5 Things Nursing Podcast by RBWH

In this episode Liz and Jesse run without a guest for part 2 of our series on debriefing. This time we talk about debriefing to learn in clinical practice, how and why? Both Liz and Jesse have years – decades experience in facilitating debriefs in clinical practice settings and hope to see a continued path forward in creating these opportunities to learn and grow. This episode marks an indefinite pause on our productions of Five Things as we move forward exploring plans for the future. Thank you for listening. Our Five Things: Debunked Debriefing Myths. What is debriefing to learn? Debriefing to learn can create opportunities for growth and development. Debriefing to learn and insights into communication. Debriefing to learn can create a sense of belonging.

In this episode Liz and Jesse run without a guest to tackle five big myths about debriefing to learn in clinical practice. Both Liz and Jesse have years – decades experience in facilitating debriefs in clinical practice settings and put a target on a few of the sticky myths that form barriers to creating these opportunities to learn and grow. Our Five Debunked Debriefing Myths: Debriefing causes harm. Debriefs only happen after critical events. Debriefs should be psychologically based. You can't lead a debrief if you were involved in the clinical situation. There's no time to debrief.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Rebecca Boparai to learn from her experience of being on the “other side” of healthcare. Rebecca works a Nurse Practitioner in Diabetes, but her story is about the impact that experiencing the healthcare system as a partner who lost her husband to cancer has shaped her professionally and personally. We were so pleased to provide a place for Rebecca to chare this wisdom forged through such a heavy personal experience. Rebecca's Five Things: The patient is a person first. Slow down and look for the small moments – they can have huge impact. Empathy is different from sympathy. Family, friends and community are incredibly important in this journey. What will be our legacy?

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Lita Jeffries to learn about occupational violence. Lita is the clinical lead for Queensland occupational violence strategy unit. Lita connects here nursing experience in the emergency department to the complex nature of violence in our healthcare workplaces. Lita's Five Things: What is occupational violence? The multifactorial issues of occupational violence in healthcare? What are the risk factors? “Zero tolerance” and the real impacts of occupational violence on nurses? Prevention and management of occupational violence.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Dr Leisa Turkington to learn about disordered swallowing (dysphagia). Leisa is a senior speech pathologist and clinical researcher at RBWH with three decades of experience and a PhD to top it all off. This is so much more than the basics. Leisa's Five Things: What is disordered swallowing? How do you assess for dysphagia? Why is dysphagia dangerous? Who is at risk of dysphagia? Dysphagia and the bedside nursing considerations.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Bec Russo to learn about haemodialysis. Bec is a nurse practitioner candidate in kidney replacement therapies at RBWH. Super educational episode for health professionals, patients and families and friends of someone with kidney failure. Bec's Five Things: What is haemodialysis? Acute versus chronic Vascular access for Home dialysis. The importance of the multidisciplinary team and goals of care.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Jacob Haberley to learn about inpatient falls. Jacob is an early career registered nurse working in a busy general medical ward at RBWH. Jacob is a strong ambassador for the Eat, Walk, Engage program aimed at reducing functional decline during acute hospital admission. Jacob's Five Things: What causes a fall in hospital? How do we screen for risk of falls? What are the impacts of a fall? How do we prevent falls? The role of stakeholders in preventing falls.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Cathy Boyle to learn about clinical supervision for nurses and midwives. This may be unfamiliar to a lot of us, but Cathy, a nurse educator with decades of experience and now working in a state-wide clinical supervision project role, had us both informed and sold on this addition to nursing professional development and practice support. We were also joined, for our first ever in episode guest cameo, by Liz Pengelly, an emergency nurse working in rural and remote Queensland. Cathy's Five Things: What is clinical supervision? Why is it important? How often, and who leads supervision? How do you make clinical supervision a reality? A lived experience of clinical supervision from a nurse.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Associate Professor Andrew Wong to learn about headaches and migraine. Andrew is the Director of Neurology and Stroke at RBWH. This episode is loaded with knowledge that could help us, or our family and friends, and our patients. Andrew's Five Things: Not every headache is a migraine. Migraine needed diagnosis to support specific treatments. There are always new treatments for migraines, so don't give up. Migraine sufferers can have more than one type of headache. Sometimes the headache isn't the worst feature of migraine.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Liz Knox to learn about gynaecological cancer. Liz is a clinical nurse consultant in gynaecology oncology at RBWH. Liz's Five Things: What is gynaecology? Symptoms of potential gynaecological cancers. Types of gynaecological cancers. Risk factors for gynaecological cancers. Treatments for gynaecological cancers.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Liz Wilkes to learn about midwifery (our sibling profession). Liz is the first state Chief Midwife in Australia, taking the lead for the profession in Queensland. We think this is an awesome episode on so much more than midwifery. There are lessons on professional identity, scope, socio-cultural responsiveness and considered leadership through curiosity and representation. Liz's Five Things: What is a midwife? What is the scope of practice of a midwife? Is midwifery a feminist issue? Properties for midwifery today and into the future. What people can expect from the chief midwife.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Professor Gail Robinson to help us understand memory. Gail holds a joint appointment with the Queensland Brain Institute and the School of Psychology at Queensland University of Technology. This episode is all about memory, just in case you forgot already... Gail's Five Things: What is memory? Memory and emotion are linked. Memory and brain injury. Memory and dementia. Can you improve your memory (or at least protect it)?

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Tu Ritchie to learn about burns. Tu is a clinical nurse, and current acting nurse manager, in the adult burns unit at RBWH. This episode is both a great learning resource, but also an example of a nurse who exudes passion and purpose in her career. Tu's Five Things: First aid and immediate post-burn management. Burn wound management. Managing pain. Burns nursing is so much more than wound care. Burns care is truly a team sport.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Matt Stewart to learn about back pain. Matt is an Advanced Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist at RBWH. This episode is as much for the health professional's care of self, as it is for better knowledge in patient care. Matt's Five Things: Back pain and the causes. Prevention of back pain. Early management of back pain. When to seek professional help. Indications for investigations.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Sandra Stewart, the Health Sector Lead for Buchan Architects. Sandra gives us an insight into large scale hospital design. We explore big picture planning, through to design hacks and work arounds to retrofit environments that we have inherited.   Sandra's Five Things: Importance of natural light. Comfortable and functional spaces. Biophilic design. Importance of art and colour. Technology integration.

Holiday special remix of one of our favourite episodes with improved audio quality. Liz and Jesse are joined by Anne Hales, Clinical Nurse with the RBWH Palliative and Supportive Care Service. In this episode Anne shares her wisdom and experiences in providing quality care as death approaches.   Anne's Five Things: Symptom management – pharma and non-pharma Maintaining dignity and identity Recognising the dying process Family care End of life care is a team sport  

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Bronte Moroney to pick up where our previous episode on eating disorders with psychologist, Erin Marsland finished. Bronte is now a Clinical Nurse working in a consultation liaison psychiatry service, but with a firm career grounding in eating disorder support and treatment. This episode looks at how we can best care for a patient living with an eating disorder when admitted to a non-mental health specialist ward environment in the hospital. Bronte's Five Things: Let's understanding what an eating disorder is and that meal times will be distressing. What can health professionals do to support? Be firm with the eating disorder, compassionate with the person. Use recovery focused language at all times. Consistency if the key!

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Sharlene Pyke to learn about Dementia. Sharlene is a Clinical Nurse working in a dementia outreach service. Sharlene's Five Things: What is Dementia? Signs and symptoms of dementia leading to diagnosis. Who gets Dementia? What is BPSD and validation? What can we do to look after someone with dementia?

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Dr Olivia Hollingdrake to talk about stigma. Olivia is a Senior Lecturer with Queensland University of Technology. While working as a nurse with people living with blood borne diseases, Olivia stumbled into an interest in patient experience of stigmatised conditions. This lead her down a path of research that informed her PhD work. Olivia's Five Things: What is stigma? Language is crucial in stigma. Pearls and pitfalls of tearoom conversations. Get to know people with lived experience. Why cultural safety is essential and it's not about understanding everyone's culture.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Dr Chirag Patel. Chirag is a consultant clinical geneticist at RBWH. We learned a lot about the world of clinical genetics right now and what is on the near horizon. Chirag's Five Things: Genetics 101. Complex vs pure genetic conditions. What is clinical genetics? Genetic testing. Psychosocial and ethical considerations of clinical genetics.

In this episode Self Care Challenge inspired episode, Liz and Jesse are joined by Mel Kettle. Liz searched high and low for someone to help us understand how kindness can impact the workplace. Mel is a strategic leadership consultant who helps business and organisational leader to develop greater connection. Mel also hosts a podcast called “This Connected Life” where she interviews leaders from across many industries. Mel's Five Things: What does it mean to be kind? Kindness is an antidote to loneliness. The impact of kindeness. How being kind can make you healthier. Why should we be encouraging a kindness culture at work?

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Dr Mia McLanders, research manager at Clinical Skills Development Service Queensland. Mia trained in psychology and moved into research and practice specialising in human factors and ergonomics in healthcare. This moves from introduction to deep dive in understanding what impacts the way we work. A longer episode for us, but not a minute is wasted! Mia's Five Things: Human factors and ergonomics, an origin story. Why “human factors” is a terrible name. Expect the unexpected. Dealing with variability. Why humans are our greatest asset in imperfect systems. How do we use human factors principles to improve our work?    

Remix of a favourite episode to improve sound quality and align with the 2024 Self Care Challenge. In this episode, Liz and Jesse continue with a self-care challenge focus and are thrilled to be joined by Dr Stan Steindel. Stan is a clinical psychologist with a special interest in compassion and self-forgiveness. This episode tackles some of the very really challenges that we, as health professionals have with being kind to ourselves and finding peace or some sense of resolution when we are involved in conflict, error or unfavourable patient outcomes. Many of these principles are covered in depth in Stan's book “The gifts of compassion. How to understand and overcome suffering”.   Stan's Five Things: What forgiveness is and what it isn't. What happens when we can't forgive ourselves? Self-forgives is an act of self-compassion. How might we forgive ourselves? Some strategies. Moving forward and making a commitment. Validation, reassurance, affirmation and encouragement.  

Remix of a favourite episode to improve sound quality and align with the 2024 Self Care Challenge. In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by physiotherapist and stress and tactical performance researcher, Professor Rob Orr from Bond University. Rob's Five Things: Not all stress is bad. Your body and personality are naturally affected by stress, learn your personal “tells” on how you manifest stressors. The relationship between stress and performance is task specific. Long term stress has health and psychological consequences, coping mechanisms can only get you so far. There are basic things we can do to manage acute stress – physiologically such as controlled breathing techniques and psychologically such as message framing.  

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Cath Willis, Physiotherapy Team Leader for the Babies, Obstetric and Pelvic Service at RBWH. Cath comes on to teach us a lot about the pelvic floor and why it is probably relevant for a lot of our inpatients. Cath's Five Things What is the pelvic floor? What is the role of the pelvic floor? Myths about the pelvic floor. Preventative work and improvement of the pelvic floor. Considerations for the pelvic floor with admitted patients in hospital for other causes.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Esther Cohen. Esther works as a nurse practitioner for HIV and sexual health. This episode is a must listen to both improve our own health literacy as staff and to provide better care for our patients. What IS sexual health and why is it relevant to the bedside nurse? Most STIs have no symptoms. Screening is vital. Syphilis is on the rise! Myths and facts about HIV and AIDS. Hepatitis B can be prevented, and Hepatitis C can be treated.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Julia Brownlie for the 3rd time! Julia works as a nurse practitioner in emergency at RBWH and is currently working in a practice in novation role with the Office of the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer (OCNMO) Qld. Julia came by to lay the foundations about nursing scope of practice. This episode will be a launchpad for the conversations about expansion of scope to be undertaken throughout Queensland by OCNMO. What IS scope of practice? Why do we need to think about scope of practice? Why is scope of practice misunderstood? Does nursing scope of practice different around the world? Where could the scope of practice for nurses go in the future?

Remix of favourite episode to improve sound quality In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Anthony Carr, CNC with the Consultation Liaison Psychiatry Service at RBWH. We discuss personality disorders, with a particular focus on emotionally unstable (borderline) personality disorder. Anthony's Five Things: What is personality (disorder)? What is emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD)? Guidance for the management of EUPD. Strategies to assist a person with EUPD while they are in hospital. Looking after yourself when caring for someone with challenging behaviours.

Remix of a favourite to improve sound quality! Liz and Jesse are joined by Jelena Senic, Domestic & Family Violence Workforce Specialist at RBWH. We discuss Five Things to help us recoignise and respond to DFV. Jelena's Five Things: DFV is disproportionately a gendered issue. Recognition of red flags for DFV What to do if you suspect DFV Listen to understand, not to fix How to refer for support

Remixed favourite episode to improve audio quality! Liz and Jesse sit down with Melanie Proper, the pain management Nurse Practitioner from RBWH to try and understand a little (LOT) more about pain. We go deep on this topic. This is likely to be one you listen to more than once. Here are Melanie's 5 Things: 1. What pain IS and how to treat 2. Pain is connected to stress 3. The brain can be reassured and remodelled to perceive pain differently 4. Pain and analgesia effects are best assessed through function and wakefulness 5. The bedside nurse is the coordinator of a team approach to pain

Remixed to improve sound quality! Liz and Jesse are joined by Heike Krausse, Clinical Nurse Consultant for Diabetes at RBWH, in a MASSIVE episode to explore five things to deepen our knowledge, and make us better at supporting and providing education for our patients with diabetes. Heike's Five Things Know your (patho)physiology Self-management and home blood glucose monitoring All about hypoglycaemia Diabetes medications – not just insulin Healthcare language really matters

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined once again for a great part 2 by Professor Ian Coombes. Ian is the Director of Pharmacy at RBWH and an expert in safety thinking. Ian looks at the what and why of the most common error prone medication types. Ian's Five (Plus One) Things: Paracetamol and other analgesics, Insulin and other diabetic medicines. Heparin, enoxaparin and other anticoagulants. Antimicrobials. Cardiac medicines in the hospital setting. Cytotoxic drugs.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Professor Nicole Marsh. Nicole is the Nursing and Midwifery Director of Research. Nicole's principal research agenda is focused on vascular access devices and infusion practice. This is an excellent, sharp (pun intended) episode about IV Cannulas. Nicole's Five Things: Right device. Right inserter. Insertion site inspection and care. Removal as soon as not needed. Partnering with patients to own the care of their IV device.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Professor Ian Coombes. Ian is the Director of Pharmacy at RBWH and an expert in safety thinking. Ian unpacks the complexity of medications. Ian's Five Things: It's never JUST a medicine Medicines should always be presumed guilty until proven innocent. MIMS should not be taken as gospel. The initial medication history is never the full story. Prescribing, the devil is in the details.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined Cienwen Town, clinical nurse consultant for Perioperative Patient Blood Management at RBWH. Cienwen takes us through the topic of anaemia, especially from a perspective of blood product conservation in the perioperative period. Cienwen's Five Things: What is anaemia? Most common symptoms and causes of anaemia. Who and how to screen for anaemia. Optimising anaemia. Managing anaemia on the ward.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined Erin Marsland, clinical psychologist with the Queensland Eating Disorders Service. Erin shares her learnings from a career of working with people living with eating disorders to help us through what this means at a population-diagnostic perspective, but also an individual level. Erin's Five Things: Eating disorders are a unique and individual experience. Eating disorders also do share common thoughts, feelings, urges and experiences. Eating disorders are nothing about food, and all about food. People can, and do, recover from eating disorders. Where can I get more information and support?

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined Thomas Skennerton, the Senior Advisor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Metro North Health Service. Thomas weaves us through what this means at a system and individual level and hopefully adds some knowledge to help us on our journey to being an ally for our colleagues and patients. Thomas's Five Things Diversity, equity and inclusion, what is it and why are we still needing to talk about it? Who are the populations or communities we are talking about? What does diversity, equity and inclusion mean for our patients? What does diversity, equity and inclusion mean for our colleagues? Awareness is not enough. We must be an active ally!

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined Dr Karen Davies. Karen is completing her post-doctoral study focusing on individual accountability for nurses practice in medication safety. Karen is currently working as a research fellow and also holds the substantive position of Clinical Nurse Consultant for Safe Medication Practice at RBWH. Spoiler alert… we are talking about medication safety. Karen's Five Things Communication is vital. Importance of the patient as a core member of the medication safety team. Awareness of risks and safety processes for medications. The role(s) and functions of the multidisciplinary team. Individual accountability. Why medication safety is everyone's responsibility.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Kristy Moore, Senior Audiologist at RBWH. Kristy helps us understand hearing loss and some strategies to support our patients (and colleagues). Kristy's Five Things What is hearing loss? Impact of hearing loss for hospital patients. Ways nurses can identify hearing loss at the bedside. Supporting patients when a hearing loss is identified. Hearing aids and community services.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Laura Freeburn Nurse Educator in Mental Health at RBWH. Laura has been doing a lot of work in Queensland helping clinicians to develop skills and knowledge in trauma informed care. Laura's Five Things What is trauma informed care? Five principles of trauma informed care. Trauma informed care in Indigenous people's experience of healthcare. Trauma informed care includes how we consider our colleagues needs. People can, and frequently do, recover from trauma.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Liz Lupschen, Clinical Nurse Consultant in Stomal Therapy at RBWH. Liz drops some great knowledge in the aim of making us all feel a little more confident in caring for patients with a stoma. Liz's Five Things What is a stoma? Reasons for stoma forming surgery. Types of stomas. Things to know about stomas. Stoma appliances and the Australian appliance support scheme. Psychosocial considerations of living with a stoma.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Therese McCurry, Clinical Nurse Consultant Cancer Care Coordinator specialising in breast cancer at RBWH. No surprises here that we are going deep on five things about breast cancer. Therese's Five Things What is breast cancer? Stages and types of breast cancer. Breast cancer treatments. Complications of breast cancer treatment. How breast cancer impacts women and their families.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Zanna Byrne, Clinical Nurse in Endoscopy at RBWH, to learn five things about endoscopy. Andrea's Five Things What is endoscopy and why do we do it? What is gastroscopy? What is a colonoscopy? What are some other endoscopic procedures? Tips for pre- and post- endoscopy patient care.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Dr Andrea Taylor, Nurse Manager for Research in Surgical and Perioperative Service at RBWH, to learn five things about frailty. Andrea's Five Things What is Frailty? What does Frailty look like? How do we classify Frailty? Can frailty be prevented? The role of the nurse in caring for the frail patient.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Nigel Harris, Nurse Practitioner in Dermatology at RBWH. He joined us to drop some knowledge on practical tips for caring for the skin of our patients, particularly those who are elderly. Nigel's Five Things Itchy skin is common and there are some easy treatments for symptoms. Watch out for stasis dermatitis. Management of thin and fragile skin during hospitalisation. The downside of leaving skin cancers untreated – keep an eye out. Feet and toenails are not just for podiatrists to worry about.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Janet Layton, an elder, community leader, qualified social worker and counsellor and currently an Indigenous Hospital Liaison Officer (IHLO) at RBWH. Janet shares her experiences and insights on working with Aboriginal patients and families at the time of death and helps us understand how to access and provide support during Sorry Business. L Janet's Five Things Not all Sorry Business is the same. Understanding some traditions and protocols in Sorry Business. Talking to the family. Difference between Home and Country. Importance to understand the roles and partnerships offered by the IHLO team.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Olivia Cullen, Clinical Nurse Consultant in Hepatology at RBWH. No surprises here that we are going deep on five things about the liver and liver disease. Olivia's Five Things You need a liver to live and a healthy live to live well. Functions of the liver. Causes of liver disease and cirrhosis. Importance of early identification. Compensated liver disease versus decompensated. Critical knowledge for the nurse in the acute setting. People with severe liver disease have huge psychosocial burdens.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Erin Davison, Cardiac Physiologist and Electrophysiology (EP) Lab Team Leader. In this episode we zoom in on five things about arrhythmias with a particular focus on the work done in the cardiac electrophysiology lab. Erin's Five Things: What is an arrhythmia? Symptoms of an arrhythmia. Who is involved in the care of arrhythmias in the EP lab? How are arrhythmias diagnosed in the EP lab? How are arrhythmias treated in the EP lab?

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Rebecca Rashleigh-Rolls, ICU Nurse Educator at RBWH. Bec helps us navigate through the complex world of fluids and electrolytes. Bec's Five Things Fluids and electrolytes, why are they important? What happens when the is too much or too little of either? The two big electrolytes – sodium and potassium. Nursing assessment and the nursing process (APIE). FLUIDS mnemonic tool for the assessment toolbox.

In this episode Liz and Jesse are joined by Dr Adrienne Young a research dietitian at  RBWH and University of Queensland. Adrienne helps us zoom in on the role of the bedside clinician in optimising nutrition. Adrienne's Five Things Eating when sick is different to eating when well. Weight and diet intake are key nutritional vital signs that need to be monitored. Body size isn't a good indicator for nutritional status. Meal times really matter. Hospital food isn't as bad as you think.

In this episode Jesse is joined by his esteemed co-host Dr Liz Crowe. Liz takes the guest seat in this episode to lay down a primer on loss and grief. This episode serves as foundational principles focus from where we will launch for future episodes exploring coping and different socio-cultural experiences of loss. Liz's Five Things What are loss and grief? There is no such thing as normal grief. Grief does not occur in stages and is not cured by time. Grief is exhausting and recovery is active. To grieve we must have loved.