Rural Outback And Remote Paramedic Conference

EVENT PROGRAM

17–19 APRIL 2018 MERCURE ALICE SPRINGS RESORT

34 STOTT TERRACE ALICE SPRINGS NT

Tuesday 17 April6.00pm WELCOME TO COUNTRY BY KUMALI RILEY

Welcome reception and outdoor barbeque

Wednesday 18 April 9.00–9.10am WELCOME TO ROAR 2018

Professor Peter O’Meara Chair of Paramedics Australasia Rural and Remote Special Interest Group.

9.10–9.20am PARAMEDICS AUSTRALASIA – OVERVIEW AND FUTURE DIRECTION

Peter Jurkovsky President of Paramedics Australasia and Chair of the Australian National Registration Working Group.

9.20–10.00am ADVENTURES IN PARAMEDICINE

Paul Reeves shares his career path over the past 15–20 years focussing on remote and specialist roles. His experiences have taken him to a range of global locations including Afghanistan, Africa, Iraq, Cambodia, Solomon Islands and now remote Central Australia.

Paul ReevesPaul is an Intensive Care Paramedic with the St John Ambulance Critical Response Unit in Alice Springs. He has delivered tactical and remote paramedicine in conflict and post-conflict areas with international organisations including the United Nations. Paul’s experience ranges from operating in developed world national health frameworks and established care pathways, through to remote, solo, undeveloped and unsupported endeavours where creativity on the move has been required.

10.00–10.15am MORNING TEA

10.15–11.15am CULTURAL SAFETY

Kerry Taylor and Colleen Hayes present a discussion around cultural safety from an Indigenous Australian perspective.

A/Prof Kerry Taylor and Colleen Hayes Kerry is Deputy Director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health – Flinders Northern Territory, which provides health professionals with the resources, skills and awareness required for better communication and engagement when working within a very diverse Central Australian Indigenous community and culture.Colleen is an Indigenous health lecturer at Flinders University in the Northern Territory. Her teaching and research focuses on cultural safety in nursing and health professional education. Since working with the Poche Centre Alice Springs and the Northern Territory Medical Program, Colleen has been involved in developing the cultural orientation program in Central Australia.

11.15–12.00 noon

HOW TO TALK TO THE LOCALS

On-road paramedic Brock Hellyer discusses challenges of care provision to Aboriginal communities and essential communication in this environment.

Brock HellyerBrock is a paramedic with St John Ambulance NT. His postings have included Tennant Creek, Katherine and Alice Springs. In recognition of his dedication to paramedicine, Brock was named Southern Region Paramedic of the Year at the St John Ambulance NT 2015 annual awards. Brock has been a member of Paramedics Australasia for the past five years and is currently studying critical care paramedicine through CQUniversity.

12.00–12.30pm LUNCH

12.30–1.30pm HOW CAN WE WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER RURAL AND REMOTE MODELS OF CARE

Stephen Gourley discusses the complexities of contract-based funding allocation and prioritisation; and the realities of working in rural and remote communities when victims of traumatic incidents are known to the responder. He also presents case studies from the emergency department.

Dr Stephen GourleyStephen is Director of Emergency Medicine at Alice Springs Hospital. He has a strong commitment to rural and remote medicine and Indigenous health and has a broad range of interests including leadership and education. Stephen is a lecturer at Flinders University and University of Queensland medical schools and is the NT Faculty Chair of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. He also sits on a number of committees and is the Australian Medical Association NT Vice-President.

1.30–2.15pm A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN PARAMEDIC

This presentation by Paul Reeves is based on a single day-night timeline covering typical clinical cases seen in the Northern Territory and reflects the environmental and cultural challenges facing paramedics in this environment.

2.15–2.30pm AFTERNOON TEA

2.30–3.15pm WORKING FOR ‘THE BIG AUSTRALIAN’

Cooper Born discusses aspects of working for a major resources company as an employee rather than a contractor, the scope of clinical practice in this environment, interaction with other agencies and clinical governance frameworks. He also discusses the primary health care wound management.

Cooper BornCooper is the Supervisor – Paramedics for BHP Billiton Air Ambulance and a Retrieval Paramedic (Critical Care Flight Paramedic) operating out of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Cooper is currently on secondment looking after all aspects of medical service delivery, governance and education across Western Australia for BHP Billiton.

3.15–4.15pm The Paramedicine Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) are working to bring paramedicine into the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme in late-2018. This means all paramedics will need to be registered with the Board to practise the profession. The Board and AHPRA discuss the proposed national standards and guidelines for the profession and how they will apply to rural, outback and remote paramedics. This is followed by a short Q&A session.

The Paramedicine Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Panel: A/Prof Stephen Gough (the Board) and Paul Fisher, Manager Health Practitioner Registration, AHPRA. In attendance: A/Prof Ian Patrick (the Board), Keith Driscoll (the Board) and Deborah Tapping, Project Manager – Paramedicine, AHPRA.

4.15pm CLOSE

WEDNESDAY 18 APRIL

Spirit of the Outback Dinner and Show at Earth Sanctuary (optional)

Thursday 19 April 9.00–10.00am LOVE AT FIRST BITE!

Rex Neindorf from the Alice Springs Reptile Park brings a ‘snake show’ to delegates, which is followed by the essentials in snakebite first aid.

Rex Neindorf – Alice Springs Reptile Park

10.00–10.30am HOW TO HAVE THAT DIFFICULT CONVERSATION WITH A COLLEAGUE IN TROUBLE

Lisa Holmes presents her work on research around veteran paramedics and mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lisa Holmes Lisa is a lecturer in Paramedical Science, Allied Health, School of Medical and Health Sciences at Edith Cowan University and Chair of the Paramedics Australasia Mental Health and Wellbeing Special Interest Group. She is also a member of the Edith Cowan University Paramedicine Team. Lisa completed her PhD focussing on preparing students for the mental health challenges of the profession by using the wisdom of veteran paramedics. Lisa has worked with paramedics in an education, training and support context for many years both in Australia and the United Kingdom.

10.30–10.40am MORNING TEA

10.40–11.25am TRAUMA ON THE STREETS

This session by Paul Reeves explores the changing paradigms in the approach to trauma of violence and covers the evolution of tactical medicine and how lessons from the remote battlefield can guide the regular street paramedic to deliver safer and more effective care.

11.25–12.10pm INTER-PROFESSIONAL TEAM TRAINING AND IT’S BENEFITS IN PRE-HOSPITAL HEALTH CARE

Inter-professional training, communication and working relationships, and collaboration of the retrieval team/critical response unit are key areas discussed in this presentation by Richard Johnson.

Dr Richard Johnson Richard is a Retrieval and Emergency Specialist at Alice Springs Hospital; Director of Retrieval Services, Central Australia; and Retrieval Services Policy Director to the Northern Territory Government. He is a UK and Australian trained emergency and retrieval specialist with a passion for bringing high-level critical care to the most challenging and austere environments. Richard has been Central Australian Retrieval Director since 2012 and seen and led some dramatic changes in the way the system works, and how the teams work together and components of the system interact.

12.10–12.40pm COMMUNICATION – AN INTERACTIVE CHINESE WHISPER WORKSHOP

Lisa Holmes follows up her previous presentation with a practical team exercise around the challenges that hinder communication.

12.40–1.10pm LUNCH

1.10–2.00pm CASE STUDIES IN REMOTE HEALTH

Dr Richard Johnson follows up his previous presentation with a look at several key case studies followed by interactive questions.

2.00–3.00pm AN INTERACTIVE SIMULATION EXERCISE: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ‘000’

Royal Flying Doctor Service – Interactive exercise around trauma response and working in the confined space of an aircraft.

3.00–3.45pm ROAR Q&A PANEL

Open discussion on key rural and remote health issues.

3.45–4.30pm FEEDBACK SESSION

4.30pm CONFERENCE CLOSE