I am writing to let you know that we have received funding from BMS & Gilead to roll-out the ASHM/AHA Hepatitis B Nursing course in Melbourne  before the end of the year, with dates proposed as  11-12 October.

We are also running the course in Adelaide on 25-26 October and Brisbane on 29-30 November, with the same funding source.

 The national, comprehensive hepatitis B nursing curriculum (Hepatitis B Nursing: Advanced Nursing Management and Care), is designed to provide nurses with advanced, practical, evidence-based skills and knowledge in hepatitis B.

The course was developed by the National Hepatitis B Nursing Working Group, overseen by the Clinical Standards and Accreditation Panel and the National Hepatitis B Reference Committee. Funding for the curriculum development was received from the Australian Government, Department of Health and Ageing.

 The course is targeted at nurses with hepatology experience who are caring for patients with, or at risk of, chronic hepatitis B or other blood-borne viruses.

This includes, but is not limited to, nurses working in liver clinics, high caseload GP clinics and those working with priority populations, including culturally and linguistically diverse, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and refugee communities.

 The course, involving a combination of pre-reading, online and interactive face-to-face components, is aligned with the AHA Competency Standards for the Hepatology Nurse (2008) and the AHA Consensus-based Guidelines for the Nursing Care of Patients with Hepatitis B (2012).

The Australian Liver Association (ALA) has endorsed the curriculum and The Australian College of Nursing and Australian Practice Nurse Association (APNA) have reviewed the course and allocated it with the relevant continuing professional development hours.

The course was piloted in Sydney in May, 2012 and evaluated very positively. There are currently over 130 nurses nationally on the waiting list for future training. The Melbourne course will be free for nurses to attend and nurses from interstate are welcome.

 Would you be able to circulate this information through your networks and ask anyone you feel may be interested to contact us, to have their name added to the waiting list?

Registrations will open shortly.

Please let me know if you foresee any issues or if I can provide any further information.

Emily

 Emily Wheeler
Manager – Nursing Program 
National Policy and Education

Tel: +61 3 9341 5244 | Fax: +61 2 9212 2382 | E-mail: emily.wheeler@ashm.org.au
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