a postoperative complication causing generalised peritonitis. She was returned to the operating theatre a few days later but sadly died. This complex case will include discussion on:
12:30pm - Lunch and Networking
1:30pm
This session looks at the many faces of confidentiality, privacy and keeping professional boundaries in a modern age. For example, a nurse in the UK who started a sexual relationship with a former patient after he contacted her on Facebook has been removed from the nursing register. All patients have a right to expect that information about them is held in confidence and that the boundary between nurse and patient is maintained at all times. This session will look at examples of confidentiality and privacy incidents have occurred and will enable you to reflect on vulnerabilities in your behaviour and practice environment. It includes:
3:00pm - Afternoon Tea
3:30pm
When professional boundaries are breached, all sorts of unexpected consequences may occur. In this final session for the day we will look at the 'Standard for Professional Boundaries' in more detail. It includes:
4:15pm
4:45pm - Close of Day One of Seminar
9:00am - Commencement of Day Two
9:00am
There is a continuous debate about who is responsible for CPD. Is it your responsibility or that of the organisation in which you work? This session will review accountability and APHRA guidelines for continuing professional development. It will illustrate this point with two cases associated with inappropriate nursing actions that resulted in excruciating pain and death. It includes:
9:30am
As best-practice evidence emerges there are benchmarks from which legal precedents can be determined. It is the responsibility of nurses to ensure that they are following best-practice guidelines when providing care. However, “old practices” are still routinely followed despite their efficacy being no longer proven. This session will look at responsibility and accountability within the context of a case study. It includes:
10:30am - Morning Tea
11:00am
The process of rightfully obtaining consent is an area of the Law that nurses will often be exposed to. For accountability and safety of practice, nurses must be clear as to what constitutes consent and the circumstances upon which a person is able to make an informed decision to refuse treatment. Having a clear understanding of your patient's rights in consenting and refusing treatment will also support your role as a patient advocate when you witness another member of the healthcare team who is not honouring this patient’s right. Therefore, this session is designed to help you come away feeling confident in your knowledge of this legal aspect of your care and ready to apply this knowledge in your practice. Case scenarios of poor consenting practices will be discussed to demonstrate what exactly is consent and how refusal of treatment can change across the lifespan, with focus on these particular areas:
12:30pm - Lunch and Networking
1:30pm
One of the most common areas of clinical risk relates to the administration of medicines. Knowledge of the legislation that governs medication management is essential for the delivery of appropriate and safe care to patients. In this session, illustrative examples will be used to demonstrate how the safe practice of medicines is interpreted as law and the appropriate actions you need to take if something untoward occurs. It will also include:
3:00pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee
3:30pm
There are several mandatory reporting requirements that affect all nurses; for example, the Standard for Mandatory Notification under the National Law Act, as well as for child protection. It includes:
4:00pm
4:15pm - Close of Seminar and Evaluations
Dr Linda Starr has undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in general, mental health nursing, law, education and a PhD in legal issues in elder abuse. Linda has extensive experience as an RN in metropolitan and rural locations, in general nursing, mental health, forensic health, aged care and management. She has held senior positions in academia, including the dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Linda has publications in health law and forensic health issues. Linda is an associate professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University and a consultant educator in health law and ethics for nurses, midwives and carers. She is chair of the SA Board of Nursing and Midwifery, fellow of the College of Nursing Australia, foundation president of the Australian Forensic Nurses Association, member on the School of Health Academic Advisory Board for Open Colleges and the international member on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Forensic Nursing.
There are potential risks that manifest in all areas of nursing care. Every year nurses are involved in cases that invariably include a failure of duty of care at some level. Nurses have a legal and ethical duty encompassing all that they do in order to protect the public from harm. Ignorance of the law is not a defence when something goes wrong. Therefore, knowledge of relevant laws across jurisdictions is of critical importance to all professionals and ultimately, their patients.
The purpose of this seminar is to offer nurses a forum to debate and enhance their knowledge of modern law as it affects their practice
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You can speak with us directly via 1300 287 633 or email support@ausmed.com.au
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