RSA eNews - CommuniquePlus October 2019

Coming Soon - October/November RSA Events

NSW Branch Symposia:  Renal Care - The Bigger Picture

Date:      Friday, 25 October 2019
Time:      Registration opens at 7.30am
               Symposia 8.00am - 4.45pm
Venue:    Royal North Shore Hospital - Level 5, Kolling Auditorium, Kolling Institute of Medical Research
               Building, Westbourne Street, St Leonards NSW 2065 

Renal nurses will benefit in attending this Symposium with wider knowledge on areas in relation to providing care to renal patients.  This symposium throws light on new focus areas:

• Mental Health in Renal Setting
• Paired Kidney Exchange Transplant Program
• Renal Research
• Diet in early CKD
• Infection prevention and control
• Renal Supportive Care

While the program is available here and speaker bios are available here, speakers include:

CPD Hours:  7

Registration Fees:

RSA Members:     $90   Another RSA Member Benefit - Discounted Registration Fees
Non-Members:   $180

Further Information/Registration

RSA wish to acknowledge and thank our corporate sponsors for their support of this event:   

QLD Branch Symposia:  Theme: It’s all About the Journey

Date:      Saturday, 2 November 2019
Time:      Registration opens at 8.00am
               Symposia 8.30am - 4.30pm
Venue:    Rydges Hotel South Bank, Brisbane, 9 Glenelg St, South Brisbane QLD 4101 

The journey of the chronic kidney disease sufferer is a challenging one. It requires a great deal of adjustment, knowledge growth, and some big decisions to be made. Join us to explore the patient journey and discover how we as clinicians, can ensure our patients are supported and have access to the care they need. Reignite your passion for all encompassing care that puts the patient in the foreground and integrates their needs with your knowledge.

While the program is available here, abstracts being presented include:

• Does the Kidney Failure Risk Equation (KFRE) accurately predict progression from Chronic to End Stage Kidney Disease in the Australian Metropolitan population – a retrospective clinical audit.
  Presented by:  Janine Hale
• Tying it all together: Haemodialysis, Isolated Ultrafiltration and Plasma Exchange.
  Presented by:  Alison Greer
• HEMOcontrol
  Presented by:  Kylie Linwood
• Engaging with the School Community – the unexpected benefits to our Haemodialysis Unit.
  Presented by:  Talia McSherry and Genevieve Mcloughlin
• Advancing Kidney Care 2026: The Journey to Date
  Presented by:  Anne Cameron

CPD Hours:  6.5

Registration Fees:

RSA Members:     $75   Another RSA Member Benefit - Discounted Registration Fees
Non-Members:   $150

Further Information/Registration

RSA wish to acknowledge and thank our corporate sponsors for their support of this event:   

VIC Branch Symposia:  Anaemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease Workshop

Date:      Saturday, 9 November 2019
Time:      Registration opens at 8.30am
               Symposia 9.00am - 1.00pm
Venue:    Royal Melbourne Hospital, Function & Convention Centre, Melbourne

The Anaemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease Workshop series is designed to provide an overview of the fundamentals of renal anaemia and its implications for CKD patients, including management options.

CPD Hours:  3.5

Registration Fees:

RSA Members:   $105   Another RSA Member Benefit - Discounted Registration Fees
Non-Members:   $150

Further Information/Registration

RSA wish to acknowledge and thank our corporate sponsor for their support of this event:   

WA Branch Symposia:  Anaemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease Workshop

Date:      Tuesday, 19 November 2019
Time:      Registration opens at 4.30pm
               Symposia 5.00pm - 8.30pm
Venue:    The Esplanade Fremantle by Rydges, 46-54 Marine Terrace, Fremantle WA 6160

The Anaemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease Workshop series is designed to provide an overview of the fundamentals of renal anaemia and its implications for CKD patients, including management options.

CPD Hours:  3.5

Registration Fees:

RSA Members:   $105   Another RSA Member Benefit - Discounted Registration Fees
Non-Members:   $150

Further Information/Registration

RSA wish to acknowledge and thank our corporate sponsor for their support of this event:   

Save The Dates - RSA Branch Symposia:

Friday, 25 October: NSW/ACT, Royal North Shore Hospital Renal Care - The Bigger Picture

Friday, 1 November:  QLD, Rydges Southbank - RSA Vascular Access Workshop   FULLY BOOKED

Saturday, 2 November: QLD, Rydges Southbank - Theme: It’s all about the journey

Saturday, 9 November: VIC, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Function & Convention Centre, Melbourne - Anaemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease Workshop

Tuesday, 19 November: WA, The Esplanade Fremantle by Rydges - 46-54 Marine Terrace Fremantle WA - Anaemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease Workshop

Saturday, 23 November:  ACT, Diplomat Hotel - RSA Vascular Access Workshop   FULLY BOOKED

Saturday, 7 December:  QLD, Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort - Anaemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease Workshop

Saturday, 7 December:  TAS, Hobart - Anaemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease Workshop

View the updated Education Calendar for 2019 – click here to find out more

Partnership with the WCEA  – World Class CPD At Your Fingertips

The Renal Society of Australasia (RSA) has partnered with the World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA), a global provider of specialist Continuing Education platforms. Together we are providing online continuing education opportunities to nursing members. The education portal ensures that an up-to-date and accessible resource of continuing education is available to nursing professionals. It is free to RSA members. 

Latest Uploads include:

• The journal club - November - "Chlorhexidine versus saline in reducing the risk of catheter associated urinary tract infection:  A cost-effectiveness analysis"

Use of WCEA to deliver workplace education is growing in popularity and can provide high quality up to date information to educate new renal staff and to enhance the skills of experienced renal nurses. RSA membership is necessary to access packages for free but cheap monthly subscriptions are also available for non-RSA members. 

To date over 650 members have completed over 1100 RSA packages (choosing from 70 different packages). The interactive online packages are the most popular, but our new webinars and journal club are also accessed regularly.  200 RSA members have completed some of the other 2000 packages hosted by WCEA .

WCEA - Another RSA Member Benefit!

EDTNA/ERCA Update 

The 48th EDTNA/ERCA in Prague was a success, with  a total of 794 delegates from 48  countries. The conference theme was “New pathways in the renal setting, caring together by integrating modern technology based on knowledge and education".  It was my first attendance as Brand Ambassador for Australia and New Zealand and I felt fortunate to be there as well as very proud to be part of our small but productive Australian contingent.

We were well represented with 5 of us presenting either orally or through E-posters:

• Ann Bonner gave a series of 3 different presentations around her research with kidney supportive care which were well received and encouraged discussion.
• Ulrich Steinwandel presented his research findings on use of inferior vena cava ultrasound and bioimpedance spectroscopy to assess intravascular volume status.  He was awarded 3rd prize for his manuscript of his work. Congratulations and well done to Uli! 
• Kris Dailey presented 2 E-posters, one describing a nursing led care model to manage damaged vascular catheters in HD units and the other detailing rapid start on PD in patients with rapidly declining renal function. 
• Sarah Russo presented an E-poster on renal nurse practitioner leadership in renal supportive care, showing how “caring together” can help ease patient symptom burden.
• I gave a presentation on the development and introduction of a mentorship learning programme for renal nurses which garnered questions and discussion.

It was great to see and hear the various presentations and an honour to chair sessions on Peritoneal Dialysis and an open forum.

The overall atmosphere was one of engagement and optimism.

One of the workshops related to violence and aggression in renal units, I would have liked to attend but was chairing a session at the same time. However, here is a global survey that I have completed and would encourage all to of you to please take 5 minutes to complete this on Violence and Aggression in Renal Units too; 

Survey Link...

The next EDTNA/ERCA International Conference will be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia from 12 -15 September 2020.  I look forward to seeing more of our members from Australia and New Zealand there.

If you have any questions about EDTNA/ERCA membership or conference please feel free to contact me.

Until next time, take care!

Lynn Brown
EDTNA/ERCA Brand Ambassador for Australia and New Zealand.

RSA VIC Branch Symposium Highlights - September 2019

RSA local news stories

Do you have some local news you would like to share with your fellow RSA members?  

Please email your story complete with a photograph or two to execofficer@renalsociety.org