Well, I guess it's about time that I posted something about the 2011 conference in Perth. It was held on October 11-14 and I think it was the best one yet. As CRANAplus has grown, the conference organising has more and more become a staff responsibility, with a subsequent improvement in the quality and feel of the conference. The next step may be to use a conference organiser, but we'll see how things go with the current setup.
The conference kicked off on the Tuesday evening with a cocktail event, a combination of opening ceremony and presentation of the inaugural Fellows of CRANAplus, as well as the annual presentation of graduates from relevant postgraduate courses in remote health. I was privileged to become a CRANAplus Fellow, as well as being recognised for my recently acquired Master of Remote Health Practice - Nurse Practitioner qualification. So it was two walks to the podium for me!
On Wednesday morning, the conference proper got under way with a keynote address from Professor Colleen Hayward and a smorgamsbord of interersting and informative talks from presenters around Australia. This continued until lunch time on the Friday, with some very special treats on the way. A presenter from the Solomon Islands shared some of his work in the Solomon Islands Red Cross, and a group of Rural Health Club students amazed us with their passion for remote health. The catering along the way was superb, and facilitated many opportunities to chat with colleagues. One of the highlights of the CRANAplus conferences is the chance to catch us with old friends, and make new ones. This time was no exception, as I saw people who I hadn't caught up with since last year's conference, and added a lot of new people to my list of contacts.
My own presentation entitled "Dealing with uncertainty in remote and isolated practice" was on Friday morning, and was well received. I have been asked by a number of people if they could use it in presentations of their own, and also if I could present it in other settings in the NT. No worries, I'm happy to share what I've learned, and if it helps others, so much the better!
Next year, the 30th CRANAplus Conference will be held in Cairns, and I can hardly wait.
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