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Member Update
SEPTEMBER 2024
A warm welcome to all members of the Pilbara Health Professionals Network (PHPN).
We hope all of our members will be joining us for our Visual Impairment, Wound Care Workshop and Early Detection and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease events, see below for registration details. Our events are perfect for catching up and networking with fellow health professionals. We can’t wait to see you there!
If you have new staff members who have joined your team this year, please connect them with the PHPN. Membership is free and we have exciting events in the planning.
Alisha
UPCOMING PHPN EVENTS
Wednesday 11 September | 5.30pm-7.30pm | Karratha and Online
Join local Karratha optometrists Alex Craig and Mitchell Gin.
Learning topics:
- Paediatric visual impairment
- Visual impairment in adults
- Overview of age-related visual conditions
- Rehabilitation and support services
- Integration with other health conditions
- Practical applications
- Best practices for referrals
This event will be available online for Pilbara health professionals who cannot travel to Karratha to attend in person.
Friday 25 October 2024 | 8.00am-3.00pm | Newman
Presenters:
- Donna Larsen - Wound Management Nurse Practitioner
- Beth Sperring - Clinical Nurse Consultant Plastic Surgery
Topics for the study day will include wound healing and assessment; identification of acute and chronic wound infection and treatment; biofilm-based wound management; wound hygiene; dressing selection; traumatic wounds; plastic surgery considerations; leg ulcers; the high-risk foot; and case studies. Future trends in wound management will also be discussed. There will be two practical workshops on wound debridement and topical negative pressure wound therapy. Compression bandaging will be demonstrated.
Wednesday 13 November 2024 | 6.00pm-8.00pm | South Hedland and Online
Presenter: Dr Rebecca Hudson – Nephrologist, Fiona Stanley Hospital
Kidney Health Australia will present this event in conjunction with kidney specialist, Dr Rebecca
Hudson.
Learning outcomes:
- The importance of early detection for those at risk of chronic kidney disease
- Describe the elements of the assessment for chronic kidney disease (kidney health check)
- Define the treatment options to delay progress of kidney disease
This event will be available online for Pilbara health professionals who cannot travel to South Hedland to attend in person.
LATEST HEALTH NEWS
Suicide Prevention Training for Pharmacists
Saturday 7 September 2024 | 1.00pm-3.30pm | Online
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Health Workforce Scholarship Program
Applications for Round 15 close Sunday 15 September 2024
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Alcohol use during pregnancy and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) prevention
Tuesday 9 September 2024 | 10.00am-12.00pm | Online
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Co-occurring mental health and AOD issues with young people
Tuesday 17 October 2024 | 10.00am-12.00pm | Online
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Critical Conversations
A free interactive course for health professionals | Online
As health workers in rural and remote communities, we are on the front line of supporting individuals in the community. Whether at work or off duty, we are in a position of trust. Unfortunately, many health workers do not feel confident in talking with individuals who may need help or are experiencing emotional distress. This free, interactive online course has been designed by remote mental health professionals specifically for the rural and remote health workforce. It guides learners through a 4‑step approach for having a successful conversation and is packed full of practical strategies and real-life scenarios.
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Mental health professionals weathering climate and environmental challenges
You are invited to take part in a research project exploring mental health professional’s confidence in supporting individuals during and after extreme weather events.
This study is being conducted by Dr Madelyn Pardon and Dr Brian Law, in collaboration with Blake Lovely and will contribute to their study requirements in the Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) degree, at James Cook University (AUS).
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BreastScreen WA Health Promotion in Practice
Breast Cancer Awareness month is only a month away...
BreastScreen WA (BSWA) is seeking your support in promoting awareness in October. This is the 23rd year BSWA has run this activity with GPs.
It is an opportunity for GPs and staff to “be in the pink” for breast cancer, which affects 1 in 7 women in Australia and causes 3000 deaths annually. We suggest practices hold the event for the entire month of October. A gift hamper prize will be awarded to the practice with the most decorative and innovative display that promotes BreastScreen WA and breast cancer screening.
Judges are looking for....
- innovation and creativity
- use of BSWA resources (order form here)
- message about screening
- overall effort
Photographs of the winners may be published on Facebook, websites and in print media.
Entries must be submitted by 15 November 2024. Please send your photos to breastscreenwa@health.wa.gov.au
EVENT WRAP UP
Chronic Wet Cough 'Train the Trainer' workshop
On Tuesday 20 August, the PHPN held an event at Lotteries House Karratha with Cystic Fibrosis and Chronic Wet Cough educators Michelle Buck and Sam Wallace. Our HPs participated in a collaborative 'train the trainer' workshop, covering topics such as:
- Increased awareness of the prevalence of respiratory infection and treatment pathways, enabling more timely diagnosis and treatment
- Increased understanding of Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis (PBB) and the symptom a chronic wet cough
- Building a knowledge base of lung health resources, information and online training to improve awareness
MEMBER PROFILE
Meet Shaylee Mills
Occupation: Pharmacist
Tell us, where are you from and how did you get to be a pharmacist in the Pilbara region?
I came to Karratha as a fourth-year student to undertake my final placement with Pharmacy 777. It only took 3 short weeks for me to be convinced that I would come back as a pharmacist one day. Fast forward to 2023 and there I was moving my life to Karratha to join the 777 team. I haven’t looked back since!
What are your professional interests/specialities? I am a pharmacist with a few unique roles:
- The core of my job is as a rural community pharmacist. Rural pharmacy is different to metro pharmacy in that it is heavily centred around primary care advice and pharmacy services. I spend most of my time talking to patients about chronic disease management or providing acute care when other health services aren’t available.
- I am part of the pharmacist rotations working on-site at Mawarnkarra Health Service. Each day, a pharmacist visits their clinic in Roebourne to work with other health professionals and patients regarding medication management. It is a true definition of multi-disciplinary care when you get to work alongside other healthcare workers under the same roof but in a community setting.
- Most recently, I have started working in the social media space to advocate for rural pharmacist careers. Our healthcare system needs more rural pharmacists (and every other type of health professional for that matter!) however, I do feel there is a gap in exposing pharmacy students, interns and early career pharmacists to what working in rural pharmacy is truly like. Social media is the most powerful tool available to us to visually show people what the possibilities are. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok @ The Rural Pharmacist.
What do you love about the Pilbara? My love for the Pilbara is based around the people. The team I work with, the community I serve and the friends I have made make it feel so easy. It’s just a bonus that the Pilbara is also accessible to the best of WA and it’s summer year-round!
Did you always want to be a pharmacist? Why? I didn’t know what I wanted to do after Year 12 other than the fact that I wanted my chosen degree to have chemistry in it. Pharmacy seemed like a good fit at the time and has proven to be a great fit since.
What are your passions? Professionally, my passion lies in finding ways to empower pharmacy students, interns and early-career pharmacists to undertake experiences in rural healthcare. We all strive to make an impact in people’s lives because that’s what makes our job so rewarding. I believe that impact is more powerful when workforce numbers are strong.
When you aren’t working, where will we find you? You’ll find me walking along one of our beautiful beaches with a coffee in hand and listening to music.
Moving to a new region in WA?
Join your local Health Professionals Network!
Did you know that the Pilbara Health Professionals Network is one of seven networks operating across regional Western Australia? If you're relocating to another region in WA, reach out to your new region's network to build local connections and learn of upcoming education and networking opportunities.
For more information and for links to each region's Health Professionals Network website, visit the Rural Health West website.
The Pilbara Health Professionals Network is brought to you in partnership with the following stakeholder organisations.
You have received this newsletter as a health professional working in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Email addresses used to disseminate this newsletter were obtained through Rural Health West's databases. Unsubscribing from this newsletter will remove you from the distribution list for all Rural Health West publications. To stop receiving this newsletter only, please email contact@phpn.com.au
