CNSA Annual Congress 2019 Melbourne

by Kate Wakelin, NET Nurse

Last week I was very pleased to be once again able to attend the Cancer Nurses Society of Australia Annual Congress, held in Melbourne. This has always been a fantastic opportunity to learn and network with other cancer nurses from around Australia, and this one was no different.

For me, the absolute highlight was being involved in our pre-congress workshop “Neuroendocrine Tumours – not as rare as you think!”. I’ll let Meredith tell you more about that, but it was so lovely to be able to have our own patient Jane Brewin come along to share her story (providing the nurses with a few good belly laughs along the way!)

We were also very proud to have worked with South Australian NET Nurse Jessica Mercurio, in publishing her first conference poster “Get on Track – a virtual walking challenge for people affected by neuroendocrine tumours in South Australia”. This was a very successful project that Jessica ran with our Adelaide NET Support Group last year. Click here to see her poster.

During the sessions it was great to have my brain stretched, learning more about medical cannabis and the new technological developments in hospitals and healthcare, with infusion pumps relating directly to digital patient records, robotics, and the role of wearable devices. I was also able to hear experts ponder the expanding role of the specialist cancer nurse, and an in-depth discussion around the new Victorian laws on Voluntary Assisted Dying.

Our Unicorn Foundation booth was once again very busy, with many nurses from around the country coming to chat to Meredith and myself about their experiences with people affected by NETs in their own hospitals. Many booklets were taken, and our Health Professionals Network numbers have swelled to over 150 members. It was also wonderful to catch up with many of the pharmaceutical companies and other non-government organisations that Unicorn Foundation interacts with.

Overall this was a highly successful conference. Next year’s conference will be in Brisbane, with the theme “Precision Care Everywhere”. I’m already looking forward to attending!