Anaesthetist develops world-first heart scan

Date of Posting: 15-05-2012

A Melbourne anaesthetist and researcher has developed the world’s first ultrasound technique for monitoring the hearts of critically ill pregnant women. Royal Women’s Hospital specialist anaesthetist and researcher Clinical Associa Read More...

Hospital tweets brain surgery to 14,000 followers

Date of Posting: 15-05-2012

A hospital in the United States has tweeted live from the operating theatre as a neurosurgeon removed a brain tumour from a 21-year-old woman. Neurosurgeon Dr Dong Kim performed the operation at the Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas, Read More...

Physiotherapist develops pioneering Parkinson’s program

Date of Posting: 14-05-2012

An Australian specialist neurological physiotherapist has developed an innovative new program for people in the early stages of Parkinson’s. Melissa McConaghy, who has worked as a neurological physiotherapist with people with Parkinson&r Read More...

Cancer nurse coordinators for New Zealand

Date of Posting: 14-05-2012

New Zealand will receive 40 cancer nurse coordinators as part of the government’s plans to spend $101 million on improving frontline health services over the next four years. Health Minister Tony Ryall announced $33 million in funds, ear Read More...

More Parkinson’s nurses needed

Date of Posting: 12-05-2012

Alexa Jefferson clocks up the kilometres in her role as just one of 33 Parkinson’s nurse specialists in Australia. A nurse of 30 years, Alexa travels 450km from Perth to Bornholm in Western Australia, to visit and assist one of her patie Read More...

Awards recognise Australia’s exceptional nurses

Date of Posting: 12-05-2012

A Noosa nursing lecturer, a Rockhampton renal nurse and a young Bathurst nurse have been named Australia’s top nurses in the 2012 HESTA Australian Nursing Awards. CQUniversity’s Nicholas Ralph was awarded the Innovation in Nursing Read More...

Nurses to target prostate cancer

Date of Posting: 12-05-2012

Thirteen prostate cancer specialist nurses will assist people in their battle with the disease, which is tipped to become the biggest killer of Australian men within three years. The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia has announced a thre Read More...

Education profile: One midwife’s journey to educate in developing countries

Date of Posting: 10-05-2012

A young, award-winning Australian midwife is continuing her education in a bid to improve health care in the developing world and, in doing so, is working to save the world’s newest lives, writes Karen Keast. Brooke Jones plans on making Read More...

Accident prompts aircraft maintenance engineer to teach nursing students

Date of Posting: 09-05-2012

A former aircraft maintenance engineer is now teaching nursing and dental students life-saving first aid and CPR training after her toddler almost drowned. Tammy Richie, who worked as an aircraft maintenance engineer for 17 years, has formed h Read More...

Physiotherapist thrives on Parkinson’s role

Date of Posting: 09-05-2012

After working as a physiotherapist in acute, subacute and community roles in Sydney and London, Joanne Bolton decided to put her physiotherapy skills to the test in a different role. In 2009, Joanne embarked on a two-year government-funded pro Read More...

Health budget windfall

Date of Posting: 09-05-2012

The 2012-2013 Federal Budget will inject $74.5 billion into Australia’s health care system. The Labor budget includes the promised $3.7 billion reform package for the nation’s embattled aged care system, a $233.7 million investment Read More...

Spate of paramedic suicides rocks ambulance service

Date of Posting: 04-05-2012

Victorian ambulance workers have been left reeling after an increase in the number of paramedics committing suicide, with eight paramedics in the past three years taking their own lives. Ambulance Employees Association Victoria general secreta Read More...

New guide helps nurses navigate Facebook, Twitter

Date of Posting: 02-05-2012

Nurses and nursing students have been warned to think carefully before allowing employers, other nurses, doctors and allied health professionals access to their personal information on social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. The Read More...

Aussie nurse rolls with Lance Armstrong

Date of Posting: 30-04-2012

Chris Green has the best of both worlds. The South Australian nurse splits his time between working for champion cyclist Lance Armstrong and as an agency nurse with Healthcare Australia. Chris, who was born and raised in the United Kingdom Read More...

Health report highlights looming nursing crisis

Date of Posting: 30-04-2012

Australia faces a critical shortage of 109,490 nurses in 2025. That’s the bleak forecast from the Health Workforce 2025 report, which models workforce demand and supply for doctors, nurses and midwives over the next 13 years. It pred Read More...

The challenges of nurse management

Date of Posting: 30-04-2012

  While the role of manager can be one of the most rewarding in the nursing and allied health professions, it pays to be aware of some of the ongoing challenges affecting leadership roles, writes Belinda Smart   Heather Butti Read More...

Dietitians call for action on malnutrition

Date of Posting: 30-04-2012

More than 40 per cent of older Australians living in their homes are either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. This startling new research has prompted Australia’s peak nutrition body to call for routine nutrition screening and tar Read More...

Autism book helps allied health professionals

Date of Posting: 30-04-2012

A book designed to help occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists and other allied health professionals better assist families in the immediate aftermath of an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis has been released. The book, W Read More...

Hospitals failing Twitter and Facebook health check

Date of Posting: 27-04-2012

Australian hospitals are falling behind in the social media stakes, with only 13 per cent using Twitter and 11 per cent using Facebook, according to new research. The Social Media Networks for Australian Hospitals research, carried out by Aust Read More...

Australia’s top nurses honoured

Date of Posting: 27-04-2012

A woman who swapped her bookshop business to retrain as a nurse and has since dedicated her career to refugee health is one of five Nurse of the Year finalists in the HESTA Australian Nursing Awards. Annette Carr qualified as a nurse 10 years Read More...

Nurses inspire with Real Inspirations

Date of Posting: 24-04-2012

Two Melbourne nurses are producing a book showcasing the inspirational lives of people, including patients and healthcare workers. Aged care nurses Yvette Raby, 30, and Chris Sheils, 52, who work at Melbourne Health facility Cyril Jewel House, Read More...

New paramedic program equips students with life-saving skills

Date of Posting: 24-04-2012

Jane Clarke has always been interested in emergency and trauma medicine. The 35-year-old this year became one of 65 students to study in the University of Queensland’s new Bachelor of Paramedic Science Program at its Ipswich campus. Read More...

Nurses celebrate aged care overhaul

Date of Posting: 20-04-2012

Australia’s aged care nurses and workers are celebrating after the Federal Government unveiled a 10-year plan to reshape the aged care sector, including a $1.2 billion injection to tackle critical workforce shortages. Prime Minister Juli Read More...

Working abroad as a nurse

Date of Posting: 20-04-2012

  The Australian nursing landscape might look a little bleak to some given the many ongoing pay disputes, recent strikes over conditions and bed closures, but perhaps a new opportunity is what you need. In fact, some qualified nurses are Read More...

Nursing students help out in Cambodia

Date of Posting: 17-04-2012

With a great grandmother and grandmother who were nurses, a mother who works as a nurse and a grandfather who was a paramedic, Nalani Cooper was destined to help others. “I have always been interested in the health care field. It’s Read More...

Emerging disorder alert for allied health professionals

Date of Posting: 17-04-2012

Allied health professionals and nurses are being urged to familiarise themselves with an emerging chronic health disorder. Australasian Lymphology Association president Penelope Sanderson said lymphoedema, a progressive disorder of the lymphat Read More...

Pay rise for Queensland public sector nurses

Date of Posting: 17-04-2012

Queensland Health’s 32,000 nurses and midwives are set to receive a three per cent annual pay rise, or $30 per week - whichever is greater, under their proposed new workplace agreement. The Queensland Nurses’ Union and Queensland H Read More...

Olive branch for Victorian paramedics

Date of Posting: 17-04-2012

The family of a recovering car crash victim has extended an olive branch to the two Victorian paramedics who pronounced the driver as deceased. Ambulance Employees Association Victoria general secretary Steve McGhie said the family had been ov Read More...

Juice is not a fruit say dietitians

Date of Posting: 17-04-2012

Australia’s peak nutrition body has called for fruit juice to be removed from the serves of fruit in the nation’s dietary guidelines. The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) also wants a sixth food group to be introduced for Read More...

Aged care: Interview with new Aged and Community Services Australia CEO John Kelly

Date of Posting: 16-04-2012

The appointment of a new CEO looks likely herald a significant period for Aged & Community Services Australia, with changes likely. Nina Hendy speaks to Adjunct Professor John Kelly AM about the main issues facing aged care nurses and how he i Read More...

Health check in the Solomon Islands

Date of Posting: 10-04-2012

Clive Bulleid usually spends his days working for Queensland Health Rockhampton as an MRI assistant. But for the past three months, Clive has been working as a section signaller, providing communications support to the Tongan Defence Service i Read More...

Shift-working nurses should have access to nannies: ANF

Date of Posting: 10-04-2012

The Australian Nursing Federation has supported moves to consider subsidised nannies as a child care option for nurses working shifts. ANF federal secretary Lee Thomas said nurses were frustrated at the lack of round-the-clock child care optio Read More...

Dementia epidemic hits Australia

Date of Posting: 10-04-2012

The Australian Nursing Federation has echoed concerns that Australia is in the grip of a dementia epidemic. ANF federal secretary Lee Thomas said Australia urgently needs an extra 20,000 nurses in aged care, coupled with an injection of fundin Read More...

Mental health nurses and clinicians walk off the job

Date of Posting: 10-04-2012

At least 120 psychiatric nurses and mental health clinicians are needed across Victoria’s mental health services, according to the Health and Community Services Union. Nurses, clinicians and support staff this week began the first of 90 Read More...

Nurses urged to give blood

Date of Posting: 05-04-2012

New South Wales Nurses’ Association general secretary Brett Holmes has put his arm on the line – and now he’s urging the union’s members to do the same. “I am an example of someone who has given blood years ago,&r Read More...

Union defends Victorian paramedics

Date of Posting: 03-04-2012

A car crash victim had no pulse and no obvious signs of life when two Victorian paramedics assessed him as deceased, according to the paramedics’ union. It was after the ambulance had left the scene that an SES volunteer, who was removin Read More...

Fears new nursing ratios are under attack

Date of Posting: 03-04-2012

The New South Wales’ Nurses’ Association has launched a campaign to defend nurse to patient ratios in the public sector amid fears the new ratios are already at risk. Nursing ratios were won in last year’s industrial relation Read More...

Physiotherapists push for prescribing rights

Date of Posting: 03-04-2012

Australian physiotherapists armed with the proper training will be well equipped to take on board limited prescribing rights, according to the Australian Physiotherapy Association. APA president Melissa Locke said a Health Workforce Australia Read More...

Maternity changes spark fears

Date of Posting: 30-03-2012

Plans to move specialist maternity services from Whanganui to Palmerston North in New Zealand will affect about 90 maternity staff and about 800 women a year, according to the nurses’ union. The New Zealand Nurses Organisation has critic Read More...

A top to tail service for older patients

Date of Posting: 30-03-2012

A special service is helping pet-loving patients get the care they need in hospital. Pets of Older Persons, affectionately known as POOPS, is helping to care for the pets of socially isolated older people. POOPS was first established in Ne Read More...

New app helps parents in NICU

Date of Posting: 30-03-2012

A smart phone application has been developed to help parents of premature and sick babies decipher the medical terminology they hear in Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Special Care Nurseries. Australian charity Life’s Little Treasures Read More...

Occupational therapist follows her heart to Africa

Date of Posting: 30-03-2012

A Brisbane occupational therapist has returned to her African homeland to assist burns patients. Jody Mills is serving four months as a volunteer occupational therapist with the world’s largest private hospital ship, Africa Mercy, off th Read More...

Queensland nurses seek new agreement

Date of Posting: 30-03-2012

The Queensland Nurses’ Union hopes to embark on a problem-solving approach with the state’s new Liberal National government, as it works to secure a new workplace agreement for the state’s public sector nurses and midwives. Q Read More...

Nurses and midwives urged to renew online, on time

Date of Posting: 28-03-2012

More than 332,000 Australian nurses and midwives are expected to renew their registration before the end of May. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia has kicked off its 2012 renewal registration campaign and announced this year’s Read More...

Agency nursing: The key to work-life balance?

Date of Posting: 27-03-2012

Imagine if you could dictate the days and the hours you wanted to work and achieve the ever-elusive work-life balance? Well, as an agency nurse, you can, writes Karen Keast. According to an Australian study, 60 per cent of people are not worki Read More...

Oceania nurses step up industrial action

Date of Posting: 20-03-2012

Many Oceania aged care nurses and workers are only being paid 11 cents more than the minimum wage, according to the nurses’ union. Around 1500 nurses and staff at New Zealand’s largest aged care provider have now held three strikes Read More...

eHealth display rolls out

Date of Posting: 20-03-2012

Allied health professionals, nurses and other healthcare providers across Australia will receive a first-hand look at how the new eHealth system will operate. An innovative, interactive mobile display is touring Australia to showcase the Feder Read More...

Midwife cycling around Australia for vital cause

Date of Posting: 19-03-2012

    “It all started out of a desire, or a personal yearning to ride around Australia on my bike,” recalls midwife Marg Phelan. “I’m an absolutely passionate bike rider, I’ve always loved it, and I&rs Read More...

Vic nurses celebrate pay and ratio victory

Date of Posting: 19-03-2012

Victorian nurses have swapped their 70,000 red campaign t-shirts for their uniforms in the wake of their epic victory for improved ratios and a pay rise of between 14 to 21 per cent. Nurses took to the Australian Nursing Federation Victorian b Read More...

Hero nurse awarded Star of Courage

Date of Posting: 19-03-2012

Heroic mental health nurse Robert Fenwick has been posthumously awarded one of Australia’s highest bravery awards, the Star of Courage. Mr Fenwick, 62, was working at the Bloomfield Hospital in Orange, New South Wales, when he was stabbe Read More...

New Rural Health Professionals Program: it pays to go rural

Date of Posting: 19-03-2012

Ever been tempted by a ‘sea change’ or ‘tree change’? Now might be your time! The Rural Health Professionals Program (RHPP) is a Federal Government initiative, funded by Health Workforce Australia (HWA), which aims to r Read More...

Healthy milestone for midwives

Date of Posting: 19-03-2012

Fifteen midwives from the one hospital have all celebrated 20 years of service. While many health organisations struggle to retain experienced staff, Sydney’s Hurstville Private recently celebrated with 15 midwives, five paediatricians a Read More...

Victorian paramedics demand pay rise

Date of Posting: 19-03-2012

Victorian paramedics are the lowest paid in the country and are prepared to fight the State Government for a 21-22 per cent pay rise, according to the ambulance union. Ambulance Employees Association Victoria general secretary Steve McGhie sai Read More...

Physiotherapist has Scope for change

Date of Posting: 15-03-2012

Physiotherapist Jennifer Fitzgerald has become the head of one of Victoria’s largest disability service providers at a time when the disability sector faces fundamental change. The new CEO of Scope, a not-for-profit organisation that pro Read More...

Nurses warned on texting and Facebook

Date of Posting: 13-03-2012

Text messaging is landing New Zealand nurses in trouble, with nurses facing disciplinary action for inappropriate use of mobile phones and texting patients. The Nursing Council of New Zealand’s draft code of conduct is warning nurses to Read More...

Website comes clean on hand hygiene standards

Date of Posting: 13-03-2012

Hand hygiene standards at almost 20 per cent of Australia’s 233 major public hospitals fall below the national benchmark, according to new figures. For the first time, hand hygiene statistics have been unveiled on the MyHospitals website Read More...

Aged care nursing is for Ann

Date of Posting: 13-03-2012

Registered nurse Ann Bingham is disheartened when she hears some nurses believe working in aged care is for nurses at the end of their careers. “I have worked in hospitals and aged care and I can say that aged care is more of a challenge Read More...

New study examines the link between heart and mind

Date of Posting: 06-03-2012

A Gold Coast consultant psychiatrist will explore the link between heart disease and depression. Dr Chris Stapelberg, from Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology, said up to 20 per cent of people who suffer heart attacks also Read More...

ANF survey predicts nursing exodus

Date of Posting: 06-03-2012

A new national survey shows 15 per cent of nurses intend to walk away from the nursing profession within the next 12 months. Management need to address organisational cultures and resource issues to avoid steering into a ‘perfect storm&r Read More...

Facebook twist in nurses’ dispute

Date of Posting: 06-03-2012

Facebook became the frontline in the ongoing industrial relations dispute between Victorian nurses and the State Government, just days before nurses agreed to halt industrial action. The Australian Nursing Federation Victorian branch was force Read More...

Payroll debacle hits dietitian

Date of Posting: 06-03-2012

Reports that a Queensland dietitian repeatedly failed in her attempts to pay back more than $30,000 in Queensland Health overpayments, has astounded the nurses’ union. Dietitian Judith Wilcox, who has since retired, has told media she tr Read More...

Nursing patients back to life in a weapon wounded hospital

Date of Posting: 02-03-2012

Kass Keenan has seen first-hand the damage gunshots, landmines and mortar blasts can inflict. The Royal Melbourne Hospital nurse has recently arrived home after a six month stint in her first mission for the Australian Red Cross, working in Pe Read More...

Training boost for WA nurses

Date of Posting: 02-03-2012

More than 200 nursing students a year are expected to be trained at an innovative new nurse training facility in Western Australia. The $1.8 million facility at the Challenger Institute of Technology’s Murdoch campus has been unveiled, f Read More...

Study finds supervision changes the key to keeping Gen Y’s in nursing

Date of Posting: 02-03-2012

Generation Y nurses dislike the current hierarchical style of management and the introduction of generation-tailored supervision strategies could increase their retention rates, according to a new Australian study. The ‘Communication, tr Read More...

New nurses clamour for aged care program

Date of Posting: 29-02-2012

More than 380 new nurses have applied for just 20 places in Bupa’s Graduate Nurse Program this year. The program, now in its third year and run in conjunction with The College of Nursing, has become so popular Bupa is this year holding t Read More...

Report labels nursing the ‘best’ job in America

Date of Posting: 29-02-2012

America’s registered nurses have a rosy future with nursing ranked as the best career to have in the land of opportunity, with significant growth earmarked for the next decade. Exceptional job growth of 26 per cent, a 2010 median annual Read More...

Calls for nurses in all New Zealand schools and early childhood centres

Date of Posting: 28-02-2012

A full-time government-funded nurse in every early childhood centre and school across New Zealand would provide better health outcomes, according to the nurses’ union. The New Zealand Nurses Organisation has called for the government to Read More...

More allied health professions join national registration

Date of Posting: 24-02-2012

Occupational therapists, Chinese medicine practitioners, medical radiation practitioners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners are the latest health professionals to join Australia’s national registration and accredi Read More...

Victorian nurses walk off the job

Date of Posting: 24-02-2012

About 300 Victorian nurses, midwives and mental health nurses have begun walking off the job at three Melbourne hospitals this morning as the nurses’ dispute to save and improve ratios reaches new levels. Nurses at the Royal Melbourne Ho Read More...

Unique mum and bub hub delivers community-based services

Date of Posting: 21-02-2012

Deborah Ralph is a paediatric nurse and midwife working at Australia’s only medical practice operated by The Benevolent Society. Deborah worked in paediatrics for about 20 years and then in midwifery for 15 years and in November began wo Read More...

New Zealand public hospital errors revealed

Date of Posting: 21-02-2012

A patient waited 14 months for an urgent appointment at an eye clinic due to administration errors and is now legally blind while another patient was given a 10 times overdose of two different types of insulin. The Health Quality and Safety Co Read More...

Electronic drug records system for pharmacists

Date of Posting: 17-02-2012

A Tasmanian initiative to prevent the abuse of controlled drugs such as painkilling prescription drugs will be rolled out nationally from July. The Federal Government has announced plans to establish a $5 million national electronic records sy Read More...

Fertility nursing lures Guianna

Date of Posting: 17-02-2012

Working as a fertility nurse is a dream come true for Guianna Marcelo. The Peru-born Sydneysider has spent the past five and a half years working at Genea, formerly known as Sydney IVF. The Registered Nurse first began work at Genea as an Read More...

Nurses’ union demands rebate savings to be injected back into health

Date of Posting: 17-02-2012

The Australian Nursing Federation has called for the Federal Government to inject the $2.4 million saved from means-testing private health insurance back into the nation’s health system. ANF federal secretary Lee Thomas said the funds mu Read More...

Nurses’ ratio dispute continues

Date of Posting: 17-02-2012

More than 7000 people have signed a petition calling on Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu to save and improve nurse and midwife ratios. The Australian Nursing Federation’s Victorian branch launched the online petition – which sends an Read More...

Ambulance ramping affects paramedics and hospital staff

Date of Posting: 17-02-2012

Ambulance ramping has a significant impact on paramedics and hospital staff, patients and the community, according to the findings of a new Australian study. A three year Griffith University study found ambulance ramping was a manifestation of Read More...

Superglue could change the way intravascular catheters are secured

Date of Posting: 16-02-2012

  Studies show a third of intravascular catheters fail while troubleshooting and replacing catheters costs the nation about $1 billion each year. Australian researchers now believe they are on the threshold to providing nurses with a simp Read More...

Nurses 'Like' social media

Date of Posting: 14-02-2012

More healthcare organisations and nursing agencies are tapping into the benefits of social media to communicate with nurses. With social media statistics for January showing Facebook hit 10,703,340 users in Australia, YouTube had 11 million un Read More...

Nurses warn of mass resignations

Date of Posting: 09-02-2012

Thousands of Victorian nurses have vowed to collectively resign unless the State Government meets their demands for better pay and improved patient care, according to the nurses’ union. Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Lisa Read More...

Researchers study wound treatment

Date of Posting: 09-02-2012

Painful acute and chronic wounds are estimated to affect around 433,000 Australians each year. Now a new Australian research project is hoping to shed some light on a dynamic wound treatment, which could provide faster healing times for patien Read More...

Nurses rally over staffing levels

Date of Posting: 08-02-2012

Nurses working at Mt Gambier Hospital have reported occasions of one nurse caring for seven patients, according to the nurses’ union. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation South Australian branch secretary Elizabeth Dabars said the Read More...

Do you need locum support while your staff are away?

Date of Posting: 07-02-2012

The Nursing & Allied Health Rural Locum Scheme (NAHRLS) is a component of the Australian Government’s National Health and Hospital Network Reform agenda and has been established to address some of the challenges and barriers that rural a Read More...

Managing distressed, escalating, even aggressive behaviour? CPI can help!

Date of Posting: 07-02-2012

As a nurse, you face uncooperative, escalating behaviours and potentially dangerous situations every day. How you respond greatly determines the safety of everyone involved and profoundly impacts the relationships with those in your care. &nbs Read More...

Paramedic’s life inspires crime novels

Date of Posting: 06-02-2012

A former paramedic is drawing on her 15 years’ experience in the profession to write crime novels. Gold Coast author Katherine Howell worked as a paramedic in Sydney and on the far north coast of New South Wales up until six years ago, w Read More...

Advertising blitz highlights nurse to patient ratios

Date of Posting: 06-02-2012

A young female nurse speaks directly into the camera. “I’ve been trained to look after really sick and vulnerable patients and now the Baillieu Government expects me to provide sub-standard care,” she says. “You don Read More...

Early investigations released into paramedic’s death

Date of Posting: 02-02-2012

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has cleared a helicopter and winch from contributing to the death of New South Wales helicopter paramedic Mick Wilson on Christmas Eve. The bureau has completed its review of the helicopter and winch and Read More...

Dietitian’s portion plan helps psychiatric patients stem weight gain

Date of Posting: 02-02-2012

A Gold Coast dietitian’s innovative portion control program is helping patients at a psychiatric hospital limit medication-induced weight gain. Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian Amanda Clark said a 2007 survey of inpatients at the Read More...

Aged care nurses forging on

Date of Posting: 01-02-2012

Nurses working at an ACT nursing home are forging on in the face of difficult conditions after the home was declared a risk to its residents, according to the Australian Nursing Federation ACT branch. The Anglicare-operated Ginninderra Gardens Read More...

Earthquake aftershocks for health services

Date of Posting: 01-02-2012

Earthquakes are continuing to take a toll on New Zealand’s health facilities. The Canterbury District Health Board has been forced to suddenly close the 1923-built theatre block at Ashburton Hospital, after engineering assessments raised Read More...

Empowering the mind

Date of Posting: 01-02-2012

  Its roots may date back to a mysterious and bygone world, but the modern practice of clinical hypnotherapy is gaining ground as an effective weapon against a variety of mental health issues, writes Belinda Smart Hypnosis often conj Read More...

Nurses and allied health workers wanted for survey

Date of Posting: 01-02-2012

Nurses, midwives and allied health workers across Australia are wanted to take part in a study exploring the international migration of health and social care workers. Nurses and allied health professionals who have migrated here along with no Read More...

College of Nursing explains costly re-entry course

Date of Posting: 24-01-2012

The College of Nursing’s Assessment of Competence course has been inundated with applications from nurses wanting to return to the profession this year. The course has been so popular the College has more than doubled course placements t Read More...

Nursing job in remote Pilbara region lures nurse

Date of Posting: 24-01-2012

Occupational health nurse Lisa Haxton first fell in love with the remote Pilbara region in Western Australia while studying at university. During a stint of rural practice with the Royal Flying Doctors Service’s On the Road program, Lisa Read More...

Remote nurses sought for research study

Date of Posting: 23-01-2012

Nurses working in rural and remote parts of Australia are being asked to participate in a research study that aims to identify whether or not remote health programs are living up to expectations. The research, being conducted by the Cent Read More...

Nurses to trial new technology for monitoring patients

Date of Posting: 23-01-2012

  The Royal District Nursing Service is developing a high-speed broadband application to remotely monitor the medicine intake of elderly people living independently. RDNS will develop and trial the innovative home-based video conferen Read More...

Australian study identifies nursing retention rates

Date of Posting: 22-01-2012

The secret to improving hospital nurse retention rates is to build on nurses’ strong attachment to healing and the profession, according to the results of an Australian study. The study, published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, foun Read More...

Physiotherapists urge government re-think on lung disease

Date of Posting: 22-01-2012

New Zealand physiotherapists are urging the government to inject more money into an internationally-recognised rehabilitation program for the country’s 200,000 sufferers of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Physiotherapy New Zealand Read More...

WA unveils hospital health care errors

Date of Posting: 22-01-2012

There were 96 sentinel events in Western Australian hospitals resulting in 56 deaths in the 2010/2011 year. Two patients died as a result of incorrect medication, there were seven patient suicides in an inpatient unit, one maternal death assoc Read More...

Nurse Patient Interaction: How it facilitates the Healing Process

Date of Posting: 20-01-2012

  In a fast acute care setting of most hospitals, efficient prodigious delivery of care has been the norm.   Most often, nurses lose the ability or even the chance to incorporate warmth, rapport and interactive participatory Read More...

Shift work and job stress can result in obese nurses: Survey

Date of Posting: 19-01-2012

An American study has found job stress and shift work has more to do with obesity among nurses than first thought. The University of Maryland’s School of Nursing surveyed 2103 female nurses and found nurses who work long hours were signi Read More...

Allied health service targets rural and remote health

Date of Posting: 19-01-2012

  An innovative health care company is working to provide online allied health services to regional and rural and remote areas of Australia. Healthkicks, which has been providing services to Cairns and Far North Queensland and other r Read More...

Dietitians stamp their authority as the nutrition experts

Date of Posting: 18-01-2012

Australia’s Accredited Practising Dietitians are establishing themselves as the nutrition experts through a public healthy pledge campaign. The Dietitians Association of Australia is working to promote APDs as the ‘go to’ exp Read More...

Nurse donates kidney to patient

Date of Posting: 18-01-2012

  A nurse in the United States has taken caring for her patients to a whole new level by donating a kidney to a patient. Atlanta transplant nurse Allison Batson was working at Emory University Hospital’s transplant unit when she Read More...

Police appeal over health worker murder mystery

Date of Posting: 13-01-2012

Gold Coast police are appealing for information from nurses and other health professionals as they work to solve the murder of hospital orderly and band singer Tony Williams. Gold Coast CIB and the Homicide Squad are calling for information fr Read More...

Philippines agency investigates Australian nursing jobs

Date of Posting: 10-01-2012

A Philippines government agency will investigate job opportunities in Australia as the country’s number of unemployed and under-employed nurses climbs to almost 300,000. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has told media th Read More...

Psychologists demand mental health sessions be reinstated

Date of Posting: 10-01-2012

Psychologists have called on the Federal Government to re-think its cuts to mental health services for vulnerable Australians. The Australian Psychological Society, which represents 20,000 psychologists, wants the government to reinstate six M Read More...

Woman charged over hospital baby abduction

Date of Posting: 10-01-2012

New Zealand’s Counties Manukau District Health Board is urging its staff and patients to be extra vigilant after a woman tried to abduct a newborn baby. The board is reviewing its security procedures after a 24-year-old woman was charged Read More...

Funding boost for nurse practitioners

Date of Posting: 05-01-2012

Nurse practitioners will deliver frontline clinical care in residential and community settings, thanks to an $18.7 million Federal Government program. More than 30 projects involving NPs across Australia will be funded under the Nurse Practiti Read More...

Queensland Health announces new chief nurse

Date of Posting: 04-01-2012

  A renowned New Zealand nursing leader has been appointed as the new Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer at Queensland Health. Former New Zealand Ministry of Health Nursing Chief Advisor Dr Frances Hughes will begin work at Queenslan Read More...

Nurse farewells hero paramedic husband

Date of Posting: 04-01-2012

New South Wales nurse Kellie Wilson has farewelled her husband and her hero, helicopter paramedic Mick Wilson at his funeral in Sydney. Mrs Wilson paid tribute to her husband and the father of their three children, who died while rescuing cany Read More...

Nurse-led walk-in centres could expand in ACT

Date of Posting: 04-01-2012

Nurse practitioners and advanced practice nurses at Australia’s first public nurse-led walk-in centre assessed and treated around 70 per cent of their 16,500 presentations, without those patients requiring referral to alternative services, i Read More...

More nurses join the ranks at NSW Health

Date of Posting: 03-01-2012

New South Wales’ nursing workforce will be ramped up this year, with an influx of undergraduate nurses and experienced overseas nurses. Nurses from the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland are expected to start work with New South W Read More...

Patient dies from overdose after nurse 'misread' medical notes

Date of Posting: 28-12-2011

  A nurse has been fired after mistakenly giving an 89 year old patient 10 times the recommended amount of insulin, a blunder which lead to the patients death.   Nurse Helen Burke was fired from the nursing home in Manchester Read More...

Anxiety and depression treatment available over the internet

Date of Posting: 26-12-2011

People with anxiety, depression and social phobias and now receiving treatment over the internet through questionnaires and emailing their therapists. Lecturers and psychiatrists running the pilot program via Darlinghurst’s St Vincent Read More...

Nurses face barrier to return to work

Date of Posting: 14-12-2011

  New South Wales nurses who have taken career breaks to raise families are finding it difficult to return to the nursing profession.   NSW Nurses’ Association general secretary Brett Holmes said new standards introduce Read More...

Canberra rolls out allied health students

Date of Posting: 14-12-2011

An innovative new student-led mobile allied health services clinic will help combat a shortage of health professionals along New South Wales’ far south coast. The $1 million University of Canberra custom-built mobile clinic will feature Read More...

Server glitch affects applicants for Waikato health jobs

Date of Posting: 14-12-2011

A server glitch has affected nurses and allied health professionals who applied for jobs at New Zealand’s Waikato District Health Board. The health organisation has called for more than 250 people who applied for 17 positions, including Read More...

Tasmanian nurses introduce bans

Date of Posting: 13-12-2011

Tasmanian nurses will up the ante in their campaign against State Government health cuts, amid fears the employment of about 900 nurses on fixed term contracts is at risk. Stop-work meetings have been held at the Launceston General Hospital, t Read More...

Committee shelves plan to use armed guards in Victorian hospitals

Date of Posting: 11-12-2011

Security personnel should not use firearms, capsicum spray and tasers as security measures in Victorian hospitals, according to the state’s Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee. The committee’s inquiry into strategies to reduce the Read More...

Exhibition provides personal insight into Australia’s military nurses

Date of Posting: 08-12-2011

  The pencil a renowned Australian World War Two nurse used to write in her diary, which became the best-selling book White Coolies, will go on show as part of a special exhibition dedicated to Australia’s military nurses. The A Read More...

Victorian midwife finds niche as cosmetic nurse

Date of Posting: 07-12-2011

A little over six years ago, Katherine Millar-Shannon was a registered nurse and midwife burnt out by shift work, which was taking a toll on her family. Today, the Victorian mother of two has forged a new career path as a cosmetic nurse. K Read More...

Physiotherapist moves into better care

Date of Posting: 07-12-2011

  A former Australian Cricket team physiotherapist has reignited his passion for working in the health sector with a new career path. Fergus Nelson worked as a sports physio for 28 years, including two years spent touring overseas and Read More...

Nursing shortage expected to worsen

Date of Posting: 06-12-2011

Australian nurses are feeling disheartened and underappreciated with several surveys finding increasing numbers of nurses are considering leaving their jobs and even exiting the profession. The exodus from the nursing profession, which fell du Read More...

Japan apologises to former POW nurse

Date of Posting: 06-12-2011

A former Australian nurse, now living in New Zealand, has become the first Australian female ex-Prisoner of War to receive an official apology from Japan. Lorna Johnston, now 96, was captured while working as an Army nurse and held as a prison Read More...

Dietitians embrace new food labelling system

Date of Posting: 01-12-2011

Dietitians have applauded the Federal Government’s plan to develop a single front-of-pack food labelling system. The thumbs up from the nation’s peak nutritional body comes after the government shelved a recommendation to introduce Read More...

Australia's public hospitals receive health tick

Date of Posting: 30-11-2011

Australia’s public hospitals have received a glowing report card with figures showing more patients received elective surgery and emergency department care in 2010-11. The latest information from the Australian Institute of Health and We Read More...

Mental illness patient acquitted of nurse murder

Date of Posting: 29-11-2011

A New South Wales hospital patient who killed a nurse has been found not guilty on the grounds of his mental illness. Matthew Peter Loughrey was acquitted of attempting to murder nurse Emily Pritchard, 20, and for the murder of veteran nurse B Read More...

Wanted: A better deal for practice nurses

Date of Posting: 29-11-2011

The Australian Nursing Federation is putting practice nurses under the spotlight, demanding better wages and working conditions. The nurses’ union has filed an application with Fair Work Australia to bring medical centre and clinic emplo Read More...

Obesity surgery on rise but no Medicare rebates for dietitians

Date of Posting: 28-11-2011

  More Australians than ever before are opting for gastric banding in an attempt to shed weight.   The latest figures show around 17,000 Australians in 2007-08 chose obesity surgery – up from 500 surgeries carried out i Read More...

New Zealand nurses 'working for free': Union

Date of Posting: 28-11-2011

New Zealand District Health Board nurses have worked more than 11,000 minutes for free since November 14.  The New Zealand Nurses Organisation is urging DHB nurses to log every unpaid minute of work as it goes back into bargaining with DHB emplo Read More...

CPD Comes to You! Online education – sit back and watch from home.

Date of Posting: 27-11-2011

There has been much debate in nursing circles about the various ways continuing education can be developed and delivered. With the introduction of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Continuing Professional Development Regist Read More...

Queensland pharmacist wins Telstra Business Women’s Award

Date of Posting: 24-11-2011

Cathie Reid first began work in a pharmacy, stacking nappies, at the age of 16.Now a Queensland pharmacist, Ms Reid has won the National Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award category in the prestigious Telstra Business Women’s Awards.Ms Reid Read More...

Quakers Hill nurses coming to grips with fire tragedy

Date of Posting: 24-11-2011

Five nurses who were on duty at the time of the Quakers Hill Nursing Home fire have been dealing with emotions ranging from grief to disbelief and guilt in the wake of the tragedy, according to the nurses’ union.NSW Nurses’ Association or Read More...

Online CPD education in healthcare

Date of Posting: 24-11-2011

Now that things have settled down following the move to national registration, it is a good time to look at some of the online options for completing the continuing professional development (CPD) hours required for health professionals.   Read More...

WA nurses and midwives set to renew registration

Date of Posting: 23-11-2011

About 6000 nurses and midwives in Western Australia are being urged to renew their registration – on time and online.  The state’s nurses and midwives must renew their registration under the national scheme before the December 31 dea Read More...

Victorian nurses prepare to take to the streets

Date of Posting: 22-11-2011

Hundreds of Victorian nurses are expected to march in a sea of red to Parliament House on November 24, as their industrial campaign continues.Nurses and midwives will meet outside Myer in Bourke Street Mall at 12.30pm for the march to parliament, whe Read More...

Victorian nurses to meet over industrial action

Date of Posting: 16-11-2011

A state-wide mass meeting of Victorian nurses has been called for November 21 to discuss their industrial action demanding better pay and conditions, which has so far closed around 1000 beds.  The ANF Victorian branch has organised buses to leav Read More...

Feeling crook? Pharmacy students study Aussie slang

Date of Posting: 15-11-2011

 Chucked a sickie, got a gut-ache, bitten by mozzies, feeling under the weather and stung by a bluey. These Aussie colloquialisms are now being deciphered in an innovative university course for pharmacy students with international backgrounds. Read More...

Victorian nurses vote to close hospital beds

Date of Posting: 11-11-2011

  Hundreds of Victorian public sector nurses, midwives and mental health nurses will up the ante in their fight with the State Government for better pay and conditions.   Nurses will begin protected industrial action, includi Read More...

Clinical midwife consultant wins national award

Date of Posting: 10-11-2011

  A Melbourne clinical midwife consultant has won a national leadership award for her work developing an innovative care program for women with uncomplicated pregnancies.   Vanessa Watkins, of Eastern Health, was awarded the Read More...

Queensland physiotherapist lends a helping hand

Date of Posting: 10-11-2011

A Queensland physiotherapist has spent five months working as a volunteer, performing post-operative rehabilitation for orthopaedic as well as helping with burns and plastic surgery cases in one of the world’s poorest countries.   Nic Read More...

New Zealand nurse to study lessons of disasters

Date of Posting: 10-11-2011

A New Zealand mental health nurse will research the health sector’s level of preparation for the psychosocial effects of major disasters.  Porirua independent consultant Frances Hughes, who is currently working for the Ministry of Health, Read More...

Wage claim must include aged care nursing staff: ANF

Date of Posting: 10-11-2011

The Australian Nursing Federation is lobbying for aged care nursing workers to be included in the Federal Government’s $2 billion bid to deliver an historic pay rise to 150,000 of the nation’s lowest paid workers.  Prime Minister Jul Read More...

Expert urges dietitians to embrace technology

Date of Posting: 07-11-2011

  Dietitians should embrace new technology and not fear it, according to one Australian expert in the field.   Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian Dr Yasmine Probst, a National Health and Medical Research Council senior Read More...

Paul takes leap from plumbing to nursing

Date of Posting: 07-11-2011

After working 18 years in retail plumbing supplies, Brisbane’s Paul Sharp has changed careers to become a nurse educator.The 44-year-old Endorsed Enrolled Nurse is now delivering nursing subjects for the Southbank Institute of Technology, where Read More...

Expert midwives to improve outcomes in PNG

Date of Posting: 07-11-2011

“PNG’s maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the Western Pacific and skilled attendance at birth is low, mainly due to an acute shortage of midwives, poor accessibility of services, lack of adequate facilities for birth and low Read More...

Finding answers to common pregnancy, birth and parenting questions

Date of Posting: 02-11-2011

Australia's leading independent pregnancy and parenting website The Bub Hub hit a major milestone in October, signing up its 90,000th forum member. The site, which launched nationally in 2003, now has more than 650,000 unique visitors a month al Read More...

Physiotherapy stats revealed

Date of Posting: 02-11-2011

  More than two thirds of Australia’s physiotherapists are aged under 44 and physiotherapy is the fifth largest of the regulated professions, according to the latest information.   New data on all 10 professions regulat Read More...

Changes for New Zealand pharmacists

Date of Posting: 02-11-2011

  New Zealand pharmacists can now make minor changes to certain prescriptions.   Pharmac, the Pharmaceutical Management Agency of New Zealand, has announced changes to the general rules in the Pharmaceutical Schedule, allowin Read More...

Anniversary tolls for health reforms

Date of Posting: 01-11-2011

More than 5200 midwifery services and almost 29,000 nurse practitioner services have been subsidised by Medicare, on the first anniversary marking Australia’s major health reforms.  While the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners has a Read More...

New research could reduce caesarean rates

Date of Posting: 31-10-2011

  Victoria’s first motorcycle paramedics will be rolled out before the year is out, as part of a $2.8 million state government commitment.   The Baillieu government has pledged six motorcycle paramedics for rapid respon Read More...

Motorcycle paramedics to roll out in Melbourne

Date of Posting: 27-10-2011

  Victoria’s first motorcycle paramedics will be rolled out before the year is out, as part of a $2.8 million state government commitment.   The Baillieu government has pledged six motorcycle paramedics for rapid respon Read More...

NCAH Launches Satellite Sites

Date of Posting: 27-10-2011

Nursing Careers Allied Health today announced the official launch of a number of satellite websites intended to complement its flagship website NCAH.com.au.  The websites launched were: EmergencyNursing.com.au AgedCareNursing.net. Read More...

Pharmacists' body criticises patient support program

Date of Posting: 26-10-2011

The peak professional organisation representing Australian pharmacists has spoken out against drug company Pfizer Australia over a controversial patient support program.  Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration is questioning Pfizer a Read More...

Find your calling as a Medecins Sans Frontieres midwife

Date of Posting: 26-10-2011

 New Zealand nurse Janine Issa, 59, found her calling as a Médecins Sans Frontières midwife. Trained as a nurse (1969-1972) at New Zealand’s Auckland Public Hospital, Janine worked in her home town before travelling and Read More...

Free birthing on the rise

Date of Posting: 25-10-2011

  Growing numbers of Australian women disillusioned with the country’s maternity system are choosing free birthing over medically assisted births, according to one expert.   Australian College of Midwives spokesperson H Read More...

Nursing at new heights in Air Force

Date of Posting: 24-10-2011

Leigh Molloy has taken her nursing degree to the next level with the Royal Australian Air Force.Flight Lieutenant Molloy, a nursing officer in the 1 Expeditionary Health Squadron at Amberley Medical Centre outside Brisbane, experienced first-hand the Read More...

Physiotherapist launches unique men's cancer recovery program

Date of Posting: 20-10-2011

  An innovative physiotherapy-based rehabilitation and fitness program designed specifically for men with cancer will be launched across Australia and New Zealand next month.   Auckland physio and athlete Lou James, who desig Read More...

Melbourne RCH sets new design benchmark

Date of Posting: 19-10-2011

  Queen Elizabeth will officially unveil Melbourne’s new $1 billion medical masterpiece, the Royal Children’s Hospital, on October 26.   The hospital is being billed as a world-class paediatric hospital focused on Read More...

Nurses' union to vote on same sex marriage

Date of Posting: 19-10-2011

The Australian Nursing Federation will discuss forging a resolution on same sex marriage at its biennial national conference in Canberra.  The union will debate a resolution calling for the lifting of current restrictions under the Marriage Act Read More...

Bundaberg nurse experiences ICU at sea

Date of Posting: 18-10-2011

  A Queensland nurse has spent almost four months in a floating ICU, on board a charity hospital ship off the coast of Africa.   Ellen Venz, of Bundaberg, put her 13 years’ experience in nursing to the test when she vol Read More...

Pharmacists play key role in mental health

Date of Posting: 18-10-2011

  Pharmacists are on the mental health frontline with new figures revealing there were 29 million prescriptions written for medications relating to mental health issues last year.   An Australian Institute of Health and Welfa Read More...

New program targets tomorrow’s nursing leaders

Date of Posting: 18-10-2011

 A five year national initiative is being launched to identify, equip and empower a generation of nurse leaders to take the nursing profession into the future.   The College of Nursing Australia will launch its inaugural Emerging Nurse Read More...

Nurses march to fight dementia

Date of Posting: 13-10-2011

Aged care nurses and assistants in nursing (AINs) will march in Canberra on October 13 to shine the spotlight on Australia’s growing dementia epidemic.  Nurses will join forces with aged care stakeholders, dementia sufferers and their fami Read More...

Sydney nursing students get hands on with robotic patients

Date of Posting: 12-10-2011

Robotic simulator mannequins are preparing University of Technology Sydney nursing students for treating real patients.  The university has unveiled seven new state-of-the-art clinical practice laboratories, five featuring robotic simulator mann Read More...

Oncology pharmacist recognised

Date of Posting: 12-10-2011

A West Australian hospital oncology pharmacist with a 20 year career in cancer chemotherapy delivery has been named the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Pharmacist of the Year.  The PSA awarded the accolade to Michael Cain from Sir Ch Read More...

Tasmania nurses aged care education back to health

Date of Posting: 11-10-2011

  Tasmania has unveiled its first teaching aged care facilities for nursing, medical and paramedical students.   The University of Tasmania has joined forces with Launceston’s Masonic Peace Memorial Home and Lindisfarne Read More...

Renewal deadline looms for allied health practitioners

Date of Posting: 06-10-2011

Registration renewal has begun for almost 150,000 Australian health practitioners.  Eight professions spanning chiropractic, dental, optometry, osteopathy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry and psychology are due to renew their registration befo Read More...

More security needed for Blacktown nurses

Date of Posting: 05-10-2011

Blacktown Hospital nurses have had a win in their battle for increased security but more needs to be done, according to the New South Wales Nurses’ Association.  Nurses have received 24-hour daily security at the ED and are calling for per Read More...

Mental health nurses in the community

Date of Posting: 05-10-2011

Examining the success of the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program The issue of mental health in rural areas has been in the spotlight for the past few decades, with the impact of natural disasters, climate change and isolation all contributing to t Read More...

Massive cuts to Tasmania's elective surgery

Date of Posting: 05-10-2011

Tasmania’s state government has slashed funding to elective surgery and announced 150 health department jobs will be axed in a bid to save $21.6 million.  Nurses have reacted angrily to the announcement amid fears of bed closures and conce Read More...

Paramedic students experience natural disasters

Date of Posting: 05-10-2011

  A group of Charles Sturt University paramedic students participating in work placements in the United States have told how they experienced first-hand the impact of an earthquake and a hurricane.   The third and fourth year Read More...

Coffs Harbour mental health nurses injured

Date of Posting: 05-10-2011

  Nurses at the Coffs Harbour Mental Health Unit are being “pushed to the edge” with five injured in the past two weeks as a result of severe staff shortages, according to the nurses union.   New South Wales Nurse Read More...

Draft eHealth records legislation unveiled

Date of Posting: 02-10-2011

Health practitioners will face hefty penalties of up to $66,000 for inappropriate use of the Federal Government’s proposed eHealth records, set to become available in July next year.  Health and Ageing Minister Nicola Roxon has released th Read More...

Aged care nurses ageing

Date of Posting: 29-09-2011

Australia’s aged care workforce is increasingly ageing with almost 60 percent of its workers aged 45 and over and almost 30 percent aged 55 and over, according to new statistics.  Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the residentia Read More...

New Zealand aged care nurses battle for pay parity

Date of Posting: 29-09-2011

New Zealand nurses are upping the ante in their fight for fair pay for aged care workers ahead of this year’s general election.  Unions and aged care workers have delivered the government more than 11,000 signed charters demanding quality Read More...

New code of ethics for pharmacists

Date of Posting: 27-09-2011

A revised code of ethics for pharmacists will be unveiled amid mounting controversy surrounding a new deal for pharmacists to promote Blackmores products to consumers.  The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia will launch a new code of ethics, de Read More...

Crocs warning for nurses

Date of Posting: 27-09-2011

Crocs shoes are under the spotlight amid safety concerns for nurses wearing them on duty.The renowned easy to clean and comfortable rubber shoes have been banned in Welsh hospitals amid fears they fail to protect against sharp objects.The ban on Croc Read More...

Speech pathology on wheels

Date of Posting: 22-09-2011

A unique speech pathology clinic is racking up the kilometres in New South Wales.  Launched two years ago, Chit-A-Chat Speech Pathology is a completely mobile service which has quickly grown to cover the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens, Read More...

Bomb victim to speak at emergency nurses' conference

Date of Posting: 21-09-2011

An Australian woman who survived two terrorist attacks in London six years ago will discuss her experience as a disaster victim at this month’s emergency nursing conference.  Former marketing director Louise Barry fled from underground aft Read More...

UK breast care nurse now calls Australia home

Date of Posting: 21-09-2011

  Karen Miles knows she is making a difference in the rural Queensland city of Ipswich.   The former United Kingdom nurse moved from her home on the outskirts of London five years ago and is now working as a McGrath breast ca Read More...

Tasmanian nurses in limbo

Date of Posting: 20-09-2011

Tasmania’s public sector and graduate nurses are in limbo as the State Government works to trim $100 million from its health budget this financial year.  The government has postponed its recruitment of 120 graduate nurses while there are u Read More...

Nurse sacked for sleeping on the job

Date of Posting: 20-09-2011

Falling asleep on the job has cost a New Zealand nurse his position.Ian Sigglekow was fired after he was found sleeping on the job and caught leaving his shift early, while on duty at Waikato Hospital’s secure mental health ward in January.An E Read More...

Victorian rural nurse bank to expand

Date of Posting: 19-09-2011

A dynamic casual nurse bank specifically designed for rural health will expand across Victoria and could more than double its staffing numbers.  CasConnect, based in the Grampians region, has been given the green light to expand across rural and Read More...

Outback Queensland lures dietitian

Date of Posting: 18-09-2011

Dietitian Neha Bhatia knew moving to Queensland’s outback would be a big step.  But it’s one the accredited practising dietitian has taken in her stride.  Originally from New Delhi, India, Neha took a position in the small town Read More...

Midwives and nurses inspire Mums Like Me

Date of Posting: 16-09-2011

Midwives and nurses at a New South Wales hospital have inspired a Nowra woman to launch a not-for-profit organisation helping parents who experience stillbirth or neonatal loss.-When Erin Hartigan lost her premature twin boys in October 2009, Shoalha Read More...

Diet shakes are on the menu for dietitians

Date of Posting: 14-09-2011

Dietitians are using diet shakes among a range of options for weight loss clients, the Dietitians Association of Australia says.  Former Australian international cricketer Shane Warne’s dramatic 12 kilogram weight loss in the past year, wh Read More...

Influx of overseas nurses set for New South Wales

Date of Posting: 14-09-2011

New South Wales Health is recruiting experienced nurses from overseas in a bid to bolster the state’s workforce with an extra 2475 nurses within the next four years. NSW Health has begun casting its recruitment net internationally, focusin Read More...

A new approach to education

Date of Posting: 12-09-2011

Additional training can place a burden on a health institution for a short period, but ongoing education is a necessary part of the job. Nina Hendy speaks to a company rolling out new technology to find out what it’s been like educating already Read More...

Physiotherapist thinks pink

Date of Posting: 08-09-2011

A unique physiotherapy rehabilitation program for women with cancer is spreading its wings across Australia and New Zealand.The brainchild of Auckland physio and athlete Lou James, Pink Pilates features manual physiotherapy, resistance training, clin Read More...

Aboriginal health workers in spotlight

Date of Posting: 07-09-2011

An outback ringer has become the face of Year of the Aboriginal Health Worker.  Jack Little was working as a ringer for Limbunya, Waterloo and Kildirk stations in 1959, when asked if he wanted to become a health worker.  “I said: ' Read More...

More nurses earmarked for New South Wales

Date of Posting: 07-09-2011

An extra 940 nurses will be working on the frontline in New South Wales hospitals before June 2012 at a cost of $80 million, according to the State Government.  The nursing injection is part of the government’s plan to employ 2475 new nurs Read More...

Rural allied health boost

Date of Posting: 06-09-2011

A new $4.5 million initiative plans to train and retain allied health professionals in rural New Zealand areas.  The New Zealand Government has launched a partnership with both the University of Auckland and the University of Otago in a bid to t Read More...

Up-skilling AINs the key to nursing shortage

Date of Posting: 02-09-2011

Up-skilling Assistants in Nursing will help alleviate Australia’s nursing shortage, according to an industry expert. Dr Mary Casey, CEO of health and nursing education organisation Casey Centre, said there was now a course enabling AINs to wo Read More...

Canberra nurses "burnt out"

Date of Posting: 02-09-2011

Nurses and midwives at the Canberra Hospital are working extra shifts and overtime amid reports the hospital is struggling to fill 100 vacancies.  The government says the positions represent a five percent vacancy rate of the hospital’s 20 Read More...

New English standard for nurses and midwives

Date of Posting: 31-08-2011

Australia will have a new English language skills registration standard for nurses and midwives from September 19.  The Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council has approved the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s revised lan Read More...

Social media guidelines released for speech pathologists

Date of Posting: 31-08-2011

Speech Pathology Australia has unveiled guidelines for speech pathologists on the do’s and don’ts of navigating the social media world.  The guidelines discuss confidentiality, defamation, client and professional boundaries, accessib Read More...

Nurse affair raises ethics issues

Date of Posting: 30-08-2011

Nursing ethics are in the spotlight after a nurse was cleared of professional misconduct despite admitting she had an affair with the husband of a lung cancer patient.In the appeal case, a New Zealand High Court cleared ‘Nurse O’, who con Read More...

More nurses the key to ED safety

Date of Posting: 30-08-2011

More nurses not armed guards are the solution to stamping out the majority of violence in Victoria’s hospital emergency departments, according to the nurses union.  The Australian Nursing Federation’s Victorian branch has told an inq Read More...

First nurse-led walk-in centre labelled a success

Date of Posting: 26-08-2011

The ACT branch of the Australian Nursing Federation has leapt to the defence of Australia’s first nurse-led walk-in centre.  An independent evaluation found the ACT Health Walk-In Centre assessed more than 14,000 people and treated more th Read More...

Dietitians say healthy eating, not dieting, the key

Date of Posting: 26-08-2011

Dietitians should spread healthy eating and being active messages rather than focus on dieting to tackle the issue of childhood obesity, according to the Dietitians Association of Australia.The comments come as a controversial new children’s bo Read More...

Nurses demand national framework agreement

Date of Posting: 26-08-2011

The Australian Nursing Federation has ramped up its aged care campaign, calling for the introduction of a national framework agreement between government, aged care providers and nursing staff.  The ANF has unveiled its Aged Care Can’t Wai Read More...

An Overview of Volunteering with Humanitarian Organisations

Date of Posting: 26-08-2011

With the world at our fingertips every time we watch television or turn on a computer, the reporting of disasters, both natural and man-made, can prompt those of us in healthcare and many other professions to genuinely think about stepping outside ou Read More...

Speech pathologist bolsters literacy at Indigenous school

Date of Posting: 25-08-2011

A Perth speech pathologist is working with teachers at a remote school in Western Australia to tackle the low literacy rates of Indigenous students.  Diana Rigg has helped turn around literacy levels at the Rawa Community School, part of the Pun Read More...

New Zealand university course for pharmacists to prescribe

Date of Posting: 23-08-2011

New Zealand’s Otago and Auckland universities will next year offer the first qualification for pharmacists wanting to prescribe medicines.  The new qualification comes as the amendment to the country’s Medicines Act is expected to be Read More...

Mental health nurse sacked over detention comments

Date of Posting: 23-08-2011

A mental health nurse has been sacked for expressing her view on mandatory detention and its effects on mental health.  International Health and Medical Services sacked the nurse, who had worked at a Darwin detention centre for two weeks, citing Read More...

Australia's Nursing Workforce on the Rise

Date of Posting: 19-08-2011

Australia’s nursing and midwifery labour force is growing with a new report showing there were 276,751 nurses employed in 2009, up 13 percent in four years. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Nursing and Midwifery Labou Read More...

New Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics Opening

Date of Posting: 18-08-2011

Ten nurse practitioners and four eligible midwives will be employed at the first standalone NP-led clinic in Australia, opening at the end of September. The SmartClinics facility, located at Queensland’s Chermside Westfield shopping centre Read More...

Sydney nurse reaches out to Pacific communities

Date of Posting: 18-08-2011

Sydney nurse Graham Hextell has seen the difference orthopaedic surgery training and services can make to people in under-developed nations.   The University of Notre Dame Australia School of Nursing lecturer has travelled to several South Read More...

Physiotherapist finds inspiration in Timor

Date of Posting: 17-08-2011

A Victorian physiotherapist found inspiration for her unique Australian business venture while working in East Timor.  Musculoskeletal physiotherapist Karen Finnin launched the country’s first and only online personalised injury management Read More...

Physiotherapy Centre Can Discriminate

Date of Posting: 10-08-2011

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has granted the Dianella Community Health – Physiotherapy Service, an exemption from anti-discrimination laws so that it was not obliged to employ male physiotherapists.The health service, Read More...

Dietitians encouraged to use social media

Date of Posting: 10-08-2011

Research shows Australian dietitians are embracing social media for personal use but more needs to be done to encourage them to use it in a professional capacity.  A Dietitians Association of Australia survey last year found 80 percent of the 70 Read More...

Auckland pharmacist admits false claims for dead patients

Date of Posting: 10-08-2011

An Auckland pharmacist has admitted using the names of dead patients to make false claims worth almost $70,000.  Sandringham Village Pharmacy director Wayne Baker pleaded guilty to 95 charges of defrauding the Auckland District Health Board in t Read More...

New Zealand nurses battle low aged care wages

Date of Posting: 09-08-2011

Health care assistants in New Zealand’s aged care sector are being paid an average wage of $14.55 an hour after three years’ service.  The revelation that assistants are taking home a pay packet of just $472.03 a week comes as the na Read More...

Nurses demand government fix aged care now

Date of Posting: 09-08-2011

The Australian Nursing Federation is upping the ante in its plight for a $500 million funding injection into the embattled aged care sector, waging a grassroots nurses’ campaign to demand the Federal Government fix the aged care crisis.The ANF Read More...

AACC should consider aged care nursing wages

Date of Posting: 09-08-2011

The Australian Aged Care Commission should consider the need to pay ‘fair and competitive wages’ to nursing and other aged care staff.  That was the main recommendation from the Productivity Commission in its Caring for Older Austral Read More...

Global midwifery survey – implications for Australia

Date of Posting: 08-08-2011

A major new report on midwifery throughout the world has provided critical insights and data for the midwifery industry.Released in June by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), The State of the World’s Midwifery 2011 provides new data ga Read More...

A new era of midwifery care is born

Date of Posting: 08-08-2011

Sydney’s Melissa Maimann is pioneering the way forward as one of Australia’s first eligible midwives under the maternity reforms.  A midwife for 10 years and in private practice for four years, Melissa believes she is the first in th Read More...

More than 20,000 nurses needed in aged care: ANF

Date of Posting: 05-08-2011

The aged care sector needs an injection of almost $500 million to close the wages gap and attract an extra 20,000 nursing staff, according to the Australian Nursing Federation.Ahead of Monday’s release of the final Productivity Commission repor Read More...

New robot to save nurses' backs

Date of Posting: 04-08-2011

Japanese researchers have unveiled a dynamic new robot aimed at saving nurses the back-breaking task of lifting heavy patients.  Named RIBA 2, the robot, which looks like a Japanese caricature, can lift patients weighing up to 80kg from the floo Read More...

Violence against ED nurses under attack

Date of Posting: 03-08-2011

Threats of violence and actual violence against nurses are yet to be stamped out in Australian hospital emergency departments, according to the Australian Nursing Federation.  The July 12 stabbing of a Blacktown Hospital nurse highlighted the da Read More...

WA unions protest hospital privatisation

Date of Posting: 02-08-2011

Serco Australia has won a $4.3 billion 20-year contract to provide facilities management and support services at Western Australia’s new flagship hospital when it opens mid-2014.  The State Government announced the deal with the London-lis Read More...

Volunteer occupational therapists wanted

Date of Posting: 28-07-2011

Australian Volunteers International is searching for three occupational therapists to continue its vital work overseas.  The organisation, which has been at the forefront of international volunteering for nearly 60 years, is on the hunt for occu Read More...

Nutrition bolsters health in aged care

Date of Posting: 26-07-2011

Sodexo Australia senior dietitian Jemma O’Hanlon knows her work makes a difference to the lives of aged care residents.  The Melbourne accredited practising dietitian has worked for more than two years for the global food and facilities ma Read More...

New campaign targets Indigenous health jobs

Date of Posting: 26-07-2011

A national advertising blitz is hoping to lure more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to work in Indigenous health.  The $4.3 million Federal Government campaign is aimed at attracting more people into Indigenous health jobs spannin Read More...

Sydney nurses strike over pay

Date of Posting: 26-07-2011

Nurses have walked off the job at five hospitals across Sydney, as they rally for better pay.  The July 26 industrial action was the first major strike of private hospital nurses in New South Wales’ history.  The Macquarie Hospital Se Read More...

Expert says baby mix-ups not uncommon

Date of Posting: 21-07-2011

The mix-up with two newborn babies, who were given to the wrong mothers to breastfeed in a Victorian private hospital, highlights the importance of keeping mums and babies together, according to one expert.  Australian College of Midwives spokes Read More...

Facebook warning for nurses

Date of Posting: 21-07-2011

Social networking is landing Australian nurses in hot water.The Australian Nursing Federation has warned nurses to keep privileged information off social networking sites, such as Facebook, as increasing numbers of nurses face disciplinary action ove Read More...

Wanted: A future with more Parkinson’s nurses

Date of Posting: 20-07-2011

Victor McConvey hopes there will be a day when people with Parkinson’s disease have access to a dedicated Parkinson’s nurse in their local health care network. The Parkinson’s Victoria clinical nurse consultant, who established Read More...

Aged care nursing appeals to Jenni

Date of Posting: 20-07-2011

Jenni Armstrong spent about 15 years working in nursing in Saudi Arabia before homesickness lured her back to the shores of Australia.  When she returned last year, she worked as an agency nurse and found her colleagues were unhappy their manage Read More...

Twelve hour shifts linked to nurse errors

Date of Posting: 20-07-2011

The 12-hour nursing shift is under the spotlight after a United States study found nurses working the shifts are more prone to health problems and making patient errors.  The results from the University of Maryland and the Johns Hopkins Universi Read More...

Holistic psychology the key to unlocking bipolar disorder

Date of Posting: 14-07-2011

Harnessing creativity is the key to helping people with bipolar disorder, according to a leading clinical psychologist.  Swinburne University of Technology head of psychological sciences and statistics Associate Professor Greg Murray said psycho Read More...

ED nurse stabbing sparks security review

Date of Posting: 14-07-2011

A Blacktown Hospital emergency department nurse has been repeatedly stabbed with a butter knife.  The July 12 attack has sparked union and State Government calls for an urgent security review at the department.  The 48-year-old female nurse Read More...

New Zealand nurses told to butt out

Date of Posting: 14-07-2011

Nurses and other health workers who smoke could be banned from being hired under a proposal before the Auckland District Health Board.  The board, which employs more than 10,000 people, already has a ban on patients, visitors and staff from smok Read More...

Parallel careers as a civilian and military nurse leader

Date of Posting: 13-07-2011

Tasmanian nurse leader Pip Rice is blazing trails in both her civilian and military careers.  A registered nurse of 16 years, mostly with the Royal Hobart Hospital, Pip is a grade six clinical nurse educator for the day procedure unit and peri-o Read More...

Wii Fit a boost to occupational therapy: Study

Date of Posting: 13-07-2011

More occupational therapists should embrace the Nintendo Wii Fit to combat physical inactivity in forensic mental health patients, according to the researcher behind a new study.  Monash University occupational therapy honours student Nicola Bac Read More...

Queensland nurses win moratorium on overpayments

Date of Posting: 11-07-2011

Queensland Health nurses, midwives and health workers have won a reprieve in their ongoing payroll debacle, with the state government announcing a freeze on recovering overpayments.Premier Anna Bligh has put a moratorium on chasing $62 million in ove Read More...

McGrath nurse leader: caring for those who care

Date of Posting: 11-07-2011

Kim Kerin-Ayres is part of the backbone that forms the McGrath Foundation’s Australia-wide network of 62 breast care nurses.As the foundation’s clinical nurse educator, Kim’s focus is on providing educational and emotional support t Read More...

Nursing and allied health graduates come out on top

Date of Posting: 07-07-2011

Australian nursing graduates were among the top five areas of study for students securing full-time employment last year. The Graduate Careers Australia report, which surveyed about 100,000 university graduates, was good news for the health and Read More...

Aged care indexation equals three cents an hour for workers

Date of Posting: 05-07-2011

The Federal Government’s new level of funding to aged care services for the next 12 months equates to less than three cents an hour for full-time aged care workers, according to Aged Care Association Australia.  Aged care stakeholders have Read More...

Coroner calls for nurses to risk assess new mums

Date of Posting: 05-07-2011

Queensland Health will consider a raft of coronial recommendations after the third smothering death of a newborn baby in the state’s hospitals in six years.  A coroner has called for nurses and midwives to undertake a risk assessment of ne Read More...

Occupational therapy gets smart

Date of Posting: 29-06-2011

More occupational therapists could soon be turning to iPads, iPhones and other smart technology to help patients recover from brain injury.  New Australian research has found smart technology and applications can help counteract memory loss, hel Read More...

Calls for more clinical placements for nursing students

Date of Posting: 29-06-2011

More undergraduate clinical placements are needed across a range of new areas instead of a cap on nursing enrolments, according to the Australian Nursing Union.    ANF federal secretary Lee Thomas said there are a range of untapped pla Read More...

Most Queensland nurses dispute overpayments

Date of Posting: 29-06-2011

The majority of Queensland Health nurses affected in the state’s payroll debacle will dispute being overpaid, according to the Queensland Nurses Union.  QNU secretary Beth Mohle said most members believe they have not been overpaid.  Read More...

Agency insight: Caring for You

Date of Posting: 28-06-2011

Set up by a registered nurse and midwife with the objective of putting its nursing staff first, Caring for You has gained some unique insights into what makes for a rewarding agency experience, writes Belinda Smart. Once upon a time, agency nurs Read More...

NIB allied health website delayed

Date of Posting: 28-06-2011

The launch of a controversial website enabling NIB customers to score the performance of Australian allied health practitioners has been delayed.  The health fund planned to launch its online service, Whitecoat.com.au, in late June but this week Read More...

Push for extended care paramedics in Victoria

Date of Posting: 26-06-2011

The introduction of extended care paramedics in Victoria would relieve the strain on the over-stretched ambulance service and overburdened hospital emergency departments, according to the state’s paramedics union.  Ambulance Employees Asso Read More...

Maternity reforms failing: ACM

Date of Posting: 26-06-2011

Obstetricians are holding the Federal Government’s maternity reforms to ransom, according to the Australian College of Midwives.  ACM spokesperson and University of Western Sydney associate professor of midwifery Hannah Dahlen said many ob Read More...

First flying breast care nurse

Date of Posting: 23-06-2011

The first breast care nurse will soon take flight with the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The 67th McGrath Foundation breast care nurse will be based at the RFDS base in Broken Hill and will fly across rural and remote areas from far west New Sout Read More...

Sky’s the limit for nursing careers

Date of Posting: 22-06-2011

Nurses and midwives can take their careers to the next level during the health workforce shortage, according to one of Australia’s leading recruitment agency experts.Healthcare Australia national and key accounts head Dr Greg Rickard said the a Read More...

Mental health nurses rally against assaults

Date of Posting: 22-06-2011

Mental health nurses at a New Zealand facility are fighting for safer working conditions.More than 213 assaults were reported at the Te Whetu Tawera mental health facility, located at the Auckland City Hospital, in the past 12 months alone.The push f Read More...

New Zealand aged care nurses take up smart technology

Date of Posting: 20-06-2011

Nurses and carers in a New Zealand aged care facility are using a new application to update patient records on tablet PCs and smartphones. Auckland aged care facility Rosedale Village is using the home-grown Res-Call Mobile technology. Rose Read More...

Union says nursing shortage is "critical"

Date of Posting: 16-06-2011

More nurses and midwives need to be injected into Queensland’s health system to compliment the State Government’s budget cash splash, according to the Queensland Nurses Union.  Union secretary Beth Mohle applauded the government&rsqu Read More...

SA allied health workers face industrial action

Date of Posting: 16-06-2011

Around 3000 allied health professionals working in government health facilities and hospitals in South Australia are planning to embark on industrial action next month.The state’s Health Services Union, which includes speech pathologists, dieti Read More...

Drunk patients affect Wellington nurses

Date of Posting: 15-06-2011

Emergency department nurses at New Zealand’s Wellington Hospital are bearing the brunt of assaults and abuse from drunk patients, according to new research. University of Otago researchers found drunk patients are having a negative impact on st Read More...

Mental health nurse program needs government support

Date of Posting: 13-06-2011

The Federal Government needs to act to ensure the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program remains a success, according to the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. The ACMHN has outlined a raft of recommendations in a review publication on t Read More...

SA paramedic dies en route to working holiday

Date of Posting: 12-06-2011

A South Australian paramedic has continued to give the gift of life even in death.Russell Liston, a 34-year-old intensive care paramedic, died earlier this month while en route to a working holiday in Canada, after falling from his second floor hoste Read More...

Queen's Honours for health workers

Date of Posting: 12-06-2011

Health professionals across the country have been recognised for their contributions to Australia in the Queen’s Birthday 2011 Honours List. Allied health practitioners and those dedicated to health are among the list of award recipients t Read More...

Medicare Locals to nurse the system back to health

Date of Posting: 09-06-2011

Australian nursing groups have welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement of the first 15 Medicare Locals. The Australian Nursing Federation and the Australian Practice Nurses Association have thrown their support behind the primary he Read More...

New plan to tackle Australia's nursing workforce shortage

Date of Posting: 08-06-2011

A blueprint set to combat Australia’s workforce shortage of nurses, including mental health nurses, is expected to be released within months. Australian Nursing Federation federal secretary Lee Thomas said the union had been involved in He Read More...

Research reviews AINs impact on patients, nurses and wards

Date of Posting: 06-06-2011

A team of Australian and Canadian researchers will investigate the impact of increasing the number of assistants in nursing on patients, nurses and ward levels. University of Technology Sydney researchers will join forces with Perth’s Sir Read More...

Perth nurse volunteers on ship to help African poor

Date of Posting: 05-06-2011

A Perth nurse is preparing to return home after spending two months volunteering on board the world’s largest charity hospital ship. Armadale Health Service nurse Sandy Panomarenko has served as a ward nurse aboard the Africa Mercy, where Read More...

NSW nurses fight IR plans

Date of Posting: 02-06-2011

The New South Wales State Government’s industrial relations proposals will attack the rights of more than 40,000 of the state’s nurses and midwives, according to the nurses union. The New South Wales Nurses’ Association has joi Read More...

SA paramedic dispute heads to the IRC

Date of Posting: 02-06-2011

South Australian ambulance patients are being given free rides to hospital as part of a dispute over ‘ramping’ allegations. SA crews are refusing to fill out patient information case cards, meaning patients will not be charged, in a Read More...

Majority of nurses meet renewal deadline

Date of Posting: 01-06-2011

More than 91 percent of the 210,000 nurses and midwives due to renew their registration have met the end of May deadline. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency have urged nurses and Read More...

Queensland's payroll debacle leaves health workers in debt

Date of Posting: 31-05-2011

Around 38,000 Queensland Health workers will have to repay $62 million in over payments, as part of the state’s payroll debacle. Queensland Health has revealed overpaid staff owe an average of $1100 each while one worker was overpaid by al Read More...

Allied health practitioner website under fire

Date of Posting: 27-05-2011

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency will monitor a new website enabling NIB customers to score the performance of Australian allied health practitioners. The national regulator will review the health fund’s online service, Read More...

NIB website to rate allied health practitioners

Date of Posting: 26-05-2011

Health fund NIB plans to launch a website enabling its customers to rate the performance of Australian health care specialists. The online service, Whitecoat at www.whitecoat.com.au, is expected to go live at the end of June and will be the firs Read More...

New Zealand nurses head up START program

Date of Posting: 25-05-2011

New Zealand registered nurses are overseeing a new rehabilitation program designed to keep older patients in their rural or urban homes. The Waikato District Health Board’s Supported Transfer and Accelerated Rehabilitation Teams (START) ha Read More...

Students get a taste of rural and remote health jobs

Date of Posting: 25-05-2011

Students in Tasmania’s north-west region are getting an inside glimpse into careers in rural and remote health. The University of Tasmania’s Rural Clinical School has thrown open its doors to students interesting in pursing a career Read More...

Newcastle nurse trades city for remote health jobs

Date of Posting: 24-05-2011

A Newcastle nurse swapped life as the busy manager of a city emergency hospital to work in rural and remote places across the globe. Red Cross nurse and aid worker Libby Bowell is working in the Solomon Islands as part of a three-year health and Read More...

Physiotherapists support Medicare Locals

Date of Posting: 23-05-2011

Physiotherapists are backing the Federal Government’s plan to introduce Medicare Locals. The allied health profession’s peak body, the Australian Physiotherapy Association, which represents more than 12,000 physiotherapists across th Read More...

Flood support for pharmacists

Date of Posting: 18-05-2011

Flood-affected pharmacists across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria can now access financial support. The Pharmacists’ Support Service (PSS) this year launched its first ever fund in conjunction with the Pharmaceutical Society of Au Read More...

Allied health professional clinches NZ MasterChef

Date of Posting: 18-05-2011

A New Zealand dietitian and 2011 MasterChef winner plans to combine her culinary skills with her professional interest in public health and well-being. Nadia Lim, a 25-year-old clinical diabetes dietitian, plans to remain part-time in her job wi Read More...

Budget Boost for Mental Health Service Providers

Date of Posting: 17-05-2011

The boost to mental health spending announced in last weeks budget was well received, and despite concerns that a significant portion of the $2.2 Billion package will only be spent in three years time, the allocation will provide desperately needed f Read More...

Allied health could bear brunt of private health reform

Date of Posting: 17-05-2011

Plans to means-test the private health insurance rebate have come under fire from allied health professions. There are concerns the Federal Government’s budget measure to phase out the 30 percent rebate for singles earning $75,000 or more Read More...

Sydney man wins top nurse award

Date of Posting: 17-05-2011

A nurse who works with homeless people on the streets of Sydney has been awarded the Nurse of the Year in the 2011 HESTA Australian Nursing Awards. Paul Esplin, a nurse with The Michael Project for Medibeat, a Mission Australia program run in pa Read More...

Queensland nurse awarded Florence Nightingale medal

Date of Posting: 16-05-2011

A Queensland nurse has been awarded nursing’s highest international honour for her work with the Red Cross abroad. Noela Davies is one of 39 nurses from 19 countries awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal this year. The International Read More...

Nurses survey to tackle workforce issues

Date of Posting: 12-05-2011

Nurses are being encouraged to complete a workplace survey in a bid to address Australia’s nursing workforce shortage. The Australian Nursing Federation is conducting an online survey to canvass opinion on employment issues facing nurses a Read More...

New Zealand nurses fight calls to turn patients away

Date of Posting: 11-05-2011

New Zealand nurses are continuing their fight to close the health gap on the eve of International Nurses Day. This year’s theme Closing the Gap – increasing access and equality – has taken on new meaning after a New Zealand doc Read More...

Health jobs go at South Australia's RDNS

Date of Posting: 11-05-2011

Six nurses will lose their jobs and another 22 have converted from full-time to part-time work as part of a restructuring process at South Australia’s Royal District Nursing Service. RDNS-SA hired 70 extra people earlier this year to cope Read More...

More health jobs forecast in mental health sector

Date of Posting: 11-05-2011

More health workers will be needed to strengthen the workforce in line with the Federal Government’s $1.5 billion budget boost to mental health. The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses has welcomed the much-needed funds but called f Read More...

Nurse volunteers on charity hospital ship

Date of Posting: 10-05-2011

A Toowoomba nurse will spend International Nurses Day this Thursday volunteering on board the world’s largest charity hospital ship, as part of a two-year assignment. Deb Louden has joined the Africa Mercy at Sierra Leone after spending 10 Read More...

Conference addresses workforce changes for allied health professionals

Date of Posting: 06-05-2011

Workforce issues facing allied health professionals will take centre stage at the Dietitians Association of Australia’s 29th national conference, later this month. University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research Professor Sandra Capr Read More...

Nurses are Up-Skilling, But What About Wages?

Date of Posting: 04-05-2011

Nurses are hitting the books as they take on greater levels of responsibility in the workplace. And while the extra study and knowledge takes pressure off the public health system, it does prompt questions around whether the additional responsibiliti Read More...

UTS researchers trial new ORC

Date of Posting: 04-05-2011

A new standard observation and response chart could provide better patient outcomes in Australian hospitals. University of Technology Sydney researchers will pilot the observation and response chart (ORC) at 10 health care sites across Australia Read More...

Australian hospital admissions on the rise

Date of Posting: 04-05-2011

New figures show Australian hospital admissions increased from 8.1 million to 8.5 million in a year. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures, in its report titled Australian Hospital Statistics 2009-10, shows the biggest increase Read More...

More midwives needed: ACM

Date of Posting: 03-05-2011

Australia is around 2000 midwives short and the world needs 350,000 more midwives, according to the Australian College of Midwives (ACM). In the lead up to International Day of the Midwife on May 5, ACM has joined the International Federation of Read More...

NZ midwives remember Christchurch mothers

Date of Posting: 03-05-2011

Mothers who died in the Christchurch earthquake will be remembered at an Auckland event to mark International Day of the Midwife. Up to 500 people are expected to attend a five kilometre walk in New Zealand’s largest city and release ballo Read More...

Deakin health hub to tackle workforce shortages

Date of Posting: 01-05-2011

Deakin University is building a $50 million dollar health hub to tackle the health workforce shortage choking rural and regional Australia. Construction of the university’s new Regional Community Health Hub (REACH) at its Geelong Waurn Pon Read More...

Hospital malnutrition screening vital: dietitians

Date of Posting: 28-04-2011

Dietitians have called for malnutrition screening to be mandatory at hospitals, after research revealed malnutrition often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Dietitians Association of Australia CEO Claire Hewat said malnutrition screening was " Read More...

WA ambulance boost comes under fire

Date of Posting: 27-04-2011

The State Government’s move to bolster paramedic numbers in Western Australia is nothing but "smoke and mirrors", according to the state’s ambulance union. United Voice said the announcement contained little more than what Read More...

Perth nurse caring for homeless is awards finalist

Date of Posting: 27-04-2011

A Perth nurse who saved the life of a suicidal patient in her work with homeless and transient people is a finalist in the HESTA Australian Nursing Awards. Louise Orme was nominated for her work with Perth Primary Care Network’s Street Doc Read More...

Nurses the most ethical and honest: survey

Date of Posting: 25-04-2011

Nurses have topped a poll of the most ethical and honest professions for the 17th year in a row. The Roy Morgan poll found 90 percent of Australians rate nurses the most ethical and honest profession, followed by other health professions such as Read More...

Christchurch physiotherapists show resilience

Date of Posting: 20-04-2011

Christchurch physiotherapists are continuing to treat an influx of patients affected by the region’s devastating earthquake. Physiotherapy New Zealand president Gill Stotter said many residents and workers sustained severe bruising from th Read More...

Australia home to 331,000 registered nurses and midwives

Date of Posting: 19-04-2011

There are more than 331,000 registered nurses and midwives in Australia, according to new statistics. Australia boasts 288,861 nurses, with New South Wales home to the most nurses with 79,004, followed by Victoria with 76,598, Queensland with 54 Read More...

Pharmacists vital to health reform: PSA

Date of Posting: 19-04-2011

Pharmacists could play a vital role in the Federal Government’s Medicare Local initiative, according to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. The PSA is lobbying for pharmacists and other allied health professionals to be included in th Read More...

The Cradle rocks midwifery services

Date of Posting: 18-04-2011

Australia’s first five-star, private maternity hospital could change the face of maternity services. The Cradle, based in Melbourne, not only offers luxury hotel-style accommodation but also boasts 24-hour care with a team of in-house spec Read More...

Five nurses take out APNA awards

Date of Posting: 17-04-2011

A Tasmanian nurse dedicated to bolstering Aboriginal childhood immunisation rates is one of five nurses recognised in the national 2010 Best Practice Nurse Awards. The Australian Practice Nurses Association (APNA) awards recognised nurses across Read More...

ANF hits 200,000 members

Date of Posting: 17-04-2011

The Australian Nursing Federation is now one of the major voices of Australia’s health unions after its membership soared past the 200,000 mark. The largest professional nursing organisation in Australia is now also one of the country&rsqu Read More...

Claims Vic ambulance shortage costing lives

Date of Posting: 14-04-2011

The Bendigo region’s crippling paramedic shortage has cost lives and the morale of ambulance workers is at an all-time low, according to a paramedic. The paramedic, who asked not to be identified, told media more paramedics on the road wou Read More...

Maternal and child health nurses in wage fight

Date of Posting: 14-04-2011

Maternal and child health nurses in a regional Victorian city are cancelling up to 50 appointments a day in their fight for a four percent pay rise. Nurses in Ballarat have banned client visits above the 12-month age, are refusing to carry out a Read More...

Rural GP nurses could be next in NZ bonding scheme

Date of Posting: 12-04-2011

Rural general practice nurses could be added to New Zealand’s voluntary bonding scheme next year. Health Minister Tony Ryall made the comments after recently announcing aged care and mental health as this year’s priorities, in a bid Read More...

Birthplace designs could ease labour stress

Date of Posting: 12-04-2011

Researchers are set to examine how the features of a birthplace setting could influence the outcome of a woman’s labour. The three-year study will examine between 20 and 30 women across NSW and the ACT in different birth unit settings, pos Read More...

Pharmacies could give 'the jab'

Date of Posting: 07-04-2011

Pharmacies in New South Wales could become the first in Australia to deliver vaccines. Former shadow health minister Jillian Skinner, speaking at a recent NSW Pharmacy Guild of Australia event, said the incoming Liberal Government would consider Read More...

Nurses in four NZ regions to prescribe medicine

Date of Posting: 07-04-2011

A group of New Zealand nurses has been authorised to independently prescribe medication to their patients, in a first for the country. The registered nurses, practising in diabetes health in four North Island regions, now join doctors and nurses Read More...

Registration renewal begins for midwives and nurses

Date of Posting: 05-04-2011

The registration renewal process has begun for more than 220,000 nurses and midwives across Australia. The ACT kicked off the staged renewal process with registrations due on April 1. A spokesperson for the Australian Health Practitioner Re Read More...

More child health nurses needed in WA

Date of Posting: 05-04-2011

Western Australia is in the midst of a child health nurse crisis with figures showing there is just one child health nurse for every 1000 children under the age of six. Figures show there are 198 full-time equivalent child health nurse positions Read More...

Paramedics miss out on gold but move forward in national registration bid

Date of Posting: 01-04-2011

A Queensland group of paramedics has missed out on a top place in the prestigious international JEMS Games in the USA despite being named the best clinical team in the competition. Team Australia EMS (Emergency Medical Services), the only Austra Read More...

Nurses qualified to help sex assault victims

Date of Posting: 01-04-2011

Eleven nurses and midwives have become qualified to gather evidence in sexual assault cases, in an Australian first. The Western Australian nurses graduated from a forensic training course in Bunbury, enabling them to take samples from sexual as Read More...

Canada's RN shortage tipped to escalate

Date of Posting: 31-03-2011

Canada is expected to be short almost 60,000 full-time equivalent registered nurses by the year 2022, according to sector forecasts. The Canadian Nurses Association statistics show the nurse shortage will grow almost five times within the next 1 Read More...

Accolades for leading NSW pharmacists

Date of Posting: 31-03-2011

A Newcastle pharmacist who helped establish the University of Newcastle’s pharmacy program and foundation pharmacy fund has been recognised for his achievements. The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s NSW branch awarded Newcastle Read More...

Pilot nurse bank project injects nurses into rural Victoria

Date of Posting: 30-03-2011

A pilot nurse bank management service in rural Victoria is achieving positive outcomes for local health services. The centralised rural casual nurse bank based in the Grampians region, known as CasConnect, has 10 health services on board and mor Read More...

NZ bonding scheme boost

Date of Posting: 28-03-2011

The New Zealand Government has added aged care and mental health to its voluntary bonding scheme in a bid to bolster nursing in the embattled sectors. The scheme encourages health graduates to establish careers in hard-to-staff specialties and c Read More...

New book shines spotlight on medication mistakes

Date of Posting: 22-03-2011

Medication errors are killing more people than heart attacks or cancer, according to new research. Pharmacist Ken Lee is lobbying for more communication between doctors and pharmacies after his research found one in three prescriptions featured Read More...

Nurses protest as ANF fronts PC hearing

Date of Posting: 21-03-2011

The Australian Nursing Federation has called on the Federal Government to inject $513 million into the aged care system to close the wages gap between aged care and public hospital nurses. ANF federal secretary Lee Thomas has spoken at the Produ Read More...

Government spending on education, not wages: ANF

Date of Posting: 21-03-2011

The Federal Government has come under fire for an educational cash splash on aged care nursing despite those nurses being up $300 a week worse off than their public hospital colleagues. Federal Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler has unveiled Read More...

Christchurch earthquake hits aged care jobs

Date of Posting: 20-03-2011

Up to 500 Christchurch aged care workers have lost their jobs in the wake of the region’s devastating earthquake. Nurses, carers and support workers have been hit with redundancies at five aged care centres following the 6.3 magnitude quak Read More...

Ambulances turned away for 4300 hours

Date of Posting: 19-03-2011

New figures have revealed Melbourne’s busiest emergency departments turned away ambulances for more than 4300 hours in a six-month period last year. Victorian health minister David Davis released a report which also shows the city’s Read More...

Pharmacists attack supermarket pharmacy push

Date of Posting: 17-03-2011

A renewed push for supermarket giants to operate pharmacies is misguided, according to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. PSA national president Warwick Plunkett said any move to allow supermarkets, such as Woolworths and Coles, to run pha Read More...

TB scare for families and staff at Sydney hospital

Date of Posting: 16-03-2011

Staff and almost 200 families at Sydney’s Liverpool Hospital are being screened for tuberculosis after a hospital health worker was diagnosed with the potentially fatal disease. The hospital, in the city’s south-west, has revealed a Read More...

Tassie aged care workers review OneCare deal

Date of Posting: 16-03-2011

Tasmanian aged care workers will consider a revised pay and conditions agreement from OneCare after last week’s four-hour work stoppage. More than 460 workers across four OneCare nursing homes are lobbying for better pay and to maintain co Read More...

More NPs, more health access: ACNP says

Date of Posting: 15-03-2011

An injection of nurse practitioners will not only ease pressure surrounding the GP shortage but also make healthcare more accessible to more Australians, according to the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners. ACNP president Helen Grosby sai Read More...

Survey finds young NZ nurses struggling to cope

Date of Posting: 15-03-2011

More than 40 percent of young New Zealand nurses are struggling with the emotional challenges of their job, according to an online survey. The New Zealand Nurses Organisation survey found many young nurses believe their education has not prepare Read More...

Nurses union calls for action on Thursday Island

Date of Posting: 10-03-2011

The Queensland Nurses Union has called on the Torres Strait Health Service District to "do better", after a series of critical problems were uncovered at Thursday Island health facilities. QNU secretary Gay Hawksworth said it was time Read More...

NSW private hospital nurses celebrate new deal

Date of Posting: 10-03-2011

Healthscope private hospital nurses can now opt to work at other hospitals through shutdown periods, under a new two-year agreement being touted as a benchmark for the private hospital sector. The deal includes a 3.85 percent pay rise in 2011 an Read More...

NZ nurses label alcohol a health issue

Date of Posting: 08-03-2011

New Zealand nurses are at the coalface of the country’s "disastrous drinking culture", according to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation. The NZNO has called on the government to get tough on alcohol abuse in its submission to the Read More...

Nursing Australia wins major contract

Date of Posting: 07-03-2011

Nursing Australia has won a three-year contract to supply general and specialist nursing staff across Ramsay Health Care’s entire network of hospitals in Sydney and the Hunter Valley region. Under the deal, Nursing Australia will manage an Read More...

Pharmacists back $97 million national software roll out

Date of Posting: 07-03-2011

A $97 million national software roll out at pharmacies across Australia will help pharmacists avoid mistakes when dispensing medication. The software, set to be introduced within the next two years, has won the support of the Pharmaceutical Soci Read More...

Allied health professionals boost autism services

Date of Posting: 07-03-2011

Speech pathologists and occupational therapists are helping Queensland children with autism spectrum disorder improve their communication, motor and sensory skills. The Autism Early Intervention Outcomes Unit (AEIOU) is establishing more early i Read More...

Aussie speech pathologist develops iPad app in London

Date of Posting: 03-03-2011

A former Melbourne speech pathologist has developed an iPad and iPhone application for people with communication impairments. Rebecca Bright, who now works in London, launched the application Predictable in January. The application provides Read More...

Calls for nurse practitioners to work in NZ cancer care

Date of Posting: 02-03-2011

An injection of nurse practitioners into cancer care could help alleviate pressure on New Zealand’s severely stretched cancer workforce. Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre clinical leader associate professor John Carter has called for more Read More...

Survey finds remote nurses under stress

Date of Posting: 28-02-2011

Nurses in remote areas of Australia have high levels of psychological distress, stress, trauma and emotional exhaustion, according to a new research project. The Centre for Remote Health study also found remote area nurses (RANs) enjoy moderate Read More...

More optometrists needed in public hospitals: OAA

Date of Posting: 28-02-2011

More optometrists could work alongside ophthalmologists to bolster the efficiency of eye departments in public hospitals, according to the Optometrists Association Australia. The OAA is lobbying the Federal Government to support an increase in t Read More...

Nursing in Saudi Arabia

Date of Posting: 27-02-2011

Austra Health is holding a series of information sessions for registered / Div 1 nurses in Australia and New Zealand that are interested in a working adventure in Saudi Arabia. In addition to the amazing adventure that awaits, Austra Health is o Read More...

Victorian patient transport service collapses

Date of Posting: 24-02-2011

Up to 70 staff at a Victorian non-emergency patient transport service have lost their jobs, after the Horsham-based company Ambicare folded. The company, which operates out of Horsham, Ballarat, Bendigo, Mildura, Warrnambool and Hamilton, went i Read More...

The King's Speech brings hope to those who stutter

Date of Posting: 23-02-2011

More Australians with a stutter are seeking professional help - possibly thanks to the Hollywood film The King’s Speech, according to Speech Pathology Australia. SPA spokesperson Joanna Wood said since the release of the film, starring Col Read More...

Congress a Critical Boon for PICU Nurses

Date of Posting: 23-02-2011

Covering the broadest spectrum of practice of all the nursing specialties, the highly specialised yet varied area known as pediatric critical care nursing or pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nursing, is among one of the most challenging and rewar Read More...

Training boost for Indigenous aged care workers

Date of Posting: 22-02-2011

Indigenous aged care workers living in 60 rural and remote areas across Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia will receive a training boost. South Australia Tafe, Kimberley Tafe, Queensland Tafe and the Queensland Aboriginal and Torr Read More...

Nurses flock to help in wake of Christchurch disaster

Date of Posting: 22-02-2011

Nurses from across New Zealand are joining the throng of medicos volunteering to bolster frontline and support staff in hospital and GP services in the wake of Christchurch’s devastating earthquake. As Australia begins sending rescue and m Read More...

NSW nurses end industrial agreement, voting yes for new deal

Date of Posting: 21-02-2011

An extra 1400 full-time equivalent nurses will be employed in New South Wales hospitals by 2013, after NSW nurses voted in favour of a new industrial relations agreement with the State Government. The NSW Nurses Association (NSWNA) will this wee Read More...

Researchers develop robotic scrub nurse technology

Date of Posting: 20-02-2011

United States researchers have developed a surgical system that recognises hand gestures as commands to control a robotic scrub nurse. The ‘vision-based hand gesture recognition’ technology, a concept explored in the Tom Cruise film Read More...

Pharmacists back health reform

Date of Posting: 16-02-2011

Pharmacists have given the tick of approval to the Federal Government’s health reform agenda, for its focus on keeping people out of hospitals. Pharmaceutical Society of Australia acting president Grant Kardachi said the proactive-focused Read More...

Midwifery numbers up in New Zealand

Date of Posting: 16-02-2011

The number of students studying midwifery is on the rise in New Zealand. New Zealand College of Midwives midwifery advisor Norma Campbell said midwifery has become a more "attractive career choice" thanks to increased Ministry of Healt Read More...

New aged care franchise for Australia and New Zealand

Date of Posting: 14-02-2011

The fastest growing home care company in the world is opening its doors in Adelaide amid plans to open between 75 and 100 franchises across Australia and New Zealand. Senior Helpers, which employs carers for in-home aged care assistance, was fou Read More...

ANF urges PM to show some love on Valentine's Day

Date of Posting: 13-02-2011

The Australian Nursing Federation is ramping up its demands for more carers and better wages with a Valentine’s Day national day of action. The ANF is calling on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to ‘show some love for older Australians&r Read More...

Mass trauma survivors require special training: report

Date of Posting: 09-02-2011

Aged care staff need specialised training to care for survivors of genocide and mass trauma, according to a La Trobe University report. The Caring for Older Survivors of Genocide or Mass Trauma report, initiated by Jewish Care, focused on the ag Read More...

Nurse bungle results in 55 people injected with same needle

Date of Posting: 09-02-2011

A newly employed nurse mistakenly used the same needle on 55 people at a New South Wales clinic. More than 50 cancer patients and two staff members, who were tested at the Gosford clinic between November 28 last year and January 28, are now bein Read More...

UK nurses shun positions in Australia and New Zealand

Date of Posting: 08-02-2011

Fewer UK nurses are applying to work in Australia and other English speaking countries. Research from the Nursing and Midwifery Council UK shows just 1978 UK nurses applied to work in Australia last year compared with 3648 in 2009 and 6329 in 20 Read More...

Mental Illness Accelerated by Cannabis Use

Date of Posting: 07-02-2011

The University of New South Wales has published the results of a study which they claim provides the first conclusive evidence that cannabis use accelerates the onset of mental health illness such as schizopherenias and other psychotic illnesses.&nbs Read More...

Bid to bolster rural and regional optometrist numbers

Date of Posting: 07-02-2011

More workforce support programs are vital to the development of a sustainable rural and regional optometric workforce. The Optometrists Association of Australia and the Rural Optometry Group are lobbying the Federal Government for additional sch Read More...

New Report: Mental Health Workers Lack Education and Training

Nina Hendy | Date of Posting: 06-02-2011

A new report is the first real statistical evidence that Australian mental health workers are lacking education and training, which raises serious concerns for patients. But will anything be done about it? By Nina Hendy. Nurses employed within t Read More...

ANF begins IR talks with practice nurses

Date of Posting: 02-02-2011

The Australian Nursing Federation has begun talks with almost 9000 practice nurses in medical clinics across the country. The industrial relations talks will pave the way for advancing enterprise bargaining in the sector in a bid to boost wages Read More...

Pharmacists support generic drugs campaign

Date of Posting: 02-02-2011

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has welcomed a $10 million Federal Government campaign to clear up confusion surrounding generic drugs. PSA acting president Grant Kardachi said the campaign was a positive move. "PSA supports th Read More...

Nurse-led clinic opens its doors in New Zealand

Date of Posting: 02-02-2011

A new nurse-led clinic in New Zealand’s Horowhenua district will provide immediate health care for more than 500 patients waiting to be enrolled with a GP. The Waiting-List Clinic opened its doors this week in the district, situated on the Read More...

More nursing jobs for WA and NSW

Date of Posting: 02-02-2011

Western Australia and New South Wales are set for a major boost in nursing numbers. Almost 700 graduate nurses will enter the WA health system over the next six months while an extra 1400 nurses are expected to be employed in NSW hospitals, as p Read More...

Podiatrists top list of lapsing Victorian registrants

Date of Posting: 01-02-2011

Ten percent of Victorian podiatrists failed to register with the new health practitioner national accreditation scheme before the January 31 deadline. Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) figures show podiatry had the highest Read More...

ANF demands PC report review ahead of national action day

Date of Posting: 01-02-2011

The Australian Nursing Federation has met with Federal Minister for Ageing Mark Butler to discuss concerns over the Productivity Commission’s draft report into aged care. ANF federal secretary Lee Thomas met with Mr Butler to call on the g Read More...

Dietician drought in rural and regional areas

Date of Posting: 27-01-2011

Tasmania and other rural and regional areas are struggling to attract Accredited Practising Dieticians (APDs), according to the Dietitians Association of Australia. Association chief executive officer Claire Hewat said allied health, including d Read More...

NZ health board vows jobs safe during health cuts

Date of Posting: 27-01-2011

New Zealand’s Nelson Marlborough District Health Board has assured workers only a handful of positions will be made redundant, after it this week announced a major restructure aimed at shaving millions of dollars from its budget. While the Read More...

NSW nurses enter final week of negotiations

Date of Posting: 26-01-2011

The NSW Nurses Association has vowed to continue its industrial relations negotiations with the State Government for one more week. The government has met the association’s demands for a ratio of one nurse to four patients for the majority Read More...

Paramedics go for gold and national registration

Date of Posting: 26-01-2011

A Queensland group of paramedics will travel to the United States in March to represent Australia at the Paramedic Olympic Games. Team Australia EMS (Emergency Medical Services), consisting of Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics Alan Mountfo Read More...

Thousands of nurses face missing registration deadline

Date of Posting: 25-01-2011

Around 5000 of Victoria’s 84,000 nurses and midwives will not be able to work next week if they miss Monday’s deadline to register for a new national accreditation scheme. The new Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has Read More...

ANF slams Productivity Commission report

Date of Posting: 20-01-2011

The Productivity Commission has ignored calls for urgent workforce reform in the aged care sector, according to the Australian Nursing Federation.  The ANF has slammed the commission’s Caring for Older Australians draft report, which it sa Read More...

Ratio win for NSW nurses as negotiations continue

Date of Posting: 19-01-2011

Nurse to patient ratios will be delivered to the majority of nurses in NSW hospitals, under a State Government offer still being considered by the NSW Nurses Association. The Association revealed it would continue to seek further improvements th Read More...

Specialist physios must be recognised: APA

Date of Posting: 19-01-2011

The Australian Physiotherapy Association is calling for the registration of specialist physiotherapists. APA president Melissa Locke said the move was important for the profession in terms of recognition and career pathway but also valuable in e Read More...