Subjects: Specific Career Information

Like all health care professionals, nurses have many variables to consider when administering patient care, in order to deliver desirable and effective outcomes. This is equally true in community, hospitals, and aged care facilities. Care plans, clinical pathways and critical pathways are some of the tools available for the management of patient care, allowing for a systematic and holistic multi-disciplinary approach to patient care. This program explains these tools and provides insight into their implementation and evaluation. Additionally, the program presents some of the innovative technological developments and initiatives that are seeing advancements in patient care management.

The goal of post-stroke rehabilitation is to enable an individual who has survived a stroke to reach the highest possible level of independence and be as productive as possible. Nurses are integral to the multidisciplinary team responsible for a stroke survivor’s rehabilitation program. This comprehensive video-based resource provides nurses with a full overview of their role in post-stroke rehabilitation. With expert insight from a clinical neuropsychologist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, physiotherapist, and social worker, we provide an overview of stroke and its impacts on the patient, the process of post-stroke rehabilitation, the role of nurses in rehabilitation, and the importance of total patient education.

In some cases, stroke is a life-threatening medical emergency that leaves the victim with permanent disability. But for many stroke patients, there’s a lot that can be done through quick medical attention, good rehabilitation and community support. In this program, two stroke victims take us through their experiences and explain the affects stroke has had on their lives. We speak to experts, including Professor John Oliver, Director of Rehabilitation at Epworth HealthCare to help us understand more about the physiology of stroke, what a stroke actually is, the warning signs, symptoms and risk factors.

Health professionals have a responsibility to provide clear, concise and appropriate information to colleagues, patients and the wider community. This essential program employs a dynamic combination of dramatised scenarios, real footage on the ward, and expert comment from health professionals, to get to the heart of communication in a health care setting. It discusses how nurses can communicate more effectively, and examine blocking behaviours that we can all fall into. It also delves into specific day-to-day situations faced by nurses, demonstrating how to break bad news, providing strategies for effective handover, and responding appropriately to aggression.

Delirium and dementia are two of the most common mental disorders elderly people face. Depression is also common in elderly people and often presents with symptoms similar to dementia or delirium. The differentiation between these three conditions can be difficult because many symptoms overlap. As the cause of so much suffering and discomfort, it is important these conditions are effectively addressed by medical staff. This program defines these conditions by detailing symptoms and speaking to medical experts. Potential risk factors, causes of delirium and assessment criteria for all three conditions are outlined along with a brief summary of management strategies.

Depression is the most common mental illness amongst adults. It’s characterised by feelings of hopelessness and numbness. We all know what it’s like to feel depressed, but to suffer from depression is another thing entirely. In this program, we meet two sufferers and find out first-hand what it’s like to experience the journey through depression and recovery. We speak to Professor Graham D. Burrows, Chairman of the Mental Health Foundation of Australia and other industry professionals, to examine the unique characteristics the disease presents and the importance of ongoing support for sufferers. A moving insight into this often misunderstood disease.

As health professionals we must support patients and their families, carers and friends as they grapple with their own personal experiences of loss and grief. In this insightful program we take a holistic approach to understanding and responding to loss and grief. We speak frankly with Christine McMahon, who lost her only son in Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, about her personal experience of extreme loss and grief. Experts in counselling and palliative care help us to recognise loss and grief and employ practical strategies to support a person who is battling through one the most difficult times in their life.

Death is inevitable and a natural part of life, but for the patient this important time can be difficult for the dying person and also their family and close friends. Therefore a health professional’s role is to support the patient with maintaining their quality of life in this last stage of life. In this program we provide an introduction to the important aspects of good end of life care, looking closely at the key aims of end of life care, outlining the importance of advanced care planning; examine the use of medication and nutrition; and types of support offered for grieving families and friends. This program also features a number of health professionals who provide their expertise for this difficult topic.