Translate
15 November 2024
Nipaluna/Hobart | Lutrawita/Tasmania | Australia
We acknowledge the true custodians of the land on which we gather for our Symposium, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal people and their culture, and recognise and value Aboriginal histories, knowledge and lived experiences.
Conference Co-Convenor
Associate Professor Francine Douce MACN FACM
Ya pulingina, hello and welcome!
On behalf of my fellow Convenor, Associate Professor Karen Linegar, I am pleased to welcome you to the Tasmanian Nursing and Midwifery Symposium, to be held in nipaluna Hobart on 15 November 2024 at the Wrest Point Convention Centre.
It is hard to believe this year marks the sixth year of the Nursing and Midwifery Symposium, where has the time gone! It has been a joy to watch this event grow and flourish, creating an inclusive space that brings together Tasmanian Nurses and Midwives to share knowledge, experience, innovations and excellence in practice.
The annual Symposium has become the signature event for Tasmanian Nurses and Midwives and the 2024 event represents the very best that our Tasmanian health system has to offer.
The program has culminated in a rich tapestry of conversations about what we do and the things that influence our practice.
The theme for our 2024 Symposium is ‘DIVE DEEP, SOAR HIGH – Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery’.
The theme encompasses the extent to which we go to achieve professional excellence in the delivery of safe, high-quality care to the Tasmanian community and to create a positive practice environment for all. In the pursuit for excellence, we challenge ourselves and each other to push the boundaries of innovation, to think differently and to test the status quo. When we work in partnership, great things can and do happen.
Our practice is more complex and challenging than ever, but working with our community in times of great vulnerability and personal need offers professional joy and reward.
The sub-themes this year encourage you to consider your professional ‘Dive Deep and Soar High’ through the lens of the Pathway to Excellence® Standards:
- Navigating the positive practice environment
- Working with shared decision making (shared collaborations)
- Soaring to new heights
- Leadership and professional practice in nursing and midwifery
- Beneath the surface
- Safety and quality in patient-centered care, nurse, and midwife wellbeing
- Excellence in Innovation
- Professional development, research and evidence based practice
Let us come together to share and celebrate our professional practice, research, and innovations.
A special thank you to our Symposium Reference Group. The Reference Group has created a program that connects delegates with contemporary issues challenging us to think differently, that reunites colleagues and friends and opens the door to new conversations and connections.
The Symposium segues beautifully to the Tasmanian Public Sector Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards, to be held the evening of 15 November 2024. The Awards event will honour nominees and recipients and will be a very special evening of celebration.
Karen and I look forward to welcoming you in nipaluna/Hobart.
Conference Co-Convenor
Adjunct Associate Professor Karen Linegar FACN AICG JP
Karen has an extensive background in nursing management having worked as Executive Director of Nursing Midwifery North West for over 14 years and as Director of Nursing NWRH prior to this period. Karen has a strong clinical background in Critical Care Services. She is a robust advocate for quality and safety and worked as an Australian Council Health Care Services (ACHS) surveyor for many years and is currently an International Society for Quality and Health Care Expert (ISQuA).
Having trained as a registered nurse and midwife, Karen completed a wide span of academic pursuits including a Ba App Sc. (Nursing). Bachelor Business. Master Health Administration, and Diploma in Law. A Doctor of Philosophy is currently deferred.
Karen has been recognised on the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women and in the Tasmanian Public Sector for Excellence awards. She has held the position of President of the Royal College of Nursing Australia, Nursing Board of Tasmania, and president of ACHS, and is currently a Board member of an Aged Care facility.
Working now as the Executive Director of Nursing Midwifery across Tasmania is an opportunity for capability enablement of nursing and midwifery as the principal agent of patient safety and quality and to develop the nursing workforce to meet the challenges of health care in the current environment of recruitment and resource challenges.
She lives with her husband David, is an avid gardener and provides a Justice of the Peace and Bench Magistrate service to her local North West Community.
The Office of the Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer
The Office of the Chief Nurse and Midwife works to:
~ Provide strategic and professional advice on matters related to nursing and midwifery ~
~ Align Tasmania with the national strategic health workforce agenda ~
~ Build workforce capability through education and training ~
~ Engage with service delivery providers and other stakeholders to develop a responsive and contemporary workforce plan ~
Questions or comments concerning the content of the Tasmanian Nursing and Midwifery Symposium can be directed to:
Email: [email protected]
or by mail to
GPO Box 125, Hobart TAS 7001 Australia
