Australian Nursing Journal articles from October 2002

Australian Nursing Journal archives from October 2002

Report confirms nursing's concerns. (Editorial).(National Review of Nursing Education report "Our Duty of Care")
October 1, 2002... The long awaited report from the National Review of Nursing Education, Our Duty of Care, was recently released. The Federal Government commissioned the Review in April 2001, a few weeks after the Senate Community Affairs References...

What's the relevance of gender?(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... In response to David Macklyn's letter (Acknowledging the gay RNs out there', ANJ. September 2002 p.4), I am a heterosexual, married, female. How are these details relevant to the fact that I work as an RN? They're not Thankfully, gone are...

The pill crushers' dilemma.(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... In response to the article on pill crushing (Warning to pill crushers', ANJ, August 2002, p.14), I have worked as an RN in aged care for over 12 years. At any given time, up to a third of residents cannot swallow whole tablets or capsules. If...

Any ideas on bullying?(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... In dealing with my anger aver my recent departure from a job which I loved, I thought sharing it with my fellow nurses might help; raising the issue of bullying - again. I thought it would never happen to me. After all I had trained in the...

Nostalgia: not what it used to be.(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... I heartily agree with Mei Cheahs letter ('Keep talking to us Ged', ANJ, September 2002, p.3). I also head for Ged's page each month to read her words of wisdom or merely be entertained. Her night duty reminisces brought back nostalgic...

'Low status, dirty work', in whose opinion?(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... In response to 'Why does anyone want to do nursing', (ANJ, August 2002, p.3), the reasons behind this question seem to be because: 'Nursing is low status, has low pay and is dirty work'. Apparently for these reasons men and 'well-educated'...

Time to acknowledge forensic nursing.(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... I have just read the article on forensic nursing (Opening the door on forensic nursing', ANJ, September 2002, p.3) and I wholeheartedly agree with the writer. We indeed lead a challenging and at times frustrating career in forensic...

Time for a creative approach to recruitment.(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... You only have to look at the ANJ to see there is a worldwide shortage of nurses. The question is what can be done on a national level to combat this problem? My personal view is we need to appreciate all levels of nursing so there is an...

I want to be a nurse.
October 1, 2002... I would like to respond to Margaret Wood ('Why does anyone want to do nursing', ANJ, August 2002, p.3). Ms Wood describes nursing as 'Low status, low pay and dirty work'. How do people measure the status of nursing? The public sees nursing...

ANF welcomes National Review of Nursing Education report. (News).(Australian Nursing Federation)
October 1, 2002... Australia faces a massive nursing shortage in the next five years unless measures are taken to keep nurses from leaving the profession, a new Federal Government report says. The National Review of Nursing Education, Our duty of care,...

Celebrating the Year of the Outback. (News).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ANF representatives were much in evidence at the 'Year of the Outback' Expo in Alice Springs in September. ANF Federal Officer Victoria Gilmore, ANJ Editor Steven Harulow, ANF SA Branch Organiser Roger Kelly, and ANF NT Branch Organiser...

Improving quality use of medicines.(National Prescribing Service)(<www.medicinesline.com.au>)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The National Prescribing Service has unveiled a new service to educate prescribers, pharmacists and consumers about the safe and quality use of medicines. The Medicines Line provides information about all medicines, including PBS medicines,...

New resources from PapScreen Victoria.(www.papscreen.org)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... PapScreen Victoria's new online information resource will allow health professionals to apply for relevant grants, download newsletters and read up on cervical screening related research and evaluation. A new booklet Pap tests and the Human...

Tax information for nurses.(Australian Taxation Office)(<www.ato.gov.au>)
October 1, 2002... It's tax time again and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is providing extra tax information for nurses, with summaries of taxation rulings explaining claims nurses can and cannot make. The ATO website at: www.ato.gov.au gives access to...

Smart eating starts online.(Dieticians Association of Australia launches web site)(<www.daa.asn.au.>)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Dieticians Association of Australia has launched a new website to help fill the information gap for Australians. The Smart eating site is designed to be an accurate reference point for health professionals looking for information for...

Australian Nursing Awards winners announced. (News).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Clinical Nurse Consultant Margaret Winbolt was the winner at the inaugural Australian Nursing Awards, announced on 12 September in Melbourne. Margaret, CNC at Bundoora Extended Care Centre, Victoria, won a $6000 scholarship and a $500 book...

Health premiums to rise annually. (News).
October 1, 2002... The Federal Government will allow private health insurers to make automatic annual CPI increases to premiums, despite promises before the Federal election that Government policies would 'lead to reduced premiums'. Health funds have...

Pay inequity threatens NT aged care.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Nurses working in aged care in the NT are being paid 15% - $4500 per year less than their public sector counterparts, according to ANF NT Branch Secretary Paul Nieuwenhoven. Mr Nieuwenhoven called for equal pay for nurses who worked in the NT's...

ANC appoints new chair.(Australian Nursing Council appoints Lyn Hepburn Brown)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... University of South Australia School of Nursing and Midwifery Professor Lyn Hepburn Brown has succeeded Victoria's Leanne Raven as the new Australian Nursing Council (ANC) Chair. Professor Brown is a Nurses Board of South Australia member and...

Nurses win jury exemption.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... NSW nurses will be eligible for exemption from jury duty under an agreement between the NSW Health Minister Craig Knowles and the Attorney General. 'The global trend of a diminishing nursing workforce requires us to make it easier for nurses to...

AARN appoints nurse to new ED position.(Association of Australian Rural Nurses appoints Wendy Armstrong)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Association of Australian Rural Nurses (AARN) has appointed Wendy Armstrong to the new position of Executive Director, commencing 26 August. Ms Armstrong is an RN with extensive knowledge of rural nursing issues. AARN expects the...

Nurse practitioners: coming soon to a city near you. (News).(New South Wales Nurses' Association hails new nurse practitioner positions)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... NSW Health has created Nurse Practitioner (NP) positions in the emergency departments and intensive care units of NSW metropolitan hospitals, in a move hailed by the NSW Nurses' Association (NSWNA, ANF NSW) as a major leap forward in...

Nurses reject random competency checks. (News).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ANF WA members have rejected a Nurses Board of WA (NBWA) proposal to randomly audit nurses to ensure they are competent to practice. In a recent survey, nearly 80% of 600 respondents said the audit was an unnecessary additional burden for...

Scholarships for nurses in aged care.(<www.rcna.org.au>)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Up to 1000 Commonwealth scholarships for nurses in aged care, valued at up to $10,000 a year, will be made available over the next four years to encourage people to study aged care. Individuals already working in rural and regional aged care...

Former nurse joins NSW Commission.(Pat Staunton appointed to New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... NSW Chief Magistrate and former NSW Nurses' Association (NSWNA, ANF NSW) General Secretary Pat Staunton became a Deputy President of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission on 30 August. Ms Staunton has been Chief Magistrate of NSW Local Courts...

DIY cancer test in the post.(do-it-yourself bowel cancer test kit)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Trials of a new bowel cancer home-test due to commence in the next six months will herald the introduction of a national community screening program, according to Federal Minister for Health and Ageing Senator Kay Patterson. The $7 million...

Calicivirus flu strikes.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Thousands of people in SA were affected by a 24-hour gastric influenza (human calicivirus) outbreak in late July and early August. Aged care homes were hardest hit, with more than 329 cases reported. The flu was spread from person to person and...

GP bulk billing rates fall again. (News).(general practice)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Recent Health Insurance Commission figures show GP bulk-billing rates have continued to decline in every State and Territory. Since 1996-97, the rates have declined between 3.8% in NSW and 14.7% in the ACT. The fall was 6.5% in Victoria;...

Job delegates train in Alice Springs. (News).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ANF NT Branch job delegates from around Central Australia met in Alice Springs in late August to undertake a three-day delegate training course. Based on the NSW Nurses' Association (NSWNA, ANF NSW) Branch Officials Organiser Program, the...

What next for cardiac nursing? (News).
October 1, 2002... Cardiac nursing must develop the clinical and academic areas of the specialty in order to keep pace with the revolutionary changes occurring in cardiac medicine, according to the Victorian Cardiac Nurse Association (VCNA). Following an...

Nurses stop work over unmet ratios. (News).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ANF SA Branch public sector members gave the State Government an ultimatum in September to meet agreed nurse-patient ratios or face industrial action. More than 350 nurses and midwives took the decision to put the Government on notice at a...

Governments must deliver says NACA. (News).(National Aged Care Alliance )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... With the upcoming re-negotiation of the Australian Health Care Agreements, the National Aged Care Alliance has urged Commonwealth, State and Territory health ministers to take the opportunity to promote better coordination between acute,...

NSWNA has new leadership team. (News).(New South Wales Nurses' Association)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The NSW Nurses' Association (NSWNA, ANF NSW) has announced its new leadership team following the retirement of Sandra Moait as General Secretary. The new General Secretary is Brett Holmes and the Assistant Secretary is Judith Kiejda. ...

QNU seeks interim pay rise. (News).(Queensland Nurses Union)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) has set aside 17-18 and 24-25 October 2002 to start hearing its full bench arbitration of the Queensland Nurses Union's (QNU, ANF Qld) claim for improved wages and conditions for public...

ACT decriminalises abortion.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The ACT Assembly passed legislation on 22 August that saw abortion removed from the Crimes Act in the ACT and repealed the laws which imposed a 72 hour cooling off period on women. Erica Lewis spokesperson for Options for Women said: This is an...

Combating meningococcal disease.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Federal Government has announced a free national meningococcal disease vaccination program for all Australian children aged 12 months and 15 years to begin in early 2003. The first year of the $41 million program will also feature free...

Service targets rural women.(Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital offers health information to rural women)(<www.rwhmelb.org/wellwomens/index.cfm>)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital has launched a new website and toll free phone number to give women in rural Victoria greater access to health information. The service, provided by the Women's Health Information Centre, includes a range of...

Conference offers country remedies.(7th National Rural Health Conference)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The shortage of nurses in country areas will be one of the main themes tackled at the 7th National Rural Health Conference to be held in Hobart from 1-4 March 2003. The Art and science of healthy country -- sharing country know how will examine...

How's your future looking? (Finance).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... We've been hearing a lot about super lately, but not all of it is easy to understand and those still grappling with the basics can feel left out of the loop. Below are some answers to frequently asked questions about superannuation. ...

What nurses have to say is worth listening to. (Federal Professional News).(Australian Nursing Federation)
October 1, 2002... The ANF represents around 120,000 nurses across the country. In addition to being the national union for nurses, the ANF is the largest professional nursing organisation in Australia, with members in all sectors and settings. Representing...

A champion of evidence based practice. (This Working Life).(profile of Jason Wasiak)
October 1, 2002... Jason Wasiak has gone a long way with his nursing career. The former critical care nurse is part of small team involved in the international Cochrane Collaboration - a leading proponent of evidence based practice (EBR). With the Cochrane...

Where to for nurses in aged care? (Federal Professional News).
October 1, 2002... Nursing staff employed in the private residential aged care sector are generally paid much less than their public and private hospital counterparts. In some cases the difference can be over 20%. This difference does not reflect in any way...

White coat effect raises blood pressures. (World News).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Blood pressure monitoring by patients or nurses is more reliable than that carried out by GPs, new UK research suggests. Researchers looked at 200 patients with newly diagnosed high or borderline high blood pressure and patients receiving...

US looks abroad for nurses. (World News).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... American nurses' licensing examinations will be offered overseas from 2004, in a move that is expected to bring more foreign-born nurses to the US and help alleviate the acute nursing shortage crippling American health care. At present,...

Libyan ordeal continues. .(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Five Bulgarian nurses held in Libya since February 1999 face the death penalty if convicted of deliberately infecting 393 children with HIV. The nurses, held with two medical colleagues, are accused of administering contaminated blood products...

Nurse charged in abortion probe. .
October 1, 2002... A nurse was formally charged with gross violation of patients' rights in August after secret video footage allegedly revealed patient abuse at the 600-bed Philadelphia Hospital in Dennilton, South Africa. The footage, recorded during abortion...

Festival honours Filipino nurses. .(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Welsh town of Rhyl held the country's first Filipino festival in early August, to cater for hundreds of Filipino nurses who work in the health sector across northeast Wales. The free festival included traditional folk dancing, song...

'Racist' remark brings down top UK nurse. .
October 1, 2002... Pat Bottrill Chair of the Royal College of Nursing, UK, (RCN UK) governing council resigned on 13 August after committee members, drawing up new diversity guidelines, took exception to an 'inappropriate and offensive' remark at a closed session...

The 11th South Pacific Nurses Forum: Vanuatu.
October 1, 2002... The 11th South Pacific Nurses Forum, held in Vanuatu from 19-23 August, included a colourful opening ceremony and an opening address delivered by the Acting Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Serge Vohor. Among countries attending were, Fiji,...

Nurse X-ray requests reduce waiting times. (Research Update).
October 1, 2002... Experienced triage nurses are as accurate as medical staff in assessing the need for X-rays and can significantly reduce emergency waiting times for patients with isolated limb trauma, University of Sydney researchers say. The researchers...

Group exercise regime reduces falls. (Research Update).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Group based exercise significantly reduces falls in the 70-84 year age group by improving balance. This is one of the findings of Australian research which compared the effects of group exercise programs to home hazard management and...

Hospitals fail to prevent waterborne infections. (Research Update).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Patients at high risk of infection should avoid exposure to hospital tap water and use sterile water instead, according to US research. Researchers conducted a review of literature published between 1966 and 2001 and found reports of 43...

Telling parents about contraceptives will affect teenagers' sexual health. (Research Update).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Mandatory parental notification for prescribed contraceptives will impede girls' use of Sexual health care services, potentially increasing teenage pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), US researchers claim. A...

Children's efforts to make sense of intravenous cannulation. (Clinical Update).
October 1, 2002... Introduction Providing information and appropriate explanations to increase a child's sense of control are cornerstones of programs aimed at preparing children for hospitalisation and/or treatments. For children admitted to hospital...

Clinicians in central role. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... There is an abundance of health care research released through journals every year. With the quantity and diversity of research evidence available, it is important there are mechanisms in place for analysing and presenting this information in a...

Nursing: a passport to success. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Nursing qualifications have long been regarded as a passport to nursing jobs around the world but recent research at the University of Technology, Sydney reveals nursing qualifications are also an entree to other professional opportunities. ...

Leading the way in breastfeeding information. (Nursing Focus).(Australian Breastfeeding Association's Lactation Resource Centre )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Australian Breastfeeding Association's Lactation Resource Centre (LRC) in Malvern, Victoria, is Australia's leading source of information on breastfeeding and specialises in providing the community and health care sector with readily...

Scholarship help for remote and rural nursing. (Nursing Focus).(Commonwealth Remote and Rural Nursing Scholarship Program offers sholarships)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Commonwealth Remote and Rural Nursing Scholarship Program is offering several scholarships for nurses, and those wishing to return to nursing, in rural and remote areas. The Re-entry and Upskilling Scheme offers 200 re-entry...

Re-entry program targets maternal and child health nurses. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... La Trobe University's School of Nursing and Midwifery has announced a new accredited re-entry program for maternal and child health nurses. The program comprises two single clinical subjects, each with 120 hours of practical placement and...

Action for excellence.(Australasian Nurse Educators conference 2003)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Australasian Nurse Educators conference 2003 committee invites nurse educators, clinicians, researchers and managers to attend the Action for excellence conference in Rotorua, New Zealand, 24-26 September 2003. The conference will provide a...

Nurse joins NICS board.(Joy Vickerstaff joins National Institute of clinical Studies)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Associate Professor Joy Vickerstaff has joined the National Institute of clinical Studies (NICS) - Australia's national agency for closing the gaps between evidence and practice in health care as board member. Associate Professor Vickerstaff,...

Addressing adult spinal injuries.
October 1, 2002... A number of new fact sheets developed as part of the NSW Rural Spinal Cord Injury Project - address the treatment of adult spinal injury. The fact sheets cover autonomic dysreflexia; emergency treatment; health maintenance; the management of...

Course trains AINs for aged care role.(Assistant in Nursing aged care)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ANF Vic Branch has launched its Certificate Ill (Assistant in Nursing aged care) course in recognition of the urgent need for accredited training for assistants in nursing in the aged care sector, The course, which has been received...

Lung health promotion reaches country Victoria. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Lung Health Promotion Centre (LHPC) at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne is now able to send its expert speakers to the remote corners of Victoria. With the sponsorship of a General Division of Practitioners, LHPC is coordinating...

From Edinburgh to Adelaide. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Teaching and research in nursing at the University of Adelaide received a boost in June with the appointment of Professor Alison Tierney as Head of the Department of Clinical Nursing. Professor Tierney, who is currently Professor of Nursing...

'Red dot' lifting system hits the spot. (Nursing Focus).(workplace injury prevention)
October 1, 2002... Eddie Wood never imagined that his background in mechanics and engineering would prove to be very useful in his nursing career. But it certainly has, for the NSW manual handling coordinator is winning accolades for his practical app roach to...

Talking it all out in nurse speak. (The Federal President Reports).
October 1, 2002... I have been talking to my friends lately about how they deal with the stresses of their jobs. One of my friends said she talks to her husband about everything. She said he listens attentively and knows better than to pass judgement or offer...

Calendar.(New South Wales College of Nursing curricula calendar)
October 1, 2002... Graduate Certificate in Nursing (Health Services) by distance education in 2002 Nursing Services Management in Health, Financing Nursing and Health Services, Human Resources Management In Nursing Faculty of Nursing The University of Sydney...