31 July - 2 August 2024
2024 Palliative Care Nurses Australia Biennial ConferenceClinical excellence, connection and culture – the art of palliative care nursing

Novotel on Collins | Naarm/Melbourne | Online

Our conference will be hybrid and based in Naarm (Melbourne) located on the sovereign lands of the Wurundjeri Woiwurrong, Bunurong Boon Wurrung Peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation. Embued with spiritual and cultural importance these lands include mountains, rainforests, freshwater and saltwater waterways, skies and islands. Drawing on this wisdom and resilience this event provides an opportunity for connection and learning focused on: Clinical excellence, connection and culture – the art of palliative care nursing

On behalf of the Palliative Care Nurses Australia (PCNA), thank you for joining us at the PCNA Biennial Conference, held in Melbourne, Victoria, and online in July 2024.

The PCNA Biennial Conference was a highly anticipated event that brought together healthcare professionals, researchers, educators, and experts from the field of palliative care. This year’s conference was an engaging and informative gathering where participants exchanged knowledge, shared experiences, and explored the latest advancements in palliative care nursing.

The conference program featured a diverse range of sessions, workshops, and panel discussions covering various topics pertinent to palliative care nursing. Renowned speakers and industry leaders delivered insightful presentations, offering valuable insights and practical strategies that can enhance the delivery of palliative care services. Importantly, the program was built by a committee of clinical leaders, consumer representatives and Aboriginal health leaders to ensure we infused all perspectives throughout our 2 days together. We sought to engage the heart and the mind within our program and knew there would be stories to inform innovation and excellence, evidence to underpin optimal practice and workshops to inspire and connect. This was a palliative care conference that was not to be missed!

Attending the PCNA Biennial Conference provided an opportunity to expand professional networks, foster collaborations, and gain exposure to cutting-edge research and best practices in the field. The conference allowed delegates to engage in meaningful discussions with peers and experts, exchange ideas, and contribute to the advancement of palliative care nursing.

We look forward to seeing you in Adelaide, South Australia for another enriching and rewarding conference experience, in 2026.

Claudia Virdun
2024 Conference Convenor

About Palliative Care Nurses Australia

Palliative Care Nurses Australia (PCNA) is a member organisation for Australian nurses who are passionate about excellence in palliative care. We provide a unified voice for nurses who deliver, or have an enduring interest in, palliative care policy, practice, research and education. Our goal is to support our members to provide high quality, evidence-based palliative care services for patients at the end of life, and their families.

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Conference Purpose

The PCNA biennial conference is the key event to bring together nurses from across Australia to focus on how to enable optimal care for people with advanced, progressive illness. This event is for nurses working in all settings (hospitals, general practice, community, aged care), contexts (metropolitan, rural, regional or remote) and all involved in providing generalist care or specialist palliative care. Providing an opportunity for learning, connection and revitalisation this conference is designed by and for nurses who provide such critically important care for people with palliative care needs across our nation.

Conference Objective

The 2024 PCNA conference offers the opportunity to focus on: clinical excellence informed by the latest evidence; connection across sectors, care settings and jurisdictions; mentorship across the sector: and on deepening our understanding about Aboriginal ways of knowing and Western ways of knowing through seeking balance and walking together to optimise palliative care for all. With Australia’s ageing population and the increasing number of people living with multiple comorbid illnesses, understanding how to proactively identify need and tailor care accordingly, informed by the best evidence is crucial and this conference provides the opportunity for nurses to come together and focus on this area of care provision with the aim to ensure optimal palliative care irrespective of location across Australia. Offered in a hybrid format, this conference brings the sector back together in a face:face forum whilst enabling those unable to travel, to also participate in a meaningful way.

Target Audience

  • Nurses (registered and enrolled) working in any setting – hospitals, aged care, community care, Aboriginal Medical Services and General Practice
  • Aboriginal health workers
  • Nurses working in specialist palliative care (registered, enrolled and Nurse Practitioners)
  • Nurse Practitioners working on complex care streams (oncology, aged care, dementia, neurodegenerative diseases, renal, cardiac, respiratory etc)
  • Undergraduate nursing students interested in palliative care
  • Assistants in nursing and personal care assistants interested in palliative care

Thank you to the 2024 Committee Members

Program / Content / Speakers / Abstracts

Dr Claudia Virdun – Senior Research Fellow, Queensland University of Technology; Management committee member, PCNA
Joshua Cohen – Nurse Practitioner; Palliative Care Vice-President, PCNA
Kate Swetenham – Clinical Lead for the End of Life Care Team in the SA Department for Health and Wellbeing; President, PCNA
Kat Hooper – Nurse Practitioner, Palliative Care
Cheryl Porter-Pedras – Senior Aboriginal Health Worker
Belinda Barrie – Consumer representative
Imelda Gilmore – Consumer representative

Finances / Contracts / Sponsorship

Kylie Draper – Quality Improvement Facilitator; PCOC Management committee member; PCNA
Anna Nicholas – Clinical Nurse Consultant in Palliative Care at the Royal Hobart Hospital; Management committee member, PCNA
Katy Long – Chartered Management Accountant; Treasurer, PCNA

Connection & Creativity

Sarah Begley – Clinical Nurse Specialist working at Eastern Palliative Care; Management committee member, PCNA
Aileen Collier – Associate Professor in Aged Care and Palliative Care Nursing – Flinders University and the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN); Secretary, PCNA
Libby Miller – Postdoctoral research fellow – Federation University Australia; Management committee member, PCNA