Australian Nursing Journal articles from December 2002

Australian Nursing Journal archives from December 2002

I'm proud to be a nurse. (Editorial).(Editorial)
December 1, 2002... As 2002 draws to a close, it is a time for reflection and review. It has been a very productive year for the ANF. We have established a positive working relationship with the Federal Government; the two reviews of nursing have been...

It is possible to make a difference.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2002... After receiving the November edition of ANJ, I read Jill Iliffe's editorial ('An open letter to the nurses of Australia', p. 1) and felt moved to respond. My day today consisted of rudeness and arrogance from the man at the local pet shop,...

Food for thought?(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2002... My 30-year-old daughter earns exactly twice what I do. She has a basic business degree and eight years experience. I have a masters degree in health sciences and nearly 40 years experience. I work with people's lives, my daughter works with...

It takes special people to do special things.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2002... I would like to thank the nurses from all over Australia and overseas who offered their services to assist in the recent challenge of treating so many casualties from the Bali bombing. The staff at Royal Darwin Hospital rose to the...

Making space for ourselves.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2002... I certainly agree with Ged Cowin that 'Talking it all out in nurse speak' (ANJ, October 2002, p.52) is a valuable means of managing the stress of nursing work. I don't believe that nurses and the systems in which we work make enough...

Is Adelaide ready?(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2002... Are Adelaide's public hospitals prepared enough in the event of a terrorist thermal, biological, or chemical attack on Adelaide? Australia has never experienced terrorism before, not like our English, European or American counterparts. Yet,...

Aged care members vote to continue work bans. (News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... ANF Vic Branch members working in private aged care facilities voted unanimously at a statewide aged care meeting, on 14 November, to continue implementing work bans in support of their claims over pay and conditions. The move was in...

Medical Indemnity Insurance ignores midwives. (News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Insurance cover for midwives was a notable exclusion from the Federal Government's Medical Indemnity Insurance Framework, released at the end of October, despite repeated calls from nursing, midwifery and community groups for its inclusion. ...

Shortages could justify pay rise. (Briefs).(nursing shortage may allow nurse pay raise)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... A nurses' pay rise may be justified address both the nursing shortage a pay differentials in the public health sector, the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) indicated in October. The IRC statement shows the Commission is prepared to...

Surgeons' report cards may go public. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Report cards on surgeon' performance, including patient mortality rates, could soon be available to patients. Researchers have receive a $139,900 National Health an Medical Research Council grant to determine the ethics of advising patients...

Owners ordered to pay nurses. (Briefs).(Alpina Nominees Pty. Ltd. ordered to pay outstanding wages to Ainslie Private Hospital staff)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Patients were shunted off in ambulances and 43 stunned staff were left looking for $200,000 worth of pay and entitlements when the Ainslie Private Hospital in Glen Huntly Victoria, closed in late October. ANF Vio Branch Secretary Lisa...

Teamwork key to breast cancer care. (Briefs).(multidisciplinary medical teams improve breast cancer outcome)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Women with breast cancer have a better survival chance and a higher quality of life when treated by multidisciplinary teams working closely together, according to Federal Health Minister Senator Kay Paterson. Speaking on Breast Cancer Day on 28...

'Outstanding' aged care facility faces axe. (News).(Julia Farr Services aged care facility may be phased out)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Adelaide's Julia Farr Services aged care facility faces plans to phase out its 70-bed nursing home facility and cut 40 jobs, just one day after winning the first national excellence award from the Federal Aged Care Standards and Accreditation...

ANC releases new EN Competency Standards. (News).(Australian Nursing Council; Enrolled Nurse)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The Australian Nursing Council (ANC) recently released its revised National Competency Standards for the Enrolled Nurse saying they will pave the way for greater accountability and competence for EN practice in Australia. ANC Chairperson...

Nursing crisis: what crisis? (News).(nursing shortage)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The Queensland Government says there is no chronic shortage of nurses in the State, despite its own figures showing there were at least 810 vacant nursing positions in the Queensland public health system in October. The astonishing denial...

Nurses defend nursing care role. (News).(against use of non-nurses to carry out nursing work in Tasmanian hospitals)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The Tasmanian Government has been forced to review the use of non-nurses carrying out nursing work in Tasmania's public hospitals after ANF Tas Branch members voted unanimously to oppose the move and implement industrial action if it went...

Military nurses unite. (News).(Australian Defence Force Nursing Officer Forum)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Military nurses from throughout Australia gathered in Canberra on 11 November for the inaugural Australian Defence Force (ADF) Nursing Officer Forum. Over 100 ADF Nursing Officers, drawn from the permanent and reserve elements of the navy,...

Nurse wins National Businesswoman of Year award. (News).(Linda Kristjanson)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Edith Cowan University's Professor Linda Kristjanson won the Teistra National Businesswoman of the Year award in Brisbane on 18 October. Professor Kristjanson, who holds the Cancer Foundation Chair of Palliative Care at the university, is head...

Palliative care for all. (Briefs).(Australian Palliative Aged Care Project develops new guidelines)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The development of new palliative care guidelines by the Australian Palliative Aged Care Project will mean Australian aged care facilities will soon be able to offer palliative care to all residents in the final phases of their life....

Pregnancy bias cases double. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Pregnancy discrimination complaints more than doubled in 2001-02 and business still sees equal opportunity as a compliance issue rather than a strategic business issue, the annual reports of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission...

NT increases paid maternity leave. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The NT became the public sector pacesetter on paid maternity leave in October, after boosting the entitlement from 12 to 14 weeks. Chief Minister Clare Martin announced that more than 15,000 Territory public sector employees would be entitled...

Struck off over forgeries. (Briefs).(Marcus Robson disciplined)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... An Australian male nurse was struck off the British nursing register for allowing his flatmate to forge almost 100 signatures in his midwifery training book. Marcus Robson, 29, formerly of Kanahooka, NSW, had already been struck off in...

Having a ball in Mount Gambier. (News).(human resource team management)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Earlier this year the staff from Mount Gambier Hospital and support services indulged in a spot of team building. Their second Nurses Ball aimed to promote the hospital team to the local community, raise money for a local hydrotherapy pool, and...

Minister thanks Royal Darwin staff. (News).(for their efforts in treating the Bali bombing casualties)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, has praised Royal Darwin Hospital staff for their efforts in receiving and treating the Bali bombing casualties. Speaking at the Emergency Department Collaborative (EDC) 3rd...

New hope in cervical cancer fight? (News).(papillomavirus infection vaccine studied)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital (RWH) is participating in an international study to investigate a vaccine that could prevent certain types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection associated with over 70% of cervical cancers. HPV is one...

Rewarding undergraduate excellence. (News).(Jeannie Campbell recieves scholarship award from the Australia Nursing Federation)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Northern Territory nursing student Jeannie Campbell received a $500 award from the ANF at the recent undergraduate health students' conference in Port Arthur, Tasmania Ms Campbell, from Ti-Thee, is an Aboriginal health worker undertaking her...

More men consider a caring career. (News).(number of male nurses is increasing)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The positive portrayal of male nurses in television dramas could be helping to increase the number of men in nursing in WA, according to Lorrie Gray head of nursing at Edith Cowan University. While 8% of Perth's nurses are men, slightly...

Nurses return to public sector. (News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The 2000 Public Sector Agreement has been a huge success, with 3300 nurses returning to the Victorian public hospital system, according to the ANF Vic Branch. Based on the evidence of nurses, the ANF negotiated the agreement saying the...

NSWNA launches safer workplaces campaign. (News).(New South Wales Nurses Association launches "The Let's Care for Ourselves Too!" campaign)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The NSW Nurses Association (NSWNA, ANF NSW) has launched a state-wide campaign for safer workplaces for nurses. The Let's Care For Ourselves Too! campaign launched in October is aimed at raising the public's understanding of safety issues...

Bulk billing rates in freefall. (News).(general practice physician billing rates)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... There has been another dramatic drop in GP bulk billing rates - the largest quarterly drop since records began - according to the latest Health Insurance Commission figures. Medicare statistics for the September 2002 quarter, released in...

50-year suspension for Indiana nurse. (Briefs).(Deborah Kean suspended for giving fake immunizations)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... A US nurse accused of giving fake immunisations to more than 400 patients has agreed to have her licence suspended for 50 years. Indiana's Nursing Board approved the settlement with Deborah Kean on 17 October. Ms Kean denied giving the fake...

A guide to ethical decision-making. (Briefs).(International Council of Nurses releases second edition of "Ethics in Nursing Practice: A Guide to Ethical Decision Making")(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The International Council of Nurses has released the second edition of Ethics in Nursing practice: A guide to ethical decision making. The book challenges nurses to take moral action when faced with ethical issues in the course of their work in...

Students complain about drunken tutors. (Briefs).(Ugandan nursing students strike at the Soroti Comprehensive School of Nursing )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Armed police officers surrounded striking Ugandan nursing students on 7 October threatening to shoot anyone inciting violence, local press reports say. The police response came after students at the Soroti Comprehensive School of Nursing...

Protest over Belgian euthanasia law. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Mario Verstraete, 39, from Ghent, became the first Belgian to use the country's new euthanasia legislation. Mr Verstraete, who had multiple sclerosis, died on 30 September - eight days after the law came into force - by lethal injection....

Nursing professors gunned down in Arizona. (World News).(University of Arizona College of Nursing )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Classes at the University of Arizona's College of Nursing resumed on 5 November, eight days after a disgruntled student shot dead three of his professors. Police said Robert Flores, a 41-year-old Gulf War veteran, was failing classes and...

Back injury blamed on poor staffing. (World News).(nurse wins occupational injury case)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... A UK nurse won a 'groundbreaking' case against a National Health Service (NHS) trust in October, after she claimed poor staffing levels and inadequate equipment caused her crippling back injury. The High Court decision, to award a [pounds...

Rural and remote area nurses are alive and kicking. (Federal Professional News).
December 1, 2002... October was a big month for rural and remote area nurses. A workshop hosted by the National Rural Health Alliance's (NHRA's) nursing members - the ANF, the Council for Remote Area Nurses (CRANA) and the Association for Australian Rural Nurses...

An insight into the role of the Clinical Trials Coordinator. (Clinical Update).
December 1, 2002... Introduction The role of the Clinical Trials Coordinator (CTC) is well-defined in North America and in 1990 a specialist postgraduate course was set up there for those wishing to enter this area of clinical research. There are now a number...

Nursing in the aftermath.(caring for bombing victims from Bali)
December 1, 2002... New South Wales. Peter Campbell, nursing unit manager of burns services at Concord Hospital, is full of praise for the way his staff have coped with the Bali tragedy. When they [the patients] arrived; the amount of the work involved;...

Confronting the nursing shortage.
December 1, 2002... With the worldwide shortage of nurses remaining a major concern for many countries, Fiona Armstrong looks at some of the ways Australia is attempting to combat the problem. The homegrown option In Australia, health authorities are...

Exploring the role of the nurse practitioner. (Nursing Focus).
December 1, 2002... A June Allen Fellowship for Practice Enhancement, granted by the Nurses Board of Victoria, enabled RN Matt Dixon to visit UK nursing colleagues last September. Here, Matt describes his experiences in London and Glasgow, where he explored the...

Learning wound care. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... For 10 years, students and practitioners from a range of health disciplines have visited the Wound Foundation of Australia (WFA) Wound Management Clinic at the Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre (ARMC) in Heidelberg, Victoria, and Melbourne...

Putting heart attack patients on the road to recovery. (Nursing Focus).(University of Western Sydney offers Master of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation degree)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The University of Western Sydney (UWS) is helping get heart attack patients back on the road to recovery by developing Australia's first Master of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. The course promotes better health in cardiac patients through...

Tackling youth mental health needs. (Nursing Focus).(University of Technology, Sydney, Graduate Certificate in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Care )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... A new University of Technology, Sydney, (UTS) Graduate Certificate in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Care aims to address the critical need for nurses specialising in the mental health care of young people. UTS lecturer Kevin Kellehear,...

A new neurosciences centre of excellence. (Nursing Focus).(epilepsy and stroke research center to be based at the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre's Neuroscience Institute)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Professor Judith Parker, from the University of Melboume's School of Postgraduate Nursing, is part of a multidisciplinary team which has recently been awarded a prestigious five-year National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of...

Master of Wound Care online. (Nursing Focus).(nursing degree from Monash University, The Wound Foundation of Australia, The National Ageing Research Institute, The University of Melbourne and La Trobe University)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Monash University continues to expand its international presence with the announcement of its new Master of Wound Care course. This innovative course, designed for a range of health practitioners, builds on the wound care initiative...

Do pressure area risk assessment scales miss the point? (Nursing Focus).(pressure ulcer risk assessment)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Routine use of risk assessment scales to predict the occurrence of pressure areas can lead to inefficient use of preventive measures, Dutch researchers say. The researchers looked at 1229 patients admitted to the surgical, neurological,...

Calendar.(Calendar)
December 1, 2002... Graduate certificate in nursing (Health Services) by distance education in 2003 Nursing Services Management in Health, Financing Nursing and Health Services, Human Resources Management in Nursing Faculty of Nursing, The University of...

Venturing forth is worth the effort. (The Federal President Reports).
December 1, 2002... You know, there are some places here at the hospital where I work that I have never actually been. Amazing really, considering I have worked here long enough to receive a badge that says I have worked here long enough. But when you think...

Physical restraint--part 2: minimisation in acute and residential care facilities. (Best Practice).
December 1, 2002... Introduction There is a growing concern surrounding the use of physical restraint in health care institutions and many facilities have investigated ways in which the use o restraint can be reduced. However, the information reported in the...