Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand articles from October 2007

Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand archives from October 2007

NZNO's continuing journey.(New Zealand Nurses Organisation)(Editorial)
October 1, 2007... NZNO conference 2007 is over--and what an exciting and energising conference it was, with its mix of professional industrial and clinical highlights. (See conference coverage p12-18.) Now, having recovered from conference preparation and...

Postnatal depression and abuse link?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... "Nurses assessing family violence--some hidden dangers" was a very interesting and thought provoking article (Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, September 2007, p20-21). I would like to thank the authors. I am sure, as they state, there are...

Registration criticism unfair.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... I am writing in response to the article, "Seeking Irish registration?--A cautionary tale" by Greg West published in the September 2007 issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand. I am an English nurse currently working in Wellington. I find the...

Abuse of ed nurses in Christchurch.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... I was very sad to read in last month's Kai Tiaki Nuring New Zealand (Letters, p3) that people were being rude and abusing emergency department (ED) staff at Christchurch Hospital. I had an accident on the St James Walkway three years ago. It...

Alleged conflict of interest denied.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... The March 2007 Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand editorial "Understanding Quality in Health care" has subsequently been referenced in the Ministry of Hearth's (MoH) discussion paper on the review of the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act...

Data wanted on rural nursing workforce.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... The West Coast District Health Board and Central Otago Health Services Ltd are providers of primary and secondary health services to rural regions. Nurse leaders from both organisations have recently identified that available data on the rural...

Embassy objects to article.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... The Philippines Embassy takes exception to the article "Migrant nurses need more support" which appeared in the May 2007 issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand. Particularly offensive was the statement by one respondent in the study conducted...

Filipino nurses among best in the world.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... This letter refers to an article in the May 2007 issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand "Migrant nurses need more support" in which a respondent to a survey commented that "Filipinas are considered lazy" We strongly object to and are deeply...

Pondering KiwiSaver providers.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... I am not a financial adviser, I'm a nurse. I am not purporting to give financial advice and have no product to push, but I strongly believe in informed consent or choices. In my search for answers about the KiwiSaver scheme, I have discovered...

Notice to members.(Brief article)(List)
October 1, 2007... NZNO has been notified that an alert has been sent to district health boards and primary health organisations regarding the use of abbreviations when prescribing medicines. A "Do not use" list of abbreviations and symbols has been...

En working party to be announced soon.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Minister of Health Pete Hodgson is expected to announce a working party on the second-level nursing workforce this month. He has been in discussions with the Nursing Council about the working party and has assured NZNO it will have meaningful....

Aged-care delegates speak at select committee.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Four aged-care delegates from NZNO and the Service and Food Workers' Union appeared before the Health Select Committee last month to make their case for better pay, more staff and education for the aged-care workforce. They were joined by some...

Focus on prevention.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... A focus on healthier lifestyles and preventative care marks the relaunch of co-operative health insurer, Accuro, formerly the Health Services Welfare Society (HSWS). Chief executive Dragan Radic said Accuro wanted to change the way New...

NZNO staff comings and goings.(New Zealand Nurses Organisation appoints Kevin O'Neill)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... NZNO's new business services manager is Kevin O'Neill, who replaces Rupa Bata, who is on a year's leave from NZNO. O'Neill, who begins work late this month, comes to NZNO from the Engineers, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) where he has...

NZNO opposes midwifery assistant role.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
October 1, 2007... NZNO opposes the introduction of a regulated midwifery assistant (MA), as mooted by the Midwifery Council in a consultation document calling for submissions on the need for and possible development of a scope of practice for a regulated MA. ...

NZNO to host safe staffing symposium.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... NZNO is hosting a safe staffing symposium in Wellington on International Nurses Day (IND), May 12, next year. The centrepiece of the symposium will be the presentation of the findings of a research study by internationally renowned health...

Forums prompt worthwhile debate.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
October 1, 2007... A new format for Nursing Council's annual forums proved successful with a total of ***close to 700 nurses attending the three forums in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch last month. Council chair Bev Rayna said that since the introduction...

NP competencies scrutinised.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
October 1, 2007... Rayna said the Council was in the process of formulating its response to the Minister.. Nurse practitioners (NP), required to sustain all their competencies over a prolonged periods, have a high potential for burnout. NZNO raised this concern...

Working through ethical dilemmas online.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
October 1, 2007... Making ethical decisions about health care is never easy, but help is at hand from a computer programme which is making ethics "real and exciting" for students at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). Students are using the...

New vaccine fights pneumococcal disease.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
October 1, 2007... Practice nurses and family doctors will be giving a new vaccine to babies from June next year, to protect against pneumococcal disease, All babies born from January 1, 2008, will be eligible for the free pneumococcal vaccine, Prevenar, which...

Campaign encourages cervical screening.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Government has launched a campaign to encourage women to have regular cervical smears, in the face of fatting participation in the cervical smear programme. The $2.5 million advertising campaign specifically targets Maori and Pacific...

One in four UK nurses wants to quit.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Most nurses in the United Kingdom (UK) are dissatisfied with their pay and workloads and morale has taken a downward turn, says a major new survey commissioned by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). And 28 percent of nurses said they would...

NZNO issues new guidelines for administering medicines.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... NZNO's professional nursing advisers have produced the third edition of Guidelines for Nurses on the Administration of Medicines. The 24-page A5 booklet was prompted by numerous enquiries from nurses, midwives, other health professionals,...

Diabetes awards open.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Health professionals involved in the care of those with diabetes, along with diabetics and their advocates, are eligible for the annual Lilly Partnership in Diabetes Awards. Nominations, which close on October 31, can be made by health...

Scholarship honours Catherine Logan.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... A new nursing scholarship is being Launched to honour NZNO and perioperative nursing stalwart, the late Catherine Logan. The Catherine Logan Memorial Scholarship offers $750 every year to a registered nurse doing postgraduate study in the...

Cancer causes one in the three deaths: latest figures.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... New government figures show cancer is the leading cause of death in New Zealand, accounting for nearly one third of annual deaths. The Latest figures from the New Zealand Health Information Service are for the year 2003, in which 8027...

Nursing director dies suddenly.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Obituary)
October 1, 2007... Southland District Hearth Board's associate director of nursing primary hearth care, Leonard Fritz, died suddenly in July, aged 60. Fritz came to New Zealand in 1987 from Hawaii where he was the chief executive and executive director of...

Nurses--making family violence our business: nurses have a responsibility, both individually and as health professionals, to take action against family violence.(NEWS FOCUS)
October 1, 2007... The recently launched Campaign for Action on Family Violence aims to change the way art New Zealanders think and act about family violence. It is a good time to take stock and consider, what does the health care system have to contribute? What...

Celebrating NZNO's achievement: NZNO's annual conference last month was a time of celebrations, deliberations and continuing conversations.(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)(Conference notes)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Close to 250 delegates enjoyed a mix of clinical, professional and industrial presentations, debated a range of rule and policy remits, pondered workloads, pandemics, safe staffing and organisational democracy,...

Negotiating the journey to advanced practice.(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)
October 1, 2007... Change is inevitable, growth is intentional" was the title of a wide-ranging, thought provoking, future-focused speech to conference by guest speaker Michal Boyd, a nurse practitioner (NP) and clinical leader in community services for older...

NZNO chalks up another successful financial year.(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)
October 1, 2007... NZNO has had another successful year financially, with a surplus of almost $2 million, and total member funds standing at $9.6 million, compared to $7.6 million last year. Business services manager Rupa Bala, in her annual report presented...

NZNO's structure, processes and systems to be reviewed.(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)
October 1, 2007... NZNO's structure, processes and systems are to be reviewed. The controversial remit, originally an amendment by Te Runanga o Aotearoa NZNO and the National Student Unit, was vigorously debated at conference and resulted in a close vote: 26,501...

Exploitation of Filipino nurses highlighted.(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)
October 1, 2007... The exploitation of Filipino nurses at the hands of unscrupulous recruitment agencies and by some aged-care employers was highlighted in a presentation to conference "Filipino nurses: modern heroes or modern slaves" by Filipino human rights...

NZNO honours former president.(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)
October 1, 2007... NZNO's immediate past president Jane O'Malley received NZNO's highest accolade, the Award of Honour, at this year's conference. She was nominated by the Canterbury Regional Council and the Canterbury Nurses' Forum. The council, and the...

How will the SAFE staffing unit work?(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)
October 1, 2007... How is the newly-established safe staffing unit going to help nurses at the sharp end of staffing crises? That was the thrust of debate about the new unit, after a presentation at conference by two of the unit's advisory board, NZNO chief...

Clinicians highlight aspects of their work.(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)
October 1, 2007... Emergency department nursing, the transition from union activist to manager, infection control, international student networking and clinical governance were highlighted in five presentations to conference by members--a first for conference....

Pandemic planning needed in workplaces.(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Four workshops--pandemic planning, workloads, NZNO delegate erections and safe staffing--were a focus of the second day of conference. Pandemic planning Feedback from the pandemic workshop was that white...

The new faces of NZNO student leadership.(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NZNO's two student bodies, the National Student Unit (NSU) and Tauira Aronui (TA), both have new readership following the conference, with Canterbury a dominant force in the line-up. Heading up the NSU is second-year...

Pride and prejudice: the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Nursing shares her reflections on nurses' response to a poem published in the journal and ponders why nurses find it difficult to engage in reasoned discussion.(VIEWPOINT)(Reprint)
October 1, 2007... 'When nurses are referred to as angels, as sometimes happens in popular and professional literature, on television, and in advertising, it doesn't make me proud... That so many nurses see nursing as a calling is a longstanding tradition that...

Differentiating between delirium and dementia: New Zealand's ageing population is increasing rapidly. Delirium and dementia are two common aged-related conditions. It is important nurses can differentiate between them.(PRACTICE)(Report)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The number of New Zealanders aged 65 and older has doubled in the last 50 years and will double again in the next 50 years. (1) Delirium and dementia are two common age-related health conditions. The prevalence of...

The nuts and bolts of interest-based bargaining: district health board nurses and midwives have secured a very good pay settlement, while negotiations in other parts of the health sector have been acrimonious and protracted. How come?(INDUSTRIAL FOCUS)
October 1, 2007... What is interest-based bargaining (IBB) really about? Is it magic or just smoke and mirrors? These are important questions to reflect on now that district health board (DHB) nurses, midwives and chief executives have ratified a pay deal which...

How employment structures affect nursing practice: nurses' employment relationships have a profound impact on their ability to practise truly autonomously. It is time nurses examined these employment relationships to ensure they operate in the best interests of patients and of professional practice.(PROFESSIONAL FOCUS)
October 1, 2007... The head of the University of Auckland's School of Medicine, Des Gorman, recently put out a press release on the flawed foundations laid (or not) for nurse practitioners (NP). (1) He maintained an employment model should have been developed...

Reflecting on a different way of learning: the outgoing NSU chair reflects on the qualities needed to bring about and sustain change.(National Student Unit)
October 1, 2007... One of the last questions I answered as outgoing national student unit (NSU) chair was: "Do you think you'll stay involved with NZNO after graduation?" Thinking it over (and hoping I make it to state finals), I know I need to stay a member for...

College/section day a positive experience.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)(Conference news)
October 1, 2007... College and section representatives had a chance to share ideas, network, take part in workshops and consider different ways of working at the annual college and section day held the day before NZNO's annual conference last month. Sixty people...

Medical imaging nurses to develop professional profile.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Around 60 nurses met in Palmerston North in August for the annual cardiology, radiology, interventional and special procedure (CRISP) nurses' conference. It was held in conjunction with the medical radiation technologists (MRT) conference,...

Practice nurse elected to board.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)
October 1, 2007... College of Practice [Nurses.sup.NZNO] nominee Bernadette Heaphy has been elected as a new college/section representative on NZNO's board of directors. She joins chair of the NZNO's College of Emergency Nurses, Justin Moore, who was re-elected...

Significant settlements reached in aged care.(SECTOR REPORTS)
October 1, 2007... A number of significant employers in aged-care have reached agreements with NZNO and the Service and Food Workers' Union that include the minimum pay requirements set out in district hearth board (DHB) funding contracts, ie $12.55 an hour, thus...

NZNO marks international older person's day.(SECTOR REPORTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... NZNO and Service and Food Workers' Union (SFWU) members marked International Order Person's Day on October I by distributing cards in residential aged-care facilities. Every facility where NZNO and SFWU members work received a card for all...

Regional hui on Maori and iwi agreement held.(New Zealand Nurses Organization)(Conference news)
October 1, 2007... Four regional hui were held earlier this month in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Christchurch as part of the continuing journey towards a Maori and iwi provider multi-employer collective agreement (MECA). The regional hui were...

Fostering pacific participation.(SECTOR REPORTS)(Conference notes)
October 1, 2007... Eleven NZNO delegates and members from the district health board, primary health and aged-care sectors attended the Council of Trade Unions' Komiti Pasefika Fono held in Auckland in August. Prime Minister Helen Clark was a guest speaker....

Positive settlement at Ranfurly.(SECTOR REPORTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... A five percent pay increase bringing the starting rate to over $13 an hour, was part of the settlement reached at Ranfurly Veterans' Home and Hospital in Auckland after two days' negotiations in late August. Caregivers received an initial...

NZNO needs to make decisions on partnerships.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
October 1, 2007... Partnership is how we act, respect and behave towards each other to gain a commonality. Vice chair of Te Runanga o Aotearoa NZNO, Des Canterbury offered this definition at the August meeting of NZNO's board of directors during a continuing and...

Background paper on partnership offers some suggestions.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
October 1, 2007... Chief executive Geoff Annals prepared a background paper on partnership "to aid discussion" at the August board meeting. The paper canvassed a range of issues that had been identified at an earlier board meeting as having significance in...

Safe staffing unit is just one of NZNO's strategies.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Working with the safe staffing/healthy workplaces unit within District Health Board New Zealand (DHBNZ) is just one aspect of NZNO's work on safe staffing, chief executive Geoff Annals told the board. Safe staffing was dearly a priority...

In her report to the board, Te Runanga o Aotearoa NZNO kaiwhakahaere, Brenda Close, paid tribute to the first chairperson of Te Runanga, Angeline Perry, who died in June.(BOARD BRIEFS)(Obituary)
October 1, 2007... In her report to the board, Te Runanga o Aotearoa NZNO kaiwhakahaere, Brenda Close, paid tribute to the first chairperson of Te Runanga, Angeline Perry, who died in June. (See Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, July 2007, p10.) "Angeline and those...

The board received an update on NZNO's centennial project from professional nursing adviser Charlotte Thompson.(BOARD BRIEFS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The board received an update on NZNO's centennial project from professional nursing adviser Charlotte Thompson. The board wants some clear recommendations and full financial implications from the project team. The board supported the...

The board endorsed the Primary Health Care Nurses' Advisory Council's strategic plan, which runs until 2010.(BOARD BRIEFS)
October 1, 2007... The board endorsed the Primary Health Care Nurses' Advisory Council's strategic plan, which runs until 2010. The council is a standing committee of NZNO and is chaired by director of nursing, primary health, at MidCentral District Health Board...

Enrolled nurses (ENs) need to see the support of their registered nurse (RN) colleagues.(BOARD BRIEFS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Enrolled nurses (ENs) need to see the support of their registered nurse (RN) colleagues. Outgoing national section/college representative on the board and chair of the national EN committee Lorraine Borthwick made this plea at the board...

Board to develop specific policies.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The board has been considering a number of operational issues, including some high-level key performance indicators (KPIs), the establishment of a risk sub-committee to work with managers and report back to the October board meeting; the...

District nurses' section 'seizes the agenda'.(BOARD OF DIRECTORS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Minister of Health Pete Hodgson has stated his support for the national district nurses' section to develop a plan for district nursing services. In his report to the board, NZNO chief executive Gear Annals, said district nursing services were...

Nurse struck off your a year for verbal abuse, threats and breaching confidentiality.(DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL)
October 1, 2007... BRIAN KENNETH STABB, RN The Nursing Council found registered nurse Brian Stabb guilty of two charges of professional misconduct, in a decision in November 2005. The first charge was that he verbally abused a client of a mental health line,...

Nurse guilty of four charges of professional misconduct.(DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... CATRINA HUGHES, RN The Nursing Council has found registered nurse Catrina Hughes guilty of four charges that, both singularly and cumulatively, constituted professional misconduct. The first charge was that she had compromised clients'...

Nurse censured over physical abuse of patient.(DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... REGISTERED NURSE A registered nurse (RN), who physically abused a patient under her care by hitting him three times on his forehead with a balled fist, has been found guilty of professional misconduct. The Health Practitioners Disciplinary...

Reducing amount of peg fluid and failing to monitor patient leads to censure.(DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... REGISTERED NURSE A registered nurse (RN) prosecuted by the Director of Proceedings for altering instructions for the administration of PEG [percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy] feeding; and/or administering a reduced amount of fluid;...

Purchasing house from a patient 'unwise'.(DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... ROY JOHNSON, RN A registered nurse charged with failing to observe financial constraints on his professional relationship with a patient under his care, by purchasing a house from this patient, has been found not guilty of professional...

Registration cancelled for falsifying references.(DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... BRENDA FOX, EN Falisifying two references in order to gain employment has resulted in enrolled nurse Brenda Fox having her registration cancelled for a year. The Nursing Council, in its decision in December 2005, found Fox guilty of...

Sexual relationship with patient 'immoral'.(DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... RICHARD ALEXANDER VESI GULLIVER, RN Entering into an inappropriate relationship, which tater became sexual, has cost registered nurse Richard Alexander Vesi Gulliver his registration. The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, in a...

Pethidine administration compromised patient safety.(DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... STEPHEN JAMES FARQUHAR, RN A registered nurse has had his name removed from the register for administering pethidine and/or metoclopromide to a patient in a manner that compromised the patient's safety and weft-being. Stephen James...