Wound Care
With Australian life expectancy increasing we have an ageing population and increasing rates of diabetes, both of which are contributing to the increasing burden of wounds.
At any one time in Australia, there are around 430,000 patients with chronic wounds needing specialised wound care. Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences is currently running the only Masters of Wound Care program in the Southern Hemisphere.
We spoke with Dr Peta Tehan, Lecturer in the Masters of Wound Care to find out a little more about the program:
What is the Wound Care program:
The program is designed to enable health professionals to advance knowledge and skills in the provision of care to the increasing number of patients with complex wounds. Students gain specialist skills to enable the formulation, implementation and evaluation of wound care management plans. I coordinate the principles of wound healing, wound assessment, and the diabetes foot unit and also lead a program of research in diabetes-related foot ulceration.
What has inspired you throughout your career?
I am a high-risk podiatrist who sees first-hand the devastating consequences of wounds in the community. This led to me firstly to pursue my post-graduate study in wounds and then, a PhD in an important area of clinical practice, vascular disease.
I was inspired to undertake further study as I saw a need in my local area for advanced practice.
My goal is to prevent unnecessary amputation and address the inequity in outcomes that we see particularly in diabetes-related foot ulceration. I am making valuable contributions to this through my teaching and research.
What changes have you seen over your career?
Over my 15-year career as a podiatrist, researcher and educator, I have seen an increasing amount of evidence become available to support our practice as clinicians, and an increased focus on indigenous health.
Who is the program attracting?
The Master of Wound Care has graduated 74 Master's students since it first started in 2000, plus many more students with graduate certificates and graduate diplomas. We are looking to offer a PhD in the not-too-distant future.
Our students have come from every state of Australia, New Zealand and Singapore with a small number located in the UAE and Dubai over the years (Australians working overseas). Students come from various disciplines - mainly nurses but also include podiatrists, community-based pharmacists, doctors/geriatricians and occupational therapists.
They work in a vast variety of areas from GP clinics, private and public hospitals (including wards and outpatients), and community and wound clinics.
Students in the Masters of Wound Care program develop essential skills in wound assessment and management in different populations, including pressure injury, diabetes foot disease, burns and scar management. Students can also attend hands-on workshops to extend their compression, debridement, and vascular assessment skills.
What are some of the key aspects of the program?
Our program is current and of high quality, and our teaching staff are currently practising advanced clinicians, so there is a strong clinical focus within our program.
We also use a multi-disciplinary approach and have experts from different backgrounds teach in the program, including nutrition and dietetics.
What has been a proud moment for you?
Last year we had 18 students graduate with a Masters of Wound Care which is our biggest cohort yet, so that is 18 more highly skilled wound clinicians in Australia helping to make a huge difference in a patient’s quality of life. This is a very proud achievement.
Event:
Looking to gain specialist skills in wound care? Join us at the Meet the Masters of Wound Care online event, Tuesday, October 24 from 6 pm. Register here.
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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