Albury Wodonga Regional GP Network - Resources Practice Nurse

Resources & Links - Practice Nurse PN

EVENTS CALENDAR:
Upcoming Events 2008 - 2009

Report of the AMA Victorian Section of General Practice Forum 17 June 2008 "improving medical interactions with other health professions in community practice". Read the report at:
http://www.gpv.org.au or go to the GPV website and follow links to Primary Care Coordination then Allied Health.

LINKS FOR TEMPLATES, RESOURCES & INFORMATION:
North East Valley Website www.nevdgp.org.au
Dandenong Casey Division www.dcgpa.com.au
Monash Division www.monashdivision.com.au

EDUCATION:

Nursing Scholarships
The Australian Government has called for eligible nurses and midwives across Australia to apply for the National Nurse Re-entry Scholarship Scheme (NNRSS) and the Continuing Professional Education Scholarship Scheme for Rural and Remote Nurses (CPESS) The Scholarships range from $6,000 for NNRSS to $10,000 for CPESS. Applications close on 10 October 2008. For further information refer to the media release. 08 09 08 CPE and NNR Scholarships

2008 Australian Government Practice Nurse Scholarship scheme – Now Open

Scholarship applications are now open.

These scholarships, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and administered by the Australian Practice Nurses Association (APNA), are available to all Australian practice nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers currently working in general practice.

This year there are over 500 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Scholarship places on offer. There are also a limited number of Postgraduate Scholarship places available for nurses currently undertaking or seeking to undertake a postgraduate level of study.

Who can apply?
To be eligible for this scholarship practice nurses need to be:
• Currently employed in a general practice setting in Australia;
• An Australian citizen or permanent resident;
• Currently registered or enrolled as a nurse in the state/territory in which they are working; or
• An Aboriginal Health Worker
What courses are covered by the Continuing Professional Development Scholarships?
These scholarships provide up to a maximum of $1500 for training/education expenses. The scholarship is in the form of a reimbursement for education/training undertaken between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2009.
Training/education selected by practice nurses for this scholarship must be covered by one of the following twelve listed course area categories:
• wound management,
• women’s health including Pap smear,
• immunisation,
• diabetes management,
• chronic disease management and illness,
• mental health,
• asthma,
• cardiovascular care including cholesterol management,
• obesity, food and nutrition,
• health and clinical assessment,
• sexual and reproductive health or
• clinical skills competency based (e.g. suturing, plastering, ear irrigation and EN/DIV2 medication administration)
Training should be held by Universities, or TAFE institutions as well as other accredited providers within Australia.
Click here for more details on 2008 Practice Nurse Continuing Professional Development Scholarships

What courses are covered by the Postgraduate Scholarships?
Postgraduate courses of study are generally for students who have already completed an undergraduate degree.
A postgraduate course of study is a:
• graduate certificate
• graduate diploma
• masters degree, or
• doctoral degree.
Training should be held by Universities, or other accredited higher education providers within Australia.
Click here for more details on 2008 Practice Nurse Postgraduate Scholarships.

Full details about these scholarships are available from the APNA website, including application forms and guidelines, Supplementary Information and Frequently Asked Questions.

Secure online applications will be available from Wednesday 3 September (CPD) and Monday 10 September (Postgraduate).

Applications close at 5pm (EST) on Friday 3 October 2008. All eligible applications received before the closing date will be assessed.

If you have any questions regarding the 2008 Practice Nurse Scholarship scheme, please contact scholarships@apna.asn.au or the APNA office on Freecall 1300 303 184 during business hours (EST).

Subsidised Education 2008
General Practice Victoria have developed a list of subsidised courses for Practice Nurses. Download the subsidy_info_page for further information on how to access the courses and apply.

Stories from the Frontline RCNA General Practice Nurse Conference
The 2008 RCNA General Practice Nurse Conference will be held from the 25-27 November at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort in Coffs Harbour. The call for abstracts is open on the RCNA website;
http://www.rcna.org.au/UserFiles/file/RCNA%20GPN%20CFA%20for%20email.pdf
The call for abstracts closes on 8 August 2008.

AGPN are once again assisting RCNA in sourcing practice nurses who would be interested in presenting in the “Stories from the Frontline” Session. This session provides an opportunity for first time presenters to give a short presentation of around 10 minutes sharing their experience of practice nursing. This session has been rated very highly by delegates at previous conferences.

To register your interest or seek further information please contact Toni Rice at trice@agpn.com.auor (02) 6228 0850. Please note that presenters in the Stories from the Frontline session will receive financial support to cover travel expenses and registration costs, through the Divisions Network NiGP Program. Closing date for Expressions of interest for the Stories from the Frontline session is 1 August 2008.

GP and Practice Nurse Scholarship for National Conference on Incontinence
The Australian Government, under the National Continence Management Strategy has provided funding for 10 scholarships to support health professionals to attend the 17th National Conference on Incontinence, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania 5-8 November 2008. These scholarships will support existing and new clinical practitioners and researchers seeking to develop their professional capacity in continence promotion and care. Applications are invited from persons currently employed in the following professions: General Practitioner, Nurses: (General Practice, Community/District Nursing, Rehab, Midwifery etc), Residential Aged Care Nurse. One of the GP winners for 2007 has gone on to conduct a research project on undisclosed incontinence in general practice populations - the findings of which will be presented at this year's National Conference. For further information on the 17th National Conference visit the CFA website www.continence.org.au

Melbourne PNCE (Practice Nurse Education)
The Melbourne PNCE is shaping up to be the biggest PNCE conference with some sessions nearing capacity. The small, hands on practical workshops are very popular.

Some new topics this year include:

role of the practice nurse - where to from here?
role of the practice nurse in cervical screening
recognition of the sick child
dealing with aggresive patients
asthma and mental health first aid

Many key areas of GP have been included such as diabetes management, setting up a diabetes clinic, acute and chronic wounds, childhood immunisation, updates and travel health - all presented by leading practice nurse or primary care specialists. Register ASAP at www.pnce.com.au or call Katryna on 02 9422 2941r

APNA National Conference
Growing from six nurses around a coffee table in 2001 to over 1400 members, APNA will hold its inaugural national conference in May 2009 in Melbourne.The conference will present opportunities for nurses to come together and learn from international and national experts, debate the challenges facing the profession and hear about innovative models of care.For more information visit: www.apna.asn.au/conference

NURSING ORGANISATIONS

Australian Practice Nurses Association	www.apna.asn.au
Royal college of Nursing Australia	www.rcna.org.au
General Practice Victoria	www.gpv.org.au
Australian General Practice Network	www.agpn.com.au
Australian Nurses Federation	www.anf.org.au
Alliance of NSW Divisions or Networks	www.answd.com.au
Primary Health Care, Research & Journal information	www.phcris.org.au