From Tracy Semmler-Booth - October 2008
Conference: The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses 34th International Conference 2008 7-9th October.

I attended the 3 day conference and presented a poster presentation titled "The value of group therapy for women with perinatal depression" The conference program consisted of concurrent sessions plus daily keynote speakers.

Update November 2008

Prof Glenn Gardner Queensland University of Technology - Brisbane,
Prof Anne Gardner James Cook University - Townsville,
Prof Sandy Middleton Australian Catholic University - Sydney,
Prof Phillip Della Curtin University of Technology - Perth.

In the last ANPA newsletter, we introduced the Australian Nurse Practitioner study (AUSPRAC), a three year Australian Research Council funded study that investigates the profile, process and outcome of Australian Nurse Practitioners. The findings from this research will contribute to future health workforce planning and will develop new ways to study NP and other healthcare services. The outcomes from this research will also be valuable for nurse practitioners; providing information for building practice, tructuring or re-structuring roles, providing evidence for service or expansion of service and validated processes for conducting research into their own practice.

Sue Dunlevy

If you had a solution that could cut the time spent in hospital emergency departments by up to four hours and end frustration of patients who can't get in to see a doctor to get a simple prescription would you take it?

Not if you're a member of the Austtalian Medical Assoc.

What the public and politicians view as a practical way of fixing bottlenecks in our health system the AMA sees as an excuse to start a turf war. That's why they are standing in the way of nurse practitioners, pharmacists and other well trained health professionals taking over routine tasks in our health system to free doctors to do high end medical work.

Silently I have been reading comments made by the members of the Australian Nurse Practitioner Association. I have listened and read the development of the Nurse Practitioner with-in different disciplines, some new and unique job descriptions have been developed in area where health care was lacking throughout Australia.

While some candidates have been quite successful in the applications there are many, like myself, who flounder with-in the health system. seeking and searching for opportunity to develop professionally as a nurse practitioner. My hard work has not paid off, or at least not yet.