In 2011 AUA’s Practice Nurse/Manager Kay Talbot was awarded the American Medical Systems (AMS) Nursing Prosthetics Scholarship for the Australian & New Zealand Urological Nurses Society. The scholarship is awarded to a nurse who has submitted an education proposal that sees them furthering their skills in prosthetic urology.

Both erectile dysfunction (ED) and urinary incontinence (UI) are debilitating conditions for patients, however both conditions can be corrected in selected patients by the use of prosthetic devices.  Understanding the type, use and expected outcomes of prosthetics is an essential component to patient care. Counselling patients carefully about the choice of prosthetic and  the potential side effects of treatment, providing them with accurate information for the management of incontinence and or erectile dysfunction and providing ongoing support is paramount to a good quality-of-life outcome.

With this in mind, Kay utilized her opportunity to visit the AMS production facility in Minnesota to better understand the research and development that is invested in these devices.  She also visited urology practices in Nashville, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama to observe and interact with the surgeons and nurses involved in their prosthetics programs. The knowledge gained has enabled Kay to improve the prosthetics program offered by AUA Urology.