Issue 20 7/10/13 fortnightly
Mental Health Feature Transgender Lt Col pays tribute to mental health professionals Government shelves aged care pay rise for nurses Partnership structure a boon to Sunshine Coast mental health Study into psychological treatments on problem gambling
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Delivering tailored healthcare solutions Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 3
www.ncah.com.au )SSUE p /CTOBER We hope you enjoy perusing the range of opportunities included in Issue 20, 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
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Next Publication: Midwifery & Maternal Publication Date: Monday 21st October 2013 Colour Artwork Deadline: Monday 14th October 2013 Mono Artwork Deadline: Wednesday 16th October 2013
Page 4 | www.ncah.com.au
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Flight Nurses> Are you keen to utilise ALL of your nursing skills? • Attractive remuneration • Diverse career opportunity • Based in Port Augusta, South Australia The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) is one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world. We are seeking registered nurses with General and Midwifery Nursing Certificates who are currently registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. You will also have comprehensive experience and/or post graduate qualifications in a critical care area, together with high level customer services skills and a professional approach to service delivery. Working in a diverse, fulfilling and rewarding environment, RFDS nurses are at the forefront in delivery of aeromedical health services. If you are keen to progress your career with an organisation that makes a real difference to all Australians, apply now. Please direct your confidential enquiries to Greg McHugh Ph: (08) 8150 1313 Applications to: HR Coordinator RFDS Central Operations PO Box 381 Marleston DC SA 5033 Email: careers@flyingdoctor.net The Royal Flying Doctor Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Midwifery Scholarships> Have you always dreamed of working for Australia’s famous aeromedical health service but do not meet the Flight Nurse position requirements to be endorsed as a Midwife? The Royal Flying Doctor Service, Central Operations is now providing an exciting opportunity for suitably qualified Registered Nurses to access a limited number of Midwifery Scholarships. The Scholarships will provide financial support to those Nurses so they may gain this important qualification. These scholarships are to be used for costs associated with your study towards a Midwifery Qualification in 2014/15 such as course fees, text books, etc Selection Criteria: • Registered General Nurse with AHPRA Registration; • Emergency Nursing or Critical Care Certificate / experience; • Significant relevant post graduate nursing experience; • Australian citizenship or permanent residency in Australia. The approved course, leading to endorsement as a Midwife and any other post graduate midwifery program requirements, may be completed in any state of Australia. Employment post registration as a Midwife will be with RFDS Central Operations. For further information and to request an Application Package please contact: Kate Guerin, HR Coordinator PO Box 381, Marleston BC SA 5033 Email: careers@flyingdoctor.net
Applications close: 1 November 2013 Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 7
Photo: Dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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W: www.ahnr.com.au E: ahnr@ahnr.com.au T: 1300 981 509 Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 9
Government shelves aged care pay rise for nurses by Karen Keast The
Coalition
Federal
Government
has
abandoned $1.2 billion in pay rises for Australia’s 350,000 aged care nurses and care workers. Assistant Minister for Social Services Mitch Fifield has revealed the government has suspended processing new applications from aged care providers for the supplement, designed to deliver the pay boost, while it consults with the sector on alternative policy options. Senator Fifield told media the government will continue to pay the supplement to those aged care providers already receiving it and the Department of Social Services will also finish processing current applications. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) federal secretary Lee Thomas said the announcement came without any consultation with the union and its members working across the aged care sector. “This is a dark day for Australia’s aged care nurses and care workers and the older Australians they care for,” she said in a statement. “After fighting so long for wage parity, aged care nurses and carers have been cruelly abandoned
An initiative of the former Labor Government, the agreed wage improvements aimed to deliver pay rises of about $46 a week or $2390 a year for registered nurses, $35 a week or $1820 a year for enrolled nurses and $29 a week or $1510 a year for assistants in nursing by 2016, under the Living Longer, Living Better aged care reforms. The ANMF fears the funds, originally allocated as part of the Workforce Compact, will not reach the pay packets of nurses and care workers in the sector without enterprise bargaining. Ms Thomas called on the government not to
by the new government.
keep aged care workers in limbo.
“It’s plainly obvious the government has chosen
“The government must now come clean and
to place the profits of providers over the interests
spell out its plans for the sector to nurses, care
of thousands of frontline nurses and care workers
workers, nursing home residents and their
across the country.”
families,” she said.
The processing suspension comes after the
“If we cannot recruit and retain nursing and
new government recently revealed it planned
care staff, it’s older Australians primarily living in
to redirect the funds into the general aged care
nursing homes who will ultimately suffer through
budget.
poorer care outcomes.”
Page 10 | www.ncah.com.au
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Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 11
More psychologists Olympics-bound in 2016 by Karen Keast
Opportunities look set to open up for Australian psychologists specialising in elite sports, when the next fixture of the Olympic Games takes place in Brazil in 2016. The Australian Olympic Committee has reportedly confirmed plans to send a greater number of psychologists to the next Olympics than in previous games, in order to meet athletes’ increasing demand for mental support, following sporting stars, including champion swimmers Leisel Jones and Ian Thorpe, speaking out about the “mental anguish” they endured in pursuit of winning a gold medal. Ruth Anderson, who acted as head psychologist for Australia’s Olympic team in Beijing and London, told NCAH that awareness had grown of the important role played by sports psychologists in supporting elite athletes. “At the Beijing Olympics it was just me. Then in London I also had a clinical psychologist with me at the recovery centre; and there was increased focus on enhancing athletes’ relaxation, ensuring they could deal with intense pressure, making sure they could get a good night’s sleep, and so on. Going forward we’ll be looking to further consolidate those developments for future Olympics.” For the full article visit NCAH.com.au Page 12 | www.ncah.com.au
$O YOU HAVE SPECIALISED NURSING SKILLS THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH A DEVELOPING NATION .URSING OPPORTUNITIES IN 4IMOR ,ESTE %AST 4IMOR 3T *OHN OF 'OD (EALTH #ARE HAS BEEN OPERATING THE CAPACITY BUILDING .URSING $EVELOPMENT 0ROGRAM IN 4IMOR ,ESTE SINCE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE -INISTRY OF (EALTH 7E ARE NOW SEEKING TO EXPAND OUR TEAM OF NURSES BASED IN $ILI WHO ARE WORKING ALONGSIDE 4IMORESE NURSES TO ASSIST IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING THEIR NURSING AND MIDWIFERY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Nursing opportunities in Timor-Leste (East Timor)
Working and domestic 0OSITIONS ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR REGISTERED NURSES AND MIDWIVES WITH THE environments you will FOLLOWING SPECIALISATIONS
o
0AEDIATRIC OR %MERGENCY .URSE p POSITION
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-IDWIVES p POSITIONS AT LEAST ONE WITH CURRENT BIRTHING SUITE St John of God Health Care has been operating the capacity EXPERIENCE
encounter in Timor-Leste are far removed from those most nurses come to expect in Australia, and candidates must be resilient and patient.
building Nursing Development Program in Timor-Leste since
Our International Health &OR FURTHER DETAILS RELATING TO THESE POSITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR E RECRUITMENT 2010, in partnership with the Ministry of Health. nurses must be prepared to go WEBSITE AT HTTP SJOG ERECRUIT COM AU -ORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR the extra distance to ensure We are now seeking to expand our team of nurses based in Dili, CAPACITY BUILDING WORK IN 4IMOR ,ESTE AND OTHER NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES support for the development who are working alongside Timorese nurses to assist in the of nursing practices in a CAN BE FOUND AT HTTP WWW SJOG ORG AU OUTREACH INTERNATIONAL?HEALTH process of building their nursing and midwifery knowledge and sustainable way.
skills. !PPLICATIONS CLOSE &RIDAY TH /CTOBER AND DEPLOYMENT TO 4IMOR ,ESTE IS EXPECTED TO BE IN -ARCH &OR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT !NTHEA Positions are available for registered nurses and midwives with 2AMOS 'ROUP -ANAGER )NTERNATIONAL (EALTH AT ANTHEA RAMOS SJOG ORG AU the following specialisations: Paediatric or Emergency Nurse – 1 position
(OSPITALITY ) #OMPASSION ) 2ESPECT ) *USTICE ) %XCELLENCE
Midwives – 2 positions, at least one with current birthing suite experience For further details relating to these positions please visit our e-recruitment website atsjog.erecruit.com.au. More information about our capacity building work Tangentyere Council Inc. in Timor-Leste andSPRINGS other neighbouring PO Box 8070, ALICE NT 0871 countries can 8951 be found at http://www.sjog.org.au/outreach/ Ph. (08) 4222 Fax. (08) 8952 8521 international_health.aspx. Email: tangentyere@tangentyere.org.au
Nursing opportunities in Aboriginal Health Practitioner Timor-Leste (East Timor)
Working and domestic
Applications close Friday 25th October 2013, and environments you will encounter in Timor-Leste are deployment to Timor-Leste is expected to be in far removed from those most March 2014. For further information please nurses come to expect in Anthea Ramos, Groupto Manager Ancontact amazing opportunity work for Tangentyere Council in Alice Springs, Australia, and candidates must International Health at anthea.ramos@sjog.org.au be resilient and patient. St John of God Carelocal has been operating the capacity delivering careHealth to the aboriginal community. building Nursing Development Program in Timor-Leste since Our International This is inanpartnership aboriginal ed position, toHealth delivery of 2010, withidentifi the Ministry of Health. you must be committed nurses must be prepared to go
care in a community led practice, human rights and self determination, we would love to the extra distance to ensure We are now seeking to expand our team of nurses based in Dili, support for the development hear you. alongside Timorese nurses to assist in the whofrom are working of nursing practices in a process of building their nursing and midwifery knowledge and sustainable way. Key requirements: skills. s %XPERIENCE WORKING WITH PEOPLE WITH COMPLEX NEEDS Positions are available for registered nurses and midwives with The Nursing Development Program operated by St John of God Health the following specialisations: Care is part of a wider commitment to Timor-Leste which includes a s #ERTIl CATE )6 IN !BORIGINAL AND 4ORRES 3TRAIT )SLANDER (EALTHCARE long-term Pathology Development Program and primary health care Paediatric or Emergency Nurse – 1 position projects in remote communities. Our work in Timor-Leste has been s %XCELLENT COMMUNICATION SKILLS recognised by the Global Health Fund and the World Bank as amongst Midwives 2 apositions, at least one with current birthing the most successful–by non-government agency since the country's s !BILITY TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY IN A MULTI DISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENT independence. suite experience Salary: $57,564 For further details relating to these positions please visit
Hospitality Iyou, Compassion I Respect I Justice I Excellence If this like love to hear Moresounds information about ourwe’d capacity building work from you. Closing Date 21st October. in Timor-Leste and other neighbouring countries Contact Joanne Duncum on 0437 978 432 or email joanne.duncum@tangentyere. can be found at http://www.sjog.org.au/outreach/ org.au for a full job description. international_health.aspx. our e-recruitment website atsjog.erecruit.com.au.
Applications close Friday 25th October 2013, and deployment to Timor-Leste is expected to be in March 2014. For further information please contact Anthea Ramos, Group Manager International Health at anthea.ramos@sjog.org.au
Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 13
POSTGRADUATE COURSES IN MENTAL HEALTH
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Partnership structure a boon to Sunshine Coast mental health by Belinda Smart Mental health services on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland are set for enhancement under a new partnership model, following their single biggest funding injection on record. Key service providers working within the joint group held an inaugural meeting in recent days to map out how to cater to severe and persistent mental illness issues in the area. Headed by Medicare Local Sunshine Coast, the team of 13 separate entities will distribute the region’s $8.8 million Federal Government funding commitment, which was delivered under the former Labor Government. Medicare Local Sunshine Coast chief executive Ian Landreth reportedly said the Partnership Council aimed to coordinate the coast’s mental health services and allow people suffering from mental illness to live comfortably, and in their community. Page 14 | www.ncah.com.au
Those with acute or chronic mental illness typically faced issues around accommodation, employment, transport, mental health and education, with different agencies dealing with that person individually in a crisis. “There is no wrap-around service for these people. This partnership is about bringing some coordination to the existing services.� For the full article visit NCAH.com.au
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Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 15
Transgender Lt Col pays tribute to mental health professionals by Karen Keast Three years ago, Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm McGregor AM met a psych triage nurse on duty at the Royal Military College, Duntroon. It was a meeting that changed the speech writer and political strategist’s life. “I thought enough is enough because I am feeling really flat all of the time. I attend Alcoholics Anonymous regularly, I meditate and pray but it wasn’t lifting me – it was time I got some help on this. “It saved my life and gave me a life I hadn’t dreamed was possible. I had been half alive my whole life. That’s the real gift from the support that I received.” After commencing gender transition in June last year, Lt Col McGregor is now Catherine ‘Cate’ McGregor and continues to work in the Australian Defence Force for Army chief Lieutenant General David Morrison. Lt Col McGregor will tell her story and the important part mental health nurses and psychologists have played in her transition from male to female as one of the key note speakers at the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses’ 39th Annual International Mental Health Nursing Conference, being held in Perth from October 22-24. “I feel an enormous debt of gratitude to the people that worked with me over the course of the last three years,” she said. “They helped me find my way to the most important decision I have had to make. “Without them I wouldn’t be alive today. I was in quite dire straits on a few occasions.” The psych nurse referred the Lt Col, who commanded the Australian Army Training Team in East Timor, and recovering alcoholic to a psychologist supportive of the AA’s Twelve Step program - opening up an entire new world to the Lt Col. Page 16 | www.ncah.com.au
Lt Col McGregor said she first sought help from a psychiatrist in the 1980s and battled preconceived ideas of “what a transgender person looks like”, resulting in a misdiagnosis. She said transgender people come in all shapes and sizes, and she forms a minority of the transgender population who have macho behaviours, not the stereotyped effeminate tendencies. “I think the profession has moved forward over time,” she said. “My presence is the message (I want to get across). You can be a transgender woman who has had an unorthodox and a male career and can still be completely identified with the female gender.” Lt Col McGregor said the encounter with the psych nurse at Duntroon was “incredibly important”. “She treated me as a human being and just didn’t rubber stamp me. She took my individual case seriously and treated me with real respect and empathy.” h t t p : / / w w w. a c m h n . o r g / n e w s - e v e n t s / conference-news/conference-2013
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Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 17
Plan to cut nursing and midwifery hours by Karen Keast The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s South Australian Branch has vowed to closely monitor the State Government’s plan to cut the number of nursing and midwifery hours equivalent to 200 positions. It comes after SA Health revealed it would axe about 200 nursing positions as part of 684 health jobs set to go in the next nine months through improving efficiencies and natural attrition, with departmental figures showing about 900 of its 12,500 nurses and midwives exit the workforce each year. ANMF SA Branch secretary Adj Assoc Professor Elizabeth Dabars said it was an “ambitious target” needed to be implemented through genuine efficiencies. “Whether or not it is actually achievable only time will tell,” she said.
beds and in turn a reduction in nursing staff.” Adj Assoc Professor Dabars said it remained unclear what type of efficiencies the government has planned. “Provided they are genuine and are in the best interests of the patient we have no objection to that,” she said. Adj Assoc Professor Dabars said the branch had also put forward a range of suggestions designed to drive efficiencies, including the yet to be rolled out pilot nurse-led discharge program, the use of advanced practice nurses and better bed options. “While people are in a high intensive care ward when really they need to be in a step down rehabilitation unit we are effectively wasting money and resources,” she said.
“Our interest is in ensuring that what efficiencies they propose or start to implement are advantageous and do not affect patient care and patient outcomes.” Adj Assoc Professor Dabars said she did not Bairnsdale Regional Health Service is the largest believe any nurses or midwives will be made Located at the gateway to the Lakes and Wilderness region, canGippsland. enjoy easy access to the healthcare provider inyou East Enjoy redundant, with the union and government Gippsland lakes and beaches, national parks and snowfields. As the largest healthcare provider close access to the Gippsland lakes and in East Gippsland, the Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (BRHS) provides services to a growing recently achieving a new enterprise bargaining beaches, national parks andkilometres. the snowfields. population of 40,000 people across a land mass of 21,000 square BRHS operates agreement protecting nurse to patient ratios. three fixed campuses in conjunction with itinerant healthcare services in remote communities.
EMERGENCY NURSING
at the gateway region, you can enjoy easy access to the “That industrial agreement Located means that theto the Lakes and Wilderness Midwives Gippsland lakes and beaches, national parks and snowfields. As the largest healthcare provider • Service Nurse Unit provides Manager in East Gippsland, the Bairnsdale Regional Health services to a growing number of nurses and midwives cannot Full time/part time (BRHS) negotiable population of 40,000 people across a land mass of 21,000 square kilometres. BRHS operates • Associate Nurse Unit Managers to internal in promotion and staff retirement, we are seeking experienced and enthusiastic be cut – there cannot be a Due reduction the three fixed campuses in conjunction with itinerant healthcare services in remote communities. Nurses Midwives to join our team. With 350 births • perRegistered year, our service offers 3 different models of care: quality of care,” she said. caseload midwifery; shared care; GP only care. We are interested An and exceptional opportunity exists infordiscussing an
Midwives
experienced nurse to lead our high functioning, time negotiable A spokesperson for SA Health said a review Full time/part ED experienced team. Inand thisenthusiastic full time role Due to internal promotion and staffmulti-disciplinary retirement, we are seeking Elective Surgical Access Coordinator of the state’s hospitals earlier Midwives tothis join our year team. With 350you births per year, our service the offers 3redevelopment different models of care: will oversee of the caseload midwifery; shared care; and GP only care. We are interested in discussing Grade 4, 0.8 eft/full time negotiable highlighted opportunities for efficiencies in Emergency Department including a new triage opportunities to suit individual An exciting vacancy for a requirements. Registered Nurse with a strong clinical background to hone area, Short Stay Unit and Fast Track clinic. existing reducing the average length of stay of patients skills in management, data analysis and system development. This newly created position will Elective Surgical Coordinator NursingAccess professionals with Emergency provide you with an excellent opportunity to develop and lead a team of multidisciplinary health in some areas. opportunities to suit individual requirements.
professionals and create Grade effective systems to manage elective surgery are access. sought 4, 0.8 eft/full time negotiable department experience
for
An exciting vacancy for it a Registered Nurse with a roles strong and clinicalregistered background to hone vacancies. existing leadership nurse “Length of stay will only be reduced where skills in management, data analysis andPhysiotherapist system development. This newly created position will Employment conditions negotiable. provide you with an excellent opportunity to develop and lead a team are of multidisciplinary health is possible to do so safely,” the spokesperson (Grade 1, full timesurgery negotiable) professionals and create effective systems to time/part manage elective access. Allsought positions offer excellent terms and conditions told media. An enthusiastic physiotherapist is to work within our dynamic Allied Health team. The
Physiotherapist salary packaging. position offers rotation throughincluding our acute extensive inpatient, rehabilitation and outpatient services.
(Grade 1, full time/part timefriendly negotiable) “By reducing the average length of will stay, this Applicants benefit from working in a dynamic team where managerial support and For further information, www.brhs.com.au An enthusiastic physiotherapist is sought to work Locum within our dynamicvisit Allied team. The development is highly prioritised. placements wouldHealth also be considered. would lead to a reduction inprofessional the number of position offers rotation through our acute inpatient, rehabilitation and outpatient services.
Page 18 | www.ncah.com.au
All positions excellent termsinand conditions including salary packaging and and initial support Applicants willoffer benefit from working a dynamic friendly team where managerial support with accommodation. professional development is highly prioritised. Locum placements would also be considered. All positions offer excellent terms and conditions including salary and initial support For further information and a position description please visit packaging our website www.brhs.com.au
For on East Gippsland visit www.discovereastgippsland.com.au withinformation accommodation.
“We a lifestyle and environment made of” For further information andoffer a position description please visit ourdreams websiteare www.brhs.com.au
Respect – Professionalism – Caring – Committed – Collaboration
Position Vacant – Nurse Unit Manager (Extended Care Unit) An opportunity has become available for a suitably qualified and experienced Registered Nurse to take up the Nurse Unit Manager position within our Extended Care Unit. The Extended Care Unit is currently in the planning stage for a new building with construction expected to commence in 2014 with resident occupancy in early-mid 2015. Post graduate gerentology qualification is essential and tertiary management qualification will be highly regarded. The Nurse Unit Manager has overall responsibility for resident care, accreditation, ACFI documentation and legislative compliance with the support of relevant departments/units of the Health Service. The position includes an attractive salary, as well as salary packaging, entertainment allowance and a relocation allowance. Swan Hill District Health is also strongly committed to professional development. Further information and position description is available from www.shdh.org.au or contact Mrs. Kathy Wright, Executive Officer – Clinical Services on (03) 50339250 or by email to kwright@shdh.org.au Applications addressing the selection criteria and including the names of three referees should be forwarded to the Human Resources department, Swan Hill District Health, PO Box 483, Swan Hill 3585, Victoria or email: hrmanager@shdh.org.au. by COB Friday 1 November 2013.
Study into psychological treatments on problem gambling by Belinda Smart A Victorian study is investigating the impact of four different psychological treatments on problem gambling. Monash University’s Problem Gambling Research and Treatment Centre (PGRTC) and the University of Melbourne are conducting a randomised controlled trial exploring the short term and long term effectiveness of different psychological treatments for problem gambling. The trial has already begun with 160 people enrolling to receive six free sessions of free treatment, in either behaviour therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, motivational
interviewing and client-centered therapy, over an 18 month period. Researchers are now calling for 100 more people to participate in the trial, which will also examine whether different types of people respond better to particular psychological treatments. PGRTC co-director and chief investigator Professor Shane Thomas said while 100 people have completed the trial and 60 are still in treatment, early findings show people who receive psychological treatment spend less time and money gambling. “We know that some treatments for problem gambling work and we are now learning far more about which treatments work best,” he said. For the full article visit NCAH.com.au Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 19
Caseload midwifery costs less by Karen Keast One-on-one midwifery care saves Australia’s public health system an average of $566 per birth, according to the results of a new study.
loss greater than 500mL, combined with one
The Australian study, published in the Lancet Medical Journal, shows caseload midwifery care for unassisted vaginal birth costs significantly less than standard maternity care, contributing to a major difference in the overall median cost of birth per woman.
contributed to the cost reduction for women
“Caseload midwifery care seemed to cost less than standard care, with similar clinical outcomes,” the study’s authors stated. “Since maternity is one of the most common reasons for hospital admission in Australia and other countries, a cost reduction from a reorganisation of the way in which care is delivered in the public hospital system could play a major part in reducing public health expenditure.” The study involved 1748 women, with 871 assigned to caseload and 877 to standard care, who had their babies at two metropolitan teaching hospitals between December 2008 and May 2011. The randomised, controlled trial assessed women of all risks and found similar rates of caesarean sections while the proportion of women who had elective caesarean sections before the onset of labour differed between caseload, at 8 per cent, and standard care, at 11 per cent. Proportions of instrumental births, unassisted vaginal births and epidural use were similar while neonatal outcomes did not differ between the groups. The authors stated the higher proportion of women with spontaneous onset of labour, less use of pharmacological analgesia for labour, and fewer women having a postpartum blood Page 20 | www.ncah.com.au
fewer antenatal visit and a significant reduction in median length of stay in the postnatal ward, birthing through caseload midwifery. “Our results show that for women of any risk, caseload midwifery is safe and cost effective,” the authors stated. Australian College of Midwives spokesperson Professor Hannah Dahlen said the “outstanding” cost saving came as Australia continues to lag behind other countries, including New Zealand, in the provision of one-on-one midwifery care. Professor Dahlen said hospitals need to embrace a more modern approach to midwifery, enabling midwives to respond to the woman’s needs and not the institution’s. “Midwifery is very organic. It’s not mechanical,” she said. “It doesn’t fit very well into our standardised approach of managing staff in hospitals. “We need to think about how do we change the way we handle these very autonomous midwives in a way that enables them to flourish and really reach the maximum of their potential without strangling them. “It’s a really new way of thinking and I don’t think we are very good at managing this.” Professor Dahlen said while midwives have access to Medicare funding, insurance and can
prescribe
PBS
medicines,
hospitals
continue to keep their doors closed to privately practising midwives seeking clinical privileging arrangements.
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Queensland paramedic of the year embraces rural life by Karen Keast Queensland paramedic Kerri Russell has a job of which many paramedics can only dream.
Kerri responds to medical emergencies on
The 40-year-old shares her job with her paramedic husband, Ben, in the rural area of Capella, enabling the couple to both raise their young children, Sean, 4, and Sarah, 6, in the friendly, small community, without relying on childcare.
trauma emergencies, and it is not unusual for her
Originally from the Sunshine Coast, the move to the rural and isolated community has enabled Kerri to pursue extra study - her Bachelor of Nursing degree through Central Queensland University, spend time with her family, and to also become involved in the isolated community that is home to about 1000 people.
said.
“We came out on a term transfer for a year and it turned into four years,” Kerri said.
Kerri said everyone in the community knows each
“We came so we could be here with our kids. We share the job and live in the house in the backyard of the ambulance station.
to emergencies easier and also, at times, more
“It’s worked out beautifully – especially while the kids have been so little.”
is no-one to discuss clinical issues with apart
Kerri, an advanced care paramedic, was recently named the Queensland Ambulance Service’s Paramedic of the Year for her dedicated work in keeping the community safe.
phone.
Capella ambulance station officer in charge Colin Salter nominated Kerri for her commitment, the family’s lifestyle change and Kerri’s professional ability to take on the often demanding work as a single responder.
Kerri, a paramedic of 10 years, hopes to move
Situated in an agricultural and coal mining area, Capella is located in the Central Highlands, midway between Emerald and Clermont and 320 kilometres west of Rockhampton. Page 22 | www.ncah.com.au
her own, in a vast area where there are mostly to flag down a passing motorist to either drive the ambulance or to help her lift a heavy patient into the back of the ambulance. “You go on your own and there’s a lot more work to be done when there’s only one person,” she “It’s very different out here. We are very well supported by our emergency drivers but anyone will jump in and help. “I have had so many people drive the ambulance - which you would never ever do on the coast.” other, or of each other, which makes responding emotionally challenging. And without a colleague at emergencies, there from a medical director on the other end of the There is no doctor in town, so Kerri also follows up on the health of patients who haven’t been transported. into a career in nursing after completing her degree later next year. “It’s something in the future for me because it offers more options,” she said. “Being a paramedic is great but unless you want to go into management or education, there’s not too many options sideways.”
Paediatric Intensive Care and Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses C[bXekhd[" 7kijhWb_W Ed]e_d] fei_j_edi <b[n_Xb[ [cfbeoc[dj YedZ_j_edi The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Melbourne is one of the world’s great children’s hospitals. We are the major specialist paediatric hospital in Victoria and our care extends to children from Tasmania, southern New South Wales and other states around Australia and overseas. Do you have current experience as a neonatal intensive care nurse looking after ventilated newborns or a minimum of 12 months ICU experience and want to belong to a workplace that has an international reputation as a centre for clinical excellence? Apply now – mmm$hY^$eh]$Wk%YWh[[hi
Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 23
Call the midwife - catching babies is catching on BY +AREN +EAST The hit BBC period drama Call the Midwife has sparked a renewed interest and passion for one of the world’s most ancient professions. For an Australian midwifery leader, the series lies closer to home in more ways than one. It’s the period drama that has captivated more than 13 million viewers world-wide - and inspired a new wave of midwifery students. Call the Midwife, the BBC drama based on the memoirs of British nurse and musician Jennifer Worth, tells the story of midwives catching babies amidst the deprivation of London’s East End in the 1950s. Two series of the hit drama have aired and filming has just completed on a third, with the latest series set to air next year. Aside from being a ratings success, the show has also been attributed to sparking a 25 per cent rise in midwifery applications in England alone. University of Western Sydney Professor Hannah Dahlen, a privately practising midwife and spokesperson for the Australian College of Midwives, says the show has also had an impact on the Australian midwifery profession. Professor Dahlen says the show has inspired more people to pursue careers in midwifery and has also hit home with practising midwives. “I think the show has struck a real chord,” she says. “We have watched One Born Every Minute, which probably terrifies mothers and midwives more than any other show. “You ask any midwife what show they most relate to and that’s Call the Midwife.” Professor Dahlen relates to the show on more levels than one. Her mother Margaret Dahlen and her best friend Fiona Haines were midwives working in London’s Docklands at the same time, riding around on “those rickety old bikes” featured in Call the Midwife. Page 24 | www.ncah.com.au
Ms Haines, who was matron of one of London’s largest hospitals about 20 years ago, was interviewed for the television series and Professor Dahlen says she is “terribly close” to the series’ midwifery character ‘Chummy’. “A lot of people reckon that Chummy is modelled on her,” she says. “She is very tall and aristocratically spoken. She was born in India and lived overseas. “She thinks it’s funny – she can’t see herself that way.” Margaret, who died seven years ago, was the inspiration behind Professor Dahlen’s own journey into midwifery. Professor Dahlen’s earliest memories are of watching her mother tend to the care of pregnant women at a missionary clinic in Yemen, in the Middle East. Now a renowned advocate for midwives, Professor Dahlen was just 10 when she saw her first birth and 12 when she helped catch her first baby. She moved to Australia at the age of 15 and later took up her nursing studies, before venturing to England to follow in her mother’s training footsteps, where she experienced home birthing. Then she returned to Australia and worked as a midwife at several hospitals while adding to her studies, achieving Honours, her Masters and PhD, joining both UWS and the College, where she has also been president and vice president. Professor Dahlen says Call the Midwife has resonated with many viewers simply because it shows midwives living incredible lives. In the face of post-war hardship and adversity, the midwives are able to provide essential healthcare with compassion and humanity.
“It highlights the compassion and the complexity of life and the amazing kind of beauty that comes with commitment, compassion and the human touch, and going the extra mile and not dodging people because of how much money they have,” Professor Dahlen says. “I think it’s a really valuable and beautiful lesson and I think people are inspired by that.” Professor Dahlen says midwifery in Australia has been largely institutionalised and incorporated into a medical model but the nation has a lot to learn from the primary health midwifery care featured in Call the Midwife.
“In many ways they had a continuity of care model but they wouldn’t have used that term then,” she says. Australia has taken major leaps in the field of midwifery care in the past decade, with midwives now having access to Medicare funding and insurance while midwifery is now recognised as a profession in its own right, distinct from nursing. Professor Dahlen says today, more than ever, Australian midwives can relate to Call the Midwife. “I think it’s an inspiration,” she says.
“That primary health beauty of midwifery has been lost and we are on our way to reclaiming it, which is good news.”
“We have gained some very good things in the advances of science and none of us would ever say we would want to go back to those days.
Professor Dahlen says the series also showcases continuity of care, which has gradually been embraced in Australia.
“There are some things we have to reclaim from those days - and that’s compassion and relationships.” Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 25
Report calls for greater pharmacist role by Karen Keast Rural and remote pharmacists should have the power to provide repeat prescriptions and vaccinations and work with GPs to help patients manage chronic conditions, according to a new report. A Grattan Institute report, Access all areas: New solutions for GP shortages in rural Australia, calls for a greater role for pharmacists and the introduction of a new health worker, the physician assistant, to expand care in remote areas where there is limited access to GPs. The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has welcomed the proposals, outlined for seven areas with the worst shortages of GP services, including Tamworth, Goulburn and Mount Isa, as well as the Northern Territory and most of Western Australia. The plan could be in place within five years at a cost of $30 million a year, which would be offset by fewer or less costly hospitalisations, according to report authors Stephen Duckett and Peter Breadon. “The first step is to make much better use of pharmacists’ skills,” the authors state. “Pharmacists are highly trained, have deep expertise in medicines, and are located in communities throughout Australia. But their role is far more limited in Australia than in many other countries. “With the agreement of GPs and patients, pharmacists should be able to provide repeat prescriptions to people with simple, stable conditions. “They should also be able to provide vaccinations and to work with GPs to help patients manage chronic conditions.” Pharmaceutical Society of Australia national president Grant Kardachi said the report reinforced the PSA’s message that pharmacists Page 26 | www.ncah.com.au
should be better integrated into the health system as a whole. “Quite simply, pharmacists’ skills and knowledge in medication management are greatly underutilised and PSA has developed a number of strategies and proposals to address this situation,” he said. “Pharmacists can provide a wide range of professional services – working in collaboration with others – which can assist doctors and relieve pressure across the whole health sector, and importantly improve health outcomes and ease cost pressures on the health system. “For too long, governments of all persuasions have been reluctant to change the system, while at the same time acknowledging that without change the system is in danger of not being able to meet the demands put on it.” Mr Kardachi said the PSA hoped to work with the new Coalition Government to ensure the “speedy introduction” of greater pharmacist involvement. The report also called for the introduction of physician assistants, health workers who practise medicine under the supervision of a doctor, to increase access to other services including diagnosis.
Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 27
Page 28 | www.ncah.com.au
Wimmera Health Care Group (Horsham campus), is expanding its facilities to include a new 20 bed sub-acute inpatient unit which will open in February 2014. This state of the art unit will adjoin the acute care area and incorporate 10 rehabilitation, 6 Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) and 4 Transitional Care (TCP) beds. We are currently seeking a highly motivated and experienced Nurse Unit Manager to lead the multi-disciplinary team and guide them in the provision of high quality patient centred care. A detailed job description is available on our website www.whcg.org.au Enquiries are to be directed to: Nursing Operations Manager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Janis Scarlett P: 5381 9253 E: recruitment@whcg.org.au Applications close: 5pm, Friday, 25th October 2013
Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20 | Page 29
Nursing shortage forecast in New Zealand by Karen Keast New Zealand is expected to experience a nursing shortage of around 15,000 nurses within 22 years. A Nursing Council of New Zealand report, The Future Nursing Workforce: Supply Projections 2010-2035, has revealed more than half of the current nursing workforce is forecast to retire in 20 years – at the same time as a predicted increase in demand for health care due to the nation’s ageing population and lifestyle disease. It found while there were about 45,460 nurses working in New Zealand in 2010, with 42,330 registered nurses (RN) and 3130 enrolled nurses (EN), there would be just 54,000 practising nurses in 2035 - if the nation keeps producing its current number of nursing graduates - resulting in a shortfall of about 15,000 nurses of the almost 70,000 nurses needed. The population is also projected to increase by 17 per cent in that time to 5.26 million people. “We won’t have enough nurses to meet the healthcare needs of the growing New Zealand population or to meet the additional needs of a growing proportion of very young and very old within our population,” the report states. “Existing constraints on nursing student numbers, through limitations on the number of clinical placements, will inevitably result in nurse shortages without a supply-side intervention by 2015.” The Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL) report delivered several possible scenarios to illustrate how decisions on workforce supply made now will impact on the future nursing workforce. Under a scenario focusing on just population growth, it found the number of RNs will need to grow to 54,660 while the number of ENs will need to increase to 4830 by 2035 – an increase Page 30 | www.ncah.com.au
of 493 RNs and 68 ENs required to enter the workforce each year to maintain the 2010 nurse to population ratio of 10 nurses for every 1000 New Zealanders. The ageing population scenario suggests in order to meet the health care needs of the large number of people forecast to be aged under 15 and over 65 – up to 45 per cent of the total population – an extra 865 RNs and 88 ENs will need to enter the workforce each year to create a workforce of 69,280 nurses by 2035. The report also outlines a scenario to increase the number of internationally qualified (IQ) nurses in the workforce – where graduate numbers remain stable and the number of IQ nurses grows from 25 per cent of the RN workforce in 2010 to 33 per cent, and grows from 7.5 per cent of the EN workforce to 10 per cent. The IQ nurse scenario would result in the nursing workforce rising to an estimated 57,750 nurses.
Nursing Careers Allied Health - Issue 20
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