Monday, June 28, 2010

Back in Australia for a maternity care multidisciplinary conference

I am back in Australia this week. I am visiting my old friend Leigh Blackall at Canberra University and talking to the Nursing and Midwifery school about the Second Life project and virtual birth unit.

The second half of the week will be spent in Alice Springs attending the maternity care multidisciplinary conference "Breathing new life". This will be an interesting conference because it is focusing on how midwives and obstetricians can work together more effectively. Considering the state of play in Australia at the moment, especially the relations between midwives and obstetricians, I shall be fascinated to see what people come up with.

I will be giving two presentations. One presentation will be about how Second Life can be used to develop role play scenarios that will help midwives and obstetricians improve team work in the clinical context. The second presentation is about how to use social media and online tools for collaborative communication and teamwork.

I have to admit that one of the highlights of the week will be having a look around Alice Springs which has been a place of interest for me ever since watching the film "A town like Alice" . I am hoping to see kangaroos and maybe even take a ride on a camel.

Image: ''Road to Nowhere', Australia, Alice Springs to+Uluru,+Outback' WanderingtheWorld (www.LostManProject.com )
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44028103@N07/4684578915

2 comments:

Denise Hynd said...

I hope you have a great and enlightening time in Alice and see more than Kangaroos!
I have been here fro WA for 2 years and I am more than frustrated about the direction and implications of the changes in Australia. I can't imagine NZ midwives and women accepting the need to have a doctors approval to practice or birth outside of a hospital or to be able to access insurance to do so and maintain your registration or to be able to order routine pharmaceutical and pathology!??

Sarah Stewart said...

Thanks, Denise...I am really looking forward to having a good look around.

I must admit, the more I am learning about what is happening in Oz, the more I appreciate the maternity services in NZ.