More flight nurses attend specialist course.

The New Zealand Flight Nurses' Association (NZFNA), NZNO held a five-day introductory flight nurses course in March at Wellington's Lifeflight centre. Twenty-four nurses from Whangarei to Dunedin attended. NZFNA contracts Bevan Nyland, who has more than 20 years of flight experience, to teach the course. He motivates, creates enthusiasm and captivates the audience through his inspirational presentation. The course was established in 1998 and since then 319 nurses have attended. If is regularly over subscribed and the NZFNA plans to run another course later this year. A big "thank you" must go to NZNFA member Sally Houliston for the effort she has put into coordinating the course since it began. She is stepping down from this role to pursue other goals.

The course introduces nurses to aviation physiology and the stresses of flight. Nurses learn how the aviation environment affects different body systems, which in turn can affect patients and nurses. The course provides information and techniques on how to minimise or prevent these effects. Neonatal and paediatric nurses provide specialist knowledge about transportation of these patients and NZNO professional nurse adviser Margaret Cain discusses legal issues. This session is always very interactive, with lots of questions. This year the Ministry of Health's chief nursing adviser Mark Jones attended a morning session to see the course first hand.

NZFNA chair Garry Robinson.