Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand articles from September 2006

Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand archives from September 2006

Attitude--the essential element of quality outcomes.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
September 1, 2006... I ended up working in mental health much by good fortune. In the Last year of my nursing training I had a placement in an inpatient unit. I liked the people working there and chose to return after graduating. I stayed for nine years. I stayed,...

Deciding on postgraduate study options.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... A letter titled "Universities push their own agenda" in the August issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand (p3) caught my eye. Shanyn Alliston's account of academic counselling provided by a university is very disheartening and all too familiar...

Te Runanga Hui an 'awesome' experience.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... "Tirohia atu a Matariki kua noho ki nga puke o Tautoru, ko ia te kai ruri o te tau." Behold Matariki seated upon the peaks of Tautoru, 'tis the barometer for the approaching season. Tena koutou, I would like to thank Te Runanga o...

Cultural safety experiences wanted.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... I am a PhD candidate at Massey University, Palmerston North, and am seeking registered nurses (RNs) who would be willing to take part in a study of cultural safety in day-to-day nursing practice. The research study has been approved by Massey...

Retirement savings warning.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... Many NZNO members who have come from overseas may not be aware that if they have made voluntary or compulsory contributions to a retirement fund in excess of that required to fund the basic pension in this country, under existing legislation,...

The president comments ...(narratives)
September 1, 2006... I was fortunate to be invited to attend the Primary Health Care (PHC) Nurses' Council meeting earlier this month. The council has been operating as a pilot for the fast two years and during this time has done a huge amount of work for the...

Separate MECA wanted.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(multi-employer collective agreement)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Maori and iwi primary health care (PHC) employers want a multi-employer collective agreement (MECA) separate from the PHC MECA NZNO is currently negotiating. This was the decision from a hui of these providers late last month, held in...

Manager leaves.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Professional services manager Joy Bickley Asher is leaving NZNO. She joined the organisation in January last year and leaves this month. Chief executive Geoff Annals said Bickley Asher's commitment to the people and work of NZNO had always been...

Six principles to underpin negotiations.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... NZNO members have endorsed six key principles which will underpin negotiations for the district health board (DHB)/NZNO national multi-employer collective agreement (MECA). These principles are: maintaining and sustaining pay parity; a two-year...

Australian ENS at conference.(enrolled nurse)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... An Australian enrolled nurse (EN), in New Zealand for the EN conference in Auckland this month, is shocked at what is happening to ENs in this country. Rosemary Kallasmae, who works in acute mental health care in Geelong, Victoria, was also...

Helping nurses achieve a work / life balance.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
September 1, 2006... Quality flexible work. Are these just new workplace buzz words or do they identify a serious issue for NZNO and other unions? It is common knowledge that women carry the significant burden of domestic work, child care and other dependent...

Maori nursing degree moves a step closer.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A Maori nursing degree, developed by and for Maori, is a step closer. The proposed degree has undergone its first assessment by Nursing Council and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). President of Te Kaunihera o Nga Neehi Maori...

More scholarships for primary health care nurses.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Last month, the Ministry of Health awarded 114 primary health care (PHC) nurses with scholarships for postgraduate studies, ranging from $500 to $1000. The applications were assessed by the Ministry's PHC Nursing Advisory Group, of which...

Nursing meant everything to Catherine Logan.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(Obituary)
September 1, 2006... One of our nursing treasures has been lost with the death of Catherine Logan (nee Wood) on July 19. When Catherine was presented with NZNO's Award of Honour in 2005 she commented that "Nursing means everything to me", and this was evident in...

Happiness central to mental health.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
September 1, 2006... The elusive concept of happiness is central to the theme for next month's Mental Health Awareness Week. The week, co-ordinated by the Mental Health Foundation, runs from October 9-15. The week's full theme is "Happiness: Accept Belong Connect...

ECT treatments lower than in other countries.(electro-convulsive therapy )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Three hundred and seven people received electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) last year, according to the Ministry of Health. The figure is equivalent to 7.5 people per 100,000 receiving ECT, significantly lower than the level recorded in many...

Awards to boost Pacific mental health workforce.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
September 1, 2006... The Ministry of Health has a funding pool of $200,000 for the Pacific mental health workforce awards, in a bid to boost that workforce. The awards are administered by the Health Research Council (HRC) and are open to people enrolled in a...

Mental health workforce increases.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The mental health nursing workforce has grown by 27 percent, according to figures released by Health Minister Pete Hodgson last month. Since 2000, the number of mental health nurses working in the public health system had climbed from 3194 to...

EN title issue goes to court.(Enrolled Nurses)
September 1, 2006... The Judge has reserved his decision in a preliminary hearing over the Nursing Council's decision to retain the title nurse assistant (NA) for second-level nurses trained post-2000, held in the Wellington District Court on September 4. Judge...

TV series shows complexity and variety of emergency work.(NEWS AND EVENTS)
September 1, 2006... Being part of the new television series, Emergency, currently screening on TV One on Monday evenings, has been a positive experience and has really brought the emergency department (ED) team together, says Wellington Hospital staff nurse Tania...

Samoan nurses host forum.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(National University of Samoa)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Healthy nurses for a healthy Pacific was the theme of the 13th South Pacific Nurses' Forum in Western Samoa earlier this month, hosted by the Samoa Nurses' Association. NZNO representatives were president Marion Guy, Te Runanga o Aotearoa NZNO...

Magee appointed head of Nurse Maude.(Jim Magee appointment)(Nurse Maude Association)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Nurse Maude Association, a major community-based health care provider based in Christchurch, has appointed former Christchurch Hospital general manager Jim Magee as its new chief executive. Magee will take over from Ingrid Thomas, who is...

New online directory for clinical staff.(NEWS AND EVENTS)(www.meddirect.co.nz)(Website overview)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A new, free New Zealand-based, online information directory, listing a wide variety of medical supply companies and their products, has been launched recently. According to director Mark Garner, the website www.meddirect.co.nz aims to help...

CTU seeks to work in partnership.(Council of Trade Unions)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Unity, solidarity and respect were the underlying principles behind the signing late last month of the Te Ture Whakawhanaungatanga/relationship agreement between Te Runanga o Nga Kaimahi Maori and the Council of Trade Unions' (CTU) Te Kauae...

Magnet application sent to us.(Hutt Valley District Health Board to become the first magnet hospital)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Hutt Valley District Health Board (DHB) moved a step closer to becoming the country's first magnet hospital when it sent off its application to the American Nurses' Credentialing Centre in Maryland in late July. The DHB began working on...

Haere atu ra e ariki i nga kapua e rere ki tua: former Te Runanga o Aotearoa NZNO chair Anne McNicol shares some reflections on the death of "The Lady", Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu.(REFLECTION)(In memoriam)
September 1, 2006... Kingitanga has been part of my every moment, thought, dream and action. It is as much a part of me as the very air I breathe. I have no doubt that in another 35 years, although many of us will be gone, the cloak of Kingitanga will still offer...

Assisting emergency nurses to offer the best care to those with mental health problems: Nurses in emergency departments face many pressures, including how to give those who present with mental health issues the best possible care. There are some developments aimed at helping ED nurses achieve this goal.(Enrolled Nurses)
September 1, 2006... Emergency departments (EDs) in New Zealand have been used for the assessment of people with mental health problems since the move towards deinstitutionalised care. (1) Some ED nurses say they lack confidence in their knowledge and skills to...

Breaking down barriers in mental health: some nursing students go on mental health placements full of prejudice and fear. Good preceptorship can go a long way to dissolving prejudice, allaying fears and buildings students' skills and confidence.(EDUCATION)
September 1, 2006... Overt prejudice about mental ill health is evident among some health professionals. Explicit chauvinism appears to be based on myth, hearsay and negative reportage in the media, the latter focusing on traumatic events which have highlighted...

Strengthening children's emotional and mental health wellbeing: being awarded the Margaret May Blackwell Travel Study Fellowship enabled Plunker nurse Maria Turner to observe a number of innovative nursing practices making a difference to vulnerable children.(NEWS FOCUS)
September 1, 2006... An interest in services for women with postnatal depression and in those aiming to meet the emotional and mental health needs of children led New Plymouth Plunket clinical leader Maria Turner to Hawaii, Britain and Denmark earlier this year to...

Improving mental health services for young adults: greater awareness of the mental health needs of young adults is needed, along with more responsive and age-appropriate services, according to a recently published report.(NEWS FOCUS)
September 1, 2006... Young adults need more responsive mental health services focused on their individual needs, according to a recently released Mental Health Commission report. Young people aged 18-29, who are one of the largest groups of service users, can...

Linking mental illness and suicide: suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. World Mental Health Day next month focuses on the links between mental illness and suicide.(NEWS FOCUS)
September 1, 2006... More people die by suicide each year than are killed by homicide, wars and terrorist attacks combined. In 2001, murder claimed 500,000 lives and war 230,000 lives, compared with approximately one million suicide deaths, according to the World...

Working out solutions: branching out into private practice has been challenging but very rewarding for three mental health nurses.(PROFILE)
September 1, 2006... Take three very experienced mental health nurses. Mix in a desire by each of them for a new challenge. Add in a growing need, under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act, for nurses to prove their competence and to undertake...

Certificate programme values nurses in practice: the graduate certificate programme at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology has found a niche market as it continues to attract students from throughout the country.(EDUCATION)
September 1, 2006... For the past six years, the Faculty of Health and Sciences at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology has been running a highly successful graduate certificate programme for registered nurses (RNs). Originally a graduate...

How audible is nursing's voice at policy level in the Ministry of Health? As new Director-General Steve McKernan takes up the reins, it is timely to reflect on how well the Ministry of Health serves nurses and nursing.(PROFESSIONAL FOCUS)
September 1, 2006... It was a privilege to attend the powhiri welcoming new Director-General to the Ministry of Health, Steve McKernan, at the end of July. The ceremony itself was warm and embracing, showcasing the respect and fondness his former colleagues at...

Quality services for kids and their grandparents: early childhood education receives funding based on a commitment to quality. Why can't aged-care services be funded on the same basis?(INDUSTRIAL FOCUS)(Column)
September 1, 2006... In my Industrial Focus in the July issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand (p34), I asked if New Zealand's publicly-funded and privately-owned and provided residential aged-care system was a pact with the devil I concluded that it sure looked...

Assisting nurses to further their studies: NZNO members need to make better use of the wide range of scholarships and grants available to assist them with their studies and ongoing professional development.(SCHOLARSHIPS)
September 1, 2006... As someone who has spent much of the last 24 years working in nursing education, I am well aware of the financial stress experienced by many students. Student debt affects a growing number of students--since 2004, the number of students with...

Hui reflected Kotahitanga.(TE RUNANGA)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation special event celebration)
September 1, 2006... Omaka Marae in Blenheim, the home marae of Ngati Apa, was the venue for this year's annual general hui (AGH) of Te Runanga O Aotearoa, NZNO. More than 60 people, including whaea Vera Morgan, the last recipient of Te Runanga's Akenehi Hei Award...

Board members experience warm welcome at Hui.(TE RUNANGA)(New Zealand Nurses Organisation )
September 1, 2006... Although only half the members of the board of directors were able to attend Te Runanga's annual general hui (AGH) in Blenheim, those of us who went found it an interesting and rewarding experience. As I live in Taupo, I linked in with the...

Recognising and protecting the rights of indigenous people.(TE RUNANGA)
September 1, 2006... Last month, indigenous people around the world celebrated the International Day of the World's Indigenous People, August 9. Sadly, the day received little recognition in Aotearoa New Zealand. There is also little awareness here of the Second...

Exploring excellence in gerontology Liao named gerontology nurse of the year.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)
September 1, 2006... If nurses really believed in holistic care, they would not regard the brain as more important than any other organ. They would respect a patient's humanity, even if that patient had advanced dementia. This was the message--a plea for nurses...

Changes to membership criteria.(New Zealand Nurses Organisation membership criteria changed)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Following the recent AGM of the New Zealand College of Practice Nurses (NZCPN), a unanimous decision was made to change the membership criteria to accommodate those primary health care (PHC) nurses who currently "fall through the gaps" of NZNO...

Cancer nurses meet with ministry.(Ministry of Health )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The national cancer nurses' section committee held its second meeting with Ministry of Health officials at the end of July. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss progress on the national cancer control strategy. At the previous meeting,...

New nurse colposcopy standards.(SECTION/COLLEGE NEWS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... At the women's health section committee meeting in early last month, we continued work on the nurse colposcopy training guidelines and standards, as feedback from the first draft had been received. Of major importance was feedback from the...

Opportunities for members' participation abound.(www.nzno.org.nz)
September 1, 2006... Participation is what belonging to a union is all about. And there are more and more opportunities for NZNO members to become involved in decision making in district health boards (DHBs) in the Central region. In Hawke's Bay, significant...

Southern region round-up.(SECTOR REPORTS)
September 1, 2006... Ten NZNO and Service and Food Workers' Union delegates from Otago and Southland attended a "Boot Camp" in Dunedin last month. The day was designed to encourage delegates to find new delegates and to help increase member density in the aged-care...

Guidelines for writing articles for Kai Tiaki.(GUIDELINES)
September 1, 2006... KAI TIAKI Nursing New Zealand welcomes articles on subjects relevant to nurses and nursing. These guidelines are designed to help you write an article which is accurate, clear, easily read and interesting. The main reason you want an article...

Events 2006.(Calendar)
September 1, 2006... EVENTS 2006 2006 Sept 21-23 Health Beyond the Menopause 10th Australasian Menopause Society Congress register online: www.menopause.org.au Wellington...