Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand articles from May 2004

Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand archives from May 2004

Winning the long fight for fair pay.(editorial)
May 1, 2004... THE BALLOT on whether nurses, midwives and health care assistants should move to a national agreement is now under way in the country's 21 district health boards (DHBs). Needless to say, this is an issue of historical importance. Firstly, it...

Plea for members to support their delegates.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I WAS very moved by the article "A diary of distress" by Waikato Hospital delegate Janet Black in last month's issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand (p30-31). How many nurses could relate to Black's feelings and symptoms? Whether the...

Niuean nurses thank NZNO for its support.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... FAKALOFA LAHI atu! On behalf of the Minister of Health, Director of Health and the Niue nurses, I would like to express our sincere gratitude, appreciation and thanks for NZNO's support and assistance. The autoclave purchased by you [see...

Nursing at Wairoa Hospital proves life-changing.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I WOULD like to thank a group of nurses who strive always to deliver the best care possible in the little east coast town of Wairoa. I am a registered nurse normally based in Hastings Hospital's assessment, treatment and rehabilitation...

Stemming the tide of vanishing nurses.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I READ with interest the news and events article in the February issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand concerning NZNO's launch of nurse/patient ratios (p5). This is something I have been advocating for the last two years in the chemotherapy...

Vaccination debate must focus on client.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I AM writing about the article in the February issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand "Evidence alone is not enough to bring about change", p14, on behalf of the Auckland and Northland Regional Immunisation Group. This group represents...

The president comments ...
May 1, 2004... IN MID-MARCH NZNO began what has become an annual round of regional conventions. The conventions take place in eight centres from Dunedin to Northland and are a chance for NZNO staff, elected leaders, delegates and college/section members to...

NZNO wants to retain registered and enrolled nurse titles.(news and events)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... NZNO WANTS the titles registered nurse (RN) and enrolled nurse (EN) retained, and wants registered obstetric nurses (RONs) to be included in the RN scope of practice. These are among the main points in NZNO's submission on the Nursing Council's...

Hamilton and Wellington organisers take their leave.(news and events)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... HAMILTON-BASED organiser Jenny Roy, who has worked for NZNO for the past three years, leaves at the end of this month. Roy was a former worksite convener at Rotorua Hospital and had been an active NZNO delegate for many years before becoming an...

NZNO representatives attend unveiling ceremony for Irihapeti Ramsden.(news and events)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... EASTER SUNDAY saw around 100 people gathering at Tutehuarewa Marae in Port Levy, near Christchurch, for the unveiling of the headstone for nursing pioneer Irihapeti Ramsden (see photos right). They included NZNO board member and Te Runanga O...

Few rural nurses using Internet for health information.(news and events)
May 1, 2004... A RECENT study into the use of the Internet as a source of health information by North Island rural practice nurses, GPs and pharmacists has shown that only 12.3 percent of nurses are using online information. This compares to 29.1 percent of...

Petition signatures continue to roll in.(news and events)
May 1, 2004... NZNO DELEGATES have collected tens of thousands of signatures around the country for NZNO's national fair pay petition. This calls on the Government to provide additional funding to district health boards in order to pay nurses and midwives...

Strong response to this year's delegate conventions.(news and events)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... FUTURE NZNO regional conventions may require larger venues and longer lunch hours, if the Nelson, Wellington and Palmerston North conventions are anything to go by. The venues were packed at all three conventions last month, after more...

Removal of nurse/patient ratios would prompt nursing exodus.(news and events)
May 1, 2004... IF THE nurse/patient ratios introduced in the Australian state of Victoria in 2001 were removed it would "precipitate a major withdrawal of nursing labour from the system", according to just-published research commissioned by the Australian...

Nurses to be asked about job satisfaction.(news and events)
May 1, 2004... NURSES EMPLOYED by district health boards (DHBs) are to be surveyed about their job satisfaction, in a repeat of a survey first conducted in 2001. Survey questions are about job satisfaction, managment support for nurses, recognition of nurses'...

Plunket Line marks tenth anniversary.(news and events)
May 1, 2004... PLUNKET LINE celebrated its 10th anniversary last month. Originally an "out of hours service" (4pm-1am) in April 1994, it became a 24-hour service six months later. It closed in 1999 due to financial constraints, but reopened several months...

Student debt reaches record highs.(news and events)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... STUDENT DEBT has reached a record $7 billion, according to figures provided last month by Tertiary Education Minister Steve Maharey in a response to an Official Information Act request by the New Zealand University Students Association (NZUSA)....

Remembering those who have died at work.(news and events)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... INTERNATIONAL WORKERS' Memorial Day on April 28 was marked by vigils, rallies, music, silence and some candle-lighting ceremonies in various parts of the country. The theme was "Mourn for the dead; fight for the living". The day became...

Hospitals to go smokefree.(news and events)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... ON WORLD Smokefree Day, May 31, all district health board hospitals --inside and within grounds--will go smoke free. The ruling will apply to all staff, patients, visitors and contractors, and follows the passing of the Smokefree Amendment Act...

Nurses celebrate a 30-year anniversary: a 'who's who' of nurse educators--past and present--gathered at Parliament's Grand Hall last month to celebrate the transfer of nursing education from hospitals to the tertiary sector.(news focus)
May 1, 2004... LAST MONTH'S celebration of the 30th anniversary of the transfer of nursing education from hospital-based apprenticeship to tertiary education was a glittering occasion in Parliament's Grand Hall. Nearly 100 nursing luminaries--movers and...

Aged-care sector ripe for NZNO growth: the aged-care sector is largely non-unionised, yet its workers are among those most in need of union protections. NZNO has plans to increase union coverage amd membership in the sector.(news focus)
May 1, 2004... THE AGED-care sector has for too long been a Cinderella of the health care system. Professionally and industrially, NZNO has worked to change this image. Professionally, NZNO's national gerontology section has done much to raise the profile of...

Caring for older adults with complex health needs: research has shown that gerontology nurse practitioners can halve hospital admission rates and emergency department visits among high needs older adults.(practice)
May 1, 2004... MANAGING FRAIL older adults in the community, while working at the interface between primary and secondary care, is where nurse practitioner (NP) Michal Boyd wants to use her skills. She believes NPs with specialist gerontology skills can make...

Are you a nurse and what is nursing? The Nursing Council's consultation document on scopes of practice offers an opportunity for the profession to reflect on the nature of nursing and who practises nursing.(viewpoint)
May 1, 2004... ARE YOU a nurse is a simple question to answer--or is it? If you answer yes, what does your answer mean? If you are an enrolled nurse (EN), a registered nurse (RN), or a nurse practitioner (NP) and you answer yes, is the meaning the same? What...

Care of the elderly is a privilege and a challenge: a nursing career devoted to care of the elderly who also have a psychiatric diagnosis, has provided one nurse with a hugely satisfying working life.(profile)
May 1, 2004... SALLY MCPHERSON became a nurse by sheer accident. Sbe became a psychogeriatric nurse by management decree. And she became a nurse specialist in psychiatric care of the elderly by choice. Articulate, passionate about the elderly in general,...

Caring for war veterans--victims or heroes? Undiagnosed and untreated symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder affect many World War 11 veterans at Auckland's Ranfurly Veteran Centre. Nurses and caregivers need education to care for veterans appropriately.(practice)
May 1, 2004... RANFURLY VETERANS' Centre in central Auckland is home to 142 war veterans (and/or their spouses). It is a sanctuary to those who have served their country, providing hospital, rest-home and secure unit care. Ranfurly was founded in 1903 by...

Nurse struck off for forging nurses' signatures.(nursing council)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... A REGISTERED comprehensive nurse, who failed to check controlled drugs with other staff members and who forged other staff members' signatures in the controlled drug register, has been struck off the register for a year. He can apply for...

Nurse admits facts about unprescribed drugs.(nursing council)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... A REGISTERED general and obstetric nurse has been found guilty of professional misconduct for issuing instructions to staff to administer Diazepam to a resident on three occasions when it had not been prescribed. The charge was brought by...

Baby's safety compromised by negligent conduct.(nursing council)
May 1, 2004... THE NURSING Council has found registered general and obstetric nurse and midwife, Fetuao Fretton, guilty of professional misconduct on the grounds that her conduct was negligent. In its March 2004 decision, the Council upheld the charges...

Theft charge leads to suspension from practice.(nursing council)
May 1, 2004... AN ENROLLED nurse (EN) who was convicted on theft and other charges in 2001, has been suspended from practice for six months. The Nursing Council, in a decision in November last year, exercised its disciplinary powers in respect of an EN,...

Bargaining for a national MECA: half or more NZNO members must have voted 'yes' in this month's national ballot if national bargaining is to take place this year. A clear process has been established to begin these negotiations.(industrial focus)
May 1, 2004... BY THE time members receive this issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, most NZNO members in the country's 21 district health boards (DHBs) would have been balloted on whether NZNO should initiate bargaining for a 21-DHB national...

Acting for nurses in aged care: NZNO is sometimes accused of focusing too much on the public sector to the detriment of nurses working in aged care.(professional focus)
May 1, 2004... I WAS recently asked: "What is NZNO doing for the registered nurses (RNs) in the aged-care sector?" The questioner, who worked in aged care, said NZNO seemed to do a lot for caregivers and there was a strong focus on the public sector. The...

Combined conference a success for stomal therapy nurses.(section news)
May 1, 2004... THE STOMAL therapy conference this year was a combined New Zealand and Australia conference, the second of its kind for NZNO's Stomal Therapy Section. This provided a fabulous opportunity to meet and network with our colleagues across the...

Palmerston North to host infection control conference.(section news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... THE EDITOR of the American Journal of Infection Control, nursing professor Elaine Larson, is the keynote speaker at this year's national infection control conference. Larson is the Professor of Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Research and...

New critical care committee gets started.(section news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... NZNO'S CRITICAL Care Nurses' Section (CCNS) committee met last month in Wellington. The new committee for 2004-2006 was appointed at this year's annual general meeting, held at the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society's (ANZSIC) New...

Student unit forms links with other student bodies.(national student unit)
May 1, 2004... IT WAS encouraging to have four new delegates attend the National Student Unit's (NSU) two-day meeting last month in Wellington--Jacqui Bennetts from Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology; Melanie Mcdonald-Messiter from Auckland...

We need your feedback!(nzno committees)
May 1, 2004... DO YOU want to have more of a say in how NZNO processes or the nursing profession develop? Are you happy to sit back and let others make decisions for you? Do you want to help shape the future of nursing in New Zealand? You can have your say as...

NZNO adopts recommendations on 12-hour shifts.(board of directors)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... THE BOARD considered a background paper prepared by policy analyst Eileen Brown on 12-hour shifts and accepted its recommendations. NZNO has been negotiating 12-hour shift provisions in collective agreements (CAs) since around 1995, largely...

Crowe joins leadership network.(board of directors)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... THE BOARD of directors formally endorsed chair of the mental health nurses' section, Marie Crowe, as NZNO's representative on the International Council of Nurses' Leadership Network. Crowe was nominated by the section for this position. The...

Nobel prize for nurses.(board of directors)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... NOMINATIONS ARE called for the 2005 Christian Reimann prize, the "Nobel" prize for nurses. The International Council of Nurses requires nominations by August 31. Suggestions from NZNO's regions are to be sent to the board of directors.

Discussions continue on the PAUA project.(board of directors)(Progressively Act in Unity and Aroha )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... HONE AND Diane Te Pania, kaihaapai to policy analyst Maori Sharon Clair and NZNO, were welcomed to the meeting. They were accompanied by support people. Hone Te Pania explained why NZNO needed a kaihaapai, an important support for staff as...

Pilot project for Primary Health Care Nurses' Council.(board of directors)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... THE PROPOSED NZNO Primary Health Care (PHC) Nurses' Council is to be established for a two-year pilot. This comprises members of the New Zealand College of Practice Nurses, Nurses for Children and Young People of Aotearoa, the Public Health...

New funding proposal approved for colleges and sections.(board of directors)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... THE BOARD endorsed option three of the four funding proposals for colleges and sections, with a review after two years. Option three, which removes the need for colleges/sections to charge members fees to belong, was unanimously endorsed by...

NZNO withdraws from Commonwealth Nurses' Federation.(board of directors)(New Zealand Nurses Organization)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... NZNO HAS decided to withdraw from membership of the Commonwealth Nurses' Federation (CNF) once again. Part of the reason is CNF's seeming lack of vision and purpose, and the lack of any expectation that member organisations will contribute to...

A year-long struggle for an agreement in aged care.(sector reports)
May 1, 2004... ACHIEVING A collective agreement (CA) in an aged-care facility can be a struggle for members and for NZNO. The following case study highlights some of the delays and difficulties. Staff at the facility contacted NZNO about negotiating a CA...

Taking steps towards a national MECA for hospice members.(sector reports)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... ACHIEVING FAIR pay for all nurses and health workers is a key objective for all NZNO sector groups. Having started the Fair Pay Campaign in district health boards (DHBs), we are now developing campaigns in the private sector to ensure fair pay...

Collective agreements planned for primary sector.(sector reports)(New Zealand Medical Association)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... DISCUSSIONS ARE continuing with the New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) about its role as the employer parties' advocate for the 2004 national practice nurse collective agreement negotiations. Mediation with the NZMA was scheduled for early...