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PINK POWER CHARGED: THE MCGRATH FOUNDATION SPREADS LEARNINGS BEYOND BORDERS




From Perth to Prague, it’s been a busy few months for the McGrath Foundation as it continues on its mission to place McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities right across Australia. This vision which includes offering support to breast care nurses nationally by equipping them with the latest training and development tools is now set to be recognised nationally and was recently applauded globally.

The Sydney International Breast Cancer Congress (SIBCC) taking place 23 to 26 October, will see McGrath Clinical Nurse Educator, Kim Kerin-Ayres, attending not only as a member of the programme committee, but also as  a Chair of the Breast Care Nurse Symposium, a day sponsored by the McGrath Foundation.

The congress, hosted by the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute (BCI), is the leading multidisciplinary conference for breast cancer health, research, treatment and care in Australia. It is an opportunity for all health professionals caring for women with breast cancer and everyone in the profession to network, learn and share.

Kim is thrilled to be involved and to have the opportunity to contribute her knowledge and experience to the congress with 65 (of the 77) McGrath Breast Care Nurses in attendance along with many Breast Care Nurses from across the country.

“Working with McGrath and other Breast Care Nurses from across Australia has been an inspiring experience. At the end of the day though, it’s all about the services to Australian families irrespective of their location or financial circumstance,” said Kim.

As part of her role, Kim works closely with Elisabeth Black, Director of Research and Education and Head of Breast Care Nursing at the BCI to deliver education programs for Australian Breast Care Nurses. Elisabeth, a Convenor of the SIBCC, is delighted to have so many nurses attending and the support of McGrath Foundation for the Nursing Symposium.

“Breast care nurses play such a crucial role in providing care to women experiencing breast cancer- it is vital that they are able to attend meetings such as this to gain new knowledge and remain as up to date as possible with changing treatment and practices. It makes such a difference for the women they care for,” Elisabeth said.   

Earlier in September,  both Kim and Elisabeth represented the McGrath Foundation,  the BCI &  the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) by presenting papers on the Breast Care Nurse Practicum at the 17th International Conference on Cancer Nursing in Prague, Czech Republic.

The Breast Care Nurse Practicum, a program now supported by the McGrath Foundation, was developed by the  BCI in collaboration with the ACN six years ago in response to a concern that approximately one third of people diagnosed with cancer in Australia lived outside of major population centres where tertiary care is available, and that specialist cancer nurses in these areas have limited opportunities for professional development and networking.

This innovative and highly successful program offers breast care nurses from rural and regional Australia the opportunity to attend a five-day intensive program to bridge the gap between postgraduate study and real world experience through comprehensive exposure to practical, supportive and clinical educational programmes within the large state of the art multidisciplinary treatment centre at the Westmead BCI.

McGrath Foundation CEO, Kylea Tink, is proud the McGrath Foundation’s commitment to delivering quality breast cancer support services to families in rural and regional Australia has been recognised on an international stage.

“To date, we’ve been able to support over 16,000 Australian women and their families through their breast care experience thanks to the work of our 77 McGrath Breast Care Nurses. Thanks also to the support of the Australian Government, businesses and the wider public, we’ve been able to share our knowledge and growth with the breast care nurse network nationally,” said Kylea.

To further connect the pink dots between all the breast care nurses in communities right across Australia, the McGrath Foundation offers scholarships through Australian College of Nursing and Latrobe University for the Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma in Breast Care Nursing.
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