*Poster abstracts are printed here as submitted to ACN.
19. E ducation by videoconferencing for rural/remote nurses and midwives Ms Carol Salmon MACN, Country Health SA Co-author: Mrs Sandra Gilbert MACN, Country Health SA Introduction Information and communication technology use is increasing in healthcare education. This presentation identifies issues, solutions and benefits of establishing a videoconference education program for nurses and midwives across the rural/ remote areas of Country South Australia. Summary The Digital Telehealth Network (DTN) is making a significant difference to country South Australians by delivering remote clinical services closer to home, enhancing service flexibility and improving access to specialist clinicians for rural and remote consumers. The DTN provides quality visual and audio quality and high reliability of connection. While clinical use is the priority and focus of the DTN the system has potential to be used for education of health professionals. Rural/remote clinicians are required to maintain a broad knowledge and skill base. Access to education delivered by clinicians with expertise in speciality areas of clinical practice is difficult for these nurses and midwives and it is challenging to remain current. The objectives of the videoconferencing education initiative were to: • Increase access to education by geographically and professionally isolated nurses and midwives across Country Health SA Local Health Network • Empower nurses and midwives by providing knowledge to enhance current work practice and improve patient outcomes.
20. Walking the talk: leading teams Ms Margaret Martin MACN, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Co-presenter: Ms Robin Girle, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Co-author: Ms Karen Tuqiri MACN, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District The SESLHD Nursing & Midwifery Practice and Workforce Unit (N&MP&WU) plays a strategic role in ensuring that the imperatives of the NSW Ministry of Health and the pillars supporting it are deployed effectively. This is essential to assist the workforce to keep ‘ahead of the game’. The work done by the unit is focussed on the need to develop the capacity of the workforce to deliver high quality care, and to develop innovative ways to roll out the ‘gifts’ of ministerial policy. In order to approach this agenda in person centred and contextually appropriate ways the unit has identified the need to be clinically credible and patient focussed whilst physically remote from direct patient care. Team members addressed this need by establishing shared values, ways of working, structured reflection and a collaborative and collegial approach to working with clinicians. This paper will present how this approach has contributed to the development of current and future leaders through programs of work that model values-based leadership. It use as exemplars, the specific leadership development of Nurse and Midwifery Managers as well as clinical staff through formal programs, coaching and mentorship development. It will outline how the N&MP&WU addressed the need for its own development in the areas of coaching, mentoring, reflection and facilitation in order to ensure that its values and its skill sets were congruent with the type of work it aims to do and the patient focus it maintains.
• Meet the learning needs of the nurses and midwives by providing high quality education in first line emergency and maternity management The DTN has the capacity but the processes to enable the technology to be used for education are not yet established. The need for many synergies between systems and people impacted on the system working. Conclusion This paper provides an overview of issues and solutions and examines what needs to happen to ensure processes are in place to enable technology to be effectively used for nurse and midwife education in rural and remote hospitals.
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