2024 Program

2024 Program

The following program is provisional and subject to change. It will be updated as planning proceeds, please check this page regularly.

Wednesday 23rd October

2:00 PM – 6:00 PM	Expo Afternoon Learn about pathways & helpful resources. Chat with experienced remote area nurses & midwives. Meet with remote healthcare employers. Try your hand at the CRANAplus clinical skill stations.
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM	Welcome Function Welcome to the 2024 CRANAplus Remote Nursing & Midwifery Conference.

Thursday 24th October

08:00 – 08:30	Reception Desk Open Day 1
08:30 – 08:45	Welcome Welcome to the CRANAplus 2024 Remote Nursing & Midwifery Conference. Board Chair John Wright and MC Dallas McKeown.
08:45 – 09:15	Opening address from the Commonwealth Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Adjunct Professor (Practice) Alison McMillan PSM, the Australian Government’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer.
09:15 – 10:00	Growing Deadly Families presentation by Melina Connors Melina Connors is the inaugural First Nations Midwifery Director for Queensland Health. Melina oversees the co-ordination and ongoing implementation, governance and expansion of the Growing Deadly Families Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Maternity Services Strategy, and other Queensland Government initiatives.
10:00 – 10:10	Conference updates
10:10 – 10:35	Morning Tea Day 1
10:35 – 11:45	Exchanging Insights: Thriving In The Remote Health Workforce Join Dr Nicole Jeffery-Dawes, Senior Psychologist with the Bush Support Line, as she leads an insightful discussion and Q&A session with a panel of experienced remote health workers. Nicole will explore some of the more common challenges encountered by those calling the Bush Support Line, whilst the panellists will consider key well-being issues facing the remote health workforce and reflect on their personal experiences. Together, they will offer strategies for maintaining individual well-being and supporting colleagues in the demanding context of remote health. Panel Members: Josh Stafford, Kellie Kerin, Laura Berry, Ann Vaughn
11:45 – 12:40	Nurse Georgie With bluntness and charm, coupled with razor-sharp wit, Georgie draws on her 18 years of Emergency and Intensive Care Nursing experience, as well as her experiences as a mother and wife – to have the audience in stitches, the best kind!
12:40 – 12:50	Morning of Day 1 Wrap Up
12:50 – 13:40	Lunch Day 1
13:45 – 15:00	Breakout room 1 \| This session showcases experiences promoting wellbeing in rural and remote workplaces and shares the latest research on nurse alcohol consumption.	Breakout room 2 \| This session explores various clinical issues impacting rural and remote practice, from reproductive care and animal health to hereditary pancreatitis.	Plenary \| AHPRA Notifications overview and scope of practice, delegation & decision making in practice workshop
15:00 – 15:20	Afternoon Tea Day 1
15:20 – 16:40	Breakout room 1 \| This session focuses on nurse-led innovations to improve service quality, safety and accessibility in rural and remote areas. Included are innovations in the use of technology, policy and the rebuilding of services.	Breakout room 2 \| This session explores factors that improve access to culturally safe, community-focused care in rural and remote communities.	Breakout room 3 \| This session showcases innovative strategies for developing, strengthening and supporting the rural and remote workforce and the workforce pipeline.

Friday 25th October

08:00 – 08:30	Reception Desk Open Day 2
08:30 – 08:40	Welcome to Day 2 MC Dallas McKeown introduction to Day 2 in the Plenary
08:40 – 09:20	Deputy National Rural Health Commissioner – Nursing and Midwifery Adjunct Professor Shelley Nowlan.
09:20 – 09:50	Dr Amy-Louise Byrne PhD Nurse Navigators – Champions of the National Rural and Remote Nursing Generalist Framework
9:50 – 10:10	Morning Tea Day 2
10:10 – 11:10	The Framework: from publication to implementation Are you aware of the National Rural and Remote Nursing Generalist Framework? How have you applied it at work? This discussion explores the Framework, its current and future applications, and its potential to raise the profile of the profession and guide workforce development. Join Kellie Kerin as she engages with panel members Phillip Harnas, Christine Birch, and Lesley Woolf to explore their experiences implementing the Framework.
11:10 – 12:10	Adam Spencer Adam Spencer is an Australian comedian, maths geek, media personality and former radio presenter, who specialises in growing knowledge and getting conversations started on maths, tech, science, and sustainability.
12:10 – 12:15	Morning of Day 2 Wrap Up
12:15 – 13:00	Lunch Day 2
13:00 – 14:20	Breakout room 1 \| This session provides insight into the breadth and depth of remote practice through narratives, experiences and lessons learned by remote area nurses and midwives.	Breakout room 2 \| This session shares contemporary initiatives and strategies to ensure equitable access to safe, quality clinical care for those living in remote areas.	Breakout room 3 \| This session showcases cutting-edge strategies for supporting and developing the remote nursing workforce at all stages of the workforce pipeline.
14:20 – 14:40	Afternoon Tea Day 2
14:40 – 15:30	SafeSide Prevention – An Evidence-Based Suicide Prevention Approach Participants will learn four core tasks and skills for evidence-based suicide prevention applicable to the rural healthcare sector. We will use video demonstrations to explore and strengthen confidence in impactful suicide prevention skills. Presented by Tiyana Gostelow
15:30 – 16:15	Q&A: Remote realities in 2024 Members of the CRANAplus Nursing & Midwifery Roundtable will share their experiences and analyse pressing workforce issues – including workforce sustainability and resourcing. Moderator, CRANAplus Chair, John Wright explores with the panel our shared reality and potential solutions with panel Mark Ramjan, Dalya Holowinski and Josh Stafford
16:15 – 16:30	2024 Remote Nursing & Midwifery Conference Wrap Up
16:30 PM – 23:00 PM	Gala Dinner Formally concluding the 2024 Remote Nursing & Midwifery Conference, the Gala Dinner at the luxurious Crown Palladium will provide delegates with a final opportunity to connect and celebrate in style.