2010 Session Synopses
The Practice Nurse Clinical Education Program is made up of a number of keynote sessions, streams and breakout sessions, allowing you the freedom to put together the program you want.

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To view the 2010 Session Synopses please see below:

National Registration, CPD points and Portfolio development: This session will provide you with vital information about how the new National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for Health Possessions will work.  Find out how your role as a Practice Nurse will be affected as there will be a number of implications under this scheme. You will also hear about the new requirements for the attainment of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points.

Mental Health & the Elderly: This session will explore the mental health issues surrounding this key demographic, and what to look for in the over 75 health assessment.

Spirometry: Be updated on the most effective techniques for performing Spirometry, which is a vital tool in detecting conditions such as asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, COPD and cystic fibrosis. Also learn how to interpret the results you attain and what they may indicate for your patients.

Diabetes Management and Neuropathy: This session will explain the role of lifestyle advice, diet, assessment and medication in diabetes management and the management of diabetic neuropathy.

Weight Management & Reduction: Learn strategies for assisting patients wishing to lose weight healthily.

Wound Care- what product for what wound? Each wound is unique and the main reason in applying a wound dressing is to create an environment that will aid healing. Learn about the importance of selecting the right dressing for the right wound.

Postnatal Support – common problems with new babies: This session will update you on the common issues that can occur with new babies. It will provide information that you can pass onto you patients about problems such as breastfeeding, sleeping and illness prevention.

Smoking Cessation: Practical information on smoking cessation and effective strategies that Practice Nurses can apply to identify smokers and assist them to stop smoking.

Patient Care Plans - An Open Forum: This session will provide a forum for practice nurses to exchange ideas, suggestions and feedback from their experience with care plans. If you have any ideas on planning, implementation and evaluation you would like to share or are looking for ideas on how to create effective care plans for your patients, this session is not to be missed.

Chronic Kidney Disease and the Practice Nurse: Improve your knowledge of the population at increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), and the importance of early detection. This session will discuss the role of the Practice Nurse in slowing the progression of CKD, including the impact of lifestyle modification and relevant item numbers. 
Kidney Health Australia

Motivating your patients to change - Motivational Interviewing: Motivational Interviewing (MI) can assist Practice Nurses in working with their patients to achieve the best health outcomes possible. You will learn some practical techniques in motivational interviewing that you can take back to your practice.

The Future of the Practice Nurse Role Challenging the status quo: The role of the Practice Nurse in Australia and overseas is evolving rapidly and in different directions. Hear about the development of the profession, and how the roles and responsibilities of the Practice Nurse might evolve in coming years.
APNA

Dietary management of serum lipids in general practice, what can be achieved? Knowing patients need to change their diet and lifestyle is one thing – helping do it is another: Cardiovascular disease is the second leading cause of disease burden in Australia. While the risk factors for cardiovascular disease are numerous, disordered blood lipids are a modifiable risk factor that can be managed. Lipid disorders are one of the most commonly managed conditions by GPs with a reduction of serum LDL-cholesterol a therapeutic aim. Individual diet prescriptions for patients with elevated lipids should be recommended that favourably change serum parameters. Ideally, the diet should be easily followed and effective. You, the practice nurse, can support the GP in the practice, but what can you do?  
This workshop will be presented by a dietitian and aims to develop the skills of practice nurses in dietary counselling of patients who need to follow a lipid lowering diet.  The objectives are to introduce nurses to the basics of dietary counselling, and provide different evidence based dietary strategies and options. The outcome from the workshop will be nurses with increased confidence to deliver simple dietary messages to patients that goes further than “reduce your saturated fat and eat more fruit and veg”.
Dairy Australia 

ECG Interpretation - Tips and Pitfalls: Examination of the varying facets of ECG interpretation and the implications and clinical significance of these findings. Do you need to be concerned? 

Suturing: This session will provide an introduction to the removal of sutures, whilst outlining and demonstrating the current trends in wound closure. This is a practical session in setting up, assisting with and performing suturing.
Dynek

The Practice Nurse role in Cervical Screening: This session will examine how Practice Nurses can contribute to cervical screening in the general practice setting. Nurses undertaking pap tests provide opportunities to educate women in multiple aspects of women's general and sexual health - learn what information you can convey to your patients in this kind of consultation. 


Point of Care Testing and the role of Practice nurses: Practice Nurses are at the coal face of testing blood in a GP practice. What is involved? If you have a PoCT device currently or your GPs are thinking about using these diagnostic tools in the practice this practical session will guide you through devices, training , fitting PoCT into your and your GP's workflow and quality management. Engage in this practical session and trial some commonly used PoCT equipment.
Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists

Healthy Bones: Practical dietary and lifestyle tips Practice Nurses can give their patients to avoid osteoporosis. The simple tips provided will also lower the risk of many lifestyle diseases, especially as we realise that vitamin D, calcium, sodium and bio-active compounds in food have wider health effects.
Australian Mushroom Growers Association

Doppler & ABI: As a growing role for practice nurses, this session will enable you to find out more about how to perform Doppler assessments and attain ankle brachial indices (ABI’s).

Immunisation Update: This session will provide an update on current immunisation issues, new vaccines and changes to the schedule or handbook

Emergencies in General Practice: This session will look at how to deal with common emergencies ranging from anaphylaxis and asthma attacks to chest pains that may present in the general practice setting. Principles of effective triage will also be discussed in the context of an emergency situation

Course in Intravenous (IV) Cannulation
Course Code: HLTPAT409B
A Nationally Accredited Certificate Course
The course in Intravenous (IV) Cannulation has been designed to provide participants with the required knowledge and skills to safely perform a peripheral intravenous cannuldation in a clinical setting.