ACORN Education news
International Nurses Day 2023
International Nurses Day (IND) was celebrated on Friday 12 May 2023 to commemorate the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. This year the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has chosen the theme Our Nurses. Our Future. It will be a global celebration and part of a yearlong campaign - Value, Respect, Protect and Invest - which sets out what we want for nursing in the future in order to address the global health challenges and improve global health for all.
ACORN IND 2023 Photo Competition
Thank you for all the entries from teams across Australia celebrating being nurse proud and IND 2023.
The photo competition winner... Congratulations to the Logan Theatre Team!
"My team make me so proud, I can't be there, and they have decorated the hallway. We have lots of new staff, so I suggested that we put our photos up with our name on them to see who our Nurses are." - Angela
The Logan Theatre team created a video as Angela (their IND leader) was unable to be there for IND 2023 setup and celebrations. Check out their video on ACORN Facebook or Instagram - don't forget to follow us if you don't already too.
Courses
How are your new graduate nurses going in theatre? Have you had a lot of new starters?
Do they need some extra support and knowledge? It may be worth pointing them towards the ACORN’s range of “Fundamentals of…” courses. These courses provide a comprehensive suite of content designed to ensure all fundamental perioperative nursing topics are covered.
To find out more about each of the courses available, visit the Education Shop, or click on the links below and follow the prompts.
Each course ranges from 16-20 CPD points and are mapped and approved in line with NSQHS Standards.
Don’t forget that ACORN members receive a 15% discount on all course registration fees!
Email education@acorn.org.au to receive your ACORN member discount coupon code.
Webinars
ACORN Education webinars are free for all ACORN members - this is a member benefit of being part of the ACORN community. Ensure that you login to your ACORN account to access these webinars.
If you are not an ACORN member and would like to purchase a 12-month ACORN webinar subscription to access all webinars click on button below. From there, you can create an account, select 'ACORN Webinars' from the catalog and follow the prompts.
Purchase 12-month webinar subscription
If you haven't already we encourage you to watch ‘Surgeon’s Perspective: Hazards of Surgical Plume & Challenges of Smoke Evacuation Implementation’, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. Dr Mok provided an engaging look at some of the challenges he experienced in implementing smoke evacuation in his healthcare facility, and some suggestions for our Australian perioperative community in implementing this in their own facilities. Our participants provided some very thought-provoking questions for Dr Mok and the rest of the perioperative community.
Watch the webinar on-demand here
Special Interest Groups
Are you passionate about a particular area of perioperative nursing? You may want to consider joining one of the ACORN Special Interest Groups to connect with like-minded passionate nurses and industry experts.
Existing SIGs:
- Perioperative Managers
- Sterilisation safety (supported by 3M)
- Perioperative PhD Group
- Preceptors and facilitators
- Perioperative ENs
International Nurses Day 2023
International Nurses Day (IND) will be celebrated on Friday 12 May 2023 to commemorate the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. This year the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has chosen the theme Our Nurses. Our Future. It will be a global celebration and part of a yearlong campaign - Value, Respect, Protect and Invest - which sets out what we want for nursing in the future in order to address the global health challenges and improve global health for all.
How are you and your team celebrating IND?
The ICN have posters and resources you can download for your workplace.
Enter ACORN's photo competition to win prizes.
More information and get invovled in IND 2023
Perioperative Mentorship Program
Last month saw the applications finalised for the ACORN Perioperative Mentorship Program. We are excited to announce that all successful participants have been notified and due to commence the program 1 May 2023. We are looking forward to seeing these future perioperative leaders flourish!
Courses
How are your new graduate nurses going in theatre? Have you had a lot of new starters?
Do they need some extra support and knowledge? It may be worth pointing them towards the ACORN’s range of “Fundamentals of…” courses. These courses provide a comprehensive suite of content designed to ensure all fundamental perioperative nursing topics are covered.
- Fundamentals of Intraoperative Nursing
- Fundamentals of Anaesthetic Nursing
Each course ranges from 16-20 CPD points and are mapped and approved in line with NSQHS Standards.
For more information and to enrol.
Don’t forget that ACORN members receive a 15% discount on all course registration fees!
Email education@acorn.org.au to receive your ACORN member discount coupon code.
Webinars
ACORN Education webinars are free for all ACORN members - this is a member benefit of being part of the ACORN community. Ensure that you login to your ACORN account to access these webinars.
If you are not an ACORN member and would like to purchase a 12-month ACORN webinar subscription to access all webinars click on button below. From there, you can create an account, select 'ACORN Webinars' from the catalog and follow the prompts.
Purchase 12-month webinar subscription
We also had a wonderful turnout to the webinar ‘Surgeon’s Perspective: Hazards of Surgical Plume & Challenges of Smoke Evacuation Implementation’, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. Dr Mok provided an engaging look at some of the challenges he experienced in implementing smoke evacuation in his healthcare facility, and some suggestions for our Australian perioperative community in implementing this in their own facilities. Our participants provided some very thought-provoking questions for Dr Mok and the rest of the perioperative community.
Watch the webinar on-demand here
Bravura LSO Scholarship applications close 31 May 2023
Bravura Education is offering scholarships for ACORN members to complete a laser safety officer (LSO) training course (surgical and operating suite). In each round, one ACORN member from each state will be awarded a scholarship to do Bravura Education's LSO training.
This laser safety officer course is suitable for those who work in an operating suite or other clinical environments that use lasers. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the operation and hazards of lasers. The course is delivered online and takes eight to ten hours to complete. You can study at your own pace, in your own time and take as long as you like to do it. Assessment is a two-hour, online, open book exam.
Applications close 31 May 2023.
ACORN Research Grants
We are excited to announce the successful applicants for the 2023 ACORN Research Grants – Erin Wakefield and Penny Heidke. ACORN is committed to supporting perioperative nursing practices, including research. Research enables perioperative nurses to identify gaps in current practices and education, as well as generate evidence to address those gaps in order to provide evidence-based patient care.
Special Interest Groups
Are you passionate about a particular area of perioperative nursing? You may want to consider joining one of the ACORN Special Interest Groups to connect with like-minded passionate nurses and industry experts.
Existing SIGs:
- Perioperative Managers
- Sterilisation safety (supported by 3M)
- Perioperative PhD Group
- Preceptors and facilitators
- Perioperative ENs
Bravura LSO Scholarship applications
This scholarship remains open until 31 May 2023. Make sure to apply online to receive fee-free laser safety officer training. Multiple scholarships available each intake. This laser safety officer course is suitable for those who work in an operating suite or other clinical environments that use lasers. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the operation and hazards of lasers. The course is delivered online and takes eight to ten hours to complete. You can study at your own pace, in your own time and take as long as you like to do it. Assessment is a two-hour, online, open book exam.
Postgraduate studies scholarships
Thinking about future postgraduate studies in perioperative nursing?
Don’t forget that ACORN members can access fee waiver discounts towards post graduate qualifications (Graduate certificate level) through our partnership with the University of Tasmania. Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) are also available for H6F Graduate Diploma of Nursing (Specialisation). Apply online to commence your study.
For more information and to apply now
Are your new graduate perioperative nurses struggling?
Check out ACORN’s range of “Fundamentals of…” courses. These courses provide a comprehensive suite of content designed to ensure all fundamental perioperative nursing topics are covered. Each course is aimed at the novice perioperative nurse, and are mapped and approved in line with NSQHS Standards.
Each "Fundamentals of..." course ranges from 16-20 CPD points.
For more information and to enrol
Don’t forget that ACORN members receive a 15% discount on all course registration fees!
Email education@acorn.org.au to receive your ACORN member discount coupon code.
NEW Special Interest Group – Perioperative Managers
ACORN Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are expanding, and we would love to have our members be involved and have their voices heard. The purpose of the ACORN SIGs is to combine the expertise and experiences of like-minded perioperative nurses, so they can collaborate and support each other with a special interest focus. As the peak professional representative group for perioperative nurses across Australia, ACORN is in the unique position to create, support and maintain SIGs with the mission of advancing safe, quality perioperative nursing care for Australians.
Join a Special Interest Group now
Frequently asked questions
Did you know that the ACORN Education has a page for frequently asked questions?
Ensure to check out the FAQ page to see if your query has already been answered. If your query is not on the FAQ page, you can submit a specific enquiry via the Contact Us page and select "Education". This will then send your enquiry to the education team to respond. Please try to include as much detail as possible in your enquiry to provide context and clarity for ACORN when formulating a response.
Last month we celebrated 2023 International PeriAnaesthesia Week from 6 to 12 February. Nurses working in preanesthesia and postanaesthesia care, ambulatory surgery, and pain management are dedicated to caring for patients and their families. They are passionate about what they do as nurses. IPAW23 is an opportunity to educate nursing colleagues and the community about the professionalism and passionate care that is delivered by perianaesthesia nurses every day. This year saw the inaugural ACORN G.A.S. awards. The ACORN G.A.S. Awards highlight those who advocate for not only our patients, but for our future perianaesthesia nursing profession. They are Guiding to novice nurses, they are Approachable to colleagues, patients, and visitors, and have a Special gift of seeing the unseen.
Congratulations to our 2023 G.A.S. award winners:
- Bonnie Ward
- Julieanne Baddeley
Thank you to our perioperative community for the outstanding number of moving nominations. It was incredibly difficult to choose winners with so many wonderful perianaesthesia nurses making such a big difference every day to their perioperative teams, patients, and the wider Australian community.
Courses
Are you a new perioperative nurse, or looking for a refresher on perioperative fundamentals?
Check out ACORN’s range of “Fundamentals of…” courses. These courses provide a comprehensive suite of content designed to ensure all fundamental perioperative nursing topics are covered. Each course ranges from 16-20 CPD points and are mapped and approved in line with NSQHS Standards.
To find out more about each of the courses available, visit the Education Shop, or click on the links below and follow the prompts.
- Fundamentals of Intraoperative Nursing
- Fundamentals of Anaesthetic Nursing
- Introduction to Perioperative Practice (Medical Company Representatives)
Don’t forget that ACORN members receive a 15% discount on all course registration fees!
Email Education@acorn.org.au to receive your ACORN member discount coupon code.
ACORN and MedCast have teamed up to provide a 15% discount for ACORN members for their Advanced Life Support and Paediatric Advanced Life Support courses.
To find out more about each of the courses available click on the links below and follow the prompts.
Email education@acorn.org.au to receive your ACORN member Medcast discount coupon code.
Webinars
ACORN Education webinars are free for all ACORN members - this is a member benefit of being part of the ACORN community. Ensure that you login to your ACORN account to access these webinars.
If you are not an ACORN member and would like to purchase a 12-month ACORN webinar subscription to access all webinars, please click Webinars. From here, you can create an account, select 'ACORN Webinars' from the catalogue and follow the prompts.
Upcoming webinar:
Surgeon’s Perspective: Hazards of Surgical Plume & Challenges of Smoke Evacuation Implementation
Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
Date: Friday 31 March 2023
Time: 6.00pm AEDT
5.00pm QLD | 5.30pm SA | 4.30pm NT | 3.00pm WA
Surgical plume in the operating room (OR) could be considered a biohazard, even though this fact is often neglected. Dr Mok is one of the authors of 'Occupational Hazards of Surgical Smoke and Achieving a Smoke Free Operating Room Environment: Asia-Pacific Consensus Statement on Practice Recommendations' published in for a leading public health journal Frontiers in Public Health. He will share the potential risks of surgical smoke exposure, the safety precautions, and his perspective on implementing smoke evacuation in the hospital.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Are you passionate about a particular area of perioperative nursing? You may want to consider joining one of the ACORN Special Interest Groups to connect with like minded passionate nurses and industry experts. Visit the ACORN website for more information.
New ACORN SIGs:
- Perioperative Managers
- Sterilisation safety
Existing ACORN SIGs:
- Perioperative PhD group
- Preceptors and Facilitators
- Perioperative ENs
If you are interested in joining one of the ACORN SIG's, please complete the expression of interest form here.
ACORN 2023 Perioperative Leadership Summit (PLS)
The ACORN 2023 Perioperative Leadership Summit (PLS) aims to inspire and ignite current and emerging Perioperative leaders. Delegates will leave the summit equipped with not only the resources to support the delegate in their own leadership pathway but also be provided tools to foster meaningful change in their organisations and strengthen the next generation of Perioperative nurses. The PLS will allow the delegate to be surrounded with like-minded colleagues and leave with a wider and profound network of colleagues from around the country.
ACORN is dedicated to delivering an educationally focused event with a diverse showcase of keynotes, career-focused case studies, and presentations that cater for all levels of leadership.
Submissions sought for oral presentations to address the PLS theme - 'Together we grow'.
Dates and deadlines
Call for submissions open: Monday 20 February 2023
Call for submissions close: Friday 28 April 2023
Authors notified of results: Friday 2 June 2023
Presenter registration deadline: Friday 30 June 2023
Abstract Presentation: Friday 1 to Saturday 2 September 2023
**Please note that the closing date for submissions will not be extended.
We hope that you have had some time over the Christmas and New Year period to rest, relax and recharge for the year ahead. With so much going on in 2022, you may have missed some of the education events, conferences and resources that were released throughout the year. Thankfully, ACORN records all education presentations (where possible), and aims to improve member accessibility by having these available for those who are unable to attend in a live capacity.
ACORN 2022 Virtual Conference Series
Wanting to catch up on sessions you may have missed at the ACORN 2022 Virtual Conference Series? Those who participated in the virtual conference series in 2022 as delegates, corporate sponsors, and speakers, have complimentary access to view the session recordings as part of their registration fee. Those who did not participate, can still access the recordings by following the instructions below.
If you had not registered to attend the Virtual Conference Series in 2022, you can purchase a subscription to the recordings and view all sessions throughout the five-day series. Simply click on the link below to take you to the ACORN Education learning platform conference page, select 'register', and follow the prompts.
Click here to subscribe to the ACORN 2022 VCS
Subscription to the ACORN 2022 Virtual Conference Series recordings includes all five days worth of presentations. The subscription is valid for 12 months with the opportunity to extend if requested.
Courses
Are you a new perioperative nurse, or looking for a refresher on perioperative fundamentals? Check out ACORN’s range of “Fundamentals of…” courses. These courses provide a comprehensive suite of content designed to ensure all fundamental perioperative nursing topics are covered. Each course ranges from 16-20 CPD points and are mapped and approved in line with NSQHS Standards.
To find out more about each of the courses available, visit the Education Shop, or click on the links below and follow the prompts.
- Fundamentals of Intraoperative Nursing
- Fundamentals of Anaesthetic Nursing
- Introduction to Perioperative Practice (Medical Company Representatives)
Don’t forget that ACORN members receive a 15% discount on all course registration fees!
Simply email education@acorn.org.au to receive your member discount coupon code.
We are excited to announce a new collaboration to benefit our ACORN members for 2023!
ACORN and MedCast have teamed up to provide a 15% discount for ACORN members for their Advanced Life Support and Paediatric Advanced Life Support courses.
Simply email education@acorn.org.au to receive your ACORN member Medcast discount coupon code.
To find out more about each of the courses available click on the links below and follow the prompts.
Webinars
ACORN produces regular webinars each year to assist perioperative nurses with their professional development. The webinars are online seminars, presented by perioperative nurses, and clinical experts, from a range of specialities, and you can participate from the comfort of your own home. The webinars are recorded and available for viewing at any time.
ACORN Education webinars are free for all ACORN members - this is a member benefit of being part of the ACORN community. Ensure that you login to your ACORN account to access these webinars.
If you are not an ACORN member and would like to purchase a 12-month ACORN webinar subscription to access all webinars, please click Webinars. From here, you can create an account, select 'ACORN Webinars' from the catalog and follow the prompts.
Upcoming webinar:
Cell Care Collection - The what, why and how
Tuesday 21 February 2023 (2.00pm - 3.00pm AEDT)
Join Fiona Russell in discussing Cell Care Collection – The what, why and how for perioperative nurses. Cord blood and cord tissue are rich in powerful stem cells and can only be collected at birth for potential future use. Stem cells can be used now for medical treatments, and there is an expanding range of new therapies being researched that anticipate using cord blood and tissue in the future, e.g., type 1 diabetes, cerebral palsy and autism.
Click here to register your attendance
Special Interest Groups
The purpose of the ACORN Special Interest Groups (SIGs) is to combine the expertise and experiences of like-minded perioperative nurses to collaborate, create and support each other with a special interest focus. As the peak professional representative group for perioperative nurses across Australia, ACORN is in the unique position to have the opportunity to create, support and maintain SIGs with the mission of advancing safe, quality perioperative nursing care for Australians.
This year, we have opened up a new SIG for Perioperative Manager's, in addition to our existing SIG groups (Periop PhD, Periop ENs and Preceptors and Facilitators). These groups will continue to grow in number to encourage collaboration, consistency and peer support for like-minded
perioperative team members. We have a number of exciting new groups to be released throughout the year.
If you are interested in joining one of the ACORN SIG's, please complete the expression of interest form.
International PeriAnaesthesia Week (6 to 12 February 2023)
Don’t forget that International PeriAnaesthesia Week is fast approaching (6-12 Feb 2023). Make sure to get your team together to organise some fun activities and celebrations for the PeriAnaesthesia team!
As part of the celebrations of International PeriAnaesthesia Week, ACORN has introduced the ‘ACORN G.A.S. Awards’. We do love a good acronym here at ACORN!
These awards highlight those who advocate for not only our patients, but for our future PeriAnaesthesia nursing profession. They are Guiding to novice nurses, they are Approachable to colleagues, patients, and visitors, and have a Special gift of seeing the unseen.
Make sure to nominate your colleagues to go into the draw to win great prizes! Nominations are now open on the ACORN website.
Applications close Wednesday 8 February 2023 at 5pm AEDT.
December 2022
As the end of 2022 draws near, we still have a range of webinars and educational opportunities for you to engage in for your continuing professional development. Make sure to check out the ACORN What’s on posters – you can print them, display them on your education boards or in your clinical areas, or email them to colleagues so you never miss an event.
Tuesday 6 December: Local health district transition to sterile applicator skin preparation – the what, why and how (6.00–7.00 pm AEDT).
Join Lee-Ann Heta who will be presenting on her local health district transition to using a sterile applicator for pre-operative skin preparation. These presentations are a great opportunity to learn from our perioperative colleagues in new and innovative ways to improve patient safety and care. This webinar is sponsored by BD. Register here to attend.
Thursday 8 December: Perioperative roles – Nurse unit manager (4.00–5.00 pm AEDT).
Join us as registered nurse Michael Ashby shares his experience and journey as a nurse unit manager in the perioperative environment. Michael has had a number of perioperative roles in his career and is kind enough to share his journey with the wider perioperative nursing community. Here at ACORN, we want to shine a light on the amazing work our perioperative nurses are doing in all of their varied clinical settings. Register here to attend.
Thursday 15 December: ACORN Standards update (2.00–3.00pm AEDT).
Join Michelle Hibberson, ACORN Standards Officer, as she discusses updates to the ACORN Standards and answers your questions live. This will be the last ACORN Standards webinar for 2022 so please come along to have any of your standards questions answered and find out what is in store for 2023! Register here to attend.
The ACORN Research Grants applications are now open. ACORN is committed to supporting perioperative nursing practices, including research. Research enables perioperative nurses to identify gaps in current practices and education, as well as generate evidence to address those gaps in order to provide evidence-based patient care.
There are three types of grants available:
- Beginning researchers grants (for researchers at master’s [minor thesis/research] and undergraduate honours levels)
- Higher degree research grants (for researchers at doctoral level, post-confirmation)
- Early career research grants (for post-doctoral researchers).
Submit your application before 31 January 2023.
ACORN has received a number of enquiries about the ACORN Education Grants. Applications for these grants have closed for 2022 and will reopen 1 February 2023.
The ACORN Virtual Conference Series has now finished. What a fantastic five days of education, engagement and networking. We thank the speakers who presented their research and areas of expertise, and the wonderful attendees who provided great engagement, questions and feedback on their experiences. Delivering a conference via a virtual platform was a steep learning curve for all involved, but that’s what we do as nurses … continually learn. If you were unable to attend the Virtual Conference Series, session recordings are available. Contact administrator@acorn.org.au to discuss how to access these.
The upcoming ACORN SIG meetings will be the last meetings for 2022. Please find the dates and times below for your reference. We thank all the members of our special interest groups for their wonderful contributions, feedback and brainstorming about how we can continue to strive for best-practice, high quality perioperative nursing care for our patients.
- Education working party – Wednesday 7th December 2.00 pm (AEDT)
- Preceptors and facilitators – Thursday 1st December 2.00 pm (AEDT)
- Perioperative PhD Group – Monday 19th December 2.00 pm (AEDT)
ACORN’s Education enquiry service will be deactivated on Monday 19 December 2022 and will reopen on Monday 9 January 2023. We have had so many great enquiries throughout 2022 – 128 and counting! For any matters requiring assistance during this period, please contact administrator@acorn.org.au.
We hope that you have a wonderful closing out of 2022 and have some time to relax over the holiday season. Here’s to a positive 2023!
Thank you from everyone at ACORN Education for a tremendous year
ACORN’s Fundamentals of intra-operative nursing course is coming soon!
We are excited to announce that the Fundamentals of intraoperative nursing course is coming very soon! We have had great engagement and enrolments with our Fundamentals of anaesthetic nursing course and are looking forward to the expansion of these fundamentals courses for novice perioperative nurses entering the perioperative clinical environment and experienced perioperative nurses requiring revision of fundamental intra-operative nursing concepts and requirements.
This course will be delivered virtually at a time that suits you, with evidence-based learning content, engaging and interactive learning activities and test-your-knowledge sections to consolidate your learning! ACORN Members receive a 15 per cent discount on all ACORN Education courses!
Stay tuned to the ACORN website and ACORN socials for the official release of the course!
Preceptor and facilitator resource page now live!
This ACORN, member-only resource page has been developed by ACORN Education in collaboration with the Special Interest Group 'Perioperative preceptors and facilitators'.
Together, we have been developing tools and resources to assist both the preceptee (student or novice nurse) and the preceptor in providing a high-quality, consistent and safe orientation and learning experience in the perioperative environment. These resources are developed as a resource for those whose health service organisation may not already have these in place.
Pop on to the Preceptors and facilitators page ACORN website and have a look around.
ACORN Virtual Conference Series – Day 5 Health and wellbeing
The final day of the ACORN 2022 Virtual Conference Series is swiftly approaching! Day 5 of the conference series focuses on the health and wellbeing of our perioperative nursing community.
Following on from our wonderful PNW2022 N.U.R.S.E. selfcare activities, join us on Saturday 26 November 2022 for another instalment highlighting the importance of the health and wellbeing of our selves and colleagues. Let’s finish the year engaged, mindful and empowered!
Register now for Day 5 Health and wellbeing.
Upcoming webinars
Join us as Aziza Sahib (RN) shares her experience and journey as a Clinical nurse educator (scrub/scout) from 2.00 to 3.00 pm AEDT on Tuesday 15th November. Aziza has had several perioperative roles in her career and is kind enough to share her journey with the wider perioperative nursing community. Here at ACORN, we want to shine a light on the amazing work our perioperative nurses are doing in all their varied clinical settings.
You can also watch previous perioperative roles webinars.
Financial support and scholarships
This is the final call for applications for the Bravura LSO education scholarships. The Bravura LSO Education course is suitable for:
- nurses working in a perioperative environment that uses lasers (gynaecology, urology, otorhinolaryngology, plastic surgery, cardiology, neurology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology)
- personnel who need to have a comprehensive understanding of the operation and hazards of lasers (i.e., surgeons, physicians, laser nurses, Laser Safety Officers, other personnel working in the Nominal Ocular Hazard Zone)
nurses working in a perioperative environment who require evidence of laser safety education for license application to Queensland Radiation Health, Government of Western Australia Radiological Council, and the Tasmanian Government Radiation Protection Unit.
Submit your application. Applications close at 5.00 pm AEDT on Wednesday 30th November 2022.
Upcoming webinars
Join us as Yanna Vinas (RN) shares her experiences and journey as a scrub/scout nurse. Yanna has had a number of perioperative roles in her career and is kind enough to share her journey with the wider perioperative nursing community. Here at ACORN, we want to shine a light on the amazing work our perioperative nurses are doing in all their varied clinical settings. Register now for the ‘Perioperative roles: Scrub/scout nurse’ webinar on Friday 14th October 2.00–3.00 pm AEST.
Have an in-depth look at the ACORN Practice Audit Tools (PATs) with Michelle Hibberson, ACORN Standards Officer. A live question and answer session will follow Michelle's presentation. If you have any particular questions related to the ACORN PATs, please email these through to standards@acorn.org.au prior to the event. Register now for the ‘All things ACORN PATs’ webinar on Wednesday 26th October 12.00–1.00 pm AEST.
Perioperative Nurses Week 2022 (2nd to 8th October)
As the 2022 year is flying by, it’s time to get ready and excited for Perioperative Nurses Week 2022! The past few years have been challenging and unpredictable for our perioperative nursing community. This year, we want to focus on practical, realistic self-care for the perioperative nurse.
N.U.R.S.E Self-care
N – Nourish
U – Unplug
R – Rest
S – Soothe
E – Educate
Each day of PNW will have a self-care focus, with competitions, education and prizes. Stay tuned to our socials for daily updates, competition details and announcement of daily prize winners.
Last year saw the inaugural ACORN G.L.U.E. Awards acknowledging a special nurse who keeps the team together ‘like glue’. They are genuine, they make you laugh, they are unique and, above all, show empathy. After the amazing calibre of entries for the ACORN G.L.U.E. Awards last year, ACORN is continuing these awards in 2022 (proudly sponsored by Multigate).
We know that perioperative nurses ‘step up’ every day to be there for their colleagues, patients and the wider health care community. This year we want to see perioperative nurses ‘stepping up’ for self-care. Gather your team together, get your pedometers or smart watches, and start counting those daily steps to win big prizes.
ACORN’s ‘Fundamentals of anaesthetic nursing’ course is now live!
The ‘Fundamentals of anaesthetic nursing’ course is designed for novice perioperative nurses entering the perioperative clinical environment and experienced perioperative nurses requiring revision of fundamental anaesthetic nursing concepts and requirements. This course is designed to be consistent with ACORN’s Standards for Perioperative Nursing in Australia (16th ed) and the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards. Each fundamentals module is mapped with the NSQHS Standards and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) has authorised use the NSQHS Standards iconography.
This course is delivered virtually at a time that suits you, with evidence-based learning content, engaging and interactive learning activities, and test-your-knowledge sections to consolidate your learning! 
To register for the course, visit the ACORN Education Learning Platform or the ACORN Education Shop.
ACORN members receive a 15 per cent discount on all ACORN Education courses! Contact education@acorn.org.au for your member discount coupon code. Enter this coupon code at the checkout screen for your discount to be applied.
ACORN’s ‘Fundamentals of anaesthetic nursing’ course is now live!
The ‘Fundamentals of anaesthetic nursing’ course is designed for novice perioperative nurses entering the perioperative clinical environment, and experienced perioperative nurses requiring revision of fundamental anaesthetic nursing concepts and requirements. This course is designed in collaboration with the ACORN Standards for Perioperative Nursing in Australia (16th ed), and the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards. Each fundamentals module is mapped with the NSQHS standards and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) has authorised use of the NSQHS standards iconography.
This course is delivered virtually at a time that suits you, with evidence-based learning content, engaging and interactive learning activities, and test-your-knowledge sections to consolidate your learning!
To register for the course, visit the ACORN Education Learning Platform, or the ACORN Education Shop.
ACORN Members receive a 15% discount on all ACORN Education courses! Contact education@acorn.org.au for your member discount coupon code. Enter this code at the checkout screen for your discount to be applied.
Applications are now open for the Bravura Laser Safety Officer (LSO) scholarship. The Bravura LSO course is suitable for nurses working in a perioperative environment that uses lasers, personnel who need to have a comprehensive understanding of the operation and hazards of lasers and nurses working in a perioperative environment who require evidence of laser safety education for license application to Queensland Radiation Health, Government of Western Australia Radiological Council and the Tasmanian Government Radiation Protection Unit. All current ACORN members who have been members continuously for at least two years are eligible to apply. Apply now. Applications close 30 November 2022.
Webinar: How to apply for research grants 10.00–11.00am AEST Tuesday 20th September. Please join Professor Brigid Gillespie (Chair of the ACORN Research Committee) to go through helpful hints and essential requirements to make a note of when applying for research grants. If you have any questions that you would like to submit to Brigid prior to the webinar, please email these to education@acorn.org.au. Register now.
ACORN Virtual Conference Series
Conference Day 4 – Leadership and mentoring. Saturday 24th September from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm AEST.
Join us as we start the day with our fantastic keynote speaker Allison Evans.
Hailing from a clinical background with a Bachelor of Nursing, Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Nursing and Diploma of Business, Allison Evans’s career began as a registered nurse, working for major Victorian health care organisations across the public and private sector. Allison’s career path since joining Epworth HealthCare she has worked at different Epworth hospital sites, recently in roles of Director Perioperative Services, Chief Operations Manager at and Executive General Manager at Epworth Richmond, and currently as Acting Chief Operating Officer, Hospitals. Regularly called upon for her extensive health care knowledge, clinical know-how and operational nous, Allison plays a role in offering her guidance across all Epworth sites. Epworth Richmond is a 480-bed acute site and Allison’s role provides operational oversight of a myriad of departments, managers and daily on-goings at Epworth. Allison is also a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management, a mentor for future health care leaders and sits on Safer Care Victoria’s recently formed Victorian Perioperative Consultative Council.
Education grants
ACORN is passionate about ongoing education and professional development for our perioperative nursing community. In the words of Florence Nightingale ‘Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses… we must be learning all of our lives’. Education grants can be used towards tuition fees for post-graduate studies, industry-based qualifications or perioperative specialty area education event registration. Congratulations to our 2022 Education Grant recipients, Vibeke Skou and Alexandria Ryan.
Special Interest Groups
ACORN’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) continue to grow with an ever expanding base of knowledge, experience and perioperative perspectives. Upcoming SIG meetings include:
- Preceptors and facilitators (Wednesday 3rd August 2.00–3.00 pm AEST)
- Perioperative ENs (Wednesday 10th August 2.00–3.00 pm AEST)
- Perioperative PhD group (Monday 15th August 2.00–3.00 pm AEST)
If you are an ACORN member and would like to join one of the ACORN SIGs, please visit the ACORN website. If you have a perioperative topic, project or concern that you feel would benefit from having an ACORN SIG dedicated to it, please contact ACORN Education.
Perioperative Nurses Week 2022
Perioperative Nurses Week (PNW) 2022 is coming so it’s time to stop and take stock of the increidble work that perioperative nurses do, every day. PNW runs from Sunday 2nd October to Saturday 8th October 2022 and is full of competitions, prizes and events. This year’s theme is N.U.R.S.E. Selfcare (Nourish, Unplug, Rest, Soothe and Educate). Make sure you stay tuned to ACORN socials for daily updates and details. Download the ACORN PNW 2022 posters for your noticeboards.
ACORN Three-minute thesis competition
Entries are now open for the 2022 ACORN Three-minute thesis (3MT) competition. The ACORN 3MT competition celebrates the exciting perioperative research conducted by Australian higher degree research students. The 3MT cultivates students’ academic, presentation and research communication skills. The competition supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Visit the ACORN website for more information and to submit your entry. Entries close Friday 24th September 2022.
Perioperative roles webinars
We continue to share the varied journeys of our wonderful perioperative nursing community. Join us for the next installment of our Perioperative roles webinars. Join us as Tania Ramos shares her experiences and what she has learnt as a clinical nurse educator (perioperative) and in an allied health nursing education outreach program – Thursday 18th August 2022, 2.00–3.00 pm (AEST). Register now to attend this webinar.
ACORN Education is thrilled to be joined by Professor Joseph Ibrahim MBBS, GradCHE, PhD FAFPHM, FRACP, to unpack a case of anaphylaxis and the coroner's court process. ‘Anaphylaxis and the Coroner’s Court’ webinar is scheduled for 2.00–3.00 pm on Tuesday 12th July.Joseph is head of the Health Law and Ageing Research Unit, Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine and contributes to the research and teaching activities of the Centre of Research Excellence in Patient Safety, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine.
Joseph is also an Adjunct Professor of the Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University. He is the current editor of the Residential Aged Care Communiqué, the consultant editor for the Clinical Communiqué and a former regional editor for the International Journal for Quality in Health Care (2000-2004). Register now to attend this webinar.
The third day of the ACORN Virtual Conference Series – Advanced Practice Nursing is scheduled for Saturday 23rd July 2022 10.00 am – 5.00 pm AEST. Make sure you check out NP Catherine Smith’s keynote presentation ‘You don’t need permission to lead’ to start your day empowered and ready to move towards a Golden Future. We have a schedule packed full of inspiring and thought-provoking presentations and interactions. Visit the exhibition hall to meet and connect with our wonderful corporate partners and sponsors. Don’t forget that you also win points towards our gamification prizes by visiting and connecting with our exhibitors. Register now on the ACORN website.
Semester 2 commences for UTAS postgraduate students on 11th July 2022. Make sure to use your ACORN membership to receive fee waiver discounts towards your postgraduate education. The UTAS–ACORN member benefit applies to the Graduate Certificate in Nursing (H5F). Specialisations that are available to ACORN members under this scholarship include:
- Anaesthetics and recovery
- Perioperative nursing
- Leadership in practice
- Clinical nursing and teaching.
To be eligible for a UTAS scholarship you must be a current member of ACORN. Ensure that you submit proof of ACORN membership when you apply. Log in to your ACORN account and download your membership card as proof of membership. For more information about the courses available on the UTAS–ACORN membership benefit scholarship, please contact Health.Central@utas.edu.au, or phone 03 6226 4757.
