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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
INDIGENOUS Health Look inside to read this feature!
5 March 2012
- ISSUE 04
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Welcome to Issue 4 From the Editor... Hello Readers and welcome to Issue 4 of The Nursing Post! We have brought you a special feature on Indigenous Health (page 8), where we have sourced the latest news and progress on Indigenous health in Australia. Next issue, we will be bringing you the latest news occurring across the country, as well as our feature on Midwifery. We will take a look at what it takes to become a midwife, and what the job entails. So stay tuned folks, you won’t want to miss out on the next issue!
so if you haven’t subscribed to our e-newsletter already, hop on to our site at www.nursingpost.com. au and sign up now! And finally, I’d like to say a big thank you to all our wonderful readers for your support since I took over the post here. I’ll be passing on the ranks to the rest of the brilliant team members here at The Nursing Post, so expect some exciting ventures to come your way readers! Until next time, take care readers! ABN: 28 105 044 282 | PO BOX 6213, East Perth, WA, 6892 Ph: +(618) 9325 3917 | Fax: +(618) 9325 4037 E: admin@nursingpost.com.au | W: www.nursingpost.com.au
We’ve got a new website coming very soon readers, so keep your eyes peeled for the new site where you will be able to view the latest jobs, news, conferences and events available right across our great nation. The new site will be coming soon
Next Publication Details: Issue 05: 19 March 2012 Material Deadline: 12 March 2012
Inside this Issue Indigenous Health
Next Issue Midwifery
Editor / Artwork: Amrit Bhabra For media-kits, deadlines or advertising queries, please contact Michael Kuhnert Printed by Westcare Pty Ltd
CONTENTS NAHRLS (Inside Front Cover) ...................................00 CQ Nurse ................................................................01 Mediserve Nursing Agency .....................................03,13,BC WA Country Health Service......................................04 Quick N Easy Finance..............................................05 Government of WA, Department of Health.................06 Medacs Healthcare..................................................07 FEATURE: Indigenous Health....................................08 The College of Nursing.............................................09, 31 Remote Area Health Corps + Editorial......................10-12 Feature Article : Study indicates post-stroke Aborigines Neglected...............................................14-15 Latest News : Indigenous Health..............................16-23 Latest News : Victorian Nurses Ignore Fair Work Australia Ruling.......................................................24-25
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Educational Courses,Conferences & Events..............26+27 Ausmed Article: Drug Seeking or In Pain...................28+29 Nurses for Nurses Network .....................................30 Oceania University of Medicine ...............................30 Australian Wound Management Association Conference 2012.....................................................32 News: Graduate Nurses increase in NSW Hospitals.........................................................32 GRADUATES - Looking for a Job?.............................33 Inaugural Commonwealth Nurses Conference for 2012..................................................................34 Book Review: Binan Goonj, 3rd Edition.....................35 GRF One Health Summit 2012.................................36 Smart Salary............................................................37
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The Southern Inland Health Initiative is pioneering new and innovative ways of delivering health service within rural and remote area communities in Western Australia. If you are a Nurse Practitioner in Emergency care you can be part of this great initiative. WACHS are seeking Nurse Practitioners, Emergency Care across the Wheatbelt, Great Southern, Goldfields and South West regions - Merredin, Northam, Narrogin, Collie, Warren, Esperance and Katanning. For more information please contact: Esperance
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T X E N E ISSU
MIDWIFERY 6
Publication Date: 19th MARCH, 2012
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INDIGENOUS Health
// INSIDE THIS FEATURE The College of Nursing.................................................................. 9 Remote Area Health Corps + Editorial.......................................... 10-12 Mediserve Nursing Agency............................................................ 13 Feature Article : Study indicates post-stroke Aborigines Neglected............ 14-15 Latest News : Indigenous Health........................................................ 16-23 Latest News: Victorian Nurses Ignore Fair Work Australia Ruling................ 24-25
8
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, health and nursing A contemporary approach Distance Education subject This subject responds to the increasing awareness of the healthcare challenges facing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, particularly some of the legal, ethical, social and cultural considerations. Other Distance Education subjects offered by The College include: • Clinical issues in the care of the older person • Chemotherapy and other systemic treatments in cancer care • Anaesthetic nursing • Wound management • Applied clinical physiology
Enrol now for July 2012
The College of Nursing creating nursing’s future
Call 1800 COLLEGE (26 55 343) or www.nursing.edu.au 9
Indigenous health Be part of the effort.
Are you a Registered Nurse? Would you like to help close the gap in Indigenous health outcomes in the NT? RAHC has opportunities for urban-based RNs to undertake paid placements of 3 to 12 weeks in remote Indigenous communities. RAHC provides 24/7 support and cultural and clinical training so you can make a difference.
Get involved. Find out more 1300 69 72 42
Funded by the Australian Government
rahc.com.au
Feature Editorial - RAHC RAHC– David Fisher (RN) Male nurse, David Fisher, based in Goonellabah, NSW, completed a four-week placement in the Northern Territory for the Remote Area Health Corps (RAHC). RAHC is part of the Expanding Health Service Delivery Initiative (EHSDI), which aims to strengthen and increase the delivery of primary health care services to address the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and nonIndigenous Australians. EHSDI is a partnership between the Australian and Northern Territory (NT) governments and the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory. RAHC placements are undertaken on a paid basis and range from three weeks up to three months in 10
health centres in remote Aboriginal communities operated by the NT Government Department of Health and Aboriginal Medical Services. David describes his experience with the team at Congress in the community of Hermannsburg, 125km from Alice Springs. “I was offered the position as the male health nurse at WAHAC and it was, to be honest, that I accepted the position with a great deal of trepidation, having no experience with remote nursing and only stories, media and individual misinformation and sensationalism of the state of Aboriginal communities and their health to prepare me for this role.” “I commenced work in early May and have extended my position for as long as my family would allow me and it is with immeasurable
sadness that I left the communities in which I was working closely with.
and determination of the Aboriginal people and communities.”
I was completely overwhelmed by the friendliness, openness and willingness to risk opening the community’s hearts, families and culture to me.”
“Words truly are inadequate to express my thanks for the opportunities and experiences that I have had whilst living and working in Hermannsburg,”
“I am extremely grateful for their patience and willingness to excuse my ignorance and overlook my arrogance. My heart and soul has been completely uplifted and restored by the Aboriginal community in Hermannsburg.
“The land and the people of Ntaria, Utju and Wallace Rock Hole are now part of my life.”
I leave the placement as a new, different person forever changed by my experience and the spirit of the land and its people. Some of the high lights were enjoying a feed of honey ants in Areonga [Utju] and fresh water crayfish in Ntaria.” “I am happy to say that I am extremely proud of the commitment that the communities had which further demonstrates the strength, depth
Are you a Registered Nurse or Midwife and are keen to make a difference in Indigenous Health? Contact RAHC to find out more. RAHC can work around your schedule to find paid placements that suit you in various remote Indigenous communities in NT.
Call 1300 69 72 42 or visiting www.rahc.com.au
11
About RAHC The Remote Area Health Corps (RAHC) has been established to strengthen primary health care services in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.
consultation with existing health service providers and Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, along with key stakeholders at a national level.
By working in close collaboration with the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) and the Northern Territory Department of Health (NT DoH) we are able to provide support by responding to their requests for recruitment of specific primary healthcare professionals.
RAHC was established under a contract awarded by the Department of Health and Ageing, Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health to Aspen Medical Pty Ltd in October 2008.
Through successful engagement of doctors, registered nurses, dental and allied health professionals on short term assignments, we will be able to strengthen the Expanding Health Service Delivery Initiative that aims to deliver long term, sustainable improvements in the NT primary health care system.
Philip Roberts, General Manager (RAHC)
RAHC is committed to making a significant contribution to improving Indigenous Health. This commitment extends to include open 12
Media Contact for comment: 08 8942 1650
Media Liaison: Geoff Windsor Marketing Manager (RAHC) 02 6230 9588
www.rahc.com.au
Calling All Join the Preferred Supplier of Nurses today! So why worry about your next shift? Relax when you join Mediserve Nursing AgencyToday! Freecall : (08) 9325 1332 or visit us at www.mediserve.com.au Email : nurses@mediserve.com.au
13
Study indicates post-stroke Aborigines Neglected Indigenous Australians who have suffered a stroke are less likely to receive lifesaving treatment than non-Indigenous Australians treated in the same hospitals, according to a national audit. In the majority of cases the study found that Aborigines aged between 18 and 64 were three times more likely to either die or be dependent when discharged from hospital. According to the director of the Florey Neuroscience Institutes, Geoffrey Donnan, the research was a “wake up call� that highlighted the need for indigenous disadvantages to be looked for and dealt with. With strokes being amongst the leading causes of death for all Australians, the director said indigenous people’s results had been comparatively neglected by research despite their higher mortality rates. 14
In an Australian wide audit conducted across 33 hospitals that treated both indigenous and nonindigenous patients, it was found that an aborigine was around 30 per cent less likely to receive treatment in a specialised stroke unit of a hospital. Research conducted for the National Stroke Foundation in 2009 found that indigenous patients were also less likely to receive aspirin within 48 hours of their stroke or clot-busting medication when discharged. Alarmingly, not one of the 80 aboriginal patients has been given intravenous clot-busting medication.
Specific types of strokes indigenous people suffered could require different treatments and the reasons for the differences may vary, said professor Donnan.
social understandings and expectations were areas that aborigines shouldn’t have to accept or expect lower levels of care in.
Professor of Neurology Chris Levi, at the University of Newcastle, said it was “terrible” how the study showed that none of the indigenous people received intravenous clot-busting drugs.
Healthcare workers needed to be given adequate cultural understanding training and it was vital that more Aboriginal and Torres Straight islanders were trained in healthcare.
‘’Even though we have done reasonably well with getting stroke units [in Australia], we are doing really poorly with clot-busting drugs,’’ he said.
Monique Kilkenny from Monash University, the senior researcher on the project, said ensuring the correct early stroke care in hospital was important.
The shortage of medical teams in rural and remote regions that could administer the drugs along with delivering the treatment in time, were both factors impacting the indigenous community.
‘’The most important thing is whether the patient actually gets into a stroke care unit because that provides the best care,’’ she said.
The Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association’s medical officer, Ngiare Brown, said the study identified the need to think about systematic biases limiting the care of indigenous people. ‘’If you ask anyone, whether it is Joe Public or a health professional, there is an expectation that all patients would receive the same high level of care,’’ she said. From simple breakdowns in doctor-patient communications through to inadequate cultural and
MS Kilkenny wrote in the International Journal of Stroke that Stroke units were linked to a 22 per cent reduction in death and disability. MS Kilkenny stated that more research was needed to identify the reasons why treatments varied by indigenous status. The National Stroke Foundation’s Chief Executive, Erin Lalor, said only a small subset of data obtained through the national stroke audit was used in the study.
15
New Report Indicates Cooperation with Indigenous Communities is vital The Australian Insitute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released a report that shows community-initiated and managed lifestyle programmes is crucial in improving the health outcomes of Indigenous Australians. According to the report titled Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, the health programs can improve physical activity levels and nutrition among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Clearinghouse spokesperson, Fadwa Al-Yaman stated that, “lifestyle-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver disease, continue to lower the life expectancy of Indigenous Australians.” “The resource sheet released today, healthy lifestyle programmes for physical activity and nutrition, identifies a number of programmes shown to be effective that were initiated and managed by local Indigenous communities.” Community-led programmes produced a multitude 16
of positive results, such as the stabilisation of diabetes rates and significant falls in smoking rates, cholesterol levels and blood pressure among Indigenous groups, according to the new report. A second report was also released this week which indicated that by encouraging and empowering Indigenous people during the creation and implementation of programmes, the effectiveness and permanent success of the initiatives will be far higher. This will only lead to better health outcomes for Indigenous people, who still suffer the worst health of any population group in Australia. “Strategies that have been found to work to strengthen Indigenous organisational capacity include long-term partnerships between government and Indigenous people, those that recognise local contexts and take a developmental approach, and those that have a clarity of purpose or clear notion of what type of capacity is being strengthened and for whom,” Dr. Al-Yaman stated.
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Indigenous Australians Severely Suffering from Mental Health Inequality starts from an early age in the mental health of Indigenous Australians in comparison with non-Indigenous Australians, according to new data released by leading Australian youth mental health experts. In a recently published edition of the Medical Journal of Australia, Professor Anthony Jorum and colleagues from the University of Melbourne’s Youth Mental Health Research Centre, examined community health surveys post year 2000 in order to establish an accurate idea of the current state of Indigenous mental health. “The surveys we reviewed consistently showed a higher prevalence of psychological distress (anxiety and depression symptoms) in Indigenous adults, with rates between 50 per cent and three times higher than for non-Indigenous adults,” the researchers said. “This indicates the issue needs to be a priority for research, preventive action and health services. “It is well known that rates of disease and injury
are higher among Indigenous Australians than in the general Australian population, but knowledge of Indigenous Australians’ mental health has been heretofore incomplete,” Professor Jorm said. People that experience psychological distress may have increased difficulty achieving career goals, such as work and study, and that ensuing distress often produced negative interactions with their family and social relationships, said Professor Jorm. “People who have high psychological distress are likely to try to reduce it using things like alcohol, tobacco and other drugs such as cannabis, which also means they are less able to function well in life,” he said. Behaviour problems were more prevalent in both children and adolescents according to studies of parent- reported problems, the authors stated. The Youth Health Research Centre at the University of Melbourne in Orygen is Australia’s largest which continues to expand and is internationally recognised as a world leader in youth mental health research. 19
CMI Plan to Research Indigenous Medicines Traditional medicines indigenous Australians have used for thousands of years may in time be sold in health food stores and pharmacies around the world, according to a plan by the Complementary Medicines Industry. The Complementary Health Care Council of Australia is seeking $1.3 million from the federal government to begin research into traditional medicines. Wendy Morrow, the council’s executive director, said research demonstrated how effective traditional medicines were from many countries, but very little had been conducted on Australia’s indigenous medicines. ‘’We are one of the very few major countries that doesn’t actually respect its indigenous medicine the way that it should,’’ Dr Morrow said. In the council’s budget submission to the federal government, they indicated that funding be provided for a comprehensive stocktake of specific indigenous medicines in consultation with traditional owners. This work can be built onto the research already undertaken at Macquarie University. ‘’This should then lead to a position where analysis of the key substances leads to pilot clinical trials being undertaken on those key substances,’’ 20
the submission had stated. The council were also seeking government approval for a project aimed at bringing evidence-based indigenous medicines to the market with intellectual property of the products vested with traditional owners. Government support is also being requested by manufacturers to develop an industry plan along with funds to conduct clinical trials of complementary medicines. Dr Morrow said the industry was only permitted to advertise products which were used for self-curable, self-limiting, conditions such as colds and coughs. She said research was needed to look into whether products assisted people to manage these conditions. ‘’The kind of research that industry needs is, ‘If you take echinacea, it will or it won’t reduce the time of your cold in half?’ We need product-specific research for the kinds of products that we’re permitted to talk about.’’ The Australian complementary medicines industry generates $2.3 billion in revenue each year and they employ 5000 people in manufacturing jobs.
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Aboriginal Child Mortality to be Halved Prime Minister Julia Gillard has stated that is Australia is well on trace to halving Aboriginal child mortality as progress is being made to raise the overall life-expectancy of Indigenous Australians nation-wide. Currently, and for quite a while now, Aborigines are the most disadvantaged Australians, with indigenous children being twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday in comparison to other children. Aboriginal men are estimated to die 11.5 years earlier than other male Australians.
than four times likely to die than non-Indigenous Australians, according to the report. The leading causes of death among Indigenous Australians between 2005 and 2009 included circulatory conditions, cancer and injury including suicide and road accidents. Large numbers of Aborigines who live in remote regions where access to health and other services are fairly scarce, and alcohol abuse is very common, which are two contributing factors to the current statistics indicated in the report.
Gillard stated during her delivery of the annual report on the nation’s Indigenous people, that efforts to bridge the gap on the overall life expectancy has been a 25 year project in the making, and “while the challenge is very large... some progress is being made.”
Gillard stated that three main states and territories; Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, have a declining rate of 36 per cent for Indigenous Australians’ mortality rates over the past two decades.
“The target of halving the infant mortality rates for indigenous children under five by 2018 is on track,” the prime minister said.
“Four years into a 25-year project, this much is true: health outcomes, employment outcomes, education outcomes are improving, they need to keep improving and to improve more quickly,” Gillard told parliament.
The Closing The Gap report that was presented three weeks ago, indicated the gap in mortality rates has been narrowing and under-five mortality rates are steadily declining for Indigenous children due to improvements in antenatal care, sanitation and public health conditions. The report also stated that child mortality rates were unstable due to small numbers, as the target for 2018 is nine fewer deaths to meet the government goal. The biggest gap in mortality rates was actually no9t for children, but for adults under 55 years, with Indigenous Australians aged 35-44 being more
Gillard stated that decades of under-investment in services and infrastructure in areas with high Aboriginal population densities were “unquestionably a major cause of disadvantage, especially for the very young.” Ms Gillard concluded by calling for greater unity between Aboriginal Australians, who currently make 2 per cent of the nation’s population, and the rest of the country. Gillard stated she will back a proposal to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution. 23
Victorian Nurses Ignore Fair Work Australia Ruling Nurses in Victoria say they will defy a Fair Work Australia ruling which orders them to stop their industrial action and return to work. Three big Melbourne hospitals began the rolling stoppages on Friday morning. Fair Work Australia on Friday ordered that the nurses take no further industrial action until June. But during that evening the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) confirmed it will defy the ruling. The stop work strikes will now be expanding to hospitals in the northern suburbs, Geelong and Frankston on Saturday. Victorian ANF secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick says about 700 nurses walked out of the Royal Melbourne, Dandenong and Western hospitals on Friday, and more walk-outs were to come. 24
“The walk-outs will continue each day, twice a day until the Government agrees to allow the independent Fair Work umpire to resolve our dispute,” she said. Federal Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten’s suggestion to the Victorian Government that a senior member of the workplace umpire be called in to resolve the long-running dispute triggered the stoppages. Nurses have asked for a pay rise of more than 18 per cent over the next three-and-a-half years, along with the retention of the existing nurse-patient ratios. Staffing was halved to night shift levels at three major Melbourne hospitals on Friday morning, which meant one nurse looking after eight patients. State Health Minister David Davis says a number of operations were cancelled on Friday but he is still waiting on figures to confirm. He has called on the
nurses to abide by Fair Work Australia’s ruling. “If they should continue this industrial action in defiance of Fair Work Australia it will clearly be illegal, unlawful action,” he said. “Patients shouldn’t be used as pawns in industrial negotiations and it’s time that the ANF Union decided to abide by the decision of the independent umpire and live within the law of the land.” But Ms Fitzpatrick says the nurses are not solely to blame for surgeries being cancelled. “We are not using patients. We never use patients as pawns. Everyday the Government has cancelled surgery as a result of its failure to fund the public health system properly”. This dispute has now been ongoing for more than eight months. Associate Professor Anthony Forsyth from Monash University says it’s coming to a head. “[It’s] a dispute that’s desperately in need of a circuit breaker really, because both parties are subject to the good faith bargaining obligations under the Fair Work Act and have applied for orders to enforce those obligations at various stages in the dispute,” he said.
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“But what we seem to have now is very much a stand-off.” During a nurses’ stop work meeting on Wednesday, the Federal Government offered to have a senior member representing Fair Work Australia rule on the dispute’s outstanding issues. However the Victorian Government has not yet taken up the offer, but Professor Forsyth says it was a sensible suggestion. “It probably is time for the parties to get around the table at Fair Work Australia,” he said. “They’ve tried to do that through negotiation but it’s very much looking like the kind of thing where FWA should have the capacity now to try and determine and end to the dispute.” 25
Educational Courses, Conferences & Events // CONTENTS Ausmed Education: Article - Drug Seeking or In Pain................... 28+29 Nurses for Nurses Network........................................................... 30 Oceania University of Medicine..................................................... 30 The College of Nursing.................................................................. 31 Australian Wound Management Association Conference 2012.... 32 News: Graduate Nurses increase in NSW Hospitals..................... 32 GRADUATES - Looking for a Job?................................................ 33 Inaugural Commonwealth Nurses Conference 2012.................... 34 Book Review : Binan Goonj, 3rd Edition....................................... 35 GRF One Health Summit 2012...................................................... 36 26
// Events + Conferences 2012 Commonwealth Nurses Federation Inaugural Nurses Conference
2nd National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Conference
Our health: our common wealth
Beyond 2012: Leading the Way to Action
Commonwealth Nurses Federation 10-11 March 2012, London, UK. www.commonwealthnurses.org
6-8 June 2012, Fremantle, WA www.nidacconference.com.au
Australian College of Operating Room Nurses 15th National Conference Territorial boundaries: Dare to be diverse Australian College of Operating Room Nurses 22-26 May 2012, Darwin, NT www.acorn.org.au
International Nursing Conference Nursing: Caring to Know, Knowing to Care Nursing Division of Hadassah University Medical Centre 4-7 June 2012, Jerusalem, Israel www.israel.rnao.ca
4th Congress of the Wound Union of Wound Healing Societies Better care - Better life Wound Union of Wound Healing Societies 2-6 September 2012, Yokohama, Japan www.wuwhs2012.com
National Association of Childbirth Educators’ Biennial Conference Generation Now - the fears, the fantasy and finding the balance National Association of Childbirth Educators 16-18 October 2012, Luna Park, Sydney www.nace.org.au
11th Global Conference on Ageing
16th South Pacific Nurses Forum 2012
Ageing Connects
South Pacific Nurses Forum 19-22 November 2012, Melbourne, Leonda by the Yarra. www.spnf.org.au
IFA-FIV 28 May-1 June 2012, Prague Czech Republic www.ifa-fiv.org
Australian Wound Management Association Conference Harbouring wound care The AWMA 18-22 March 2012, Sydney www.awma2012.com
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Drug Seeking or In Pain: Understanding the Difference It’s the fifth time this month you’ve seen this patient in A&E. Abdominal pain. Unbearable. She sits happily in her room, texting on her mobile phone and asks when her next pain shot is due. You try to contain yourself as you tell her it won’t be due for another four hours. She’s upset. You’re upset. You can’t understand why the doctors put these people on these drugs. You feel like you are dealing with a drug seeker, but you don’t know what to do. Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common in hospitals around the world. Prescription drug abuse is rampant, and it is only getting worse. To add to that, hospital governing bodies are finding that patients’ pain is still undertreated. Despite those who demand pain medication and clearly do not need it, people who actually do need it are still suffering without it. It tests a nurse’s compassion and ability to objectively view each patient individually when dealing with issues surrounding opioids and other 28
abuse prone medicines. When you face someone you think is drug seeking, most nurses have to give patients the benefit of the doubt, if only for that one patient you can help who actually is in pain. COMMON DRUG SEEKING SCAMS Although all nurses encounter drug seeking behaviour from time to time, none deal with it more often than those who work in the emergency departments. Some very common behaviours have been noticed among drug seekers that are nearly universal. For instance, the patient will visit multiple times or will go to multiple hospitals, doctors, or clinics looking to get what she wants. Her focus is on the medication and nothing else. She doesn’t say what she is feeling; she says what drug she wants with frightening medical clarity.
Drug seekers tend to lose prescriptions fairly easily, run out of prescriptions early, and have primary care doctors that go on vacation frequently. They have a long list of allergies to every other pain medication, except narcotics. A drug seeker will often have vague descriptions of pain, such as a headache, toothache, or abdominal pain. They will always describe it as unbearable, no matter how they look or act. Sometimes they will use an alias or change their appearance. If you encounter these types of behaviours, you might be dealing with someone who is trying to work the system. WHEN ADDICTION GETS OUT OF CONTROL C
Sometimes drug seeking turns into complete addiction, and the signs will change. Although drug seeking can sometimes seem like an addiction itself, it really is just a manipulation of the system. Addiction to prescription drugs takes on another set of behaviours. An addict will sell prescription drugs to get more of the type that they need. This type of patient will attempt to steal prescription pads and write their own scripts to get the narcotics on their own. M
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They will steal drugs from others and use drugs that were prescribed for other people. An addict will even start injecting oral preparations for a different type of high. The use of alcohol, illicit drugs, and getting the drugs from an outside dealer is not above these patients. The patient will frequently increase their own dose despite the doctor telling them not to. Their social, family, and personal life will deteriorate due to the drug use, and they will resist any change in therapy despite the negative side effects from the drug. An addict is a far cry from someone who just wants a narcotic pain pill. ANOTHER VIEW: WHEN IT REALLY IS PAIN So, what about those poor patients who really need the pain medicine? It is up to the nurse to sort through the
Nurses,
drug seekers and addicts to help those who really need us. Even those who show drug seeking behaviours may have legitimate reasons why they are behaving that way.
Complete You Online and On-Time!
If a patient tells inconsistent stories to each doctor or nurse, they could be confused due to the side effects of the drugs or mental illness. Patients may actually lose their prescriptions or may take their medications wrong, meaning that the prescription will run out before it is due. The sad part is that the medication prescribed for them may not be enough to control their pain. The primary care doctor, emergency room doctor, and nurse may all have underestimated how much pain the patient is actually experiencing.
Access 100s of Australian Something this person is CPD Hoursmay be affecting how Education
experiencing pain, and they do not deserve to suffer through it because we label them a seeker, a manipulator, or a troublesome patient. Sometimes, a patient who says they are in pain actually are in pain. It is for these patients that we must tolerate the drug seekers, and give them their medications so that the truly pained do not suffer.
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REFERENCES Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal; A Challenging Case of Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department; Courtney Reinisch, MSN, RN, APN-C; January 2007 http://www.nursingcenter.com/pdf.asp?AID=696989
ausmed.com.au
Pain Management Nursing; On the Meaning of Drug Seeking; Margo McCaffery, MS, RN, FAAN, et. al.; 2005 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/519760_7 Continued Professional Development provided by
Ausmed Education Online Learning | Conferences | Publications
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creating nursing’s future 31
Harbouring Wound Care
Australian Wound Management Association Conference 2012 18 – 21 March 2012, Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre
REGISTRATION BROCHURE Graduate Nurses increase in NSW Hospitals Graduate nurses starting work in the inner west of NSW are set to increase by almost a third, a new record high for the state. As part of a push to boost the nursing workforce, 2163 graduate nurses and midwives applying for work have now received the good news. A few hospitals such as Concord Hospital have almostwww.awma2012.com doubled their total by employing over 100 new nurses. Director of Nursing, Alison Trotter from Balmain Hospital stated that their facility has welcomed their own team of graduate nurses for the very first time. “This is our first group of transition graduate nurses because in the past we’ve shared with RPA. It’s a wonderful opportunity for new nurses to consolidate their skills and critical thinking while they’re at Balmain.” 32
Recently employed graduate nurse at Balmain Hospital, Mr Jacob Olsen, stated that, “we’re going to have a whole lot more responsibility and have people under our care.” Some graduate nurses have already decided which specializations they’d like to work in, with graduate Xiaoming Xi stating she’s interested in working with the elderly. Platinum Sponsor
“At uni I was a member of a group interested in looking after older people so it’s a job I can do,” she said. Health Minister, Jillian Skinner stated that the new nursing positions will provide invaluable learning and work experience for the graduates, whilst strengthening our healthcare system simultaneously.
GRADUATES Looking for a Job? Searching and applying for a new job is a skill which is important to learn. Whether it’s a new nursing position to a management role you need to choose what is right for you. Here are some tips below. JOB SEARCHING The best place to begin your search is on the internet. Many employers advertise online and ask for applications to be sent electronically. Sites such as Seek, health employment and local hospital sites are all good sites to start. They enable you to set up a personal account with the ability to choose what positions you are interested in along with email alerts when positions become available. You can also save you CV and cover letter so you can simply upload them when applying. Depending if a recruitment company is representing the employer, you may or may not be asked to submit a cover letter.
APPLYING FOR THE JOB
Once you have found a role that you are interested in be sure to read through it thoroughly and follow what instructions are asked for when submitting your application. Some will require both your CV and cover letter. Be sure to answer all the criteria asked in the duties description when completing your cover letter. Also in a brief description mention why you will be suited to the position and what your strengths are. I n short sell yourself. Your potential employer wants to hear how you will make a difference to their company if they select you. Keep your letter to the point and include your relevant experience and most recent employment. 33
Conference 2012 COMMONWEALTH NURSES FEDERATION
Inaugural Commonwealth Nurses Conference
Our health: our common wealth Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 March 2012
supported by in collaboration with the 9th CNF European Region Conference
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Re no gis w tra op tio en ns
The Commonwealth Club, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London EC2N 5AP England
BOOK REVIEW Title:
Binan Goonj, 3rd Edition
Publication Date:
26 / 05 / 2010
Author:
Anne-Katrin Eckermann, Toni Dowd, Ena Chong, Lynette Nixon, Roy Gray and Sally Margaret Johnson
WHY IT’S WORTH THE READ: Binan Goonj shines a light on current Aboriginal health issues within Australia. It’s a comprehenseive text which addresses key topics in a clear and concise manner for any reader wishing to learn more about what is happening within Aboriginal communities. This is a respected text book that is used widely as a health resource and teaching textbook across Australia. The text successfully introduces the reader to the multidisciplinary topics within the complex field of Indigenous health. A few chapter titles within the text include Empowerment in Aboriginal Health and Aboriginal Communities Today. The text also highlights the fact that despite all the research, policy changes and interventions, Aboriginal health still remains as the poorest in Australia. Binan Goonj, 3rd Edition explores and highlights important parts of processes and practices that are currently in place within the healthcare system, whilst providing practical strategies to work towards
re-addressing the continuing issues. This text definitely engages students and healthcare professionals alike, as well as challenging their own values and ideals on the use of power in Australian society.
FEATURES OF THE BOOK: • Chapters within the title aim to highlight the processes that have been successfully incorporated into the past 18 years of crosscultural workshops. • The new title has been completely revised and updated to reflect major Indigenous Health policy changes and highlight the progress on recurring issues since the second edition • The text uses Aboriginal health case studies and critical incidences to bring academic discussion and analysis to the forefront of readers’ perspectives • This text provides an in-depth exploration of the collaboration that has taken / is taking place between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people within Australian society. 35
NE HEALTH ONE PLANET
ONE FUTURE
GRF One Health Summit 2012 One Health - One Planet - One Future Risks and Opportunities
International Conference 19-22 February 2012 Davos, Switzerland
3rd Announcement
Global Risk Forum GRF Davos
Programme & Exhibition
onehealth.grforum.org 36
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