The University of Notre Dame Australia's award-winning Nursing and Midwifery event SMARTcare returns on Friday 13 August this year for SMARTcare5. The industry-renowned biannual SMARTcare seminar series is an initiative to engage students and graduates online with professional networking for learning and evidence-based practice.
Dr Benjamin Hay has been involved with SMARTcare since the earliest days of the initiative and has a passion for the ongoing series of events and the benefits that are available to attendees.
"The SMARTcare seminars bring together the health-related schools for an event that connects, inspires and encourages networking in industry," Dr Hay says, "SMARTcare relates to the themes of 'Social Media Applications for Research and Teaching', and the 'care' aspect relates to the core nature of our profession.
"In keeping with our newly restructured Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery & Health Sciences, SMARTcare5 is a multidisciplinary (MDT) event with short talks from inspiring industry leaders, a casual networking session with industry representatives and leaders with food trucks, interactive stalls, and activities to help encourage collaboration in-person and online as per the themes of SMARTcare.
"SMARTcare is a successful model of students in partnership in learning and in co-organising these biennial events. This year's event also incorporates several interactive activities for attendees, including workshops in suturing, Advanced Life Support (ALS) scenarios, VR technology, Google glass and HoloLens simulations, an interactive Laparoscopic surgery simulator and much more!"
Third-year student Ross Stewart has been heavily involved with setting up SMARTcare5 and believes the event is a perfect opportunity for anyone currently or potentially working in healthcare.
"Our aim with SMARTcare5 was to get nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, and allied health professionals into the same room," Ross says.
"As students we shouldn't silo ourselves, if we do we run the risk of then going into industry and suddenly realising we absolutely need to have a good understanding of what the occupational therapist does, what the physiotherapist does, what needs to be done with the doctors etc."
SMARTcare is a great opportunity to expose yourself to how big a world healthcare is.
By including students in the setup of these events, SMARTcare seminars have been able to respond directly to what students want to know. It is their questions and suggestions that inform which speakers and organisations get involved, and this process has resulted in an opportunity for students, alumni, and industry professionals to network in a uniquely specific way.
"We've had some amazing responses, not just from students but also from organisations," Dr Hay says, "These organizations get a voice where otherwise they might not. We've had comments that say, 'we loved it, and it's yet another reason why Notre Dame stands out.'"
One of the most valuable aspects of the SMARTcare seminars is the level of connection it creates all the way from first-year students who may be anxious about their prospects and careers, through to high profile individuals who have worked their way to leadership roles in the industry.
This year the evening will include a new series of concurrent guest speaker sessions from inspiring and innovative leaders in industry. Confirmed speakers include:
- Professor Ged Williams (Area Director of Nursing & Midwifery at South Metropolitan Health Service) - Google glass; HoloLens demo; and new technologies in healthcare
- Katie Khoury (East Metropolitan Health Service)- Health in a Virtual Environment (HIVE) - at Royal Perth Hospital https://rph.health.wa.gov.au/Our-services/HIVE
- Jo Anne Forrest (Linear Clinical Research)- Getting paid as students for research trials and connecting with research
- Natalie Parkes (WAHealth)- Contract tracing during COVID-role, challenges and interesting case studies
- Mary McConnell (Ramsay healthcare- JHC) Disaster Management coordinator-COVID MDT response at JHC with cruise ship passengers in 2020
- Renee De Prazer (WAHealth)- The WA statewide response to managing COVID-coordinating MDT teams
- Rachael Dawe (ALUMNI)- RFDS Flight Nurse; Pro surfer; and medic-inspiring stories
- Graeme Wing- (Coordinated; Quremed) -career opportunities post-graduation-inspiring stories
- Paul Ingram (Head of Nursing - Royal Flying Doctors Service Western Operations)-joint Nursing and Medicine presentation
- Dr Nigel Gribble (Curtin) & Dr Laurel Collin (UNDA)- Emotional Intelligence and interacting within the MDT
- Kim Shaw (Career Services-UNDA)- Career readiness and tips and tricks
- Andrew Walton (Act-Belong-Commit)-Looking after yourself and others during a Pandemic
- Deborah Stewart (Cancer Council WA)- Connecting, learning and networking with the Cancer Council in WA
- Piers Truter (Advanced Scope Physiotherapist - ED and telehealth, Fiona Stanley Hospital)
- Sandra Dumas (Physiotherapist at Department of Health, WA ED & Frailty wards): Roles, connecting and career opportunities.
- And more….
"We're also connecting with alumni who are looking for networking opportunities or are yet to find work," Dr Hay says, "we just want to make sure that all Notre Dame students at all levels can have a place to connect, explore, and get valuable advice to help with their careers."
