Meet CATSINaM’s new CEO
Melanie Robinson grew up on the Gibb River Road in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in the bush community of Ngallagunda. By the age of seven, the newly appointed CEO of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) already knew she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her […]
Brexit fallout drives UK hunt for Australian nurses
A visiting UK roadshow recruiting Australian nurses to work abroad within the National Health Service (NHS) marks the latest sign of shifting strategies to fill more than 41,000 vacant nursing posts in the wake of uncertainty triggered by Brexit. Dubbed the “British Nursing Job Fair”, the national recruitment drive spruiks a one-stop shop where “suitably […]
Government backflip on paid healthcare for SEATO nurses
Civilian nurses who served during the Vietnam War could soon get access to a Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Gold Card that covers the cost of medical treatment for all conditions earlier than first flagged following an Australian government decision to fast-track the vital support. Over 200 volunteer civilian nurses joined surgical and medical teams […]
ANMF takes the stand at Royal Commission
Implementing mandated minimum staffing levels and skills mix in aged care is not the sole indicator of a quality system yet one undoubtedly cannot be achieved without taking the action. That was the key message from Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Federal Secretary Annie Butler as she took the stand at the Royal Commission […]
Staff ratios emerge as key issue as Royal Commission into Aged Care begins
More than half of the 300 public submissions already received by the Royal Commission into Aged Care have raised concerns about substandard or unsafe care and staffing issues, including staff ratios, evidence at the opening hearing of the inquiry into Australia’s aged care system has revealed. About 81% of the public submissions detailed concerns over […]
ANMF leads way at South Pacific Nurses Forum (SPNF)
The South Pacific Nurses Forum (SPNF) began in 1982 after a group of nurses from the region connected at the 1980 International Council of Nurses (ICN) conference in Los Angeles. Held every two years, SPNF draws nursing leaders from across the South Pacific who come together to debate key issues facing the professions. In 2018, […]
Nurses help build capacity in the Pacific
Prior to undertaking advanced emergency training, nurses working in a small island nation in the Pacific called Kiribati had limited knowledge and were easily overwhelmed. Wind the clock forward and the hospital ED’s have designated emergency nurses ready to tackle challenges head on. Such as the time a patient arrived in cardiac arrest and nurses […]
Behind the makings of a new nurse fob watch strap
Monitoring and recording a patient’s vital signs are among the core duties of a nurse and keeping track of time is essential during the delivery of care. Yet due to infection control measures, nurses are required to remain bare below the elbows and discouraged from wearing watches. Nurses generally use an analogue fob watch and […]
Surviving your first day of clinical placement
A Placement Educator at Flinders University’s College of Nursing & Health Sciences in Adelaide, Registered Nurse Deb Hastings helps student nurses navigate their way through real-life professional experience. Clinical placements provide students the opportunity to transfer theory into practice and hone their skills for future practice in nursing or midwifery. Placement Educators like Deb assist […]
Justice for SEATO nurses?
Civilian nurses who voluntarily served during the Vietnam War campaigning for more than two decades to secure the same health entitlements accessed by the military will be forced to wait another year and a half despite achieving long overdue recognition for their selfless contribution. More than 200 nurses answered the Australian government’s call for civilian […]