Mrs Sheila Kavanagh¹

¹Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia

Abstract:
In Australia and New Zealand, incidents generating multiple burn casualties are relatively uncommon. Maintaining staff readiness is an ongoing challenge. This electronically supported roleplay-simulation provides an avenue for the implementation of an inter departmental, cross agency educational activity designed to guide participants to critically reflect on the skills required to assess, prioritise, provide support and function effectively in a disaster situation. The experience is intended to be as realistic as possible and to give participants an accurate representation of the decision-making process operating in the real world. The incorporation of participants with diverse backgrounds significantly enhances learning outcomes, allowing for the integration of participant knowledge and perspectives.

Biography:
Sheila Kavanagh was the nurse in charge of the Burns Unit for over 20 years.  An active role in the 2002 response to the Bali bombings gave her a unique insight into the Burn Nurses role in disaster response. She has a special interest in education and  disaster management for Burn Nurses.