'To perform at your best, you must first know yourself well'.

Pearls for the Future was the theme of the Perioperative Nurses' College of NZNO annual conference in Invercargill last month. The 150 delegates came to increase their knowledge and network with perioperative nurses from around New Zealand.

The three-day event was kicked off by the Cardinal Health free paper session. This was won by enrolled nurse Sheila Street from North Shore Hospital operating rooms, who gave an enlightening talk on the Language we speak in a multigenerational workforce, eg how many of us even think of operating nurses as being perioperative nurses?

Keynote speaker was Southland house surgeon Lesley Rumball, who challenged us with the thought that to perform at your best you must first know yourself well. Using her experience of being part of the Silver Ferns World Champion team in 2003, she outlined a strategy for getting good teams to become great teams. As a doctor, Rumball was able to compare medical analogies with the experience, but in the end she made the point that "if it is to be, it is up to me".

Former Southland Maori community health worker, now based in the Netherlands, Moana van Hijum, gave an inspiring talk entitled Nursing in an aid environment, drawing particularly on her experiences nursing in South Sudan with the aid organisation Medair. She talked about the challenges she faced working in such an environment, eg working in a bush operating room.

Ministry of Health principal adviser with the clinical services directorate, Gillian Bohm, discussed pandemic preparedness. An influenza pandemic, she said, was the most likely event to cause a large-scale health emergency. Nurses were Left in no doubt that perioperative services would be affected by such an emergency. "If your staff was to be cut in half, how would you cope?" she asked. All hospitals must have plans for responding to a pandemic and nurses must prepare themselves and their families.

Concurrent sessions then followed and included presentations on advancing practice roles, suturing, working with laparoscopic equipment, steep apnoea and analgesia management. The future of robotic surgery was also considered. Delegates expressed interest in the appointment of a perioperative nurse practitioner at some future date.

The AGM on Saturday gave delegates an opportunity for a minute's silence for welt respected college member Catherine Logan, who died in July this year. Device Technologies have donated a yearly prize to be given in her honour.

The national committee will decide on the criteria, though it is Likely this wilt be an education grant/ award in recognition of Catherine's passion for education.

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Long-time college member Berice Beach was awarded life-time membership in recognition of her devoted service, especially over the last 12 years when she served as college secretary and now treasurer.

Concerned raised at the AGM included rotes not being performed by nurses in the operating room. A working party is going to address this. Central North Island won the dancing trophy again at our very successful black tie, black Friday dinner. The Southland region is to be congratulated for organising such a great conference.

Report by college chair and manager of the short stay surgical unit at Greenlane Clinical Centre, Deborah Nelson