Covering the broadest spectrum of practice of all the nursing specialties, the highly specialised yet varied area known as pediatric critical care nursing or pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nursing, is among one of the most challenging and rewarding career paths available to nursing professionals. PICU nurses care for all children from new born infants to teenagers, presenting with a variety of problems from the straightforward to the highly complex.

As a sector, it’s not without its challenges however. According to a report by the Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee published in 2002 and projecting workforce needs from 2001 to 2011, a number of factors look set to increase the demands on paediatric intensive care services in the future, including population growth, technological advances and surgical initiatives, including those associated in particular with cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease, craniofacial surgery, transplantation and epilepsy surgery. Expanding oncological services also look set to place demands on PICUs, as well as changing expectations of parents and caregivers in certain groups of children with chronic disabilities.

It’s therefore heartening news for Australian PICU nurses that The Sixth World Congress on Pediatric Critical Care will this year take place in Sydney. Rolling out from 13 - 17 March 2011 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour, the congress is being led by The World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies (WFPICCS), an association of world leaders in the field of Pediatric Critical Care with a vision to combine international expertise to improve the outcomes of sick or injured children.

Significantly, a co-host of the congress will be The Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN), which represents over 2,000 critical care nurses nationally, working across the critical care clinical spectrum including emergency, coronary care, high dependency, cardiothoracic and general intensive care units, and academic and educational settings.

The congress’ other co-host will be The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS), the peak professional and advocacy body for medical practitioners specialising in the treatment and management of critically ill patients in public and private hospitals.

Organisers believe of special interest to nurses will be a pre-congress symposium at the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies meeting in Sydney on March 13. The one-day event will provide a full day of professional networking and education for clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, educators, administrators, researchers and other pediatric healthcare professionals caring for critically ill children, or anyone interested in Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) in the Pediatric Critical Care environment.

Structured to provide a forum for open dialogue amongst participants focusing on topics pertinent to the APN including practice, education, and research, the symposium will enable information regarding the APN role to be shared via a panel format, with panelists representing differing perspectives from around the world.

Meanwhile, other themes covered by the conference’s wide ranging line-up of expert international speakers will cover highly specialised areas across the pediatric critical care spectrum include circulation, breathing, infection & immunity, injury, the brain, psychosocial issues, hormones and feeding, new technologies and education.

For more information about the conference visit: www.pcc2011.com