Our Rusty Pills Seminar – applied pharmacology refresher is a two day seminar that walks through physiology and pharmacology of common patient presentations.  Are you a paramedic, nurse or nursing student who never has time to wade through the text books to find out what that drug or this drug is.  Doing a pill round can be daunting given the fact that you are expected to understand the drugs that you are giving.

Sometimes patients arrive with a bag of pills, or an ice cream container of medications from which you need to record in their medical history.  Are you in the Mims online website more than your patients bedside?

We look at all the rock stars and debunk a few myths along the way.  At the end of this seminar you will be bursing at the seems to share what you learned with your colleagues, and be ready to do that drug inservice at work, that you know deep down inside, you should do.

Its time you refreshed those good old pharmacology concepts, and take you clinical game to the next level.

So ask yourself…  Can my medication knowledge and skills be improved upon?

Content Includes:

• Understanding concepts like half life, bioavailability and the metabolism of certain drugs
• Respiratory disease drug therapy, Steriods, SABA/LABAs and the newer COPD/Asthma drugs
• Cardiac and Hypertension drugs – know your ACE inhibitors from your Angiotensin II blockers and more
• Coagulation and the drugs that are used to alter it – Heparin/Warfarin and the newer anticoagulants
• Antiplatelet agents like Aspirin and the role they play
• Antibiotics vs antiviral drugs – understand how they differ
• Renal and Hepatic failure drugs
• Drug legislation and Nurses
• The scheduling process of medication in Australia and so much more.

This two-day seminar will journey the learner through a thorough process of refreshing normal physiology through to the pathology behind diseases and the drugs used to manage them.  This seminar provides 12 CPD hours towards General Nursing and Scheduled Medicine Endorsement for Registered nurses in Isolated Areas and Rural Hospitals.

This course is directly aimed at those who are a bit rusty on their knowledge, hence the name – Rusty Pills.

ENROL NOW  for Rusty Pills – Applied Pharmacology Refresher Seminar

If nursing skills used to care for patients with Respiratory Failure, asthma, COPD, and dyspnoea are part of your role, and you desire a better understanding or update on  lung sounds, auscultation,  respiratory assessment and ABG analysis is desired, then boy have we got a cracker of a course for you.

This course focuses on refreshing nurses with fundamental physiology, of different systems, and how to perform specific focused assessments of patients with respiratory distress.  All nurses need to stay sharp with their assessment skills.  In this course Rob takes you to the cellular level to fully understand deterioration, normal and pathophysiology.  you will really understand those lung sounds.  You assessment of shortness of breath and respiratory parameters will be the envy of the ward.

Ask yourself, Can my skills be improved upon?  Have you ever asked a desaturated patient to take a few deep breaths, just so the O2 sats probe reads a number you want to write down?  Have you ever struggled to understand pre and afterload, and all the  respiratory jargon?

Well this course is for you.  It might just be the best seminar you attend all year.

Content Includes:

• Anatomy and physiology
• Respiratory disease, assessment and management
• Interpreting ABG blood samples
• Assessing respiratory failure, Pulse oximetry, spirometry
• Breath sounds, oximetry, Chest Xray and Acute and chronic respiratory diseases
• Asthma, COPD, Chest infection and Pneumonia
• Trauma to the thorax assessment and management

It journeys the learner through a thorough process of understanding normal physiology to the pathology behind Respiratory deterioration.

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This is our first Acute Nursing Assessment for Enrolled Nurses seminar specifically for enrolled nurses in all fields of nursing.

Since 2010 Enrolled Nurses are expected to work within their own accountability and the lines of responsibility between Registered Nurses and Enrolled Nurses are often blurred as organisations and employees place more on the shoulders of Enrolled Nurses.

Tailored education for Enrolled Nurses is scarce and also sought after – so if you are an Enrolled Nurse and feel that an injection of knowledge and passion in your nursing career is your prescription, then come and nail some CPD at our newest Enrolled Nurses only seminar on acute nursing assessment.

Content includes

• Cardiac and Respiratory Assessment
• Understanding level of consciousness
• Enrolled Nurse scopy of practice refresher
• Assessing chest pain and shortness of breath
• Understanding elderly patient physiology and why ageing impacts on assessment parameters
• Assessing wounds

ENROL NOW  for Acute Nursing Assessment for Enrolled Nurses Seminar

Acute Cardiac Module-1 Seminar – 1 Day

Our acute one day cardiac nursing seminar (Cardiac Module-1) includes core prerequisite knowledge with:

• A fundamental overview of cardiac cell physiology, sarcomere function and troponin
• Basic cardiac mechanical function and electrophysiology
• ECG waves, and linking these to pump function
• Basic Lead II (monitor and telemetry) rhythm interpretation
• Recognition of Sinus rhythms, Atrial and other supraventricular rhythms
• AV heart blocks and how to differentiate
• Ventricular and life threatening rhythm interpretation
• Introduction to ST segment analysis
• Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for Cardiovascular disease
• The sugar / fat / dietary hypothesis and discussion on the evidence around cholesterol
• Differential diagnosis for chest pain
• Pathophysiology of acute coronary syndromes.
• Pathogenesis of MI – its assessment and management are reviewed

At the completion of this one day seminar, nurses and paramedics will have an understanding of basic cardiac rhythm, the assessment of a patient experiencing acute chest pain and management modalities of chest pain events.  This seminar is pitched at students in 2nd-3rd year, Paramedics and RNs in acute care settings where oxygen and ECGs are performed.

Acute Cardiac Module-2 Seminar – 1 Day

Our acute one day cardiac nursing seminar (Cardiac Module-2) includes core prerequisite knowledge with:

• Full content from module 1 (delivered on day-1 of a two day seminar)
• Pathophysiology of arteriosclerosis,  plaque rupture and clot leading to MI
• Introduction to interpretation of the 12 lead ECG including ST segment, Axis deviation, and Bundle branch blocks
• Chest pain nursing assessment
• Oxygen and its use in chest pain – a presentation of the evidence
• Diagnosis, pathogenesis and pharmacology of hypertension

The ECT4Health full 2-day Cardiac Nursing seminar is designed for nurses and students in the health sciences (premed, medicine, nursing and paramedical) to develop contemporary knowledge and confidence in the assessment and management of patients experiencing acute cardiac events.  Our comprehensive two day cardiac nursing seminars include the fundamental rhythm interpretation and an introduction to 12 lead ECGs.

Advanced Cardiac Module-3 Seminar – 1 Day

Our advanced one day cardiac nursing seminar (Cardiac Module-3) includes core prerequisite knowledge with:

• Cardiac cell chemistry, and electrophysiological stimulation
• Understanding the features of action potential, and electrolyte flux at different phases of the AP
• Cardiac biomarkers – Troponin
• Pathogenesis and altered physiology of heart failure and it’s treatment
• Frank Starling principle and the pathodrome of altered cardiac physics
• Evolution of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy
• Advanced ECG features, Brugada, Wolfe-Parkinson white, and rogue electrical pathways
• Understanding EPS, cardiac echos and invasive cardiac procedures
• Understanding heart sounds
• Overview of pacing, and antiarrhythmic drugs used in cardiology

This program can be requested by facilities wishing to facilitate cardiac, high dependency, emergency, critical care, intensive care nursing staff CPD, at a level that is more advanced than content listed in Modules 1 and 2.  Both modules 1 and 2 are highly recommended as prerequisites, as concepts learned in these seminar days will serve as a foundation of core knowledge for this advanced day of cardiac education.  This Module 3 day is a science/advanced physiology intense program.  This program includes a practical session on heart sounds and a quality stethoscope (Cumper & Robbins  Cardiology Trikopf stethoscope) will be provided, and available for purchase either when enrolling or at the workshop. Additional cost is $100. (normal RRP $110+gst and postage)

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To truly offer a holistic approach to the care of complex patients, nurses should embrace the raw sciences that inform and justify decisions when time is critical.  The ECT4Health Advanced Physiology seminar refreshes those sciences.

Giants like physiology and anatomy, pathophysiology and pharmacology are all taught in under-grad and post-grad programs, however outside of the hallowed halls of an academic institution, our CPD and in-services rarely refreshes those core concepts that inform practice.

Our Advanced Physiology one day seminar does that.

Content includes:

• Cell physiology, Hypoxia and Lactate production
• Oxygen and its toxicity
• Energy, Acid/base balance (ABG analysis)
• The lethal Triad – Acidosis, Hypothermia and Coagulopathy
• Shock and its physiology
• Sepsis and its predictable pathophysiological deterioration into shock
• Respiratory failure, PF ratio/ VQ mismatch
• Acid/base balance (ABG analysis)
• Ischaemic pathophysiology and the formation of a thrombus

When really understanding concepts of deterioration at a cellular level, it unlocks clinical reasoning in nurses and paramedics like never before.

This is one for the science geeks among us…..

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The ECT4Health Plastering, Casting and Slabbing workshop is a  Full day hands-on practical seminar on the assessment of limb injuries and the application of plaster of paris (POP) slabs.

During this program participants will apply 4 upper limb and one lower leg slab which represents the most common scenarios in rural or remote practice.

With over  20+ years experience in trauma education and teaching clinical skills, Rob Timmings will take the learner through the relevant safe assessment and positioning , and application of plaster of paris splints..  This workshop is clinically relevant, highly hands on and interactive.  In a small class environment you get one-on-one exposure and experience under the watchful eye of a true expert.

The program commences with an overview and evidence based explanations about safe casting techniques, molding and splinting of orthopaedic injuries.

Plaster Techniques covered in this workshop include:

• Short Arm Neutral -Forearm Slab
• Ulna Gutter Slab (POSI splint)
• Long Arm Slab
• Scaphoid Cast / Thumb Spika
• Short Leg Back Slabbing

This workshop is ideal for 3rd & 4th year Medical Students, final year Nursing Students, PGY 1-4 Doctors, Rural clinicians,  Registered Nurses in rural or remote practice, Nurse Practitioners and candidates.

An additional day is offered (preceeding the Plaster workshop) for operational staff who require slabbing and cast application skills.  This day covers anatomy, and physiology and education on Range of motion.  Bandaging and slinging techniques

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