NCAH Issue 03 2013

Issue 3 11/02/13 fortnightly

Mental Health Feature Nursing director tells of Bundaberg hospital evacuation Psychologist embraces e-psychology as a mental health solution Health placed on critical list in lead up to election Calls for Medicare to fund continence physiotherapy

Mental Health Services

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Calling Allied Health and Nursing applicants seeking professional and lifestyle opportunities The Bloomfield Campus in Orange continues to grow

as a clinical hub with two new state-wide units as well as a clinical outreach service opening later this year.

Career opportunities for experienced mental health clinicians who wish to make a difference to peoples lives are available in: - The Open Care Rehabilitation Unit; - Medium Secure Rehabilitation Unit; and - The Mental Health Rural Outreach Service - a new and innovative program designed to provide specialist mental health services to rural and remote communities via an outreach model.

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www.ncah.com.au )SSUE p &EBRUARY We hope you enjoy perusing the range of opportunities included in Issue 03, 2013.

If you are interested in pursuing any of these opportunities, please contact the advertiser directly via the contact details provided. If you have any queries about our publication or if you would like to receive our publication, please email us at careers@ncah.com.au m&!#4 ./4 &)#4)/.n The NCAH Magazine distribution is independently audited by the Circulations Audit Board.

Total Audited Print and Digital Distribution: 28,090 The NCAH Magazine is the most widely distributed national nursing and allied health publication in Australia For all advertising and production enquiries please contact us on +61 (0) 3 9271 8700, email careers@ncah.com.au or visit www.ncah.com.au If you would like to change your mailing address, or be included on our distribution, please email careers@ncah.com.au

Published by Seabreeze Communications Pty Ltd Trading as NCAH. ABN 29 071 328 053. Š 2013 Seabreeze Communications Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. Compliance with the Trade Practices Act 1974 of advertisements contained in this publication is the responsibility of those who submit the advertisement for publication.

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MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES The Mid North Coast Local Health District is currently recruiting for senior positions in our Mental Health Services. We would welcome interest from suitably qualified and experienced candidates who would like to be part of this dynamic service.

• Manager Community Mental Health Service (Nursing Unit Manager Level 2) – based at Port Macquarie • Manager Extended Care Mental Health Service (Nursing Unit Manager Level 2) – based at Coffs Harbour • Nursing Unit Manager (Level 3) – Coffs Harbour Inpatient Unit (30 bed inpatient unit) • Clinical Director Coffs Harbour (Staff Specialist/VMO) – Clinical Leadership position based in Coffs Harbour • Clinical Director Hastings Macleay (Staff Specialist/VMO) Clinical Leadership position based at Coffs Harbour We also have a range of other positions available for Nursing, Allied Health and Medical staff.

For Coffs Harbour positions, please contact Utopia Edwards on 6656 7965 and for Port Macquarie positions, please contact Barry Hunter 6588 2801.

Quality andQuality Excellent in Regional Healthcare and Excellence in Regional Healthcare MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3 | Page 11

th Coast Local Health District is currently recruiting for senior positions in our

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Latrobe Regional Hospital Mental Health Service The Latrobe Regional Hospital Mental Health Service is the regional provider of mental health services in Gippsland. LRHMHS operates an integrated mental health program across ten sites and provides inpatient and community mental heath care for child and youth, adult and aged care service streams. LRHMHS also operates a Community Residential Care Unit and a Prevention and Recovery Care Unit.

The Latrobe Regional Hospital Mental Health Service is located in Gippsland – home to sandy beaches, snowfields, mountains and national parks. Gippsland provides a fantastic rural lifestyle with easy access to Melbourne.

Under the new 10 year “Because Mental Health Matters” Strategy, Mental Health services are moving into an exciting period of reform. This reform will focus on early intervention, prevention, social inclusion and recovery. LRHMHS is implementing an exciting new specialist model of care in 2013 and we are seeking dynamic staff to join our team.

We have positions in the following areas: Community Clinicians – Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMHS) Community Clinician – Bairnsdale Community team Psychologist - Inpatient Services Senior Clinicians – Triage and Emergency Department Team Clinicians – Acute Care Team Clinician -CASEA – CYMHS and Schools Early Action program Full time, part time, casual, temporary and permanent positions are available.

LRHMHS offers a supportive environment with clinical educators, preceptors, clinical supervision, a nurse practitioner candidate program and professional development opportunities.

Please visit www.lrh.com.au and go to our employment section.

For enquiries please contact Cayte Hoppner, Director of Mental Health on 03 51738549 or choppner@lrh.com.au

Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3 | Page 13

Get back to the basics of nursing in a country where happiness is the greatest currency.

Red Cross is seeking three nurses to volunteer at the National Referral Hospital in Bhutan.

Airfares, allowances, insurance and other expenses are covered.

Visit the Australian Volunteers website and search for the Bhutan assignments or call Red Cross on (03)Â 9345Â 1834 Australian Volunteers is an Australian Government, AusAID initiative.

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Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3 | Page 15

Psychologist embraces e-psychology as a mental health solution

by Karen Keast Dr Lisa Patterson-Kane knows first-hand how e-psychology can bridge the mental health gap in rural and remote areas.

“It seems to work. Probably one of the reasons why it does work is I worked up there (central west Queensland) for eight years.

From the midst of a paddock, on the family sheep and cattle property on which she grew up and now helps run in Walcha in New South Wales, the clinical psychologist discusses her passion for using technology to reach and assist her clients.

“Most of the people know me and I know most of the people; the rapport has already been developed.�

Moving back to her home, located in one of the largest stock carrying areas in Australia and separated from Sydney by 420km, Lisa has been able to use technology to continue practising from a distance. “I still do clinic visits‌and I also use technology to maintain contacts with clients via email and telephone sessions,â€? she said.

Lisa has worked as a psychologist for 12 years with most of her time in the profession spent practising in rural and remote areas such as Mt Isa and Longreach in Queensland.

It was the realisation that people in remote communities often fail to receive the psychological care they need that gave Lisa the idea to create her own smart technology application.

In December, Lisa launched her Get Happy app, which delivers simple strategies to

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increase people’s happiness and wellbeing – wherever they live.

those things, and recognising the things in your life that you can’t change,� she said.

The app, available at the AppStore for $0.99, has been downloaded 2000 times and has reached further afield than Lisa ever imagined.

“It’s common sense-based therapy. It’s not about re-building the person‌it’s about them looking at their life and picking their battles.â€?

People have downloaded the app across Australia and as far away as the United States, Canada, Bahrain, Jordan and Poland.

Lisa, who is involved in the Australian Psychological Society’s e-psychology interest group, said she hopes to extend her e-psychology practice and also supports plans for the development of a national standard for e-psychology.

The Get Happy app uses techniques based on the principles of acceptance and commitment therapy to provide personalised strategies to four major areas of happiness – relationships, personal growth, leisure and work education.

Lisa said the app, while no substitute for psychological therapy, is a self-help tool that enables the user to complete a self-rating system, which then develops a personalised strategy for the user. “It’s about recognising the things in your life that you can change and taking action to change

“I think if you are going to go into the area of e-psychology, it’s really important to get some mentoring and support around that field because it’s really easy to make a mistake,� she said. “You don’t have the client sitting in front of you and if you make a mistake the ramifications are a lot worse.�

For the full article visit NCAH.com.au

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Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3 | Page 17

Recognising normal reactions to a natural disaster beyondblue CEO Kate Carnell AO says her heart goes out to the thousands of people across Australia who have been affected in the past few weeks by natural disasters.

“It’s a tragic start to the new year for whole communities across Australia where residents have had their lives and livelihoods disrupted, and their homes and businesses ruined by floods, fires and storms.

“For many people, it’s the second time in just a few years that Mother Nature has dealt them a devastating blow. And you wouldn’t blame them for thinking they might not be able to recover… again. But research shows that people are resilient and stoic, and sometimes even stronger for having faced the same threat and traumatic experience more than once,” she said. beyondblue Board Director and psychiatrist at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital, Professor Brett McDermott says there is a range of reactions that people may have after facing floods, fires or storms.

“If you’ve faced a natural disaster before, generally, there are two types off response.

“The first type is that you feel you know how to deal with the situation. You have a feeling of confidence, a senses of mastery and believe that the second time around, it’s easier to cope with.

“The second type of response is really the opposite of the first. When you’re experiencing the traumatic event, it is a reminder of what you went through before – and it brings back the feelings you had and the symptoms you experienced. This is especially so if you didn’t recover completely and are still experiencing lingering depression or anxiety symptoms.

“On top of the recurring memories and feelings, you also have to deal with the practicalities and emotional responses you are feeling whilst you’re in the midst of the current natural disaster,” he said.

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For people who are facing a natural disaster for the first time or who have never experienced a disaster of such proportions, like the Bundaberg floods, which are the worst on record, Professor McDermott says they are likely to experience a range of emotions at different times.

“It’s normal for some people to feel overwhelmed, and many will experience emotions including shock, fear, distress, confusion, anger, anxiety, grief and sadness. People may also experience strong physical symptoms such as a fast-beating heart, feeling shaky, insomnia, sweatiness, faintness and nausea.

“It’s important people understand these are normal reactions to a traumatic event and there are many ways to manage. Some people will talk to their friends and family members which can help enormously, but if people don’t want to talk, don’t pressure them. Most people will recover on their own without treatment.

“However, if these feelings persist and for example, you feel pessimistic, hopeless, can’t eat, can’t sleep and have no energy, you should take action. If you notice other people seem to be recovering and you’re finding it hard to carry out day-to-day activities when you think you should be able to, speak to a health professional.

“You could also complete a depression our anxiety checklist at www.beyondblue.org.au or call our info line on 1300 22 4636 to chat to a mental health professional about where to get help in your area,” Professor McDermott said.. beyondbblue has available a free booklet Looking after yourself after a disaster to help people deal with the emotional impact of a disaster. Download or order it from the beyondblue website (www.beyondblue.org.au) or call the info line –– 1300 22 4636.

Contacts: beyondblue 03 9810 6100 Julie Foster 0409 433 501 Reid Sexton 0413 777 393

Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3 | Page 19

Nursing director tells of Bundaberg Hospital evacuation

by Karen Keast Imagine evacuating an entire hospital.

That’s exactly what Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service district director of nursing and midwifery services Debbie Carroll and her team of colleagues did recently.

In the wake of a series of devastating tornadoes and as rising flood waters threatened sewerage, power and water quality, the Bundaberg Hospital evacuated 131 patients, including 10 critical patients on January 29.

While focusing on the needs of their patients, nurses and staff were also enduring their own personal hardships due to the flooding.

In the lead up to the series of natural disasters that unfolded, the health service first held a planning discussion on January 25, amid dire weather warnings for the weekend.

On Australia Day, as heavy rain fell, Debbie was called into the hospital where a Code Brown had been declared due to mass casualties from the first tornado that swept through a nearby beach suburb.

“There were power lines down and there was talk of 12 people injured but at the end of the day there were two people with major injuries and probably a dozen minor injuries from that event,” Debbie recalled.

Until recently, Bundaberg remained a town cut in half, with many staff left unsure whether their homes had flooded. At the time of reporting, at least 10 staff knew their homes were under water and there were estimates at least 20 would have lost their homes and everything they own.

“There were several other tornadoes that happened after that one that damaged homes however there were no reported injuries.

For Debbie, a nurse of 35 years who has worked at Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service for the past seven years, that week remains a blur.

At 6am on the Monday, January 28, Debbie arrived at the hospital as the Burnett River levels continued to rise. She didn’t go home until 6pm on the Tuesday.

As disaster incident controller for the hospital, Debbie went through a similar emergency, although nowhere near the scale of this flooding, in 2010.

Last month’s emergency involved two RAAF Hercules C-130 aircraft, a Beechcraft King Air B200 twin-turboprop and a Lear jet, all working to evacuate patients to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Prince Charles Hospital, Mater Mother’s Private, Brisbane Private Hospital and Logan Hospital.

Other patients were also transported via the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Care Flight Queensland.

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“We went home that evening knowing we were in full disaster planning mode. We activated our disaster team and we were here on the Sunday until 10pm.”

“I couldn’t remember when I last went to bed,” she said.

“I wasn’t the only one, there were many people like that, a whole team of people – doctors, nurses and other staff; everybody.

“During that (Monday) night we had to make a decision. Our biggest risk was to infrastructure.

“Our sewerage pump had gone under, one of the generators had gone and we had to turn that off.

“We evacuated the rehab patients, there were 20 patients there, into the other wards and we evacuated the mental health unit, there were

seven mental health patients, and we brought them into the hospital.

theatre staff – everyone, was gathered and we deployed teams.

“They were at risk of being inundated with water. We did that at the same time and we evacuated them in about half an hour.”

“People stuck to their roles and that was the key to our success.

On Monday evening, the decision was made to evacuate the hospital at about midnight.

Debbie said the decision came as no surprise.

“We were always 24 hours ahead in our thinking,” she said.

“Through that whole process we were thinking (about) what we had to do if there was a decision to evacuate the hospital.”

Patients began to be evacuated in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and Debbie described the process as a “military precision operation” with all patients cleared from the hospital in several hours.

“It was unprecedented. We really were organised,” she said.

“We hadn’t done this before but we worked hard and we wanted our patients to be safe, which was our main goal.”

The discharge summaries were completed, and using a master spread sheet, the patients were logged numerically and were tagged, and had to go past three check points to ensure all patients were accounted for and equipped with their medication for their transfer to other hospitals in Brisbane.

“That spread sheet became our bible,” Debbie said.

“We also had people coming into ED that required transfer. It was a bit of an ongoing affair.

“We called the nursing and medical staff in at 4.30am and briefed them and they went to the airport. Everybody had a role in this, all of the

“I think from a personal perspective, even though we were all tired, we clocked the last patient out and you just knew they were safe.

“It’s almost a bit surreal. You think, wow – we did this and we did it well.”

Throughout the disaster, Bundaberg Hospital’s ED remained open. If the Burnett River had peaked over 11m, the ED would have been closed with patients transported and referred to the Bundaberg Friendly Society Private Hospital, along with Bundaberg Hospital’s staff and equipment.

With no birthing services available at the private hospital, the decision was made, in the name of patient safety, to keep Bundaberg Hospital’s maternity unit open with a back-up plan to establish the unit at the private hospital, using Bundaberg Hospital’s staff and equipment.

Throughout the entire emergency, hospital staff forged ahead despite the flooding challenges facing their own homes and those of their families and friends.

“Staff have lost their homes,” Debbie said.

“Some people don’t know if their homes are damaged because they can’t get over there.

It’s just like a war zone.

“We are trying to sort through accommodation which is challenging. Some of our staff accommodation went under water, and we are offering them support through counsellors.

“It was amazing; our staff just did what they had to do to make sure that their patients were cared for. We are very proud of them.”

For the full article visit NCAH.com.au Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3 | Page 21

Health placed on critical list in lead up to election

by Karen Keast Health is shaping up as one of the major election battlegrounds as Australia prepares to head to the polls later this year.

In the wake of state health budgets being slashed across Australia, with the federal government at loggerheads with Victoria and Queensland over who is to blame for the funding cuts, nurses have called for health to be placed on the critical list.

Queensland has experienced major cuts to health and countless job losses, and in Victoria the toll continues to rise – Barwon Health has had $5 million slashed from its budget, $5.1 million at St Vincent’s, $7.9 million at Alfred Health, $6.8 million at Austin Health, $8.4 million at Eastern Health, $1.2 million at Peter Mac, $1.4 million at South West Healthcare, $2.8 million at Ballarat Health Services, and $255,000 at Colac Area Health.

More than 400 beds have been closed and over 3000 elective surgery procedures have been cancelled with the cuts also resulting in job losses, prompting the ANF Vic Branch to hold a community rally on February 3 to ‘save Victoria’s hospitals’.

It comes after a meeting between Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek and State Health Minister David Davis failed to resolve the funding dispute.

Australian Nursing Federation federal secretary Lee Thomas said health, particularly safe patient care, must be a top priority for the September 14 election.

Ms Thomas said the organisation’s health platform will focus on the predicted shortage of 109,000 nurses by 2025, and the current shortage of 20,000 nurses in aged care, the under-employment of nursing graduates, and experienced nurses and midwives losing their jobs due to “slash and burn” health budget cuts.

The union also wants HECS fees to be removed as an incentive for nursing graduates in underresourced and short staffed areas such as rural and remote communities, and provision of the right staffing levels for nurses and midwives to ensure the delivery of safe patient care.

“The ANF is calling on all the parties to make safe patient care for all Australians a top priority at the election,” Ms Thomas said.

“As a result, the ANF will be seeking urgent representations with all major parties as well as key independents to put our health platform to them and asking that they commit to the ongoing delivery of safe patient healthcare for the Australian community.”

Last year, the federal government changed its funding for health, based on new population data, which left Victoria $107 million this financial year worse off while Queensland has lost $103 million.

The federal government has also blamed the states for enforcing their own cuts to health budgets.

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The Mid Nort

Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3 | Page 23

Nurses air concerns over SA bed closures

by Karen Keast Up’ report, an action plan for upgrading the mental health system, which recommended preventative strategies to enhance overall mental health and thereby prevent patients reaching the acute stage.

“However our issue is that it was never agreed that the acute care beds would be closed in the absence of the report’s strategies actually being proven effective.”

Nurses at the facility had entered into industrial action, which entailed a continuation of the work roster and bed allocation applying to the facility before the closures. The centre had also been in discussions with the Industrial Relations Commission and SA Health.

The body representing nurses in South Australia says bed closures at one of the state’s mental health facilities are compromising both patients and staff.

Elizabeth Dabars, head of the Nursing and Midwifery Federation, said five out of a total of 38 beds had been closed at the Margaret Tobin Centre (pictured), the mental health unit of the Flinders Medical Centre.

Dabars said the Federation’s concern was that the lack of beds for acute care mental patients was likely to have a detrimental effect on the patients themselves as well as staff morale and resourcing. With patients often forced to find care elsewhere, it also did not make sense “from a dollars and cents point of view” that taxpayers were funding mental patients’ stays in facilities not dedicated to their needs, she said.

“There’s already an issue with ‘ramping’ which is when ambulances have to park on the ramps outside the facility and keep the mental patients inside, because there’s no bed for them. Clearly it takes ambulances out of action as well, which is not a good use of resources.”

Dabars confirmed that SA Health had moved to reduce the number of beds at the centre following the recently released ‘Stepping Page 24 | www.ncah.com.au

“We’ve called on SA Health CEO David Swan to re-open the beds and we’re currently awaiting a response,” Dabars said.

Aeromedical Flight Nurses CareFlight is an Australian not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing the community with rapid response critical care. Over the past 25 years we have cared for and transported over 20,000 patients.

CareFlight is government contracted and provides the Top End of the Northern Territory with a local fixed wing and helicopter aeromedical service.

Applications are sought from nurses interested in working as aeromedical nursing crew members.

This is a fantastic opportunity for registered nurses to work as part of an integrated crew model in local fixed wing and helicopter retrievals. The role will involve a variety of tasks across operational bases located at Darwin, Katherine and Nhulunbuy/Gove.

Candidates should have a level of fitness and will be required to undertake a physical fitness assessment. Candidates must be able to demonstrate: s eligibility for Registered Nurse and Midwife registration with APHRA.

s minimum 5 years experience as a nurse with minimum 4 years in emergency/ critical care and post graduate certification in a critical care specialty s current certification in ALS/ACLS and/or TNP/TNCC s physical capability to meet the challenges of aeromedical practice, including helicopter retrieval work s ability to operate in an ‘out of hospital’ environment For more information visit www.careflight. org Forward your EOI addressing all criteria, plus CV and two referees to recruitment@ careflight.org Applicants should also indicate availability to start. Closing date 15th February 2013. Contact Darren Chilton – Clinical Manager NT Operations on 0488131431 for further information.

All employees must comply with CareFlight’s Drug and Alcohol Management Plan (DAMP) as required by CASA and may be subject to random workplace testing.

Criminal Record and Working with Children Checks apply.

Aeromedical Flight Nurses

Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3 | Page 25

CareFlight is an Australian not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing the community with rapid response critical care. Over the past 25 years we have cared for and transported over 20,000 patients.

CareFlight is government contracted and provides the Top End of the Northern Territory with a local fixed wing and helicopter aeromedical service.

Applications are sought from nurses interested in working as aeromedical nursing crew members This is a fantastic opportunity for registered nurses to work as part of an integrated crew model in local fixed wing and helicopter retrievals. The role will involve a variety of tasks across

Calls for Medicare to fund continence physiotherapy

by Karen Keast Physiotherapists are calling for continence physiotherapy to be funded through the Medicare Benefits Scheme.

The Australian Physiotherapy Association wants physiotherapy to be the first line of continence treatment and in its pre-budget submission has called on the federal government to establish a specific Medicare item for continence physiotherapy.

Statistics show the physical and psychologically debilitating condition affects almost 4.6 million Australians, and that figure is forecast to rise to more than 6.4 million people by 2030, while a 2010 estimate calculated it cost the economy $42.9 billion.

The call comes after a 2005 study found physiotherapy techniques assisted up to 84 Page 26 | www.ncah.com.au

per cent of women suffering from stress urinary incontinence (SUI) to achieve continence.

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health study reported the success rate was equal to surgical techniques without any surgical risks, with most SUI patients requiring an average of five physiotherapy treatments to conquer the condition.

APA figures show physiotherapy treatment costs patients about $500 while surgical management can cost from $7820 to $10,260.

Last year in Australia, more than 7000 surgical procedures for SUI were performed, at an average cost of $9000 per procedure and a total outlay of $63 million.

For the full article visit NCAH.com.au

1303-009 1PG FULL COLOUR CMYK (typeset)

Nurse Unit Manager (Acute) Portland, Victoria The Nurse Unit Manager provides direction for the delivery of a high standard of patient care in order to achieve the desired patient outcomes. He/she is both directly and indirectly responsible for the provision of focused, holistic nursing care. She/he takes responsibility for the day to day management, undertaking special responsibilities in the areas of Administration, Education and Continuous Quality Improvement.

Portland District Health services the Glenelg Shire with major population centres being the city of Portland and the townships of Heywood, Narrawong, Tyrendarra and Nelson. The population which we service is approximately 16,739. PDH provides an integrated delivery of health services which comprises acute, primary and aged residential care services including: • 24-Hour Accident and Emergency Department • 29 Acute inpatient beds • 23 Sub-acute inpatient beds • 6 chair dialysis unit • 8 bed day procedure unit • 2 operating theatres (with provision for three) • 30 high care aged care residential beds – Harbourside Lodge • Primary and Community Care services If you think you have the skills and experience to undertake this role then you are encouraged to review the material about the role and the salary package on the additional pages and to lodge an application online.

Applicants must hold current AHPRA registration with an eligible work permit for Australia.

If you are looking to make a fresh start to your career or would like to register your interest in future job opportunities go to

www.ahnr.com.au

W: www.ahnr.com.au E: ahnr@ahnr.com.au T: 1300 981 509 Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3 | Page 27

Page 28 | www.ncah.com.au

Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3 | Page 29

New president to co-lead New Zealand nurses

by Karen Keast Tauranga-based practice nurse Marion Guy will lead New Zealand’s largest nursing organisation for the second time.

A registered nurse, who has worked in primary health care for 20 years and has held other nursing roles in secondary care, Ms Guy won a three-way contest to become the New Zealand Nurses Organisation’s new president.

It will be the second time Ms Guy has sat at the helm of the organisation; she was president for four years from 2005 until 2009.

But for the first time, the position of president will be a full-time, paid presidency, following the introduction of a new NZNO constitution last year.

And in other changes to the organisation, Ms Guy will co-lead the NZNO with Kerri Nuku, who was appointed the organisation’s kaiwhakahaere last year.

Under a newly adopted constitution, Ms Guy and Ms Nuku, a Hawke’s Bay primary health care nurse manager, will share the leadership of the 46,000 member professional and industrial body.

Ms Guy, who holds a Queen’s Service Order for her services to nursing and an NZNO Award of Honour, will resign from her position as a practice nurse to take up the organisation’s top job.

In her new role, Ms Guy said she will focus on promoting the professional aspirations of nurses and ensuring the voice of nurses are heard in every national health forum.

She also plans to promote a culture change within nursing workplaces in a bid to wipe out Page 30 | www.ncah.com.au

bullying and harassment, particularly when it comes to student nurses.

Mr Guy said she will also campaign for better pay and educational opportunities for nurses and caregivers in the aged care sector.

“Fair pay and good working conditions are essential for the profession and for patient care and we must always work towards improving conditions,” she said in a statement.

“We must also focus our attention on our professional role and ensuring that is understood and respected.

“The key to that is in building strong relationships with the Ministry of Health, the Minister of Health and other health professionals.

“We must also remember why we became nurses and use the skills we have learnt through nursing, through postgraduate education and evidence-based practice in the best possible way.

“Within NZNO there is a vast amount of specialist nursing expertise and I want that expertise used to promote the profession and the organisation.”

Ms Guy said she opposed any move towards deregulation and would like to see grassroots nurses have input into the development of any national nursing workforce plan.

Ms Guy, who completed a Post Graduate Diploma (Nursing) in 2007 and a Masters of Nursing in 2009, sits on a range of nursing and health governance boards, including the International Council of Nurses, the National Health Board, the Bay of Plenty District Health Board and the Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation.

2013 Nursing Opportunities in Saudi Arabia Interviews taking place in Australia & New Zealand

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Free Phone AUS: 1800 818 844 Free Phone NZ: 0800 700 839 Email: raquel@ccmrecruitment.com.au or dawn@ccmrecruitment.com.au Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 3

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