Biomedical Sciences

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Veronica Madigan is a Senior Lecturer in Pre Hospital Care Emergency Medicine and Program Leader in the School of Biomedical Sciences. Veronica is involved in both the undergraduate and post graduate programs of the Discipline. Her professional background includes 13 years with the Ambulance Service of New South Wales as an Acting District Officer / Paramedic Station Officer / Intensive Care Paramedic in the Illawarra and Sydney Regions.

Her academic interests lie in emergency medicine, the education of paramedic officers particularly in the rural and remote regions of Australia, pre-hospital research and veterinary medicine. Veronica's Master of Rural Health thesis, with the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University was entitled, 'Predicting pre-hospital care students' first year academic performance at a rural university'. Currently she is in her final year of her PhD with Charles Sturt University examining 'What are the lessons that human medicine can learn from veterinary medicine with regard to patient non verbal communication and clinical assessment?'

Teaching

Veronica has a passion for teaching Pre Hospital Emergency Medicine and enjoys assisting her students link theory with practice. Veronica teaches both undergraduate and post graduate students in the Pre Hospital Care Discipline. The subjects in the Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic) and Bachelor of Nursing / Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic) courses include:

• CLS 202 Clinical Studies 3
• CLS 300 Clinical Studies 4
• CLS 302 Internship 2

Subjects in the Post Graduate Certificate of Intensive Care Studies include the double subject PHC 402 Pre Hospital Advanced Trauma and Cardiac Care.

Veronica was awarded Charles Sturt University's Vice Chancellor's Teaching Award for Teaching Excellence in 2010 for her dedication to teaching. Veronica also received a nomination for the Vice Chancellor's Professional Excellence Award in 2009 for teamwork involving the clinical placement of students in both the Pre Hospital and Hospital environment.

Research

Veronica's research interests are varied. They include:

• Pre Hospital Emergency Medicine
• The overlap between human and veterinary medicine
• How non-verbal communication assists health care practitioner practice
• Problem Based Learning for internal and Distance Education students
• Learning to be a clinical detective

Current research projects

Fast track: evidence-based strategies for paramedic internships. EFPI (Education for Practice Institute) Seed grant ($7,840) Lazarsfeld-Jensen, A. with O'Meara, P., Madigan, V., Daley V.

This project aims to evaluate current paramedic internships against optimal learning conditions, and consider alternative, innovative and supplementary strategies. It aims to begin making significant contributions to internship education of paramedics through publications including a proposed text, as none currently exists for the discipline.

Research grants

1. 2002 - CSU Faculty Seed Grant to finalise research into Master's Thesis
2. 2002 - Lions Club of Bathurst Grant to finalise research into Master's Thesis
3. 2005 - CSU Publication Assistance to write up results of Master's Thesis
4. 2005 - CSU Competitive Grant to aid research into 'Graduate Paramedic Career Choices; Student Intentions, Influences and Outcomes'. Application with Associate Professor Peter O'Meara for $10,000.
5. 2006 - CSU Publication Assistance to write up follow up study for 'Predicting Pre-Hospital Care Students First Year Academic Performance - 2002-2005 (paper submitted to Pre Hospital EMS Journal, Pittsburgh (see above)
6. 2006 - Australian College of Ambulance Professionals (NSW Branch) Scholarship Grant for PhD research ($2000). The PhD research analyses What are the learning outcomes for human medicine from the examination of animal treatment models?'

7. 2010 - Charles Sturt University PhD Writing Award for final year candidates ($5,000).

Conference presentations

• Madigan, V. (2002). Key Note Speaker at the Pre-Hospital Care Education Night at the Michener, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 15th May 2002.
• Madigan, V. (2003). 'Pre Hospital Case Scenarios and Clinical Simulation - An Interactive Discussion'. 13th World Congress on Disaster & Emergency Medicine. Melbourne, 6-10 May, 2003.
• Madigan, V. (2005). 'Pre Hospital Web Based Learning - Innovative teaching for the 21st Century'. Australian College of Ambulance Professionals (ACAP), Canberra, 13-15 September, 2005.
• Madigan, V. (2005). 'An Australian Pre Hospital Care Study Aimed at Predicting First Year Students' Academic Performance at University'. ACAP Conference, Canberra, 13-15 September, 2005.
• Madigan, V. & Reynolds, L. (2005). 'The Great Debate - that universities have no place in paramedic training' - team for the negative. ACAP Conference, Canberra, 13-15 September, 2005.
• Madigan, V. (2005). 'Pre Hospital Care Rural Clinical Placement Opportunities - A Snapshot of Broken Hill'. Rural Ambulance Victoria - Rural & Remote Symposium, Mildura, 22-24 September, 2005.
• Madigan, V. (2006). 'What are the lessons to be learnt from veterinary medicine that can assist human medicine?' Post Graduate Health Research Conference, Charles Sturt University, Wagga, November, 2006. Presentation voted 'Best Presentation by a Charles Sturt University Staff Member.
• Madigan, V. (2007). 'Can someone call the Vet - I cannot communicate with my human patient!' Australia College of Ambulance Professionals, Asia Pacific International Conference, Gold Coast, 26-29 September, 2007.
• Madigan, V. (2007). 'Predicting Pre Hospital Care Students First Year Academic Performance - A follow up study 2002-2005'. Australian College of Ambulance Professionals, Asia Pacific International Conference, Gold Coast, 26-29 September, 2007.
• Smith, B.E. & Madigan VM (2008). 'Rapid non-invasive bedside determination of inotropy - a feasibility study'. Society of Critical Care Medicine's 37th Critical Care Congress, Hawaii 2-6th February, 2008 - The Intensive Care Professionals.
• Smith, B.E. & Madigan VM (2008) 'Rapid non-invasive bedside determination of inotropy in left ventricular failure'. 12th International Conference on Emergency Medicine (ICEM 2008) - Global needs, global responses - San Francisco, April 3rd - 6th, 2008. Hosted by the American College of Emergency Physicians.
• Smith B.E. & Madigan VM (2008). 'Smith Madigan Inotropy Formula'. Hong Kong Academy of Emergency Medicine, Hong Kong, April 9th, 2008.
• Smith B.E. & Madigan VM (2008). 'LVF in ED'. International Summit on Emergency Medicine, Beijing, April 12, 2008. Winner of Best Scientific Presentation for the International Summit.
• Smith B.E. & Madigan VM (2008). 'Haemodynamics - Back to Basics'. Australasian Congress of Critical Care Medicine, Busan, South Korea, April 15-17th, 2008.
• Smith B.E. & Madigan VM (2008). ?'Smith Madigan Inotrope Formula'. Hong Kong Academy of Emergency Medicine, Hong Kong, April 9th, 2008.
• Madigan VM (2008). 'Ask the Horses and They Will Teach You'. Guest Presenter at the Cowra Annual Horse Expo, Cowra, 9th & 10th August, 2008.
• Madigan VM & Smith BE (2008) 'Seven Years on - Are we still selecting the right, first year, Pre Hospital Care students?' Australian College of Ambulance Professionals (ACAP) 2008 National Conference, 4-6 September 2008, Melbourne Convention Centre, Melbourne. Abstract published in the Journal of Emergency Primary Health Care, October, 2008.
• Madigan VM (2008) 'Do You Really See What I See? Veterinary staff teaching health care professionals about the unspoken language of medicine - non verbal communication. Australian College of Ambulance Professionals (ACAP) 2008 National Conference, 4-6 September, 2008, Melbourne Convention Centre, Melbourne. Abstract published in the Journal of Emergency Primary Health Care, October, 2008.
• Smith BE & Madigan VM (2008). 'Workshop on Ultrasound in Emergency Medicine and presentation of the Treatment of Shock in ED'. Newcastle on Tyne, United Kingdom, November 7th, 2008.
• Smith BE & Madigan VM (2008). CW Doppler Ultrasound Assessment in Shock States'. Conference of Ultrasound in Emergency Medicine, Birmingham, United Kingdom, November 8th, 2008.
• Smith BE & Madigan VM (2008). 'Left Ventricular Failure in the ED'. Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, Wellington, New Zealand, 25-28 November, 2008.
• Smith BE & Madigan VM (2008). 'Inotropy Index Accurately Predicts Fluid Responsiveness in Volume Resuscitation'. Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, Wellington, New Zealand, 25-28 November, 2008.
• Madigan, V. (2009). 'Non verbal communication - Louder than words. Linking the lessons learnt from veterinary medicine to clinical practice'. Australian College of Ambulance Professionals (Western Australian Branch) Professional Development Seminar ' Key Note Speaker, 22 June- 26th 2009, Perth, WA.
• Madigan, V. (2009). 'Practice with confidence; Lessons from veterinary medicine that every health care practitioner can utilise daily'. Australian College of Ambulance Professionals (Western Australian Branch) Regional Professional Development, Perth June 22nd - 26th, 2009. 'A series of mass lectures and work shops for health care practitioners'.
• Smith BE, & Madigan VM, (2009). 'Measuring Haemodynamics with Doppler Ultrasound - Patient benefits in ICU and Theatre' at the WINFOCUS Conference, 5th World Congress on Ultrasound in Emergency & Critical Care, 4-6 September, Sydney Convention Centre, Sydney.
• Smith, BE & Madigan VM (2009) 'Haemodynamics in ICU: A win, win situation', Conference: Update on Haemodynamic Monitoring, Rome, Italy, December 13-16, 2009.
• Madigan VM (2010) 'Do You Really See What I See? Veterinary staff teaching health care professionals about the unspoken language of medicine - Non Verbal Communication. 'EMS Chiefs of Canada Afternoon Tea Lecture' Chateau Lake Louise, Canada, 9^th June, 2010.
• Madigan VM (2010) 'How Vets can Assist Paramedics in Improving Patient Care' - Non Verbal Communication, the Forgotten Language of Medicine, Mass Lecture, Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic) & Bachelor of Nursing / Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic) students, Faculty of Science, School of Biomedical Science, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, 30th September, 2010.
• Smith, B. & Madigan VM. (2010). Centre for Inland Health, Annual Conference, hosted by the School of Human Movement, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, 2nd December, 2010.

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Publications

• Whyte D, Madigan VM & Drinkwater EJ. 'Predictors of Academic Performance of Nursing and Paramedic Students in First Year Bioscience'. Nursing Education Today, DOI 10.1016/j.nedt.2010.12.021 available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2010.12.021.
• Madigan VM & Smith BE (2010), How Vets can Assist Paramedics in Improving Patient Care - A Humorous but Thoughtful Tale of Nightshift, Journal of the Australian College of Ambulance Professionals - Response, Autumn 2010, vol 37, No.1, pp 21-23.
• Madigan VM & Smith BE (2009), 'First Year Predictors of Academic Performance for Pre Hospital Care Students at a Rural University - A follow up study 2002-2005'. VDM, Verlag Publishing, Germany.

1. Madigan VM (2009), Predicting PHC Students' First Year Performance at University, VDM, Verlag Publishing, Germany.
2. Smith, BE & Madigan VM (2008). 'Inotropes in Septic Shock - A Question of Balance'. Published Abstract in Journal of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care - Volume 36, Issue 4, ANZCA, August, 2008.
3. Smith, BE & Madigan VM (2008). 'Rapid Bedside Determination of Inotropy in Acute Patients'. Published Abstract in Journal of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care - Volume 36, Issue 4, ANZCA, August, 2008.
4. Smith, BE & Madigan VM (2008). 'Rapid Non-Invasive Determination of Ventricular Preload'. Published Abstract in Journal of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care - Volume 36, Issue 4, ANZCA, August, 2008.
5. Smith, B.E. & Madigan V.M. (2007). 'Measurement of Inotropy Status in Emergency Department Patients'. Published Abstract in Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine, October, 2007, Volume 14, Number 4.
   Abstract accompanied conference presentation at the Scientific Symposium on Emergency Medicine in Hong Kong 17-18 October, 2007.
6. Madigan VM (2006). 'Predicting Pre-Hospital Care Students' First Year Academic Performance in a Rural University'. Pre Hospital EMS Journal, Pittsburgh, USA. January 2006, Volume 10, No.1.
7. Madigan, V. (2000) 'Does the MAST Suit Have a Future?' Australasian Journal of Emergency Care.
8. Madigan, V. (1999) 'How Reliable Are Not For Resuscitation Orders (NFR) in the Pre Hospital Care Environment'. Australasian Journal of Emergency Care.

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