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Registrations are open! DANA’s Canberra Forum: Creating the new normal: Drugs and alcohol – every nurse’s business

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DANA has some good news to share with you!
We’ve locked in arrangements for  DANA’s first  2021 one-day Forum, Creating the New Normal: Drugs and Alcohol,  Every Nurse’s Business.
We are excited at the prospect of once again networking face to face with leaders in our field. To celebrate we have also planned a networking event to take place immediately after the Forum concludes.

The event will be held at  The Canberra Rex Hotel 150 Northbourne Ave, Braddon ACT 2612 on August 27th 2021.

Early bird registrations  are open.  Click HERE

Some program highlights include  presentations about:

  • the impact of COVID-19 on our work
  • emerging models of care
  • the COVID-19 experience from treatment and service users
  • the latest news from drug courts
  • the impact of community advocacy.

The final progam is still under development, so there  is more to come.

DANA members are eligible for discounted tickets so make sure that your membership is up to date (you will be prompted for your membership number when you register). If you are not sure you can check it out yourself  by clicking HERE or send an email to [email protected])

Hope to see you there!

DANA’s Specialist Nursing Standards and Competencies for D&A Nurses.

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In readiness for  our live webinar,   ‘Standards Driven and Competency Focused’? being held on Thursday May 27th 2021 at 5:30pm DANA is making available the newly revised Specialist Nursing Standards and Competencies for Drug and Alcohol Nurses.

Click  HERE  to download your copy.

Missed the webinar? It can be viewed from the DANA Website Members’ only area.

How to access the DANA Website Members’ only area: DANA members only

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We are very excited to announce that tickets are on sale now for the AOD Nurses Forum: Toolkit Top-up – A selection of tips and tricks to support clinical AOD Nurses, on 24th June 2021.

Register for the Face-to-Face Forum Here (Tickets selling fast!!)

Register for the Online Forum Here.

The program can be found here.

We encourage AOD Nurses of the EDCLAN and NRWN to attend.

Important information 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this conference will be offered as a BLENDED delivery, with both face-to-face and online tickets available.

https://www.danaonline.org/2021/05/21/7041/

Hepatitis C Case Discussion Evening

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Have you received hepatitis C training but aren’t sure how to start prescribing, or would like a refresher?
Come along to this event to ask questions of a specialist and go through hepatitis C cases.
Attendees will be given the opportunity to present cases to, and ask questions of, a specialist. This evening will be an informal workshop that will be directed by the needs, questions and interests of the attendees.
We strongly encourage attendees to submit cases for discussion and bring along any questions on the evening, as GP and NP-submitted material will drive the event.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
• Apply the latest clinical information about antiviral medication for the treatment of hepatitis C to clinical practice
• Determine when to refer a patient for treatment by a specialist
• Plan guideline-based monitoring and post treatment follow up
Register here
For further details or assistance contact:
Phoebe Schroder, Project Manager
0432 184 383
This course is pending accreditation by the RACGP for 3 CPD points
This course is funded by Queensland health but is open to GPs and NPs from all states and territories

Alert: Illicit cocaine containing strong opioids

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Background
A cluster of 7 poisonings was recently identified in the western area of Sydney and Gosford from opioid toxicity following nasal insufflation of illicit cocaine. The clinical findings suggest a potent and long acting opioid is involved with preliminary toxicology testing confirming the presence of opioids with further testing underway.
Prior Safety Notices 009/20 and 011/20 have reported fentanyl/acetylfentanyl toxicity in non-opioid illicit substances such as cocaine. Continuing changes in illicit drug use and supply in 2021 may be associated with overdose risk. Expect variations in purity and substitution for alternative ingredients in currently circulating illicit drugs.

Find out more. Click HERE.

Get ready for DANA’s next webinar…

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Find out about the comprehensive knowledge and skills required by specialist drug and alcohol nurses.
Because DANA is committed to ensuring that our specialist workforce is able to deliver safe, evidence based comprehensive nursing care, a subcommittee of experienced drug and alcohol nurses was tasked with a review of DANA’s specialist Standards and Competencies. We will be sharing the outcome of their work with you at this special event.
The webinar , hosted by DANA past president Jennifer Harland,  will feature two speakers from the subcommittee that conducted the review.

  • Margo Hickman
  • Amanda Coslett
  • Jennifer Harland (host)

To help you prepare, every person who registers will receive a copy of the updated Standards and Competencies prior to the webinar.

For free registration click HERE.

DANA launches ‘Private Practice for Australian Drug and Alcohol Nurse Practitioners’

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DANA is pleased to make its new manual, ‘Private Practice for Australian Drug and Alcohol Nurse Practitioners’  available for download. Click HERE.

DANA has commissioned this manual for Australian Drug and Alcohol Nurse Practitioners, to provide a simplified guide for those exploring or planning to establish their own private practice.

This project was funded by a grant from Indivior.

Coming soon, for DANA members only, supplementary materials to accompany ‘Private Practice for Australian Drug and Alcohol Nurse Practitioners’

Start living on your own terms! DANA presents a webinar for D&A Nurse Practitioners and Nurses Interested in Private Practice

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Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 5:30 pm AEST

Join our live webinar and learn more about how  you can have  greater control over the direction of your  professional practice and your career, including if you  choose a move into private practice.

This webinar is intended to shine a light on some of the issues that you need to consider.

With special consideration of  your drug and alcohol patients we have three powerful speakers to guide you:

Margaret Faux: solicitor, academic scholar of Medicare and health insurance law, will speak about Medicare billing as it relates to Nurse Practitioner practice. Margaret, whose career began as an RN  is one of Australia’s leading experts on the operation of Medicare. She is the founder and CEO or Synapse Medical. Her PhD on Medicare claiming and compliance is currently under examination.

Darren Smyth: with a 30-year career in the drug and alcohol sector, Darren now  works as a Nurse Practitioner  for a Non-Government Organisation, managing a community withdrawal program that he has established.  Darren will speak about how the opportunity to work privately has provided him with the opportunity to work to his full scope of practice as an NP.

Adam Searby:   currently a lecturer at Deakin University in Melbourne, Adam is also the President of DANA.  He completed his PhD examining co-occurring mental illness and AOD use in older adults and he has  recently  completed research into the AOD  nursing workforce, including the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now, he is working  on a project examining alcohol consumption among Australian nurses. Adam will be presenting key points from DANA’s most recent research, ‘Exploring models of care in the Drug and Alcohol Nurse Practitioner  workforce’. Adam will also be your host for the webinar.

Find out about

  • Billing practices / revenue generation relevant to Nurse Practitioners.
  • Challenges to be managed during private practice journey
  • Insights into Drug and Alcohol Nurse Practitioner models of care
  • The demographic profile of D&A Nurse Practitioners, including their work location and demographic characteristics

and

  • Be one of the first to obtain a copy of DANA’s publication: Private Practice Information for Australian Drug and Alcohol Nurse Practitioners

Find out more or register HERE.

Photo by Thom Frijns on Unsplash

Save the date: AOD Nurses’ Forum – Melbourne 24th June 2021

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AOD Nurses Forum – June 24th 2021,

10:30am-3:00pm

Deakin University, City Campus (and streamed online for those unable to attend)

Join us for an informative and entertaining forum with key note speakers, break-out sessions and the opportunity to catch up, all while enjoying a fully catered event. This blended forum will
provide the opportunity to attend face-to-face, or online.
Please note:
• Theme, speakers, venue details, and the agenda to be announced
• Due to COVID-19 restrictions the availability of face-to-face tickets will be limited to 60 on a first in, first served basis. Plenty of notice will be provided prior to the release of tickets. There is no limit for online tickets
• This invitation is focussed on VAADA’s Non-residential withdrawal nurses (NRWN) network, and Emergency Department Clinical Liaison Addiction Network (EDCLAN). Subject to tickets being available, the forum will be opened up to other Drug and Alcohol Nurses
• Online attendance at this Forum will consist of an altered agenda that will only stream the keynote speakers and one breakout room per time slot. Online attendees will not be able to choose which breakout they attend.
(This AOD Nurses Forum is presented by the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA), the Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australia (DANA) and Indivior.)

Spotlight on Drug and Alcohol Nursing

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The Nursing and Midwifery Office  and Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs  at the NSW Ministry of Health, are celebrating   alcohol and other drug specialist nurses and midwives throughout March. This is an opportunity to acknowledge and highlight the inspirational work nurses and midwives do every day, making a real difference for clients and their families.

Find out more. Click HERE.

View the day to day work of Alcohol and Other Drugs CNS Jen Morrison from South Western Sydney LHD. Click HERE.

Photo by Sinitta Leunen on Unsplash

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