I often attend medical conferences to find out the latest trends and findings within the industry. It is also a great time to meet other nurses and find out their experiences of working in peadeatrics. Normally there is a lot of product pushing from large medical equipment supply companies, and it can, at times, feel like a big week long advert rather than a medical conference. Occasionally, something sparks my interest and I do pass it on to senior staff at the hospital I work at in Melbourne. At the last conference the hot topic was about the increased use of oxygen therapy in Melbourne. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used to treat a range of conditions although is most established for treating decompression sickness, a dangerous condition caused by scuba diving. In more recent years it has been used to treat illnesses ranging from cerebral palsy to sports injuries. It seems it has become a popular treatment method for athletes, hence its rise in popularity in medical circles. I have worked a little bit assisting doctors using a portable hyperbaric chamber in Melbourne, they were using it to treat badly healing wounds. It is an interesting and progressive form of treatment so I figured my hospital might be interested in some of the literature I required from the conference. My hospital likes to stay on top of trends and I speculate that once I show them the number of elite sport starts using hyperbaric oxygen therapy they’ll be very interested in spending some money. There is another side to attending the conferences that I enjoy, and that is the social aspect. A bunch of doctors, nurses and medical corporates in a big hotel together really does lead to a lot of fun! Because it is all in the name of serious medicine it all gets paid for by powers that be!