Education

Surgical Site Infection (2022)

We would like to acknowledge the dynamic Surgical Site Infections Working Group involved in planning and developing the resources and delivering a high-level educational week. Jeannette Henderson our Administrator, Desley Johnson & Maria ten Hove (Project Leads), Sharryn Cook, Alice Cowie, Sue Lee and Dr Richard Everts. This nurse/doctor team was selected for their expertise in this field. 

Webinar Video Presentations

Note:  Third-party cookies must be enabled to watch videos.

 1. ACC Data – Sue Lee

 2. Risk Factors - Alice Cowie

 3. Classifications of SSI's - Maria ten Hove

 4. Signs and Symptoms - Desley Johnson

 5. What Why Where Which When Who & How - Dr Richard Everts

 6. Educations for Patients - Sharryn Cook

 7. Dressing Selection - Maria ten Hove

 8. Resources and Recommendations - Sue Lee

Patient Resources

Health Navigator NZ

• Wound Healing
• Wound Infection - prevention and treatment
• Caring for Surgical Wounds at home
• Tips for Preparing for Surgery

ACC

• Search ACC Resources "wound infection"  click here for the search result
• Search ACC Resources "Preventing healthcare associated infections  - downloadable document  click here  for the search result

Clinical Resources

International Wound Infection Institute (IWII) 

International Surgical Wound Complications Advisory Panel (ISWCAP)

Infection Prevention and Control HQSC

Conference Scholarship Application Questions

Applications must be submitted using the Microsoft Forms link which will be posted at the appropriate time. Remember you must be logged in to see the link.

The following are compulsory questions that you need to complete online. For your convenience, we suggest you create a Word document with your answers so you can easily copy and paste them into the online form. Note that answers have a limit of 5000 characters, which is around 500 words, we suggest you leave off unnecessary formatting, such as lines.  When pasting your letter-of-support please copy text only and leave out graphics.

1. Name
2. Phone number
3. Email address
4. Employer Name
5. Job Title
6. How many years have you been a NZWCS member?
7. Which Scholarship are you applying for? Multiple choice.

* NZWCS Debridement Course
• $500 Wound-related Education Level 6 & 7
• $1000 post-graduate study in wound management. Level 8

8. Are you applying for funding through other organisations or your workplace? If so, please state how much and where from.
9. What is the Education/course you are applying for? Please outline the planned course of study.
10. What is the Educational Institution you will be studying with
11. Dates for the course you are attending.
12. Outline your involvement in NZWCS activities:
13. Show how you intend to use this learning to benefit yourself, your employer, your clients and the NZWCS
14. Professional Qualifications.  
15. Post-registration or post-graduate qualifications: include University/Polytech, Course, Year completed
16. State the number of years working in an area where wound management forms part of your practice 
17. Include relevant details from your Curriculum Vitae.  Exclude your name, personal details or information already given in questions 14 & 15 of this form. If you are copying/pasting, we advise you to check that all your information has been pasted correctly as there is a 5000-character cut-off (approximately 500 words)
18. State your practising certificate expiry date (if applicable)
19. Outline your present contribution to wound management at a local and/or regional/national level.
20. List any publications:
21. Support letter from your manager.  Copy and paste the text from your support letter here, do not include logos
22. Do you agree to complete a report suitable for the Tissue Issue within 3 weeks of completion of the study?  Yes/No/Other
23. What NZWCS scholarships have you received in the past?

By submitting the form you agree to the terms.

Scholarship Terms and Conditions for Further Study

The NZWCS scholarships are open to current Full or Corporate Members only. Commercial Members are not eligible for these scholarships.

You must

• Have been a member for a minimum of one year at the time of application.
• Have the support of your manager to attend the conference.
• Not have been a recipient of a NZWCS Scholarship within the last 24 months.
• The academic scholarships can be applied for two months before the start of the course. The closing date will be one month before the start of the course.
• Show that you are currently employed in an area where they conduct wound care as part of their role or are involved in relevant wound education.
• Provide a report to the NZWCS National Committee detailing the study programme or event and the benefits and knowledge gained from it. These reports may be published in the NZWCS newsletter, Tissue Issue, and/or on the NZWCS website.

The scholarship may be held concurrently with another scholarship or bursary and is non-taxable in New Zealand.

The scholarships will be tenable for one year and can only be applied for in the 12 months following the announcement of scholarship recipients.

The scholarship recipient will be expected to allow media cover of their receipt of the award.

Each award will be made on merit, taking into consideration the nature of the planned study, how the participant intends to relate it to their own work, as well as the applicant's academic merit and participation in the profession.

Applications are to be completed using the online survey which you can find when logged in on the Scholarships Further Study page, see the “Further Study Scholarship Online Application Form” box. This information is then sent to the NZWCS Administrator, who will coordinate a blind peer review by representatives from the NZWCS National Committee or Education Advisory Group. In any year, this group may refrain from making a recommendation if no suitable applicants are found. In the case of disagreement, the application will be reviewed by two other Committee members. The Committee’s decision is final.

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Asepsis and Aseptic Technique (WAW 2023)

The Wound Awareness Week is to raise awareness of the prevention of healthcare-acquired infections (HAI), including surgical site infections and soft tissue infections, through the appropriate use of aseptic technique by healthcare professionals.

Webinar Video Presentations

Bugs in Colour (Incorrect technique)    https://vimeo.com/353936150
Password: Aseptic2019

Bugs in Colour (Correct technique)    https://vimeo.com/388349100
Password: Aseptic2020

Free e-learning module

A new e-learning module is available to help you reduce the risk of healthcare-associated Infections (HAIs) from occurring while treating patients.

Often occurring in surgical sites, IV lines or catheters, HAIs can have a huge impact on patients’ lives – they cause unnecessary pain and can lead to long-term disability or even death.

The New Zealand Aseptic Technique (NZAT) was developed to create a simple, consistent approach to aseptic technique in Aotearoa New Zealand.  It complements other aseptic education you may have undertaken, such as the Aseptic Non-Touch Technique.

Developed by experts across the health sector, with support from ACC and Te Whatu Ora Hutt Valley and Counties Manakau, these new resources are available to all health professionals in any clinical setting.

The e-learning module is free, takes about 30 minutes to complete and you will receive a certificate supporting your professional development. Simply head to the Learn Online website (LearnOnline.health.nz) now, take two minutes to create a login and search ‘NZAT.’

For more information, and to access the e-learning module, visit LearnOnline.health.nz

Burns and Scalds (2021)

Webinar Video Presentations

1. ACC Data – Sharon Cassidy

Professional Websites of Interest

Australia & New Zealand Burn Association

Starship Safekids Aotearoa

NZ National Burn Service 

ACC   another helpful publication is - https://www.acc.co.nz/assets/contracts/outpatient-burn-scar-og.pdf

Hato Hone St John  https://www.stjohn.org.nz/first-aid/first-aid-library/burns/

Resources for schools

Skin Tears (2020)

The NZ Wound Care Society, supported by ACC, presented New Zealand’s inaugural Wounds Awareness Week in August 2020.

Skin Tears are acute wounds, often occurring, because of preventable accidents such as falls and knocks. However, due to the underlying health status of an individual, they can often lead to a chronic wound, which can negatively impact a person’s physical, mental, social and spiritual/cultural wellbeing, including their family/whanau and carers.

Skin tears can be prevented through recognising and managing the risk factors. Therefore, it is important to increase public awareness, through education and empowering patients, whanau and carers through self-management to prevent.

If a skin tear does occur, then early identification, assessment and appropriate treatment is important to reduce the risk of them becoming chronic wounds. Health professionals need to be aware of risks so that early referral to specialist services can be made, particularly in populations with complex comorbidities that contribute to delayed healing.

• Poster for health professionals - click here to download 

• Skin Tears Patient Sheet - click here to download

• How to Download NZ Doctor Patient Sheets for Free  - click here

• STAR - Classification Chart, Bay Navigator - click here

• International Skin Tear Advisory Panel, ISTAP,  click here  Classification chart - click here

• ACC - acc.co.nz

• HQSC - hqsc.govt.nz  HQSC Skin Tears/Tīhore o te kiri (Frailty care guides 2023) click here

• Age Concern New Zealand  https://www.ageconcern.org.nz/   

Guidance for Scholarship Reflective Writing

This document has been written to help those people who apply for Scholarship Awards.

One of the stipulations of such awards is that the applicant write a report detailing what they have learnt and how they may add value to others in return for sponsorship by the NZWCS.

The purpose of such a report is three-fold: 

1. To record the development of your ideas and insights and the possible implications for your practice.
2. To reflect on the content of the experience and on your own learning.
3. To identify and discuss your responses to concepts, ideas and issues in either course work, reading or in practical placement.

The report is typically written for yourself and is intended to provide insight into your thinking. Success depends on a demonstration of these insights into the course content, or the topics discussed at a conference and describes your developing awareness of the interconnectedness of different aspects of experience and the interrelationships between ideas.

The report is best influenced by: 

1. The Topic: This is not a summary of the curriculum or programme. It is a response to an aspect of a course, readings, practical placement or conference etc. It focuses on a particular aspect of the subject content and its potential application to theory and practice.
2. Format:  There are no formal requirements unless it is a diary in which case dates are useful. But it usually traces the development of ideas, insights and learning. It can be written without headings, but it is always wise to separate ideas into paragraphs to suit the purpose of different ideas contained in different paragraphs.  The NZWCS prefers to see the report as taking no more than 500 words, i.e. a page of writing only.
3. Style: It is best to write in standard English using paragraphs and sentences. Abbreviations should not be used unless they have been expressed in full, earlier in the text. Unlike scientific writing, you can use the first person “I” if you would like and it can be subjective to reflect your speculations and interpretations.

Hopefully, this will help you complete the report more easily and know that when it is published in the Tissue Issue it is a useful record of your ongoing experience in your continuing professional development.

EAG 2022

Conference Scholarship Application Questions

Applications must be submitted using the Microsoft Forms link which will be posted at the appropriate time.

The following are compulsory questions that you need to complete online. For your convenience, we suggest you create a Word document with the answers so you can copy and paste them into the form.

1. Name

2. Phone number

3. Email address

4. What is the name of your employer?

5. What is your Job Title?

6. How many years have you been a NZWCS member?

7. Which Scholarship are you applying for? Multiple choice.
• $1000 attendance at national wound care related conference (one available)
• Registration only to NZWCS national conference (five available)
• $2000 attendance at international wound care related conference (one available)

8. What conference will you be attending?

9. Will you be presenting at this conference?
Please give an outline of the abstract. Have you been accepted?

10. Are you applying for funding through other organisations or your workplace?  

Name of organisation.
Type of funding applied for.
Date when you expect to receive a decision on this other funding.

11. Outline your involvement in NZWCS activities:

12. Show how you intend to use this learning to benefit yourself, your employer, your clients and the NZWCS

13. Professional Qualifications

14. Include relevant details from your Curriculum Vitae (that are not previously given in this form).
Please put your professional Qualifications above. Limit approximately 500 words

15. State your practising certificate expiry date (if applicable)

16. Post-registration or post-graduate qualifications:
Include University/Polytech, Course, Year completed

17. Number of years working in an area where wound management forms part of your practice

18. Outline present contribution to wound management at a local and/or regional/national level.

19. List any publications:

20. Support letter from your manager
Please copy and paste the text only from your support letter here

21. Do you agree to complete a report suitable for the Tissue Issue within 3 weeks of returning from the conference?
yes
no
other

By submitting the form you agree to the terms.

Scholarship Terms and Conditions For Other Conferences

• The NZWCS scholarships are open to current Full or Corporate Members only. N.B. Commercial Members are not eligible for these scholarships.
• Have been a member for a minimum of one year at the time of application.
• Have not been the recipient of a NZWCS scholarship in the past 24 months.
• Have the support of your manager to attend the conference.
• The scholarships will open xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
• The scholarships will be tenable for one year and can only be applied for in the 12 months following the announcement of scholarship recipients.
• Applicants for the scholarships should be able to show that they are currently employed in an area where they conduct wound care as part of their role or are involved in relevant wound education.
• The scholarship recipient will be expected to allow media cover of their receipt of the award and provide a report suitable for publication in the Tissue Issue/ or on the NZWCS website within three weeks of your return from the conference.
• For smaller scholarships writing guidelines are available online which include detailing the benefits and knowledge gained from the conference. There are greater reporting requirements if attending EWMA.
• An inability to attend the conference because of extenuating circumstances will require further discussion and may involve partial repayment of the award.
• The scholarship may be held concurrently with another scholarship or bursary and is non-taxable in New Zealand.
• Each award will be made on merit, taking into consideration the nature of the planned study/conference, how the participant intends to relate it to their own work, as well as the applicant's academic merit and participation in the profession. Scholarships for conference attendance will be strengthened by evidence that the applicant will be presenting a poster or oral presentation at the conference. 
• Applications are to be completed using the online application form below. This information is sent to the NZWCS Administrator, who will coordinate a blind peer review by representatives from the NZWCS National Committee or Education Advisory Group. In any year, this group may refrain from making a recommendation if no suitable applicants are found. In the case of disagreement, the application will be reviewed by two other Committee members. The Committee’s decision is final.