14 November 2006
Monash University is easing the load on busy Victorian GPs by training practice nurses in the care and management of wounds.
The six-month program is run by Monash's Victorian College of Pharmacy in collaboration with General Practice Divisions Victoria, the state's peak body for GPs. It is funded by the Victorian Department of Health and Aged Care.
The course trains highly skilled practice nurses in the treatment and management of wounds, a significant part of the workload in busy general practice clinics.
Wound management services carried out by nurses in consultation with a GP are eligible for rebates under Medicare.
The course is taught by Ms Jan Rice, the manager of education and clinical services at the Wound Foundation of Australia, a not-for-profit organisation within the Victorian College of Pharmacy.
"It has become important for nurses to increase their skills in the art of wound management since the Medicare rebates for wound care were introduced," Ms Rice says.
"Most patients who visit their GPs with wounds are elderly people with ulcers on their lower legs. These older patients can find it very stressful attending a crowded hospital outpatient clinic and the longer we can keep them seeing their GPs, the better it is for their health.
"If you up-skill your nurses in the practice to wound management, it is easier to give those patients continuing care in the general practice rather than referring them to another health service."
The college admitted its first practice nurses late last year and has since trained 71 nurses in wound management. The first graduates will receive certificates marking their attendance and achievement in a ceremony tomorrow, Wednesday 15 November.
The wound management program includes a four-day intensive course taught by Ms Rice. Students then submit an essay and participate in online tutorials, analysing and managing wound cases using photographs and written scenarios. Ms Elizabeth Dyson conducts the assessments and runs the tutorials. The course concludes with a verbal exam.
The Certificate of Achievement also opens a door to further academic study for the nurses, with those who have performed well earning credit towards Monash University's Postgraduate Certificate in Practice Nursing.
For further information contact Ms Jan Rice on +61 3 9903 9123 or Ms Penny Fannin, Media Communications, on +61 3 9905 5828 or 0417 125 700.
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