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3rd National Conference for Emergency Nurses

The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) is a 670 bed hospitalin South Australia, Australia. The RAH is a Level 1 TraumaHospital for the state. The Emergency Department (RAH-ED)is a 63 bed facility treating 64,000 patients per annum. Wehave four resuscitation rooms managing trauma and medicalresuscitations. From a nursing perspective, our resuscitationteam consists of: a Circulation, Airway and a Scribe Nurse.The Circulation Nurse is a senior RN, the Airway Nurse is aRN and the Scribe Nurse is a RN or EN. Staff begin with thescribe role, progressing to the airway role and finally thecirculation role.

In early 2007, two senior registered nurses in the EDdecided to review nursing education/training with resus-citation roles. The aim of creating a standardised trainingpackage was to ensure well educated and experienced resus-citation nurses and provide guidance and support during thisprocess. We wanted a training program that involved the-ory and practical-based competencies. Prior to the review,resuscitation nurse education involved a general workbookand senior nursing staff familiarising the new staff into therole as they progressed. Practical knowledge and experiencewas gained during actual resuscitations rather than prior tocommencing the roles. We did not have specific role work-books, nurses were simply ‘thrown in the deep end!’

The new training package started with an airway work-book commencing in October 2007. The Airway book hadthe greatest need as the department had many new nursesready to progress to this role. Each staff member who fin-ished the workbook completed a survey enabling us to assessand validate the effectiveness and appropriateness of theworkbook. Following the success of the airway workbook wehave written the scribe and circulation workbook.

With this new training package, staff know how theirtransition into resuscitation roles will be managed. From thebeginning, they are aware of the work they must put intolearning these roles, the expectations we have of our resus-citation nurses and the support the department providesduring this transition.

doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2008.09.061

Rest assured—–Emergency physicians and nurses success-fully sedated! A district approach

Beverley Wilson

Department of Emergency Medicine, Nambour Hospital,Hospital Road, Nambour, QLD 4560, Australia

Procedural sedation is an every day occurrence in allEmergency Departments, but how safe is our practice?Standardised processes and clinical practice for Emer-gency Department procedural sedation does not exist acrossQueensland Health.

Our aim was to implement and evaluate a sustainableclinical practice program for over 170 emergency medical &nursing staff involved in the procedural sedation of adults &children across four variable resourced Emergency Depart-

ments.

By embedding a standardised clinical practice compe-tency program, measurable improvements were achieved inall aspects of the quality and safety of procedural sedationby ensuring patients:

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Receive best practice.Be given treatment by competent practitioners.Receive a clinical risk assessment.Be monitored as per protocols.Have accurate clinical documentation recorded.Receive patient education.Provide informed consent.Meet safe discharge criteria.

Changes in clinical practice have been absorbed intoroutine” emergency staff education processes, guidelinesnd protocols. The care of patients and their familiesndergoing procedural sedation is now evidence-based andonsistently optimal.

This proactive multi-disciplinary approach across diversenvironmental and resourced Emergency Departments hasnited and empowered the staff whilst supporting our dis-rict philosophy of unification. Final analysis of the programas resulted in the support of proposals to roll out the train-ng across other districts.

oi:10.1016/j.aenj.2008.09.062

he experience of forging new emergency nursing cur-iculum development, through a course advisory network

aren Theobald, Fiona Coyer

School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology,elvin Grove, QLD, Australia

Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School ofursing (SoN), has offered a postgraduate Graduate Certifi-ate in Emergency Nursing since 2003, for registered nursesractising in an emergency clinical area, who fulfil key entryriteria. Feedback from industry partners and students evi-enced support for flexible and extended study pathways inmergency nursing. Therefore, in the context of a growingemand for emergency health services and the need for spe-ialist qualified staff, it was timely to review and redevelopur emergency specialist nursing courses.

The QUT postgraduate emergency nursing study areas supported by a course advisory group, whose aim iso provide input and focus development of current anduture course planning. All members of the course advi-ory were invited to form an expert panel to review currentmergency course documents. A half day “brainstorm ses-ion”, planning and development workshop was held toeview the emergency courses to implement changes from009.

Results from the expert panel planning day include: pro-osal for a new emergency specialty unit; incorporation ofhe College of Emergency Nurses (CENA) Standards for Emer-ency Nursing Specialist in clinical assessment; modificationf the present core emergency unit; enhancing the focus ofhe two other units that emergency students undertake; andpening the emergency study area to the Graduate Diploman Nursing (Emergency Nursing) and Master of Nursing (Emer-

ency Nursing). The conclusion of the brainstorm sessionesulted in a clearer conceptualisation, of the study pathwayor students.

Overall, the expert panel group of enthusiastic emer-ency educators and clinicians provided viable options