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Abstract submission is now closed.

Presenters Online Abstract Zone

Once you have submitted an abstract (see left) you will be given an Access Key. Enter your access key below to:

  • view your uploaded abstract(s)
  • register for the conference

If you wish to make changes to your abstract please email them to anna@cdesign.com.au


Call for Abstracts

The past 30 years has seen a broadening of the career opportunities for mental health nurses that has reflected the treatment and service options for the consumers we serve. Once confined to psychiatric institutions, mental health nurses began professional expansion into community mental health services in the 1970s. Mental health nurses now work across a variety of settings from private practice to acute care services, from perinatal to older adult mental health and anywhere in between – you name it, we’re there!

Regardless of where mental health nurses end up and whether they choose to ‘Row with a team or paddle alone’, mental health nursing is a unique and collaborative pursuit. Even where mental health nurses work autonomously, there is an acknowledged need to provide health care in a collaborative way, so establishing partnerships – with consumers, carers and other health care professionals and organisations – is a fundamental component of what we do.

You are invited to share with the international mental health nursing community your knowledge, skills and experience at the ACMHN 36th International Mental Health Nursing Conference. The conference is concerned with mental health nursing practice in all settings and subspecialties, and this will be the primary target audience. Papers should address the contemporary mental health care needs of consumers, or focus on the knowledge and skills for practice in hospital, acute, community and primary health care settings. All papers must be original and not previously published or presented.

Authors are invited to submit abstracts for:

Abstracts are invited for papers addressing the conference theme and/or its components including sub-themes. The main conference is concerned with mental health nursing practice in all settings and subspecialties and this will be the primary target audience. Papers should address the contemporary mental health care needs of clients or focus on the knowledge and skills for practice in general hospital and community settings.

All abstracts are expected to be of high quality, current interest to the conference delegates. Abstracts should be a 250 word summary outlining the aims and content of the presentation.

Conference Theme

Row with a Team or Paddle Alone

Sub-themes

Important Dates

Review Process

All abstracts will be blind-reviewed. The Program Committee will allocate abstracts to the program taking into account the quality of each abstract and the balance of the program.

Presentation Formats

Oral Papers

We welcome abstracts describing oral papers that are clinically orientated or research based. One of the important aspects of this conference is that we encourage clinicians to develop clinically-orientated papers, to share skills, knowledge and understanding learned in practice. The opportunity to share clinical lessons learned reminds us to re-focus on the
consumers we serve. It is anticipated that oral papers will be allocated 25 minutes, including 5 minutes for question time. Oral papers will be judged for the Stan Alchin Award and Research Award. Criteria on ACHMN website.

PEARLS – Personally Arranged Learning Sessions

These are small group meetings which allow for those developing ideas and those taking ideas from development into implementation, to share and discuss, and gain insight into their positions, by tapping into the wisdom and experience of others. These are interactive sessions and will be limited to 20 participants. Presentations should be limited to 4 Power Point slides to define the topic and then the session is opened up for general discussion. 10 minutes is allocated to define the topic and 20 minutes for discussion.

Poster Displays

Posters must be original and not previously exhibited. Posters will be displayed for the duration of the conference. Each poster will be allocated a 1-metre wide x 2-metres high panel and the poster must fit within this area. There will not be a formal presentation for posters, but authors will be asked to attend their poster during a designated lunch session to discuss the poster with other delegates.

Pre-Conference Workshops

A small number of pre-conference workshops, will focus on the continuing education needs (including skills acquisition) of mental health nurses. Workshops will be allocated up to 180 minutes. Workshops should be interactive sessions and authors should specify in their abstract how this aim will be achieved. Workshops should involve a significant degree of participation from those in attendance and are not meant to be an extended lecture. Workshops that emphasise practical solutions and teach skills will be preferred.

Pre-Conference Research Symposium Papers

The Research Symposium will be held on Day 1 of the conference and has a broad mental health / mental health nursing theme. The overall aim of the Research Symposium is to provide a forum for scholarly critique and discussion of research issues in mental health nursing. This will be a forum for academics and nurse researchers to come together to discuss methodological and framework issues around the conduct of mental health research. It is a platform for those who are interested in the mechanics of the research process to share ideas and critique each other’s work (either current or proposed). Experienced researchers and academics are invited to submit an abstract for a the Research Symposium paper which should be of 30 minutes duration including discussion. Papers submitted for the Research Symposium will not be eligible for the Research Award. Click here for more information.

The Research Symposium has three main foci:

  1. Intervention Studies e.g. RCT
  2. Ethical Issues in Research
  3. Recruitment and retention of research participant

Pre-Conference Novice Research Symposium Papers

As part of the Research Symposium, presentations will be sought from beginning researchers who wish to present their work to an experienced and authoritative audience. Presenters will be asked to define their topic in 10 minutes with no more than 4 Power Point slides and then open the session up for discussion for 20 minutes. This is an opportunity for beginning researchers to present on their mental health research activities
– either in the formative stages of the research project, or at any point during its development – an should focus particularly on methodological issues.

This will provide access to mental health nursing academics to engage in scholarly critique and discussion of research being presented. It is anticipated that this type of format would benefit those undertaking research projects as part of postgraduate mental health studies at PhD, Bachelor Honours and, Masters Honours students, including those conducting mental health research projects (e.g. project officers) and clinical nurses undertaking nursing research in their place of work. Papers submitted by novice researchers as part of the Research Symposium will not be eligible for the Research Award. Click here for more information.

Submission Procedure

Prepare your abstract

Prepare your abstract in a Microsoft Word document. See the abstract template above.

To be considered for presentation your abstract must include:

  • A descriptive presentation title of a up to fifteen words. Use upper and lower case in the title, not only upper case.
  • The names, organisations, suburbs, states and email addresses (optional) for each author. Indicate the presenting author in bold.
  • The presentation abstract of 250 words maximum.
  • A list of keywords.

Register your abstract

Go to the Presenters Zone to enter your contact details and the abstract title. You can enter multiple presentations.

Upload your abstract

At the end of the registration process you will be asked to upload your Microsoft Word document.

Audiovisual Equipment

Each lecture room will be equipped for the presentation of Power Point slides and include a data projector, computer (with external speakers), lectern and microphone. Multimedia clips should be embedded in your slides. Whiteboards or flip charts will be provided for workshop presentations if requested. Other audiovisual aids, such as Overhead Projectors, are not available.

Presenters will take their Power Point slides and associated media files to the conference on a memory stick, where an audiovisual technician will load your presentation. All slides will be run from a central presentation computer. However, if you have a complex presentation, which includes multiple media files, we suggest you bring your own laptop as a backup in case of difficulties loading your presentation.

Presenters Registration

All presenters will be required to register for the conference and pay the appropriate registration fee. Presenters also need to meet their own travel and accommodation costs.