Education and Training

Continuing Medical Education (CME)
The Royal College of General Pracitioners (RNZCGP) promotes educational programmes to maintain and improve skills related to general practice. All general practitioners must participate in ongoing CME throughout their professional life. Harbour Health is a registered provider of CME. Registered providers are required to: 

• Provide high quality CME, for all general practitioners within their area of operation.
• Endorse local CME events that meet the CME standard.
• Maintain adequate records of: Annual needs analysis, programmes offered annually, local events endorsed, CME programme evaluation
  

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Peer Review Group Meetings
The Peer Group structure was set up in the early 1990's. The groups grew from informal network of colleagues (general practitioners)  into formal structures that cover both clinical, organisational and political topics.  

The groups are not structured geographically so there is a diverse mix of general pracitioners in each group. The peer groups meet four times per year for meetings facilitated by a Clinical Advisory Pharmacist. Topics generally follow the Best Practice Advocacy centre campaigns but there are also local issues both clinical and political which are covered in these sessions. 

Most groups also meet seperately four times per year as a collegial support group outside of the confines of Harbour Health. All new members of Harbour Health are automatically assigned to a Peer Group as part of the membership enrolment process.

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Continuing Nursing Education (CNE)
The role of the Primary Health/Practice Nurse is extensive. It incorporates working with patients and/or their families to promote wellness, prevent health problems, maintain current health and intervene in acute or chronic illness. It may also encompass population health and health promotion. 

Education is vital in the development, maintenance and extension of primary health/practice nursing knowledge and skills. Continuing Medical Education enhances knowledge, skills, attitudes and judgment, improving the health care provided for all New Zealanders. 

Harbour Health co-ordinates professional development education sessions for Primary Health/Practice Nurses called Continuing Nursing Education (CNE). These sessions are provided to support practice nurses and cover a range of nursing and medical topics, enabling nurses to maintain their requirement of professional development for their competency based Annual Practicing Certificate.

Sessions are varied and are presented by a wide range of health professionals from specialist medical consultants, specialist nurses and related community organisations.

We also incorporate regular Practice Nurse training courses for Asthma and Diabetes management, and support groups for these specialist Nurses.

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Professional Development Recognition Programme (PDRP)
In September 2004, the legislation governing the Nursing Council changed from the Nurses Act 1977 to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. The Nursing Council is responsible for issuing all Annual Practising certificates. 

To provide nurses who work within practices affliated to Harbour Health with evidence of competency, Harbour Health joined Waitemata District Health Boards (WDHB) Nursing Professional Development Recognition Programme (PDRP). 

The PDRP porgramme is managed by Harbour Health clinical nursing staff. The nursing team undertook Workplace Assessor’s training through The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, a recognised NZ Qualifications Authority training programme. Harbour Health clinical nursing staff are qualified to assess nurse portfolios, following WDHB evidence guidelines. 

Following the assessment, if the practice nurse meets all the requirements of the guidelines, WDHB then issues the nurse with a competency certificate, which they then submit to NZNC when applying for their next annual practising certificate. 

The benefits of providing this programme are that it enables Harbour Health to provide support and leadership to nurses, as well as a means to evaluate the level of practice within Primary Health nursing. The benefit to the nurses of being part of a district wide approach, is to create a seamless transition between secondary and primary care nursing, as well providing support and evaluation of the levels of competency for Primary Care Nursing.

Nurses working within practices affliated to Harbour Health are required to maintain a portfolio of their professional practice that may be randomly audited by the Harbour Health each year. 

Summary
In every year period a nurse must undertake a minimum of:

• 150 hours of practice
• 24 hours of professional development
• Demonstrate competency in their area
• Maintain a personal professional profile
• Complete an application annually for a practising certificate in which it is declared that the nurse is competent to practice

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CPR 
Harbour Health holds regular CPR courses designed specifically for General Practice staff and are facilitated by an approved Emergency Medicine provider.

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) require that General Practitioners renew their resuscitation qualification every three years.

Practice nurses are required to complete a bi-annual CPR update as part of their Professional Development Recognition Programme (PDRP). This three hour practical session includes child and adult CPR to Level 3, including the use of a defibrillator, and management of a choking child and adult.

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Asthma 

Asthma Fundamentals Workshop
This course was established by the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation in Wellington and is run by Harbour Health consisting of 18 hours training in total. Training includes basic theory with a strong emphasis on practical involvement, thus enabling the practice nurse to care for and manage patients with asthma in a clinical setting. 

As demands upon general practitioner’s increase, there is increased expectations placed on practice nurses to see patients in nurse-led chronic disease management clinics. Harbour Health has developed and extended the Fundamentals course to provide further education in asthma, and equip practice nurses to develop and manage an asthma clinic in the general practice in collaboration with the general practitioner.

On completion of the course, the contribution offered by the nurses will stimulate their enthusiasm, motivation and confidence at work. The education offered by them to their patients will undoubtedly lead to better asthma control and improved self management of their asthma. Nurses who have completed the course are continuously supported in their practice to assess and manage patients with asthma effectively.

The topics included on the Asthma Course:

• Anatomy & Physiology
• Peak Flow Monitoring
• Trigger Management
• Inhaler Medication and Devices
• Steps of Management
• Asthma Control
• Assessing Severity
• Education
• Reversibility Tests
• Self Management Plans
• Protocol
• Initial & Follow up Assessment
• Setting up a nurse-led asthma clinic
• COPD
• Audit

Following this course they will receive resources and a Harbour Health Certificate of Competency in Asthma Care and Management.


2010 Course Dates 

·         Pathophysiology and epidemiology

·         Assessment

·         Nutrition

·         Oral medications

·         Self monitoring of blood glucose

·         Starting insulin

·         Understanding biochemistry

·         Hypoglycaemia management

·         Sick day management

·         Macro & microvascular complications

·         Case studies

·         Foot assessment

For course completion, the nurse will need to complete a short written assessment and do a practical assessment with a client.  In total the course counts towards 18 hours of continual education for nursing portfolios.  On completion the nurse will receive a resource file and a Harbour Health Certificate of Competency in Diabetes Care and Management.

2010 Course Dates 

Practice Nurses Receiving In-depth Diabetes Education (PRIDE) Group
Continuous education and support for practices nurses involved in Diabetes care and management is available for all nurses who have successfully completed the two day practice nurse course.  This group meets quarterly in the evening for approximately 2 hours.  The meetings are sponsored and light meals/refreshments are provided.  All sessions count towards CNE points. Guest speakers present on various topics of interest.  Quarterly newsletters are sent to all memebers keeping them up to date with the latest research and general information.  The 2008 programme is as follows:

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