Conference date: The conference will be held in-person, November 19-22, 2024, at the Ottawa-Gatineau Hilton Lac Leamy, located in Gatineau, QC, Canada just north of Ottawa.
Abstract submissions: Will be accepted until May 24th, 2024 with notification by June 17th, 2024
Conference theme: Leading Change: The Future of Mental Health and Substance Use Nursing in Canada
Conference Objectives: The overall goal of the conference is to provide a forum for highlighting innovations in practice, education, research, and policy development in mental health and substance use nursing in Canada and globally.
Conference participants will be able to:
- Examine issues unique to the provision of mental health and substance use nursing in diverse institutional and community-based settings.
- Report innovations in program and policy development relevant to mental health and substance use nursing.
- Participate in culturally safe mental health practices and forward reconciliation practices with
- Indigenous peoples and communities.
- Discuss clinical and ethical issues unique to mental health and substance use nursing.
- Explore opportunities to address work-life issues unique to mental health and substance use nursing
Suggested Topic Areas:Suggested topic areas are listed for your information only; please feel free to submit abstracts related to other topics relevant to the overall conference objectives.
- Provision of mental health and substance use nursing care of patients/clients/persons receiving care (PCPRC) populations across the lifespan prioritizing equity, diversity, and inclusion, human rights, social determinants of health, advocacy, allyship, antiracism, anti-stigma, and social justice approaches.
- The provision of medical/surgical care by mental health nurses in acute care mental health settings.
- Exploration of what culturally safe mental health nursing can be to improve care for Indigenous PCPRC and communities.
- Continuing Professional Workforce Development – support for professional development education and research; recruitment and retention initiatives including onboarding, mentoring, and clinical supervision; interprofessional education and practice including cultural competence, cultural safety, and cultural humility.
- Self-care initiatives, mindfulness, care for the caregiver, nurse-to-nurse peer support, prevention of vicarious trauma, burnout, and PTSD
- Innovative research initiatives in mental health and substance use nursing, including academic and community-based partnerships.
- Physical and psychological safety for PCPRC and staff, emphasizing safe staffing levels.
- Mental health and substance use standards of practice, competencies, scope of practice, and certification initiatives.
- Evidence based models of care, including trauma and violence informed care, harm reduction programing (including self-injection sites and supervised consumption sites), rehabilitation and recovery programs, early intervention schemes, Suicide intervention and care planning, psychoeducation initiatives for PCSUs and families.
- Virtual care initiatives – strengths and limitations, best practices, and regulatory concerns.
- Patient acuity, including de-escalation techniques, debriefing following crises, and community based rapid response teams.
- Housing and community-based supports
- Role of seclusion and physical restraints in acute care
- Novel drug treatments such as ketamine and stellate ganglion block.
- MAiD – exclusion of eligibility of persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness until March 2027.
Types of Presentations:
Oral Paper: A short report on recent completed original work or in-progress work. Total time 30 minutes (20 minutes presentation and 10 minutes for discussion)
Poster: A short report on recent completed original work or in-progress work. Posters will be featured as a significant component of the conference.
Workshop:
- The goal of a workshop presentation is to provide participants with the opportunity to focus on professional development opportunities (e.g. learn new skills, tools, and perspectives) in an interactive forum.
- Please be sure to include an overview of the workshop, core issues that support why a workshop is needed, the planned interactive activities, why it would be of interest to conference participants and what would be the significant takeaways.
- Total time 90 minutes
Guidelines for Submission:
- Abstracts are to be written in English or French and submitted electronically through this designated portal.
- When you are finished click the Submit button at the end of the form.
Content Required for Submission:
- Type – oral paper, poster, workshop
- Contact Person for Your Submission – name, phone number, email address.
- Abstract Title
- Body of Abstract – maximum 350 words
- Learning Objectives – 2 or 3 objectives
- Keywords – 3 or 4 keywords that would describe your submission.
- Selected References – up to 5 references that underpin your abstract.
- Contributing Authors – name, credentials, title/position
- Materials Provided (workshop only)
- Session Outline (workshop only)
