Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand articles from March 2008

Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand archives from March 2008

Defining and delighting in the nurse practitioner role.(EDITORIAL)
March 1, 2008... When I became a nurse practitioner (NP) in 2001, I did so because I wanted my profession to recognise my skills in nursing. Colleagues have subsequently commented that my career direction has drawn me closer to the medical model of care....

Successful centennial celebration.(LETTERS: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... This letter is just a brief thank you to NZNO for the invitation to attend the recent Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand centenary celebrations. The bubbly, delicious nibbles and catching up with people I hadn't seen for a while, were all enjoyable...

Appreciation from honorary member.(LETTERS: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... Congratulations to the co-editors on the centennial publication of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand. I have read it twice already. As an honorary member, I very much appreciate the privilege of receiving the magazine. It has been part of my life...

Thanks from Canterbury nurses.(LETTERS: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... The management committee of the Canterbury Regional Council would like to say how excellent the centennial issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand is in its content and glossy presentation. At a special meeting in January, we took a moment to...

Using Etonox in the community.(LETTERS: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... I am a district nurse based in Warkworth, and am chair of Waitemata District Health Board's wound care and pressure area committee. We are looking at introducing Entonox (half nitrous oxide and half oxygen mix) into the community setting to...

Changes to drug names.(LETTERS: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... Drug names are not always easy to differentiate, especially as funded brand names change, and serious errors can occur. To add to the confusion, the names of some common drugs we take for granted, could be about to change on the shelves of...

Poem describes aged-care crisis.(LETTERS: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... My husband is an enrolled nurse who works in an aged-care facility. He is 62-years-old and an Australian. He is a very diligent and caring nurse who does the work to the best of his ability, often to the point of exhaustion. As everyone is...

The president comments ...(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... 2008 has begun with a "hiss and a roar". How fitting to begin the year by celebrating the centenary of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand. It was an excellent celebration, with the journal's founding editor Hester Maclean (alias Ginette McDonald)...

Nursing Council to review NP scope.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(nurse practitioners)
March 1, 2008... The Nursing Council is to review the scope of practice for nurse practitioners (NPs).The decision is in response to the 47 submissions the Council received on its consultation document on NP competencies. Announcing the review last month,...

Nursing advisory committee to start work soon.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The advisory committee on the clinical workforce to support registered nurses (RNs) will hold its first meeting on April 1. The committee's terms of reference state its objective is to provide the Director-General of Health [Stephen McKernan]...

Midwifery Council to introduce interim practicing certificates.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... The Midwifery Council is urging "the small number of midwives" who have not yet sent the Council their portfolios for recertification audit or verified they have completed the Midwifery Standards Review as required by their work circumstances,...

Rural innovations fund offering grants.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... One-off grants of up to $50,000 are available through the Ministry of Health's rural innovations fund. Those involved in delivering health services to rural people are invited to apply for one-off grants from the $300,000 fund, aimed at...

NZNO nurse practitioner mentor system.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... NZNO's nurse practitioner (NP) mentor system is a supportive process aimed at assisting candidates polish their applications and prepare for the panel interview, according to NZNO's professional services manager, Susanne Trim. The mentor system...

Report on serious events in DHBS 'very significant'--Annals.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(district health boards )
March 1, 2008... The release last month of the report of serious and sentinel adverse events in all district health boards (DHBs) was a very significant event, according to NZNO chief executive Geoff Annals. It is the first time all public hospitals in New...

Brian Stabb reinstated.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... Controversial mental health nurse Brian Stabb (pictured right) has been reinstated to the register of nurses. He learnt of his reinstatement last month. Stabb gained national attention following publication of a viewpoint article, How I became...

Traditional Maori healers included in Te Rau Kokiri.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... In an historic development, traditional Maori healers are to be included in Te Rau Kokiri (TRK), the NZNO/Maori and iwi health care providers multi-employer collective agreement (MECA). At negotiations late last month at Palmerston North's St...

Pacific mental health programme launched.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Te Pou, the national centre for mental health research, information and workforce development last month launched a Pacific programme, Le Va--Pasifika. A clinical lead specialist with Te Pou, mental health nurse practitioner Mark Smith, said...

Hauora Maori Scholarships available.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... Maori health students are being encouraged to apply for Ministry of Health Hauora Maori Scholarships. The purpose of the scholarships is to assist students to undertake or complete an accredited course in health or disability studies, in order...

Whittington honoured nationally and internationally.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... New Zealand Red Cross nurse and humanitarian aid worker Marianne Whittington has been involved in almost every humanitarian crisis that has occurred in the past 17 years, including Iraq, Darfur, Afghanistan, Angola, Kenya, Thailand and the...

NZNO delegates share their concerns at CTU forum.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Council of Trade Unions)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The colourful NZNO delegation, with more than 40 activists, ensured our members' concerns were raised with this country's derision-makers at last month's combined Council of Trade Unions (CTU)/Government forum. ...

Nursing students getting younger.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Survey)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A survey of nursing students in 2007, conducted for Nursing Educators in the Tertiary Sector, shows 85 percent of students were aged 40 years and under; 60 percent were 25 and under, and 39 percent were 20 and under. According to NZNO...

Protecting older people from abuse.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... Older people are less likely to be abused or neglected if they understand their rights, have a strong sense of self worth and positive relationships with their families, a recently released Families Commission study says. The study, Elder...

Auckland nurses celebrate their centenary.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... This year marks 100 years since the founding of the Auckland Trained Nurses' Association. NZNO's Greater Auckland Region is planning an evening of fun, reflections and shared memories with colleagues on October 11. Organisers hope as many...

NZNO submissions.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... NZNO makes submissions on policy changes and documents from a range of government departments, including the Department of Labour and Ministry of Health; from organisations like the Food Standards Australia New Zealand; and from the Health and...

Focus on kidney health.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... According the Ministry of Hearth's Quality Improvement Plans for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, released last month, diabetes is now the leading cause of kidney disease in New Zealand, with renal failure "amongst the most debilitating and...

Embedding cultural safety into nursing curricula.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... International expert in cultural safety and author of the first textbook in the field, Cultural Safety in Aotearoa New Zealand, Dianne Wepa, will complete her PhD on the subject at the University of Technology (UTS), Sydney, with the support of...

Nurses take an Taupo Trailwalker challenge.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... Four teams of nurses and a team of midwives are among 260 teams taking part in this year's Oxfam Trailwalker challenge in Taupo early next month. Bubs R Us is a team of midwives and friends from Porirua led by midwife Sandy Woodhouse who...

Guide to the Law for Nurses and Midwives updated.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A fourth edition of A Guide to the Law for Nurses and Midwives by former NZNO national president Marie Burgess has been published. First published in 1993 as a guide for students and practitioners on how the law applies to them, the new...

IND to focus on primary care.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has announced the theme for this year's International Nurses' Day (IND), May 12--"Delivering quality, serving communities: Nurses leading primary health care." The IND kit containing educational and...

Travel fund for child health nurses.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
March 1, 2008... Nominations for the Margaret May Blackwell travel study fellowship for nurses of young children dose at the end of this month. The fellowship, administered by the Nursing Education and Research Foundation, offers up to $13,000 for three months'...

NZNO staff changes.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... NZNO's new Wellington-based individual case organiser is former NZNO organiser Laura Thomas. Since returning to Australia in 2006, Thomas has been working as a nurse, but is now keen to return to an industrial role. She begins her new...

What's happening with nurse practitioners? Ten years on from when nurse practitioners were first mooted, there are 45 of them in the country. Is that good enough? Nursing leaders share their views.(NEWS FOCUS)
March 1, 2008... Why are we waiting? It seems a fair enough question to ask ten years on from Releasing the Potential of Nursing the hopeful title of the 1998 report of the Ministerial Taskforce on Nursing which heralded the beginning of a nurse practitioner...

Challenges remain on the nurse practitioner journey: a nurse who is journeying towards nurse practitioner registration shares some observations and ideas she has gleaned along the way.(VIEWPOINT)
March 1, 2008... The leading causes of death in New Zealand for people aged 19 and older are predominantly lifestyle related, ie they are preventable. (1) (See Table 1.) It is in the area of prevention and early detection that nurse practitioners (NPs) could...

Donating a kidney to give a colleague a chance of life: by becoming a live kidney donor, one nurse has helped raise awareness among her colleagues that genetically unrelated people can also donate their kidneys to others.(PROFILE)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Two nursing colleagues from Christchurch Hospital's cardiac ward are now inseparably linked, following a kidney transplant operation in January. Kidney donor Claire Johnston has worked alongside Lynsey Farra for...

A passion for kidneys.(PROFILE)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Carmel Gregan-Ford has a passion for kidneys. That's just as well, as she is the education manager for Kidney Health New Zealand (formerly the Kidney Foundation), based in Christchurch. Her passion began while...

Facing a Nursing Council audit: finding yourself facing a Nursing Council audit can be stressful. But, as one nurse discovered, it can also have surprisingly positive results.(VIEWPOINT)
March 1, 2008... Last December I received the usual letter from the Nursing Council, though a little thicker than normal this time, reminding me to renew my annual practising certificate (APC). On opening it, I discovered I had been chosen as one of the "lucky"...

Reviewing the role of a mental health nurse practitioner: a limited review of a mental health nurse practitioner role at Waikato District Health Board has revealed satisfaction with the role. But the real value of the review was the learning and reflection it afforded the nurse practitioner.(PRACTICE)
March 1, 2008... Five years ago I was endorsed as a nurse practitioner (NP) in mental health at Waikato District Health Board (DHB). There have been many challenges in the last five years and a recent review of the role gave me the opportunity to reflect on the...

Resisting the forces of economic rationalism and managerialism: nurses have a professional and moral duty to resist the ongoing forces of managerialism. Their own futures may depend on it.(VIEWPOINT)
March 1, 2008... The legacy of the health reforms of the 1980s and '90s, combined with the ideological philosophy of managerialism, with its emphasis on production-orientated service delivery, have increased the pressure on nurses to work harder while facing...

Exploring the meaning of rangatiratanga.(TE RUNANGA)
March 1, 2008... Ko Taranaki te Maunga Ko Mohakatino te Awa Ko Tokomaru te Woka Ko Urenui te Maroe Ko Ngati Muutunga te Iwi Ko Te Mananui Jean Raumati toku Whaea Ko Harry Taylor toku Matua Ko Hamiora Raumoti mea raua ko...

What should nurses do when there's a surge in patient numbers? Both nurses and their employers have responsibilities concerning situations where a surge of patient numbers threatens patient safety.(PROFESSIONAL FOCUS)
March 1, 2008... As a clinician, one of my most stressful memories was dealing with a sudden increase in patient numbers and acuity in a small hospital with limited resources and skeleton medical and nursing staff. In contrast to the format declaration of a...

What's up 'JAC'? What's the joint action committee all about, who's on it, what will it do, how will it work and will it make a difference? Read on.(INDUSTRIAL FOCUS)
March 1, 2008... "Long after a deed is done, the trace or momentum of the intention left behind it remains as a seed, conditioning our future happiness or unhappiness." (1) A wide range of views have been expressed on the success, or otherwise, of the...

Proposed merger set to create biggest aged-care provider in the country.(SECTOR REPORTS)(merger of ElderCare of America Inc. and Qualcare)
March 1, 2008... Two of the country's major aged-care providers, ElderCare, the country's largest provider, and Qualcare, are to merge. Senior managers from both companies have held a series of meetings at the companies' sites around the country announcing...

Union leaders consider social partnership.(SECTOR REPORTS)(Report)
March 1, 2008... Seventy union leaders gathered in Rotorua last month for a two-day Council of Trade Unions ((CTU) meeting to develop union building strategies, further develop the CTU's political strategy, and hear about the successes of the Australian Work...

Healthline members have unique issues.(SECTOR REPORTS)
March 1, 2008... You have probably seen the advertisements on television for Healthline--the free 0800 number funded by the Ministry of Health, which the public can call 24/7 to speak to a registered nurse and discuss any health symptoms or seek Well Child...

Hospice ratification meetings begin next month.(SECTOR REPORTS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Ratification meetings to vote on a proposed settlement for a hospice multi-employer collective agreement (MECA), covering 15 hospices around the country, will start next month. The meetings will be held from April 18 to May 4. The proposed...

For healthy government vote well in 2008.(SECTOR REPORTS)
March 1, 2008... Here we are at the start of another election year. Promises will be made. Some will be kept. The various parties will no doubt be offering all sorts of policies to get your attention and your vote. Looking back, it is clear that different...

Chief nurse hears EN concerns.(SECTION/COLLEGES NEWS)(enrolled nurses)
March 1, 2008... The Canterbury enrolled nurses' (EN) section is hosting the 30th annual EN conference from May 28-30, with the theme "The Flame Endures". Opening the conference will be motivational speaker Miles Kaukau from Christchurch. Some of the topics to...

Critical care nurses prepare for conference.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)(Conference news)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The last full-day meeting of the current national committee of the critical care nurses' section was herd last month. As usual this was a busy day, with a range of topics covered. Our next meeting will be at the section's AGM next month, held...

Greater emphasis on respiratory disease needed.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)(Report)
March 1, 2008... The New Zealand Health Strategy was released in December 2000 by then Minister of Health Annette King. (1) This document signalled major changes to the health system, its direction and priorities. The strategy specified 13 health priorities and...

New training standards for nurse colposcopists.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... NZNO's women's health section has developed training standards to assist nurses develop their practice in colposcopy. The section decided some years ago that nationally recognised standards were required to ensure nurses were trained...

Options for the future of sections and colleges to be discussed.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
March 1, 2008... A paper outlining the issues for groups wishing to become new NZNO sections is to be developed. NZNO continues to have inquiries from nurses wanting to establish new sections. Recent requests have come from radiology and air nurses, neither...

Theme to pay homage to members.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... "What about me?" is the suggested theme for NZNO conference and AGM in September this year. The 2007 conference theme "Priorities, opportunities, actions" was about the organisation; this year's theme would be about the individual and would...

Nuie nurses to manage relief funds.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The residual funds held in the NZNO Niue Relief Fund 2004 are to be transferred to the Niue Nurses' Association. Niue was devastated by Cyclone Heta on New Year's Day 2004. NZNO immediately established a fund for the relief of Niuean nurses and...

Eligibility for reduced fees.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
March 1, 2008... The annual earnings eligibility criteria for Low income subscriptions are currently under discussion. The reduced fee income level was last increased in April 2005 and has remained at $17,500 since then. The management team is undertaking...

New standards for ambulance services.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The board endorsed the Ambulance and Paramedical Services Standard DZ8156 for NZNO members. In May 2006, a member of the Flight Nurses' Section (NZFNS), Fernah Peacey, was nominated by section members to represent NZNO and the section on...

Pandemic guide for NZNO members.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The board endorsed the guideline Obligations in a pandemic or disaster: a guide for NZNO members. This was prepared by the pandemic preparedness project team who were instructed by the board to research the issues and produce a guideline on...

NZNO structural review to be scared back.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The board working party reviewing NZNO's structures has scaled back its proposed terms of reference. In essence, the review will now provide an objective, third party assessment of how well the organisation's structures are functioning. The...

NZNO supports Bryant as next ICN president.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation has nominated Rosemary Bryant)(International Council of Nurses)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... NZNO is supporting executive director of the Royal College of Nursing in Australia, Rosemary Bryant, in her nomination as the next International Council of Nurses' (ICN) president. If successful, Bryant would take up the role next year,...

NZNO chooses representatives for CTU council.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Until recent years NZNO's representative at the Council of Trade Unions' (CTU) National Affiliates Council was always an industrial staff member but more recently, in keeping with NZNO's member-focused ethos, it has been an NZNO member....

NZNO reserves looking healthy.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Report)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... NZNO reserves have now reached $9 million. NZNO's policy has been to maintain a level of reserves that would ensure NZNO's continued existence, even during times of financial hardship, without unduly constraining current activities by locking...

Support for Girl Child Foundation.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... NZNO received a request from the International Council of Nurses last year to support its Girl Child Foundation. This was set up for the education of orphaned children in Africa, one of whose parents was a nurse. NZNO has donated $800 to the...

Accepting money 'abusive and exploitive'.(DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... JUDITH RENAU, RN Accepting gifts and/or loans and/or inappropriate transfers of money or cash from a patient has resulted in cancellation of a nurse's registration. The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, in a decision in June last...

Registration cancelled for professional misconduct.(DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... DALIP CHAND, RN Asking a patient about her marital status and saying he would be her husband were part of four charges of professional misconduct against registered nurse Dalip Chand. He had attempted to kiss a colleague; told a...