CONFERENCE SYNOPSIS:

Ready to sharpen your skills and boost your confidence in cardiac and respiratory assessment?

Join us for an engaging 8-day conference aboard a fabulous cruise ship. Designed for both novice and experienced nurses—as well as midwives looking to expand their knowledge — this event is all about helping you feel more capable, confident, and prepared in your role.

With healthcare becoming more complex, advanced assessment skills are no longer optional — they’re essential for nurses stepping into many varied roles, making critical decisions, and supporting their teams.

This conference offers practical, easy-to-understand strategies that you can start using right away, all in a supportive and enjoyable setting.

Relax, recharge, and learn from highly regarded content that has been praised by nurses and midwives for years. Combine professional development with time to connect with peers and soak up the cruising experience.

Step off the ship with more confidence, skills, and clarity to take your practice to the next level.

Advanced assessment skills are essential for nurses because they significantly enhance the quality of patient care, improve patient outcomes, and encourage professional growth. As healthcare becomes more complex, nurses increasingly take on more in-depth assessment and critical thinking roles.

Nurses with advanced assessment skills are more likely to take on leadership roles in clinical settings, such as team leader, clinical nurse specialist, or nurse practitioner. These roles often involve independent decision-making, complex clinical judgment, and collaboration with other healthcare providers.

This conference is for novice and experienced nurses who want to gain confidence in cardiac and respiratory assessment. Its content has been highly evaluated over many years. Midwives would also benefit from this knowledge, as pregnant women have increased co-morbidities that require advanced cardiac knowledge.

The conference commences with cardiac assessment and aims to empower all nurses to perform an expert clinical assessment of a patient deteriorating with cardiac disorders.
Anne will address two vital subjects at length: the interpretation of 12 lead ECGs (electro cardio gram) and life-threatening Long QT interval syndrome. Cardiac auscultation will be demonstrated, and the link to deterioration and scenarios will be explained.

We will then explore the significance of advanced respiratory assessment, commencing with an explanation of a variety of respiratory disorders, many of which are life-threatening.
Continuing, we will also discuss the following:

• the increased incidence of vaping by adolescents and the effects on the respiratory system
• the increasing prevalence of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and the nurses’/midwives’ responsibilities relating to oxygen administration
• chest auscultation
• interpretation of chest x-rays and
• interpretation of arterial blood gases (ABG)

LEARNING OUTCOMES

In this conference you will:

• Explore the general cardiac assessment of a deteriorating patient with cardiac compromise
• Gain expert knowledge and skills in the interpretation of arrythmias and 12-lead ECG
• Discuss the general respiratory assessment of a deteriorating patient with respiratory compromise
• Investigate communication skills and tips that will obtain immediate action for your patient from other members of the health care team

YOU WILL ALSO LEARN

• To recognise a patient deteriorating with a cardiac disorder
• To interpret deterioration of a monitored patient
• To recognise a patient deteriorating with a respiratory disorder or condition
• Interesting respiratory conditions such as silicosis, psittacosis and, legionnaires disease, and the deadly emerging C.auris
• To read a chest x-ray
• The presentation on the chest x-ray of a variety of disorders such as: heart failure, pneumothorax, pneumonia and placement of various catheters
• To recognise Becks Triad and relate to the deteriorating patient with a pericardiac effusion
• The anatomy of the lung fields, examining the lobes and landmarks for auscultation
• To auscultate both the lungs and the heart
• The significance of a post- operative patient who develops crackles and shortness of breath
• How syncope or mild fitting can be misdiagnosed and relate this to the Long QT (LQT) interval syndrome
• To perform the clinical assessment of a collapsed patient and address the controversy of performing pulses
• The vital role ward nurses have in managing a patient after an antidepressant overdose and the required knowledge of all nurses in this serious disorder of LQT
• The assessment of chest pain in a pregnant woman or in the post-partum period
• ANZCOR’s (Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation) Resuscitation guidelines relating to PEA (pulseless electrical activity) cardiac arrest
• The common arrhythmia associated with a post op haemorrhage or trauma
• The significance of recognition of a murmur

CPD HOURS: 24

Our Presenters:

Anne Evans-Murray
R.N., BHlthSc, MACCCN, Grad.Dip Ed, MEd, Dip Counselling, GradCertCritCare, CertIV Training and Assessment, CertIV in Mediation

Anne has a passion for teaching, which she does in an unpretentious way that ensures you will understand and retain what she presents and enjoy this learning experience. She has extensive experience, over 26 years lecturing for Gold Coast Health District and Griffith University. Currently, she is a guest lecturer at Bond University medical school.

Anne is a frequent presenter at workshops, conferences & seminars throughout Australia & New Zealand on subjects such as high dependency nursing, cardiac arrhythmias & ECG interpretation, chest x-rays interpretation, clinical assessment of the deteriorating patient, assertion training and leadership.

She conducts accredited advanced life support training for nurses, doctors, and paramedics. Anne is passionate about empowering all clinical staff through increased awareness and knowledge of the critically ill patient’s condition so that timely intervention is implemented, which will benefit patient outcomes.

She is the author of three books: “ECGs Simply”, “Interpretation of Chest X-rays Simply” and ‘Uncomplicating Life, Simply’. Her ECG book is a textbook sold in many universities in Australia.

The Cruise Ship: Carnival Splendor

It’s hard to tell which onboard space best represents Carnival Splendor — they all seem to hint at the amazing time you’re going to have. El Morocco Lounge hosts comedy shows, musical performances, karaoke and more… and wears its 1930s namesake clearly on its nameplate. The words “Royal Flush Casino” incite visions of winning, while our onboard jazz club — The Cool — simply says it all without saying a word. And Fahrenheit 555^™ can be found not only at the height of elegant dining, but at the actual apex of the ship.

If you like your fun to flow, there are options aplenty. If you list “splishing” and “splashing” among your favorite things to do, there’s Carnival WaterWorks^™. Those into sitting and sliding are invited to try the all-new Green Lightning thrill-slide. How about floating or swimming around? Carnival Splendor has pools all over the place, including the midship pool featuring a retractable roof that makes any day a pool day. So whether you splish or splash, you’ll find hydro-excitement galore.

If relaxation is your thing, Serenity Adult-Only Retreat^™ is more your place. Or if you’re looking to take relaxation to the extreme, direct your attention to the Cloud 9 Spa^™, featuring more (and better) ways to kick back than just about anywhere else, on land or at sea. You haven’t lived until you’ve relaxed in a Thalassotherapy pool, or chilled — so to speak — in a dry heat chamber.

The Program:

The program content is provided by expert Nurse Educators with extensive clinical and education experience. The education content provided in this program meets the same exacting standards as anything offered in an Australian land-based program. No matter what conference you attend you always need accommodation. A cruise ship provides a great all-inclusive* accommodation option to enhance your Conference experience. Education at Sea and The Nurses for Nurses Network combine great education with fabulous travel adventures. We have taken a holistic approach to Nursing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to ensure you get the most out of your education-travel experience.

The Online Library

The Library has been created so that you have access to some of the Conference content prior to our sail date. The documents, including self-directed activities and webinars, from our Conference Presenter, are provided so that you can create your own conference experience and access information and sessions of interest prior to the commencement of the Conference program.

Disclaimer: Sessions are correct at time of publication. Sessions are subject to change without notice due to circumstances beyond the control of the organisers. NFNN and EAS reserves the right to alter charges, cancel, postpone, change or withdraw the product or service at any time.