Conference reports
Published: 06 December 2011
A great theme, a perfect two days
First-time attendee Hannah Pugh reports on the SOTN 2011 International Conference, held 22–23 September 2011
Lovely venue, good range of topics
This year’s SOTN conference was held in Bristol, which proved to be an excellent venue for two days of education, networking and fun. Nurses from all over the UK and beyond attended and there was certainly an atmosphere of involvement and support.
The topics explored were vast ranging, from the traditional to the new and exciting, in line with this year’s theme, Brave new world. There did seem to be an emphasis on hip fractures and the care of the older orthopaedic patient, which reflects the high public profile that this group of patients is receiving at present. As an area within which orthopaedic nurses can have such a positive impact, it was really great to see such concurrence in this field.
My favourites...
Presentations of note for me included those from Anna Timms, Julie Santy and Maria Vincent, who were concluding their work on pin site care consensus (this has since published on the RCN website). I was also particularly interested in a presentation by Mandy Layzell from Poole who, alongside colleagues from her department, set up a nurse-led femoral nerve block service at her hospital. This is something that we are looking to begin at our trust and for that reason I have arranged to visit later this year; just one demonstration of the value of networking at the SOTN conference.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the presentation by Sonia Payne, who focused on orthopaedic nursing education, which again, felt well connected to the theme. She talked about nurses needing to lead the way in areas such as neurovascular examination, where correct identification and fast action can vastly affect the outcome for our patients with compartment syndrome.
I was a little disappointed by the number of posters presented this year, though those that were displayed were of a high standard and drew in a large number of delegates during the breaks.
And some sad departures...
It was also wonderful to hear from Elaine Collins who has chaired SOTN so well over the last five years. It was clearly emotional for her to be leaving the committee after so many achievements and friendships that have developed, though we know it’s not really goodbye and we will look forward to hearing about the new challenges that I am sure Elaine will be taking on!
Likewise we all found out that Chris Knight would be handing over the reins of Barebones to someone else from November. We will also look forward to hearing what Chris has been up to with her newfound freedom next year.
For me, the SOTN conference is the ideal time to meet with and talk to like-minded nurses who really care about advancing our chosen specialism, with quality patient care at the pinnacle of that. I really can’t wait for next year’s event, which will be the 25th year of SOTN conferences – hopefully we’ll all last a little longer on the dance floor then than we did in Bristol!
Conference award winner
At the conference, elective Nurse Practitioner Allison Armstrong, from Southampton Universities Hospital Trust, was awarded the Lord Mayor Treloar and Gauvain Memorial Book Prize for Orthopaedic Nurses in the South East of England and the Channel Islands. Allison was commended as a good advocate for her patients and a role model for her colleagues. A strong believer in never asking anyone to do a job she would not do herself, she supports and encourages staff to deliver the best and most evidence-based care to patients.
Want to apply?
We shall be proceeding with the 2012 Lord Mayor Treloar Award shortly so would welcome nominations for orthopaedic nurses in the south east of England and Channel Islands. The new contact is Delia Thomas, (graythomas@btinternet.com) or you can post to: Hope House, 17 Kings Road, ALTON GU34 1PZ.
ANZONA conference 2011
A report by SOTN committee member Karen Hertz
Share and share alike...
I was lucky to be able to attend the Australia and New Zealand Orthopaedic Nurses Association (ANZONA) conference, held 27–29 October this year in Brisbane, South Queensland. I was presenting a paper about our successes in the UK with improvement in patient care for people following hip fracture, as a result of the audit of practice through the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD). This subject is particularly pertinent to our Australian colleagues, as they are working very hard to establish an Australian NHFD.
There was so much to be gained as an international delegate – it made me reflect on the fact that, although our health care systems are very different, our clinical practice issues, patient care and motivating factors are very similar. Most importantly the opportunity to network was never overlooked and the social events were as well organised as the conference.
A question of geography
There were, however, some significant differences to clinical practice problems due to the vastness of Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania. For example, an orthopaedic nurse working as an occupational health nurse for a mining company about 12 hours’ drive from the nearest town described her role, which involved working two weeks’ straight on, dealing with industrial accidents, snake bites and chemical spills as well as liasing with the flying doctor service to collect people when they needed hospitalisation. This theme was recurrent in a number of the trauma presentations, which described receiving patients from the flying doctor service, by plane, helicopter or ambulance, up to seven hours after major trauma.
Building ties
I really learnt a lot from the presentations at the conference and equally it made me reflect on my practice as an orthopaedic nurse. I came home feeling really positive about the future of international orthopaedic nurses and nursing, with the continued strengthening of our individual societies through the International Collaboration of Orthopaedic Nurses (ICON). ANZONA is holding its next conference in Melbourne in October 2013 – hope to see you there!