Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand articles from November 2008

Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand archives from November 2008

Finding local solutions to meet local need.(Editorial)
November 1, 2008... Last month I had the honour of accompanying the New Zealand delegation to the South Pacific Nurses Forum (SPNF) in Suva, Fiji. I had not previously been to Fiji, and driving the 200km from the airport in Nadi to the capital, Suva, revealed a...

Change takes time.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... "Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history." Joan Watlach Scott. The New Zealand College of Practice Nurses, NZNO (NZCPN) recently had their bid to change its name to the...

NZNO should support GST off food.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... As NZNO members, we were disappointed to read of the board of directors' decision to offer "No formal support for GST off food campaign" (Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, September 2008, p29). We appreciate the matter was discussed. But we do not...

National party bias obvious.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... White I'm art for being informed about the upcoming election, as outlined on pages 27-31 of the October issue, I do strongly object to Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand's so obviously one-sided push for the National Party. Question: Why did...

Pondering the RN badge.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Thank you to Jean Harris (Who can have a New Zealand RN badge?, Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, July 2008, p5) who wrote seeking clarity about one's "eligibility" to wear a New Zealand registered nurse (RN) badge. This has generated opinion,...

A badge for overseas nurses perhaps?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... In response to my colleagues who have written letters about who is/should be eligible for a New Zealand registered nurse (RN) badge, I feel there should be a similar badge for overseas-trained nurses. Like Jenni Olivier, (My badge shines...

Support sought for rural nurse survey.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... We are conducting research to better understand the experiences of New Zealand rurally-based nurses who have considered or have tried becoming a nurse practitioner (NP). Becoming an NP in New Zealand is stilt a relatively new phenomenon...

A tribute to a fabulous nurse and mentor.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... It was with sadness we recently farewelled our colleague and friend, Donna Voice, who passed away suddenly in September. Donna had been a senior Lecturer at Whitireia Community Polytechnic since 2005 and will be remembered by staff and students...

What's with the skimpy envelope?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Again this year, the envelopes provided by the Nursing Council to return our annual practising certificate information are too small for the simple paperwork. Every year I enclose a note asking why and have yet to get a reply from Nursing...

Are you entitled to a tax refund?(LETTERS)(www.taxrefunds.co.nz)(Website overview)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... A new automated website that helps workers check if they are entitled to any of the estimated $700 million in unclaimed tax refunds is up and running. The new website, www.taxrefunds.co.nz, is the only Internet-based system certified for...

Call for separate Maori regulatory authority.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
November 1, 2008... Enabling students graduating with a Maori nursing degree to be registered by a Maori health professionals' regulatory authority is the next dream of Te Kaunihera o Nga Neehi Maori o Aotearoa (the National Council of Maori Nurses). For around 20...

Niue nurses grateful for NZNO's ongoing support.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The nurses of Niue are back on their feet and moving on from the devastation of Cyclone Heta in January 2004, according to Niue chief nursing officer and Niue Nurses' Association Leader, Ketiligi Saniteli Fereti. Earlier this year, NZNO...

Safe staffing unit director resigns.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Vicky Brewer)
November 1, 2008... Inaugural director of the safe staffing/healthy workplaces unit, Vicky Brewer, has resigned, effective from early next month. She will have completed just over a year in the job. The decision to resign had been "a tricky one" but pressures...

Nursing mourns the loss of an inspirational leader.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Noeline Warmington)(Obituary)
November 1, 2008... Inspirational Maori nursing Leader, NZNA/NZNO stalwart and the most recent recipient of the Akenehi Hei Award, Noeline Warmington, died in Northland on October 31, after a tong illness. Acknowledging the toss to her whanau, Te Runanga o...

Diabetes winner to research benefits of insulin.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
November 1, 2008... This year's winner of the Eli Lilly Diabetes Nursing Research Award, worth $10,000, is practice/ diabetes nurse from Hamilton's Glenview Medical Centre, Sandra Rice. The annual award recognises and supports diabetes research in New Zealand...

Understanding caring.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Helping caregivers develop the art of caring for people empathetically is the aim of a new book by Auckland nursing educator and former rest-home manager, Leigh Kelly. The Art of Caregiving: A guide to caregiver satisfaction aims to give...

Honouring diversity.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Auckland's Mercy Hospice and Wellington's Wesley Community Action, a social services organisation, have been highly commended in this year's Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) Trust Work and Life Awards. Mercy and Wesley were both recognised...

Deborah Rowe on council.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Correction notice)
November 1, 2008... New Nursing Council member Deborah Rowe was incorrectly identified in last month's issue as a hospice nurse from Auckland. Of Ngai Tahu descent, council member Rowe is a nurse consultant and lecturer at the Auckland District Hearth Board and...

Auckland nurses celebrate 100 years.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
November 1, 2008... Auckland nurses cerebrated the centenary of the Auckland Trained Nurses' Association with an informal "mix and mingle" celebration last month. More than 100 nurses gathered at the Point Chevalier RSA, with the cerebration officially opened by...

Remembering a Maori mental health nursing pioneer.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Rachel Tumeke Charmings )(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Rachel Tumeke Charmings (nee Edmonds), of Tuwharetoa/Nga Puhi, (pictured right) was a quiet achiever and a pioneer in developing Maori mental health nursing services. She was born in 1945 and died in July this year. She completed her...

News focus.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Despite earlier fears of tack of numbers and lack of sponsorship money, the five-day SPNF in Fiji last month was attended by around 200 nurses from 11 Pacific countries. The largest contingents were from Fiji, Tonga,...

Facing the global health crisis.(NEWS FOCUS)
November 1, 2008... How can we make things better for nurses and nursing? How can we make things better for patients? How can we make things better for the world's people? International Council of Nurses' (ICN) second vice president Rosemary Bryant posed these...

Interim government minister praises the achievements of nurses.(NEWS FOCUS)(Jiko Luveni)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The chief guest chosen to open the forum was the interim Minister for Health, Women and Social Welfare, Jiko Luveni. Her presence was not without controversy, with some FNA members choosing to boycott her address. Luveni described the...

Pictures tell 1000 words--the story of the 2008 South Pacific Nurses Forum.(NEWS FOCUS)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The New Zealand attendees get ready to process into the conference centre. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Cook Island delegation assembles outside the conference centre. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fiji...

'Health care workers are not for sale'.(NEWS FOCUS)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Health workers, a majority of them women, would prefer to stay in their home countries if only they could earn a living wage, according to research conducted by Public Services International (PSI), the global union...

Seeking nursing challenges outside Fiji.(NEWS FOCUS)
November 1, 2008... After 21 years working as a registered nurse in Fiji, Alena Naiquiso (pictured right) decided to emigrate to New Zealand. Her primary motivations were to develop her passion for nursing further and to improve the lives and education of her...

Help needed to create a level playing field.(NEWS FOCUS)
November 1, 2008... Every year for the last seven years, between 150 and 180 students have graduated from the Fiji School of Nursing (FSN). These nurses are perceived to be the best trained nurses among Pacific Island countries. The curriculum for the diploma...

Time to recognize Pacific Nurses' skills and passions.(NEWS FOCUS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Despite major workforce problems in New Zealand, Tongan nurses were still working as cheap labour, as caregivers in resthomes, said vice chair of the Tongan Nurses' Association of New Zealand and member of NZNO's Pacific Nurses' Section, Eseta...

Critical midwife shortage in PNG.(NEWS FOCUS)(Papua New Guinea )
November 1, 2008... Papua New Guinea midwife, now unit manager at Port Moresby General Hospital's (PMGH) obstetrics and gynaecology division, Jennifer Pyakalyia, has recently studied the factors contributing to the shortage of midwives working in the labour ward...

Improving childhood cancer survival rates.(NEWS FOCUS)
November 1, 2008... The Pacific Island workstream of the New Zealand Paediatric Oncology steering group has been working since 2006 to improve outcomes for children with cancer in the Pacific. In New Zealand, the survival of children with cancer has improved...

Hollow victories in a country under seige.(NEWS FOCUS)
November 1, 2008... General secretary of the Fiji Nursing Association (FNA), Kuini Lutua, thanks God that this year's South Pacific Nurses Forum in Fiji went so well. Politics were never far from the surface throughout the event. Certainly they had an impact...

A mixed picture: the experiences of overseas-trained nurses in New Zealand: for migrant nurses wanting to work in New Zealand, passing English language competency tests remains the biggest hurdle to registration, according to a recent NZNO survey.(RESEARCH)(New Zealand Nursing Association)
November 1, 2008... Significant hardship and distress linked to difficulties experienced with migration and employment as registered nurses (RNs) are the experience of many migrant nurses arriving in New Zealand. This is especially true for those from developing...

Making the case for case study research: what research methodology to use is an important question for nursing researchers. Here a nurse researcher details the strengths of case study research and looks at some of the criticisms.(RESEARCH)
November 1, 2008... Research occupies a central role in the transformation of nursing practice and nursing interventions in contemporary health care with its emphasis on evidence-based practice. New nursing knowledge produced through research contributes to the...

Journal club offers new opportunities: journal clubs are an established form of professional development for nurses, providing opportunities for discussion, debate and dialogue. NZNO members will soon have the opportunity to participate in an online journal club.(PROFESSIONAL FOCUS)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)
November 1, 2008... The electronic age offers nurses new opportunities for professional debate and professional development. NZNO is to pilot an exciting initiative for a virtual journal club open to all members. The Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand journal club...

Dedicated education units--a new way of supporting clinical learning: a new way of supporting student nurses in their clinical placements has been successfully piloted at Canterbury District Health Board.(EDUCATION)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) is to adopt a new model of clinical teaching and learning for undergraduate nursing students--the dedicated education unit (DEU). This model, a first for New Zealand, has been...

The road less travelled: two nurses--an aspiring nurse practitioner and an enrolled nurse--share their very different nursing journeys.(VIEWPOINT)(Viewpoint essay)
November 1, 2008... Challenging; demanding; frustrating; long; exciting; scary--these are all descriptors of how I often feel as I move along the New Zealand track to becoming a nurse practitioner (NP). I was a family NP in the United States (US) for almost...

Debating international workforce issues: the International Council of Nurses' workforce forum provides an opportunity for representatives of national nursing associations to share initiatives and ideas, and consider solutions.(INDUSTRIAL FOCUS)
November 1, 2008... The International Council of Nurses' (ICN) 14th workforce forum in the United States (US) in September canvassed a wide range of subjects, which highlighted the commonality of issues among the nursing workforce in the developed world. The forum...

Ashburton aged-care workers take to the streets.(SECTOR REPORTS)
November 1, 2008... NZNO members who work at Rosebank Hospital and Rest Home, a residential aged-care facility in Ashburton, held a three-hour picket outside the rest-home and hospital last month to protest at the shameful pay offer from their employer. At...

Tai Tokerau delegates celebrate.(SECTOR REPORTS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Te Tai Tokerau region celebrated the work of its delegates at a function in Whangarei in September. There was a fantastic turn out of delegates, some travelling two-and-a-half hours to be part of the evening. The...

No meeting Te Rau Kokiri yet.(SECTOR REPORTS)
November 1, 2008... A meeting between NZNO, Maori and iwi health providers, the Ministry of Health and district health boards (DHB) to discuss pay parity has not yet taken place. NZNO and the Maori providers want to talk with Ministry and DHB representatives about...

Aged-care settlements.(SECTOR REPORTS)
November 1, 2008... Staff working for Presbyterian Support's (PS) aged-care facilities in Southland (five), Otago (seven) and South Canterbury (three) are to get a 3.5 percent increase on base rates and the Sunday allowance of $1 an hour has been extended to...

Long-time delegates retires.(SECTOR REPORTS)(Laurel Tito )(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Long-standing NZNO aged-care delegate Laurel Tito (right) retired from the Selwyn Foundation and as a delegate in October. A caregiver, she has been an NZNO member since 1979 and a delegate since 1986, She has supported and guided members...

Waikato hosts Neonatal Nurses' conference.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)(Waikato Hospital)(Conference notes)
November 1, 2008... Moving forward together was the theme of last month's annual Neonatal Nurses' College of Aotearoa conference, held in Hamilton and hosted by Waikato Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. This was the first conference we have held as an NZNO...

Medical/nursing partnership at Perioperative gathering.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)
November 1, 2008... Over 200 perioperative nurses attended the Perioperative Nurses' College of NZNO's annual conference in September in Hastings. This outstanding conference was supported by 44 exhibitor stands. The welcoming/opening speech was delivered by...

Education and change top priories for cancer nurses.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)
November 1, 2008... Cancer nurses have put education and change at the top of a list of priorities, as they consider current practice issues. This was evident at the national oncology/haematology nurses' conference held in Hamilton in September. The theme...

Conundrums and case studies in ostomy care.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Case studies and conundrums was the title of the stomal therapy nurses' section national conference in Hanmer Springs last month. Education and sharing knowledge is vital to our clinical practice, so creating a relaxed environment in which to...