Luba Lukacova
Clinical Nurse Specialist in Persistent Pain, Timaru
PGCertHealSc endorsed in Pain and Pain Management
I am a registered nurse working as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in Persistent Pain in Timaru Hospital. I completed the Master in Health Sciences (Nursing - Clinical) program in 2013. I was unable to include the pain papers to my Masters program due to scheduling clashes so after taking a short break from studies I welcomed the opportunity to take on the entire Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences endorsed in Pain and Pain Management as I found it particularly relevant to my clinical role.
A CNS is considered a nursing expert in the chosen clinical field. Besides the direct care delivery to complex patients the role includes supporting staff learning and development and quality improvement initiatives within the speciality. Being part of a very small pain team and the only member with the focus on the psychosocial component of persistent pain management, my knowledge prior to undertaking these papers was mainly a result of self-directed learning. Considering the large volume of research in this scientific field in the last decades, this form of learning did not guarantee that I had accessed the best scientific evidence or interpreted and utilised it adeptly despite my best efforts.
The four papers that comprised the Postgraduate Certificate exceeded my expectations. The high quality, up to date content, has significantly enhanced and broadened my knowledge and understanding of pain science and pain management which I am now able to utilise in my clinical practice.
One of the highlights of the programme for me was the professional diversity of my fellow students. The online discussions, during the videoconferencing and via blackboard, elucidated for me, and made me appreciate their respective viewpoints and functions in pain management. This is congruent with the current best evidence which supports a multifaceted approach to management of complex persistent pain where the contribution of interdisciplinary team members, working on the same wavelength, is integrated to provide the best care for their patients.
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