Peter Mac nurses lead the way at major national conference
2 min read 16 June 2023
Peter Mac nurses joined cancer nurses from across Australia to share new knowledge and exchange expertise this week, at the Cancer Nursing Society of Australia (CNSA) Annual Congress in Adelaide with the theme of ‘Equity in Cancer Care’.
The program commenced on Wednesday with several pre-congress symposia, in which several Peter Mac nurses participated:
- Director of the Academic Nursing Unit Professor Mei Krishnasamy and Clinical Nurse Educator Nikki Dean joined educator colleagues to explore challenges and opportunities in nursing education
- Nurse Practitioner Belinda Lambros shared her antimicrobial stewardship and vaccinations expertise in a Haematology context
- PhD candidate and Bank nurse Kerrie Curtis led a symposium on advances in central venous access device (CVAD) care
Throughout Thursday and Friday, Peter Mac nurses contributed to sessions exploring the congress’ equity theme, including:
- A Peter Mac-led ‘Equity at the Bedside’ session in collaboration with the VCCC Alliance and consumers from South Australia
- Nurse researcher Elizabeth Crone shared work around optimising health outcomes for vulnerable Australians with cancer, through a social determinants of health checklist for nurses
- And Professor Krishnasamy joined a panel discussing research-informed approaches to caring for people from diverse backgrounds
They also presented a diverse selection of other new work:
- Ambulatory Clinical Nurse Consultant Melanie Meneghetti-Tabone spoke on expanding the range of complex cancer therapies we now provide for patients at home
- Professor Krishnasamy presented new co-developed educational resources that are helping clinicians identify and respond to elder abuse
- Jessica Balson presented a new online ‘Fundamentals of Cancer Nursing’ education resource – the result of a Peter Mac led collaborative research study
- Cancer Nursing Discovery Program Coordinator Louise Wilks shared strategies that were critical to the unique program’s success
- Skin and Melanoma Service Clincial Nurse Consultant Alethea Lobo shared data on the role of the Nurse Consultant in telephone support
Chief Nursing Officer Andy Dimech joined the delegation, saying, “I am extremely proud of the diversity and quality of the work our nursing teams have presented this year.”
“As a leading cancer centre it is vital that we share our findings and service improvements, but also that we meet with and learn from the work of our cancer nursing colleagues.
“Collaborations are key to advancing our mission to provide the world’s best cancer care.”