Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand articles from May 2005

Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand archives from May 2005

The moral purpose of nursing--everyday ethics in action.(EDITORIAL)
May 1, 2005... As a nurse educator for more years than I care to remember, it has occurred to me of late that I have always taken certain ideas about the moral nature of nursing as absolute "givens". I have, for instance, always assumed nurses were people who...

The pitfalls of nurse anaesthetists.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I am responding to the article by Mark Bukofzer in last month's issue: "Are nurse anaesthetists needed?" (p19). Some may find my views old fashioned, but to my mind, if someone wishes to be an anaesthetist, why not follow a medical career path...

Backstreet abortions not prevalent here.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I have recently read the article by Ann Simmons in the February issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand ("Taking the judgement out of abortion", p26-27). In the article she refers to her 30 years as a nurse and midwife, and further on she says:...

Promoting adoption, not abortion.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I write in support of Suzy Dymock's letter published in last month's issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealend ("Resisting pressure to abort", p3). It seems a sad fact of modern life that commitment to the foetus, for many, does not start at...

Seeking childcare tax deductions.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... As a working parent who does not qualify for any childcare subsidies from the government, I'm writing to the government to request that all childcare paid by working parents be fully tax deductible. In order to achieve this I need other...

New Zealand treatment manual underway.(LETTERS)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... A workshop in Dunedin in January, attended by 34 nurses and doctors from throughout the country, investigated the possibility of producing a Standard Treatment Manual for New Zealand rural and remote practice. Participants expressed strong...

The president comments ...(New Zealand Nurses Organisation )
May 1, 2005... The first meeting of the safe staffing committee of inquiry last month begins an important new step in NZNO's endeavour to ensure consistently manageable nurse workloads. The inquiry is an outcome of the national nurses' and midwives'...

Student loan debts burden new nurses and teachers.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
May 1, 2005... There are close parallels between primary teachers' experience of student debt and that of newly graduated nurses, according to NZNO president Jane O'Malley. NZNO strongly supports the findings of a report, released last month, into the...

New state-of-the-art hospital for Christchurch women officially opened.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
May 1, 2005... The new Christchurch Women's Hospital was officially opened earlier this month by Prime Minister Helen Clark and Health Minister Annette King. The sparkling event took place in front of 250 invited guests and featured local Christchurch world...

Safe staffing inquiry underway.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Committee of Inquiry into Safe Staffing and Healthy Workplaces )
May 1, 2005... The Committee of Inquiry into Safe Staffing and Healthy Workplaces is underway, with the first meeting held late last month. The inquiry was an outcome of negotiations for the national district health boards (DHB) multi-employer collective...

Fourth neonatal nurse practitioner endorsed.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
May 1, 2005... Neonatal nursing expert Bernadette Page (pictured at right) is the country's 14th nurse practitioner (NP). Endorsed in March, she joins three other nurses already endorsed in the neonatal NP scope of practice. A very experienced practitioner,...

Hundreds expected at primary health care conference.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
May 1, 2005... Close to 400 particpants are expected at NZNO's third primary health care nurses' conference, to be held at Auckland's Waipuna Conference Centre on August 5 and 6. The theme of the conference is "Community: The Pulse of the Future--Te ihi, te...

New logo for Pay Parity campaign in Primary Health.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... NZNO's Pay Parity for Primary Health Care Campaign was officially launched by organising services manager Laila Harre in Hamilton on May 8. (See news focus p19.) The launch was also the occasion to unveil the campaign's logo (above). It was...

National Ethics Committee reports to health minister.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(National Ethics Advisory Committee )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The new structure for ethics committees throughout the country, introduced last year, strengthens the protection of research participants, according to the National Ethics Advisory Committee (NEAC). It also strengthens public accountability,...

NZNO wants to increase 'flu vaccination among nurses.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... NZNO chief executive Geoff Annals has written to all district health board (DHB) chief executives offering NZNO help to increase the numbers of nurses getting the influenza ('flu) vaccination. "The health of the DHB workforce and their families...

Remembering nurses on Anzac Day.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Australian and New Zealand Army Corps)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The stained glass window depicts nurses in uniform from both world wars, nursing medals and the British troop ship the Marquette, which sank in the Aegean Sea on October 23, 1915 with the loss of 167 lives, including ten New Zealand nurses....

New Zealand nurse anaesthetists at work on the frontline.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... A study of New Zealand army nurse anaesthetists was published last month. A Unique Nursing Group: New Zealand Army Nurse Anaesthetists of WW1, written by retired specialist anaesthetist Richard Rawstron, records the stories of seven nursing...

Report shows health inequalities are still entrenched.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A new report measuring trends in socioeconomic mortality in New Zealand highlights the importance of reducing health inequalities, according to Director of Public Health Mark Jacobs. Decades of Disparity II: Socioeconomic mortality trends in...

NZNO submissions.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)
May 1, 2005... NZNO is currently working on submissions to two Bills currently before Parliament. The Employment Relations (Flexible Working Hours) Amendment Bill aims to provide employees with young and dependent children (including the parents of disabled...

NZNO staff comings and goings.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The last two months have seen a number of changes in NZNO's staff line-up. Two new organisers have been appointed from within the organisation. Both have worked for the organisation for many years. Former Auckland office manager and...

Practice nurses consider accreditation applications.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
May 1, 2005... One of the two practice nurse accreditation boards (above) met last month in Wellington to continue assessing portfolio applications. This year has seen an overwhelming response, with over 100 applications for either accreditation,...

Remembering workers who have died.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
May 1, 2005... The involvement and commitment of workers and management was the key to overcoming New Zealand's "dismal statistics of occupational disease", according to Council of Trade Unions' (CTU) president Ross Wilson. Speaking on the eve of...

Union Women's Power focus of conference.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Union Women's Power is the theme of the biennial Council of Trade Unions' (CTU) women's conference to be held in Wellington on June 17 and 18. Co-convenor of the CTU's Women's Council, NZNO policy analyst Eileen Brown, said around 150 delegates...

Bonds grow out of tragedy: the second PAUA hui aimed to develop bonds with Ngai Tahu and nurses in Christchurch. An unexpected tragedy saw the agenda change to one of tangihanga.(NEWS FOCUS)(Progressively Acting in Unity and Aroha )
May 1, 2005... Months of planning had gone into NZNO's second hui with iwi Last month, in support of its Progressively Acting in Unity and Aroha (PAUA) project. The sudden and tragic death of one of the participants, Canterbury District Health Board (DHB)...

Working with Whanau in the far north: Adrianne Murray is the country's first nurse practitioner to be endorsed in the whanau ora scope of practice. She is excited about offering much-needed primary health care services to isolated communities in the Far North. But there are some frustrations.(portrayal of the nurse Adrianne Murray)
May 1, 2005... Adrianne Murray has had a pressure-cooker journey to becoming the country's first nurse practitioner (NP) in the whanau ora scope. Now running a mobile health clinic providing nursing services and some disease state management services to...

Filipino nurses suffer abuse and exploitation: Filipino nurses--often desperate to work abroad to support their families back home--are easy prey to unscrupulous immigration agencies.
May 1, 2005... When president of the Wellington-based Philippine Nurses' Society, Josefa Viernes, came to New Zealand in 1998, there were few Filipino nurses working here and most had arrived here under their own steam, as she did. They simply presented their...

The Philippines--providing nurses for the world.(exodus of nurses from The Philippines )
May 1, 2005... An estimated 150,000 Filipino nurses--85 percent of employed Filipino nurses--work abroad. (1) The combination of degree-prepared nurses mostly with a good standard of English, and a Filipino Government-approved programme of producing nurses...

'Embarassed and ashamed to be a New Zealander': a New Zealand nurse shares her shame about the treatment of Filipino nurses in this country.
May 1, 2005... 'Filipino women are the world's servants and New Zealand has jumped on that band wagon. I feel embarrassed and ashamed to be a New Zealander when I see Filipino nurses, who are new to our country, being treated so badly." These are the...

A passion for wound care: District nurse Susan McAuley, named last month as NZNO's newest nurse clinician, spends 80 percent of her daily workload treating wounds. It's work she never tires of.(Biography of the nurse clinician Susan McAuley)(Biography)
May 1, 2005... District nurse Susan McAuley is passionate about wound care. And she's delighted to have her innovative practice in district nursing at Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB) recognised nationally. NZNO's board of directors approved...

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Opinion polls rank nurses as the most trusted professionals in New Zealand. (1) However, in reality, nurses may find that truth telling is not a straightforward matter. Here a nurse explores some of the ethical dilemmas surrounding truth telling in nursing practice.(nurses code of ethics)
May 1, 2005... Most nurses would agree that trust is vital for establishing healthy relationships between the patient, the nurse and family members. Clearly, openness and honesty are essential in any relationship and should be highly valued. Trust, however,...

Campaigning for pay parity in primary care: NZNO is gearing up for the next step in its Fair Pay Campaign--a multi-employer collective agreement covering more than 1000 worksites and thousands of members in primary health care.(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)
May 1, 2005... With district health board (DHB) nurses and midwives now receiving the benefits of the fair pay settlement, NZNO is turning its attention to winning pay parity for primary health care (PHC) nurses. NZNO's Pay Parity for Primary Health...

Library resources on a range of ethical issues: the NZNO library has many resources available to members on a range of ethical dilemmas. A selection of these items is listed on these pages.(list of papers about ethics)(Author Abstract)
May 1, 2005... The beliefs of nurses who were involved in a whistleblowing event. Ahern, K. (2002) Journal of Advanced Nursing; 38: 3, 303-309. Nursing codes of ethics bind nurses to the role of patient advocate and compel them to take action when...

Election time--time to take action: the countdown to the general election has begun. With the election expected to be in mid-September, now is the time to ensure you are on the electoral roll and understand the meaning of the two votes you have under our mixed member proportional representation electoral system.(POLITICAL FOCUS)
May 1, 2005... Nurses have been identified as a group that is not good at enrolling for, and thus voting in, general elections. (1) This is despite the fact that health policy continues to be a high priority for most of our political parties. As key health...

Remembering Annie Holgate: pioneering district nurse Annie Holgate is remembered for her professionalism, compassion and courage. She was also instrumental in establishing the New Zealand Trained Nurses' Association.(biography of the nurse)(Biography)
May 1, 2005... This year marks the centenary of the Wellington branch of the New ZealandTrained Nurses' Association. The first meeting of this branch in 1905 formed the basis of what became the national professional body for new Zealand nurses. It is...

Keeping boundaries clear with patients: nurses need to be aware of their ethical responsibilities regarding their relationships with clients. Any blurring between personal and professional relationships is a conflict of interest and has the potential to exploit a client's vulnerablity.(sexual or inappropriately intimate relationship with a client or ex-client)(The Nursing Council)
May 1, 2005... It is absolutely clear and unequivocal. The Nursing Council may call into question the conduct of any nurse who enters into a sexual or inappropriate intimate relationship with a client or ex-client. In other words, that nurse can expect to...

More representative regional conventions: this year's regional conventions are underway. One of the aims this year is to get more primary health care sector members to attend and take part in the debate on a wide range of issues.(New Zealand Nurses Organisation conventions)
May 1, 2005... This year's round of NZNO regional conventions will have already started by the time you are reading this article. Let's hope that progress has been made and you all played a part in shaping the industrial and professional landscape of your...

Punching a client in the face constitutes professional misconduct.(the case of the nurse Ido Funcke)
May 1, 2005... IDO FUNCKE, RN An experienced mental health nurse who physically abused a patient by punching him in the face was guilty of professional misconduct, the Nursing Council found in a decision last August. A second charge of providing...

Nurse faces consequences of not observing a suicidal client adequately.(professional misconduct of Maraea Henderson)
May 1, 2005... MARAEA HENDERSON, RN The Nursing Council has found registered nurse (RN) Maraea Henderson guilty of professional misconduct on the grounds her conduct amounted to negligent practice and fell below the relevant standard of care. In its...

New chair comes from a long line of nurses.(portrayal of the new National Student Unit (NSU) chair Jacqui Bennetts)(Biography)
May 1, 2005... New National Student Unit (NSU) chair Jacqui Bennetts, now in the final six months of her nursing degree at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), feels that becoming a nurse was always her destiny. Now in her early...

Building positive relationships with nursing school heads.(overview of the National Student Unit, a part of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, meeting)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Six of our current eight delegates attended last month's NSU meeting. It was good to meet the three new delegates who have replaced last year's graduates. As our nursing schools are, in many respects, our "workplaces", it is important for...

Nurses hold final conference.(COLLEGE / SECTION NEWS)
May 1, 2005... The final national meeting of the Registered Obstetric Nurses' (RONs) Section was held in Greymouth last month, celebrating 80 years of obstetric nursing. The theme for the 15th annual conference and AGM, attended by 15 obstetric nurses, was...

Primary health care nurses' council sets goals.(governance to the pratice of nursing)
May 1, 2005... The Primary Health Care Nurses' (PHCN) Council met again early this month to continue the work begun last October. The PHCN Council, which represents practice nurses, public health nurses, nurses for children and young people, and district...

NZNO continues to credential nurse clinicians.(The 2006 certification manual will be on the NZNO website by Nursing Council)
May 1, 2005... NZNO introduced a certification process in 1988 to recognise nurses practising at an advanced nursing level. The original certification process credentialed at two levels: nurse clinician and nurse consultant (clinical). In 2000, the...

May conferences.(announcement of conferences)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Two major nurses' conferences have been held this month. "Keeping the balance; it's a juggling act" was the theme of the New Zealand College of Practice Nurses NZNO conference in Hamilton from May 6-8. Keynote speakers included NZNO organising...

Fair share for aged care: message takes to the streets.(NZNO's Fair Care for Aged Care Campaign)
May 1, 2005... Hundreds of caregivers and nurses in the aged-care sector took to the streets last month to highlight NZNO's Fair Care for Aged Care Campaign. Throughout the country, from Whangarei to Invercargill, aged-care workers, many dressed in...

Medical radiation technologies secure a collective pay deal.(SECTOR REPORTS)
May 1, 2005... Medical radiation technologists (MRTs) in six district health boards (DHBs) in the South Island and lower North Island have achieved a multi-employer collective agreement (MECA). After protracted negotiations, which began in February last year...

Private hospital in Hamilton meets DHB pay rates.(collective agreements)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A private surgical hospital in Hamilton, Braemar Hospital, has granted nurses and health assistants pay parity with the national District Health Board Nurses' and Midwives' Collective Agreement. NZNO has close to 70 members at the hospital's...

Clutha Health First.(collective agreement for the hospital)
May 1, 2005... At Clutha Health First (formerly Balclutha Hospital) NZNO has successfully negotiated an amendment to the current collective agreement (CA). Salary scales have been adjusted to match those in the national District Health Board Nurses' and...

Events 2005.(Courses, conferences, reunions and venues for nursing and health care)(Calendar)
May 1, 2005... EVENTS 2005 COURSES, CONFERENCES, REUNIONS & VENUES May 5-6 Community Respiratory Educators Workshop (CREW) email: nre@asthmanz.co.nz or phone 04 499 4592 May 18-20 NZNO National Enrolled...