New training program designed for rural and remote nurses

The Rural Generalist - Nurse Education Team (RG-NET) will work with hundreds of rural and remote nurses across the region, with the focus on refining and improving clinical assessment and management skills.

Jaime Coello, RG-NET Operational Manager, said that the training will benefit both nurses and patients.

"It really is about making sure our nurses have a solid base of skills across the district, especially regarding assessments and hand over skills," he said.

"We are using face-to-face education backed up with practical training to achieve better communication and better outcomes for both nurses and their patients.

"The training has been well received with most staff eager to participate and managers have been appreciative of the opportunity."

Stage 1 of the RG-NET program started in August and was initially implemented into 12 sites including Blayney, Grenfell, Gulgong, Rylstone and Molong.

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The next rollout will take place from February to April, then May to July, with further sites including Oberon, Trundle and Gilgandra.

WNSWLHD Northern Sector General Manager, Brian Bonham said that rural and remote nurses had a unique job to do that was becoming more specialised as the health needs, expectations and the general health landscape changed.

"RG-NET aims to up-skill our nurses with theory and practical clinical skills to be able to perform a range of assessments when caring for patients in rural and remote sites," he said.

"It is important that when our nurses are working with virtual services like the Virtual Rural Generalist Service (VRGS) and vCare, or the local GP, that they can perform practical clinical assessments in relation to a patient's condition and be able to communicate this effectively with the medical services to expedite the care of the patient.

"It is also an exciting opportunity for our nurses in rural and remote locations providing a new form of professional development and mentoring."

RG-NET works with nurses to give them theory and practical experience to refine their clinical skills in a number of different assessment areas including respiratory, abdominal, neurological, cardiovascular, obstetric and gynaecological, ENT and eye, mental health, drug and alcohol, geriatric nursing, palliative care, and simple acute wound closure and limb immobilisation.