Medicines Australia’s Continuing Education Program (CEP) is designed to educate medical representatives to a recognised industry standard. Dr Tristan Ling, CEP Academic Lead and Project Manager at the College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania talks about the 900 students that come through the program each year.
The CEP is primarily directed at medical representatives working within the prescription medicines industry, but is also recommended to people who may not be currently employed within the industry but would like to pursue a career as a medical representative. It is also available to personnel working for organisations interacting with the pharmaceutical industry.
Medicines Australia CEO Elizabeth de Somer talks about how the CEP program provides the information needed by medical representatives, that talk to health care professionals, talk with accuracy, balance and in an evidence based manner about their products.
Australian Health Journal spoke with recent CEP graduates Samantha Wicks, Christopher Lems and Megan-Anne Jefferys on their experiences in the program and how it positively impacted their confidence and knowledge of the industry.
The CEP is currently offered online through the University of Tasmania’s Unit for Medication Outcomes Research and Education (UMORE), which is housed in the University’s Pharmacy Division.
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Shared experiences in written blogs help early career nurses.
When Emerging Nurse Leader, Lucy Osborn MACN started her career in nursing, she knew the importance of continuing development and learning.
In 2017 she started to write “The Scrubs That Fit” blog series for the Australian College of Nursing blog NurseClick. Lucy first started to write to keep a journal of her experiences, and an opportunity to improve her writing skills. To date, over 50 articles have been written in all areas of interest for new nurses.
As students and early career nurses Carina Fernandes and Hayley Pollock both found the writing invaluable for their transition. Hayley comments, “I don’t feel alone in what I’m experiencing and there are helpful tips in being a student as well as transitioning to being a graduate. It answers the questions I don’t always feel I can ask face to face”.
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Bionic eye trial shows improvements in functional vision for retinitis pigmentosa
Results of the first clinical trial of Australia’s ‘second generation’ bionic eye have demonstrated ‘substantial improvement’ in four participants’ functional vision, daily activities and quality of life over a period of more than two and a half years.
Led by the Centre for Eye Research Australia, Bionics Institute, University of Melbourne and Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, the trial findings add to interim results which showed that the second-generation bionic eye developed by Australian company Bionic Vision Technologies provided rapid improvements for four patients with blindness caused the genetic eye condition retinitis pigmentosa.
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Addressing Wound Management
The cost of chronic wounds in Australia is estimated to be $3 Billion per year, impacting 420,000 Australians. Not only is this a national economic concern, but more importantly, is the suffering the person may be going through.
Australian Health Journal met with Hayley Ryan, Board Director and Chair at Wounds Australia and Director at WoundRescue to hear her work in chronic wound management, palliative wounds and pressure injury prevention to comfort those living with a wound.
