Nursing and Allied Health News and Resources
Robot seal to be trialed in aged care for dementia
Date of Posting: 26-03-2013
An Australian study will investigate the benefits of a robotic baby harp seal in the treatment of dementia. Queensland’s Griffith Health Institute hopes to trial the cost-effectiveness and benefits of using the Japanese robot to interact wit Read More...
An aged care resident holds the Paro robot
New prescribing roles mooted for New Zealand nurses
Date of Posting: 21-03-2013
More registered nurses in New Zealand will be able to prescribe medication such as antibiotics, contraceptives, insulin and inhalers under two new proposals. The Nursing Council of New Zealand is seeking feedback on its plan to introduce two new l Read More...
Nursing Council of New Zealand's Carolyn Reed
Nurse safety fears after attempted abduction
Date of Posting: 20-03-2013
The safety of nurses working shift-work is in the spotlight after the terrifying attempted abduction of a Brisbane nurse. The 36-year-old nurse was walking from her car to begin her shift at the Princess Alexandra Hospital along Ayr Street, near t Read More...
Princess Alexandra Hospital
Occupational therapist makes workplaces safer
Date of Posting: 20-03-2013
When occupational therapist Brooke Taylor saw a gap in the market for experienced allied health professionals to provide health consulting services, she decided to take the leap. Eight years later, Brooke heads up one of Australia’s leading Read More...
Occupational therapist Brooke Taylor
Trial to provide 24-hour child care for nurses and paramedics
Date of Posting: 19-03-2013
Around-the-clock child care will be available to selected Queensland nurses and paramedics at three sites across the state as part of a Federal Government trial of flexible care for shift-workers. Under the initiative, the Queensland Nurses’ Read More...
Queensland Nurses' Union secretary Beth Mohle
Optometrist focuses on the bigger picture
Date of Posting: 18-03-2013
It was a traumatic injury to his left eye that first sparked Joe Macri’s interest in the eye. A school yard accident left Joe with a cracked bone in the lower part of his eye socket and forced the 10-year-old to undergo treatment from a &ldq Read More...
Optometrists Jessie and Joe Macri and their children
Gold Coast nursing students seek placements overseas
Date of Posting: 14-03-2013
Nursing students in Queensland are increasingly travelling overseas to complete their studies as a result of a dearth of placement opportunities at local hospitals. A number of Gold Coast nursing students are understood to have spent significant s Read More...
Nursing in Dubai
Date of Posting: 11-03-2013
Katherine Pattie knows it’s easy to make excuses to not follow your dreams. And the Gold Coast resident has had more excuses than most. With four daughters to raise, and after leaving school at Year 10 and not completing her senior second Read More...
Midwife Katherine Pattie
Nurses hold key to IV flushing research
Date of Posting: 11-03-2013
Queensland researchers will survey 40,000 nurses on their flushing practice for intravenous catheters (IVs) in a bid to create best practice in hospitals. The online survey of the state’s nurses comes as researchers at Griffith University Read More...
Researcher Dr Samantha Keogh
New report shows higher rates of birth intervention
Date of Posting: 11-03-2013
More Australian women are having caesarean sections, induced births and instrumental vaginal births while the number of normal births is on the decline. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released the National Core Maternity Indica Read More...
A snapshot of Australia's maternity landscape
Dietitians want malnutrition screening introduced in aged care
Date of Posting: 07-03-2013
A simple no-cost screening process for malnutrition in older people could shave “a fortune” off Australia’s health budget but is unlikely to be implemented because it doesn’t generate money, according to dietitians. The Die Read More...
DAA chief executive officer Claire Hewat
Nursing abroad: Red Cross calling
Date of Posting: 05-03-2013
As a nurse working on secondment from the Australian Red Cross to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Catherine Salmon has taken in the sights of some incredible places over the past 10 years. Sudan, Afghanistan, Gaza, Somalia, Libya and Read More...
Nurse Catherine Salmon with her patient, Aban
Wage boost for aged care nurses
Date of Posting: 05-03-2013
Increased wages will flow into the pay packets of Australia’s 350,000 aged care nurses and workers from July. The Federal Government has unveiled the Aged Care Workforce Compact, which will deliver about $46 a week or $2390 a year for regist Read More...
The ANF's Aged Care Can't Wait campaign
Allied health professionals forge new eHealth technology
Date of Posting: 01-03-2013
Two allied health professionals are trialling unique technology to deliver speech pathology services to people with Parkinson’s living in rural and remote areas of Queensland. Innovative multimedia video conferencing system eHab, which is al Read More...
The innovative eHab technology
New scholarship program for agency nurses
Date of Posting: 01-03-2013
Agency nurses will be able to access scholarships for continuing professional development under a new initiative. The 2013 ME Bank Agency Nurses Scholarship will provide a unique opportunity for nurses, midwives, assistants in nursing, and persona Read More...
ANF federal education officer Jodie Davis
Midwives implicated in infant's death
Date of Posting: 28-02-2013
An inquest at the Coroners Court of Victoria has found that the actions of midwives at an attempted home birth in Melbourne were a direct cause of the death of baby Joseph Thurgood-Gates. Complications - including a prolonged slow foetal Read More...
Midwives implicated in infant’s death
Parkinson's nurse calls for specialist service to be saved
Date of Posting: 26-02-2013
Marilia Pereira has one thing to say to the state and federal governments who hold the purse strings, and also the future of her specialist nursing position, in their hands. “Come and spend a day with me and see the work that I do and see ho Read More...
Parkinson's neurodegenerative nurse Marilia Pereira
Bereavement guidelines for mental health professionals
Date of Posting: 26-02-2013
A national charity has developed bereavement guidelines to help mental health professionals support the families and friends of mentally ill people who have suicided. SANE Australia created the guidelines after research revealed families and frien Read More...
SANE Australia's Sarah Coker
Timely Access to Emergency Departments
Date of Posting: 26-02-2013
Balancing time targets with safe, quality service delivery. 29th & 30th May 2013, Bayview Boulevard, Sydney. Featuring case studies from the leading hospitals in the country against the NEAT. Learn to: Examine ED Read More...
Timely Access to Emergency Departments
WA nurses to be the highest paid in Australia
Date of Posting: 26-02-2013
Western Australian nurses have won their fight to become the highest paid nurses in the country. The state’s 13,000 nurses will receive a 14.7 per cent pay rise over three years, with no loss of conditions, after the government negotiated a Read More...
Western Australian nurses at a recent rally
Critical care symposium a mine of expertise
Date of Posting: 22-02-2013
The sharing of knowledge and a celebration of the role of critical care nurses will be key features of the upcoming Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN) 10th Annual Victorian Symposium on Critical Care Nursing. Taking place on Friday Read More...
Leanne Aitken
Hospital investigation launched after “extraordinary” delivery
Date of Posting: 22-02-2013
An investigation is underway at a Sydney hospital where a woman was forced to deliver her own baby. Blacktown-Mt Druitt Hospital has announced an investigation into the incident and defended its staffing levels after a Mt Druitt woman gave birth t Read More...
New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association's Brett Holmes
Burnout Vs Vitality: Mindfulness Skills and Self-Care for Health Practitioners
Date of Posting: 22-02-2013
Do you want to improve your effectiveness with patients? How about enriching your life outside of work? Then ironically you should focus on helping and healing yourself. So say Clinical Psychologists, Dr Alanda Thompson (PhD) and Dr Read More...
Psychologists, Dr Alanda Thompson (PhD) and Dr Samantha Clarke (PhD)
Physiotherapist steps into new state advisory role
Date of Posting: 19-02-2013
Kathleen Philip first became a physiotherapist more than 30 years ago and found her calling in musculoskeletal physiotherapy. Today, Kathleen is the voice of allied health in the development of health initiatives for the state of Victoria. Kath Read More...
Physiotherapist Kathleen Philip
WA nurses cancel surgeries, close beds as wage fight intensifies
Date of Posting: 19-02-2013
Western Australian nurses have begun cancelling one in five elective surgeries as their wage war escalates with the state government. The move to cancel booked operations, excluding wards treating intensive care, maternity and cancer patients, com Read More...
WA nurses at the mass union meeting
More bush, community, NICU nurses needed
Date of Posting: 18-02-2013
“It’s frustrating when we don’t have enough staff to deliver the care that we want to deliver,” says Orange Base Hospital clinical nurse specialist Katrina Lee. “I don’t think that we should forget any patient w Read More...
The new nursing ratios campaign
Dietitians applaud new dietary guidelines
Date of Posting: 18-02-2013
Australia’s new dietary guidelines are a call to action for health professionals to promote healthy eating and reduce the burden of chronic diet-related diseases on the nation, according to dietitians. The Dietitians Association of Australia Read More...
Dietitians welcome the new dietary guidelines
New Zealand nurses champion a living wage
Date of Posting: 15-02-2013
New Zealand nurses and allied health workers are adding their voice to calls demanding the government and employers support a living wage of at least $18.40 an hour for two-income families. The push to pay workers a living wage comes as the countr Read More...
New Zealand nurses want a living wage
The lure of the OR’s bright lights
Date of Posting: 15-02-2013
Jason Simpson always wanted to be a perioperative nurse. Now the father-of-five has a satisfying career – combining his love of OR work with paediatrics as the senior nurse manager of perioperative services at The Children’s Hospital a Read More...
Perioperative nurse Jason Simpson in an integrated operating room
Nurses demand support for persecuted Bahraini colleagues
Date of Posting: 14-02-2013
Nurses and health professionals have been jailed for the past two years after treating injured pro-democracy protestors in Bahrain. The Australian Nursing Federation yesterday launched a solidarity campaign, with the support of the ACTU and Union Read More...
The ANF's Lee Thomas speaking at the solidarity campaign launch in Canberra
Nurse of 2012 calls for Australia’s top nurses to be recognised
Date of Posting: 13-02-2013
Jenny Anderson couldn’t believe it when she was nominated for Nurse of the Year in the 2012 HESTA Australian Nursing Awards. “It was a shock more than anything,” the nurse of 36 years recalled. “I never thought that anyb Read More...
Nurse of the Year Jenny Anderson
ANF cautious on nurses taking on doctors’ tasks
Date of Posting: 13-02-2013
The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) is ‘watching with interest’ a suite of pilot initiatives that will see nurses taking on doctors’ tasks in public hospitals, in a bid to cut costs and deal with predicted skills shortages. P Read More...
The Austin Hospital
Counselling psychologist wants health professionals to break the silence
Date of Posting: 12-02-2013
An American counselling psychology expert wants end-of-life conversations to become a routine, structured intervention between patients and providers in health care delivery. Santa Clara University Professor of Counselling Psychology Dale Larson w Read More...
Professor of counselling psychology Dale Larson
Mental health career opportunities in North Sydney
Date of Posting: 12-02-2013
Northern Sydney Local Health District is promoting exciting career opportunities for nurses and allied health professionals at their new mental health care service at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai. The new 47 bed facility houses an adult acute inpatient uni Read More...
Mental health career opportunities in North Sydney
Recognising normal reactions to a natural disaster
Date of Posting: 11-02-2013
beyondblue CEO Kate Carnell AO says her heart goes out to the thousands of people across Australia who have been affected in the past few weeks by natural disasters. “It’s a tragic start to the new year for whole communities across Aus Read More...
Recognising normal reactions to a natural disaster
Paramedic shaves head to shine spotlight on paramedic suicides
Date of Posting: 08-02-2013
“You must see some terrible things.” As one paramedic recently wrote, this is a statement paramedics hear all too often. Unfortunately, it’s also completely true. “We see broken bones, blood and gore. We hold the hand Read More...
Ambulance Victoria paramedic Don Gillies
Centres of excellence to focus on mental health
Date of Posting: 06-02-2013
A funding commitment totalling $5 million evenly distributed between two centres of research excellence, looks set to address what are widely seen as two of the nation’s most pressing mental health challenges: suicide prevention and substance a Read More...
Centres of excellence to focus on mental health
WA nurses consider closing beds
Date of Posting: 06-02-2013
Western Australian nurses will consider closing beds as the state government refuses to come to the negotiating table over a wage rise. About 13,000 nurses are demanding a pay rise of at least 15 per cent amid claims they sit sixth on the list of Read More...
WA nurses rally for a pay rise
Paediatric nurse volunteers aboard hospital ship
Date of Posting: 06-02-2013
For the past six months, paediatric nurse Jasmin Biddell has floated on a 16,000 tonne ship off the coast of the Republic of Guinea. But the trip has been anything but a holiday. Instead, the Brisbane nurse has been one of a team of volunteers Read More...
Paediatric nurse Jasmin Biddell
Date of Posting: 05-02-2013
Australian College of Nursing (ACN), Australia’s professional organisation for all nurses, is excited to present the 15th Annual Nursing and Health Expos for 2013. The Nursing and Health expos attract over 9000 visitors and are a must for all n Read More...
ACN Nursing and Health Expos
