Membership News

Membership renewal was due in March so if you have not renewed your membership please do so soon. If you cannot find your membership renewal form, you can download a membership form.

Do continue to advertise the benefits of ARNA membership to your colleagues. Membership of ARNA affords us access to valuable education and networking opportunities within our speciality that otherwise would not exist. In addition, we receive the quarterly JARNA and, importantly, our speciality is represented on local and national nursing bodies.

Annual Study Day

The NSW/ACT chapter annual study was held on March 26th at Epping Club with 55 participants attending. The study day was planned around the theme of ‘Teaching and Coaching’ and we were fortunate to have a variety of speakers around this theme. Sue McIntosh (from the Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney) gave participants a lot to think about. She spoke about whether our work environments provide adequate challenges to motivate staff or whether there is a culture of complacency in work places with associated poor receptiveness to new ideas. Sandra Lever provided an update on rehabilitation activities in NSW which included an update on the National Rehabilitation Strategy and some useful resources for rehabilitation nurses from the GMCT website at www.health.nsw.gov.au/gmct. These resources include Continence Assessment Tools from Enable NSW as well as resources from the State Spinal Cord Injury Service. Renee Bittoun (University of Sydney) provided a very interesting and well received presentation on ‘Useful Valid tools to help Smokers Quit’. Lara Friedman spoke from a consumer perspective challenging us to think about the language used by health professionals and whether terms such as “stand-by assistance” have the same meaning for everyone. We were also fortunate and pleased to have Dr Julie Pryor facilitate the afternoon session with an interactive workshop on the application of Teaching and Coaching in our rehabilitation nursing practice. The evaluations from the day were very positive.

Chapter Committee Meetings

Chapter committee meetings are held throughout the year with the minutes posted on the ARNA website. Chapter members are welcome to attend. The next meeting is taking place on Monday 12th July at 4pm at Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney.

Annual General Meeting

Our AGM is scheduled to take place on Friday 30th July from 5pm at Waterview (Dooleys at Silverwater). This year’s AGM will take the form of a study supper session. Further details will be posted on the ARNA website and via snail mail together with nomination forms for committee membership. The current committee is looking for enthusiastic members with new ideas to help drive the Chapter forward. Does that sound like you? If so, we want to receive your nomination welcome you at the AGM. Please be aware that we need to know numbers for the evening in advance.

Please contact Gillian Garrett (gillian.garrett@royalrehab.com) or Amanda Buzio (amanda.buzio@royalrehab.com) if you would like further information.

Scholarships

ARNA NSW/ACT offers two $1000 scholarships each year to members for the purposes of study/conference/research. Anyone who has been a member for two consecutive years or more is eligible to apply. Full details are available on the ARNA website. Please forward applications to the Chapter President or Secretary.

2009-2010 ARNA NSW/ACT Chapter Committee

Contact

Gillian Garrett
NSW/ACT Chapter President
T: (02) 9808 9289
E: gillian.garrett@royalrehab.com.au

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