The Clinical Skills Program provided a comprehensive, wide-ranging series of workshops designed to cater for all conference participants, including nurses, doctors, and students.

This program was conducted in collaboration with the Rural Faculty, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners; the Rural Workforce Agency Victoria; and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.

The emphasis of all workshops is to gain 'hands on' experience, and to allow for ample discussion regarding the clinical application, in the rural setting, of the skills. As there are a limited number of places at each workshop, places were allocated on a first come, first served basis.

All sessions in the Clinical Skills Program were held at the conference venue and were included in the conference registration, except for the Monash Simulator. The Monash Simulator sessions was held at the Monash Medical Centre, Moorabbin and cost AUD$350 per person per session, which was payable on arrival at the conference.

Continuing Medical Education Accreditiation

QA and CPD points for Australian delegates The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has approved the Wonca World Rural Health Conference for 23 hours of Group 2 activities. In addition, the emergency medicine and clinical skills (EM & CS) training have been approved as Group 1 activities for those doctors who complete a pre-session reflection and a post-session questionnaire. The EM & CS has been approved as a block and each hour of participation will be allocated Group 1 points up to a maximum of 5 hours. Bookings are essential (see details below). Application for approval for PDP points has been made to the Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine (ACRRM).

AAFP Points The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has given approval for 14.5 Prescribed credit hours and 2 Elective credit hours.

Timetable of Clinical Skills

Session	Wednesday					Thursday
Emergency Skills Stations (Half-hour stations)	11am-12.30pm	1.30-3.30pm
Clinical Skills Stations (Half-hour stations)	11am-12.30pm					11am-12.30pm	1.30-3.30pm
Teamwork in Emergency Medicine (One-day Workshop)	11am - 3.30pm
Emergency Medicine Teacher Training (Two-day Workshop)	11am-3.30 Wednesday & 11am-3.30pm Thursday
Dental Emergencies (Half-hour Workshops)		1.30pm	2.15pm	3pm
In Flight Emergencies	11am-12.30pm						1.30-3.30pm
Expanding the Professional Culture of Rural Health by Stories and Language	Get Booking Form					11am-12.30pm	1.30-3.30pm
Monash Simulator (AUD350) (One-day Workshop)	11am-3.30pm					11am-3.30pm

 

Emergency & Clinical Skills Stations

These will suit all conference attendees, including medical practitioners, nurses and students. Participants will work in groups of 4, instructions will be hands on, using mannekins, with participants working through the various skills with practicing medical and nursing educators. At the end of each skills station, participants will have gained proficiency and confidence to apply these skills in the clinical situation.

A series of half-hour skills stations was available throughout the two days of the Program. Those participating in a morning session rotated through 3 skills stations, while those participating in an afternoon session rotated through 4 skills stations. In the booking form you wee invited to indicate your first 3 preferences and we endeavoured to place you in the skills stations of your choice.

Experienced medical educators facilitated these sessions.

Emergency Skills Defibrillation Cricothyrotomy Chest Drain Endotracheal tube Intravenous access techniques Intraosseous needle insertion Cervical collar application

Clinical Skills ECG interpretation Splinting and Plastering techniques Plastic Surgery Wound management Assessing the mentally unstable client Approach to child with respiratory distress Spinal Manipluation

Teamwork in Emergency Medicine

An innovative one day workshop for 6 Doctors and 6 Nurses, which looks at the interactions of medical practitioners and nurses who work side by side in the rural emergency situation.

Topics covered in the workshop:

	Leadership
	Role definition
	Expectations of teams

The workshop was interactive, with participants using mannekins to understand the individual skills they bring to the team, then working in teams in a range of simulated scenarios.

Priority was given to doctors and nurses with considerable experience and ongoing responsibility in Rural Emergency Medicine.

Experienced rural medical and nursing educators will facilitate the workshops.

Emergency Medicine Teacher Training

An interactive 7 hour workshop over 2 days limited to 12 doctors that aims to improve the skills of experienced rural GPs to teach emergency medicine.

Topics covered in the workshop:

	Educational principles applied to teaching of emergencies
	How to teach practical skills
	The role of simulation and scenarios
	Providing effective debriefing and feedback to learners

Participants used mannekins to refine their own clinical skills, and then used modern educational techniques to teach these skills to others.

The workshop is expected to be of particular interest to practicing rural GPs involved in education. Priority was given to doctors with considerable experience and ongoing educational roles in Emergency Medicine.

Skilled medical clinical educators conducted this workshop.

Dental Emergencies

The Program made available 3 half-hour workshops, each for 25 people. The workshops were designed to up skill clinicians in the handling of acute dental situations in the rural setting. Each workshop covered the same material.

This session was conducted by Dr John Banky, a dental practitioner with wide experience in instructing medical and other health practitioners in practical dental applications.

In Flight Emergencies

There were 2 interactive workshops, each for 25 people. The workshops involved a discussion of potential emergencies that occur in flight, training received by flight crews, and the role of passengers with other passengers with emergency skills.

The workshops included simulations in which conference delegates were invited to participate.

Qantas medical clinicians, experienced in handling ‘Mid Air’ emergencies will conduct these workshops.

Expanding the Professional Culture of Rural Health by stories and language

The Program provided 2 half-day workshops, each for 8 people, working together to explore how stories are told, the importance of language and metaphor, and how professional culture is shaped and propagated by ‘word of mouth.

Have you ever thought how much your everyday work environment, and that of those with whom you work, is shaped by anecdotes from past experiences? We all have stories to tell so come and share the experience.

The workshops were facilitated by Dr John Barton, an experienced psycho dramatist, who has worked with many groups of health practitioners, encouraging them to verbalise their experiences in a variety of settings.