The Lamp October 2005 by NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association

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magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association

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volume 62 no.9 October 2005

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ABOUT THE LAMP

C O N T E N T S

Contacts NSW NURSES’ ASSOCIATION For all membership enquiries and assistance, including Lamp subscriptions and change of address, contact our Sydney office. SYDNEY OFFICE 43 Australia Street Camperdown NSW 2050 PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 (all correspondence) T 8595 1234 (metro) 1300 367 962 (non-metro) F 9550 3667 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au W www.nswnurses.asn.au HUNTER OFFICE 120 Tudor Street Hamilton NSW 2303 ILLAWARRA OFFICE L1, 63 Market Street Wollongong NSW 2500

Cover story •

magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association

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volume 62 no.9 October 2005

Work & family: a balancing act 14 Cover Print Post Approved: PP241437/00033

WO&RK

FAMILY

a balancing act

Pamela Tremlett, DDON at Bethany Nursing Home, with mother Jean (left); and Jade Starkey, RN, with baby daughter Ruby.

News in brief 8 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 12 12 13

Laying the groundwork for new private hospitals claim Hire your own lawyer, MP tells nurses EN wins right to stay on suitable duties Green ban stops relocation of disabled residents Medibank up for sale ‘Temporary’ nursing home staff win permanency Nursing dreams granted for long-term unemployed Midwife made department head at RPA Wendy warns over BPay error US look Down Under for cheaper drugs Defend your rights at work – Day of Protest on 15 November

Professional development 13 NSWNA education program: What's on this month

Agenda 20 Poor abandoned as apocalypse strikes America

Industrial issues 22 NSWNA at a public hospital near you 26 Qualifications allowance paid up 29 Congratulations Cowra Hospital – 100% direct debit

Occupational health and safety 32 Nurses’ design puts an end to injuries

Tips from members 35 Delicious and simple cooking for busy nurses.

Lifestyle 36 Little Fish haunted by past lives 41 Book me

Obituaries 38 Helen Tench showed us the ‘art’ of nursing 39 Phyllis Thomas: Humour and dedication through hard times

Regular columns 5

Editorial by Brett Holmes 6 Your letters to The Lamp 31 Ask Judith 43 Our nursing crossword 44 Diary dates

Competition! 19 Win rejuvenation retreat at Lilianfels Resort and Spa

Professional issues

Special offer

24 Enrolled Nurse position under threat

Mad Hot Ballroom 10 double passes to be won!

The Lamp COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Noel Hester T 8595 2153 EDITORIAL For all editorial enquiries, letters and diary dates: Sarah Thomson T 8595 1240 E sthomson@nswnurses.asn.au M PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 PRODUCED BY Lodestar Communications T 9698 4511 PRESS RELEASES Send your press releases to: T 9550 3667 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au THE LAMP EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Brett Holmes, NSWNA General Secretary Judith Kiejda, NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Coral Levett, NSWNA President John Lyons, Coonabarabran District Hospital Jonathan Farry, RPA Hospital Mark Kearin, Wyong Hospital Roz Norman, Tamworth Base Hospital Stephen Metcalfe, Lismore Base Hospital Therese Riley, St George Hospital ADVERTISING Patricia Purcell T 8595 2139 or 0416 259 845 F 9550 3667 E ppurcell@nswnurses.asn.au RECORDS AND INFORMATION CENTRE - LIBRARY To find old articles in The Lamp, or to borrow from the NSWNA library’s nursing and health collection, contact: Jeannette Bromfield, RIC Coordinator T 8595 2175 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au General disclaimer The Lamp is the official magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association. Views expressed in articles are contributors’ own and not necessarily those of the NSW Nurses’ Association. Statements of fact are believed to be true, but no legal responsibility is accepted for them. All material appearing in The Lamp is covered by copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission. The NSW Nurses’ Association takes no responsibility for the advertising appearing herein and it does not necessarily endorse any products advertised. Privacy Privacy statement: The NSWNA collects personal information from members in order to perform our role of representing their industrial and professional interests. We place great emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the privacy and security of your personal information. Personal information is protected under law and can only be released to someone else where the law requires or where you give permission. If you have concerns about your personal information please contact the NSWNA office. If you are still not satisfied that your privacy is being maintained you can contact the Privacy Commission. Subscriptions Free to all Association members. Ex-members can subscribe to the magazine at a reduced rate of $44. Individuals $60, Institutions $90, Overseas $100. THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 3

Direct debit works for Arnia and keeps our union strong. Arnia Haurua chose to pay her NSWNA fees by direct debit because it benefits both her and the union. Direct debit means your NSWNA membership fees are deducted direct from your bank account or credit card each month. ‘It’s convenient for me but it also protects our union from future attacks by the federal government. If the government stops payroll deductions for union fees after 1 July, this will seriously weaken the Association,’ said Arnia.

Switch to direct debit and go into the draw to win a 12-day European tour for 2 * Prize includes two return airfares ex Sydney to London * Prize drawn 4 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 30 December 2005

For direct debit or direct credit forms, to enter the competition or for more information call the NSWNA on 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962 or go to www.nswnurses.asn.au

E D I T O R I A L BY BRETT HOLMES GENERAL SECRETARY

Preserving family life and nursing standards g NSWNA fights to help nurses maintain a work and family balance and to preserve standards in EN training.

or some months now there has been an intense public debate about the federal government’s proposed workplace changes. The Howard government has vigorously pushed the line that there is an ongoing need for reform in the workplace. Its focus has been on increasing productivity and flexibility for the employer. Hence we have proposals to make it easier to dismiss workers, for the removal of conditions such as penalty rates, RDOs and reasonable workloads from awards and to tilt the playing field in favour of employers with the spread of individual contracts. There has been no word from the government on how this will impact on

solutions to the ‘work/life collision’ based on what our members have been telling us their needs are: longer paid maternity leave, the right to part-time work on re-entry to the workforce, more flexible leave to care for dependents and career breaks. Existing award conditions like penalty rates, annual leave and RDOs also act as a disincentive to family-hostile hours. If you take away these conditions from the no-disadvantage test – as the government is planning to do – then you remove the brake on hours. If we as a society are fair dinkum about getting the right balance between work and looking after our families, this is not the way to go.

But we do have concerns about the current process that may lead to lesser standards in nursing, with insufficiently trained enrolled nurses or the emergence of an unregulated, poorly-trained health worker assuming a nurse’s responsibilities. The Health Training Package contains ‘units of competency’ that make up the qualification. Some of these units may be available to non-nursing workers. The NSWNA is very concerned about the potential impact on both registered and enrolled nurses working in NSW

‘We do have concerns about the current process that may lead to lesser standards in nursing.’ families. In this month’s Lamp we look at the dramatic changes that have occurred in the past 20 years in the make-up of the family itself and the incredible pressures of work that have come to bear on families. Longer hours, more irregular hours and unpredictable hours and the intensification of work have become the norm. There are more women in the workforce, mothers are returning to work earlier, there are growing numbers of dependents and there are yawning gaps in support and care. Ultimately it’s all about control of hours and who has that control. In the present environment the only brake on long and unsocial hours are award and agreement provisions. The union movement has been putting forward

Preserving enrolled nurse training standards Another area where nurses need to be vigilant is in the area of enrolled nurse education. Currently, the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council is undertaking a project to develop national qualifications and competency standards for enrolled nurses within the National Health Training Package. We support the establishment of a national qualification which will provide uniform standards in Australia and improve mobility in employment for nurses between the different states. We also support a qualification that maintains the integrity of enrolled nursing and the profession of nursing.

and the potential consequences for patient safety that may result from the introduction of a generic worker rather than a nurse. The NSWNA and other state nursing branches of the ANF are drafting a national response that will prioritise the safety of the public and the high standards of the nursing profession. There are still opportunities and time to influence the outcome of the project. Nurses can make their concerns known (see page 24 for details) before 28 October. It is vital that we do so to prevent any result that is detrimental to enrolled nurse education and the nursing workforce. n THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 5

L E T T E R S

LETTER of the month

Who is The Lamp kidding? Maureen Bassett

NSWNA gave me new hope I have been in the Nursesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association for many years but I have never needed my membership so much as in the past 18 months. I think anyone who is not a member of the Union is running a huge risk to their nursing career. You have hope when you join such a strong union as the NSWNA. Recently I had to go through a case in my workplace. All I can say it is very difficult the way nursing is going these days, particularly with the pressures of reduced budgets in working establishments. Sadly it is the nurses that suffer in the long run. The information you can get from the NSWNA is of such value. Reading The Lamp gives you insight and knowledge that is vital for nurses. Many of the articles give you strength and a certain pride that you have chosen a career as a nurse. There is so much to read and discover about nursing that one would never hear about in their general career. You hear the very latest news and now a new NSWNA website is coming soon. When I was confronted by the news that I had lost the job I had loved for

many years, I was absolutely shattered and I was angry because I had done nothing wrong. The NSWNA officials supported me and helped me get through something that I would not have had a hope of doing otherwise. Never in my life have I had so much support and caring from the professional people at the NSWNA. My self-esteem is back intact, I feel more confident and am enjoying nursing once again but at a different place. I feel I would have left the nursing profession because I would have been defeated if I was trying to fight it on my own. Now I have a new passion for nursing. The NSWNA really helps people who find themselves in difficult and threatening situations. I think so many nurses think it just wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;meâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Believe me, when you least expect it, things can change overnight. I just want to thank the Nursesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association so much for everything they have done for me. THANKS A MILLION! Maureen Bassett Maureen Bassett won the prize for this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letter of the month, a $50 Myer voucher.

Who is The Lamp kidding to think that members would want our union fees wasted on such articles as body piercing. The body is an amazing piece of work, why put it at risk by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;punching holes in itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Do us a favour and print something of interest next time. Meg Watson, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

Got something to say? Send your letters to: Sarah Thomson email sthomson@nswnurses.asn.au fax 9550 3667 mail PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 Please include a photograph along with your name, address, phone and membership number. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

LETTER of the month The letter judged the best each month will be awarded a $50 Myer voucher, courtesy Medicraft, Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest manufacturer of hospital beds and furniture. For more information on Medicraft products, visit www.medicraft.com.au or call 9569 0255.

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6 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

Anne Moehead

Victoria Gilmore

Caring for people with dementia rewarding but challenging

Valuable input to information survey I am writing to thank the members of your branch, who received the nurses’ and information technology survey and took the time to complete it. We had an excellent response to the survey. The returns are currently being analysed by the University of Southern Queensland and a report will be provided to the Australian Government by the end of this year. I am hoping that a summary will be publicly available early in 2006. I am aware that some members in NSW had limited time to complete the survey when it was initially distributed. Please accept my apologies for this and I hope that this did not cause any inconvenience. This is a very important project for nurses and the input from your members has been greatly appreciated. The recommendations that we are developing with the assistance of nurses across the country will provide opportunities for better utilisation by nurses of information technology and information management systems. A roadmap will also be developed for governments to help your members with access to education and training when using information technology and information management systems. Victoria Gilmore, Project Manager, Federal Professional Officer, Australian Nursing Federation

crossed with STRICTLY BALLROOM” -Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES

and is developing a National Framework for Action on Dementia. This I hope will deliver increased resources to care delivery and support. I am proud to celebrate this award and acknowledge that this recognition is not only for myself but all my fellow colleagues; nursing, medical and allied health professionals that I have worked with over the many years. I would like to end with a quote from Tom Kitwood (1997), who has done some wonderful work on dementia: ‘Among the motives for good work are the sense of strength that comes from being close to other people, the fulfilment that arises from giving freely, the pleasure of working for human betterment, the inner peace that accompanies integrity and the satisfaction of being committed to a cause that lies beyond oneself’. Congratulations to us all. Anne Moehead, Dementia Care Clinical Nurse Consultant, North Coast Area Health Service Every letter published receives a copy of the Australian Nurse Diary 2005. The diary includes weekly shift planners, reference materials and foreign language translations, and is available from hospital newsagents.

MAD HOT BALLROOM

R FO S E R ER F F MB LO E IA M E C NA S P SW N

“Irresistible! A kind of SPELLBOUND

I want to share with my nursing colleagues a recent occurrence I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to experience. On the recent Queen’s Birthday honours it was announced that I had been awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to the Northern Rivers community, particularly for people with dementia, through my development of care and support services. I was very proud but also humbled to have been nominated for this award by my colleagues. I hope that in a small way it raises the awareness of the contribution nursing makes to the community and to the issues surrounding dementia care. I have worked in aged care/ dementia care as a clinician and in the service development area for around 20 years and continue to do so as a Clinical Nurse Consultant, Dementia Care North Coast Area Health Service. I find this area of work extremely rewarding but also challenging, as there is still much work to be done in the way we deliver care for people living with dementia and their carers, particularly when hospital care is needed. I am very excited that the Australian Government has recently recognised dementia as a national health priority

10 double passes to be won! “A kind of Spellbound crossed with Strictly Ballroom!” Anyone can make it if they learn how to shake it.

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

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MAD HOT BALLROOM is an inspiring look inside the lives of eleven-year-old New York City public school kids who journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves along the way. Told from their candid, sometimes hilarious perspectives, they are transformed from typical urban kids to ‘ladies and gentlemen,’ as they strive toward the final citywide competition. The Lamp has 10 double passes to give away to see Mad Hot Ballroom.

check out the website at www.paramountclassics.com/madhot

Soundtrack out now through Stomp Entertainment ICON FILM DISTRIBUTION

To enter email julia@lodestar.com.au with your name, NSWNA membership number, address and phone number. First 10 correct entries win! THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 7

N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

Laying the groundwork for new private hospitals claims g We need to increase union membership in private hospitals to protect existing conditions and win wage increases.

he NSWNA is gearing up to negotiate a new round of wages and conditions for private hospital members. The wages round will have important implications for most private hospital nurses, although some nurses have already been involved in separate enterprise agreement negotiations that have finalised wages and conditions. With negotiations for new wage rates able to commence from 17 November 2005, the NSWNA is working to lay the groundwork to ensure members are a strong negotiating position, according to the NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes. The NSWNA aims to involve all private hospital members in the upcoming campaign. NSWNA officials are visiting all private hospitals to discuss the new campaign with members, seeking input and asking them to rank the issues most important to them in their hospital. The NSWNA has formed a private hospital log of claims committee to develop the detail of the NSWNA claim, with member representatives elected from the NSWNA Committee of Delegates. This committee will consolidate the issues that private hospital nurses have raised and formulate the final claim – known as a ‘log of claims’. Brett Holmes said the Association is working to strengthen membership in the private hospital sector. ‘We aim to establish a NSWNA branch or have a workplace representative at every workplace,’ he said. ‘The union will not only have new

Branch Secretary at the Mount Wilga Private Hospital, Ineka Cooper

‘The union will not only have new claims but will be attempting to protect nurses’ existing entitlements from being stripped away by the federal government proposals.This is not going to be easy.’

8 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

claims but will be attempting to protect nurses’ existing entitlements from being stripped away by the federal government proposals. This is not going to be easy. ‘The higher the density of members and the more active our branches are, the more negotiating power the Association has. ‘To achieve the best outcomes in the award for private hospital nurses, we need to increase our membership in this sector. ‘Private hospital members should

encourage their colleagues to join the union to assist in gaining better wages and conditions,’ said Brett. Members at the Mount Wilga Private Hospital in Hornsby recently formed a NSWNA Branch after a visit from the Association. Branch Secretary Ineka Cooper, RN, said NSWNA officials came to work and explained how members would be in a much stronger negotiating position as a branch. ‘Members felt inspired to get more involved in the union after the NSWNA visit,’ she said. ‘When issues came up before, we were dealing with management on our own. It was up to individuals to speak out. As individual members we didn’t have a strong voice. Now management will deal with us as a branch, and it’s harder to ignore a united group of nurses.’ The newly-formed Mount Wilga Private Hospital Branch is focusing on recruiting new members and strengthening its membership. ‘We’re speaking with our nursing colleagues face-to-face and explaining the benefits of the Union and why it’s important that they join,’ said Ineka. n

HAVE YOUR SAY Private hospital members will have the opportunity to nominate their priorities in the new round of wages and conditions. Meetings will be conducted in all private hospitals covered by the award.

HIRE YOUR OWN LAWYER, MP TELLS NURSES

oncern over the Howard government’s proposed changes to industrial law prompted a group MP John Cobb of nurses from Dubbo Private Hospital to meet with their local MP, National Party representative John Cobb. EN Diana Allchurch and RNs Pamela Larson and Alison Ganser, told Cobb that Howard’s radical industrial relations agenda would have a negative impact on the working lives of nurses. ‘We wanted to hear his response to Howard’s plan to abolish unfair dismissal laws, and some reassurance that nurses would not be forced to sign AWAs (individual contracts known as Australian Workplace Agreements),’ Diana said. Cobb met with the group for 45 minutes and began by pledging his support for the new laws. ‘When we expressed our fears over the AWAs, Mr Cobb told us that it would be illegal to force any nurse to sign one and that we could have a “representative” in the room should the time come when we were asked to consider it,’ Diana said. ‘We told him that we still felt there would be pressure on us to commit to an AWA and that we believed if this were the case there wouldn’t be enough nurses to staff the hospitals as many would look for alternative employment.’ Cobb claimed that, although the unfair dismissal laws would be abolished for workplaces with fewer than 100 employees, workers could still sue for unlawful dismissal – although the worker would have to pay for their own legal representation. ‘I am very pleased we decided to take action and speak with Mr Cobb,’ Diana said, ‘even though I felt that the answers he gave us were mostly unsatisfactory. As for funding our own legal team – what nurse who was unfairly dismissed could afford to do that? ‘It is so important that we all stand together in this and make our voices heard to our local MPs,’ she said.

EN wins right to stay on suitable duties g Association takes aged care nurse’s case to Commission

n injury at work should not necessarily mean the end of your nursing career – especially if you are still capable of suitable duties. Employers are showing an increasing willingness to sack nurses rather than to retain their employment performing suitable duties. EN June Jones found this out when management at Jemalong Retirement Village in the Central West town of Forbes showed her the door after 12 years’ service. Devastated that her 32-year nursing career might be over, and with a daughter to support, June called the union. We threatened to take an unfair dismissal case against the employer, but eventually negotiated June a return to work on suitable duties. ‘The support I got from the Nurses’ Association was just phenomenal,’ June told The Lamp. ‘From the moment I picked the phone up and spoke to the people on the front desk, I got wonderful support both emotionally and in a practical way. That continued through to the organiser and then the industrial officer who handled my case. ‘Without their encouragement I would have said bugger it, I can’t fight these people. I would have had to give up my career.’ June suffered a rotator cuff tear in late 2001, then a frozen shoulder following complications from surgery. While the shoulder came good after a year of intensive physiotherapy,

June Jones with daughter Catherine.

‘The support I got from the Nurses’ Association was just phenomenal.’ she had to stay on suitable duties working reduced hours. She did some full days when working as a foot care nurse since this did not involve lifting, pushing and pulling. In May 2004 June entered hospital for surgery unrelated to her injury. Despite a doctor’s letter after the second operation saying she was fit to return to work on suitable duties, management told June she was being terminated. The union took a threatened unfair dismissal case to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. After negotiations in and out of the Commission the retirement village agreed to provide suitable duties providing a physiotherapist’s assessment was positive. The physio gave June a positive report, recommending a graded return to work initially for a maximum five hours a day four days a week. June is back at work and hopes to make a full recovery. n

John Howard’s proposed unfair dismissal laws will prevent members who work for organisations with less than 100 employees from pursuing unfair dismissal claims such as this. THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 9

N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

GREEN BAN STOPS RELOCATION OF DISABLED RESIDENTS green ban by the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) has stopped any building development occurring at Ferguson Lodge, a community hostel in Lidcombe. Residents became concerned about their long-term housing arrangements after hostel owners, ParaQuad, revealed plans to replace the facility, which no longer meets regulatory standards. Residents feared they would be forced to relocate to group homes around Sydney with lower levels of nursing care. Paraquad have revised original plans to relocate the facility to the Callum Park site in Leichhardt and have entered into a consultation process with the residents to determine their care needs and the most suitable care arrangements. According to Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda, nurses at Ferguson Lodge were extremely concerned at the proposal to close the site and relocate residents. ‘Some of these residents have lived at Ferguson Lodge for 20 years. Splitting them up would have been very traumatic. ‘Many require 24-hour care. They would not have survived in group homes where there is only 38-hours care per week. They would have needed to be moved to a nursing home for the frail aged. But these residents are not old people,’ she said. The CFMEU took action to place an interim green ban on the demolition of their home after being contacted by representatives of the Ferguson Lodge Action Committee, which includes members of the NSWNA. The CFMEU said the green ban was designed to encourage ParaQuad to fully consult with the residents and to urge the Minister for Disability Services, John Della Bosca, to step in to guarantee none of the residents will be evicted.

10 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

Medibank up for sale

edibank Private has joined Telstra on the list of publicly-owned enterprises likely to be sold by the Howard government. The government expects to get more than $1 billion for Medibank Private. It is Australia’s biggest health fund with about 30% of all 8.7 million health fund members. Medibank Private was set up in 1976, partly to keep down health fund premiums through competition with privately-owned funds.

But Finance Minister Nick Minchin claims a privatised Medibank Private could do a better job of keeping premiums down. This claim is false, according to Labor’s health spokeswoman Julia Gillard. ‘Tony Abbott (Health Minister) continues to tick off increases in private health insurance premiums every year and continues to stand by while exclusions increase, gap payments skyrocket, and value for money all but disappears for families,’ she said. n

‘Temporary’ nursing home staff win permanency g Nurses now protected if home is sold.

urses who worked at a government-owned nursing home for more than six years on three-monthly rollover temporary contracts, have been made permanent after an Association campaign. Winning permanency means the nursing staff at Governor Phillip Nursing Home in Penrith are protected if the State government succeeds in selling the home to private or other non-government interests. In the event of a sale nurses would stay on public hospital award rates rather than the lower nursing home award rates. Alternatively they could choose to transfer to another job in the Western Sydney Area Health Service rather than stay with the new employer. If neither option suited, they would be entitled to redundancy pay, which is not available to temporary employees. Governor Phillip employed most nurses on full-time or part-time temporary contracts – contrary to general public sector practice that workers be made permanent after three months. When a private operator entered negotiations to buy Governor Phillip, the NSWNA demanded that all nurses be made permanent.

The Association continued to pursue the claim after the private operator withdrew from the negotiations. A NSWNA spokesperson said it was clear that the use of rollover contracts was an intentional strategy to avoid obligations to nurses if Governor Phillip was sold.

‘We now have some certainty about our futures.’ Judith Laws, an Assistant in Nursing, said she had been on rolling three-month contracts at Governor Phillip for more than six years. The Association’s successful campaign for permanency came as a huge relief to staff, Judith said. ‘Any new employer has to honour the rate of pay we are on with SWAHS, and also honour our long service leave, superannuation, sick and annual leave. ‘If we stayed on temporary contracts we would be a lot worse off financially once the place was taken over. At least we now have some certainty about our futures,’ Judith said. n

NURSING DREAMS GRANTED FOR LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED State-funded course aimed at the long-term unemployed has put 15 Western Sydney residents on the path to a career in nursing. The Corporate Partners for Change (CPC) Program has been running the year-long Assistants in Nursing scheme since 1998, with 120 people graduating and going on to secure jobs in the health care sector. Mum of two Emanwela Car, 33, completed the course this year and has already been offered permanent part-time work as an AiN at an aged care facility in Richmond. ‘It’s always been my dream to work with the elderly,’ she says. ‘The program gave me the right training to do that and I’m so happy in my new job.’ Mrs Car had been out of work for four years when she saw an advert for the scheme and knew that she wanted to sign up. ‘I’ve always wanted to be a nurse and I knew that the time was right to go for it. This has been such a great opportunity for me and I hope to start training to become an EN next year. But first I’m going to join the union and meet some of my new colleagues!’ Minister for Sydney, Diane Beamer, congratulated Emanwela and the other graduates at a ceremony at Richmond’s Chesalon Nursing home on 27 June. ‘The Assistants in Nursing scheme is one of the most successful CPC programs,’ she said.

To find out more about the Corporate Partners for Change Program, phone 88364972 or visit the website at: www.premiers.nsw.gov.au/AboutUs/ OurStructure/OfficeOfMinisterForWeste rnSydney/CorporatePartners/default.htm

Midwife made department head at RPA

Maureen Ryan – first midwife to head obstetrics department

idwife Maureen Ryan has been appointed inaugural Head of Department – Low Risk Obstetrics at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Maureen is believed to be the first midwife to occupy such a senior position – traditionally filled by a doctor – at an Australian hospital. Her responsibilities include the midwives’ clinics, the Birth Centre, the Midwifery Discharge Support Program, lactation, parent education, GP Shared Care and the postnatal wards. Clinical Manager of Women’s and Children’s Health, Valerie Smith, said this was a groundbreaking appointment which would further raise the profile of midwifery at RPA. ‘Maureen is a highly regarded and credible midwife who also has significant

management skills and a broad understanding of the health system and of the importance of using research as the basis for best practice,’ she said. The Executive at RPA Women and Babies recently revamped responsibilities for specialty areas in the clinical stream and divided Obstetrics into two departments – highrisk and low-risk. Maureen said, ‘Given that the midwife’s role is to care for women and their families during normal pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period, it was appropriate to appoint a midwife as the head of department for lowrisk women. ‘One of my first challenges will be to raise the profile of a “low-tech” service that predominately cares for the woman choosing a normal birth experience even though it is situated in the environment of a large tertiary referral hospital,’ she said. She said she believes that midwives wishing to further their careers need to stay on top of constantly changing trends in health care including technology and patient expectations. ‘Most importantly we must constantly remember that we are professionals in our own right and are a vital part of the health care team. ‘The impact that we have on the health and wellbeing of those in our care is enormous, yet most of the time we never fully realise this impact.’ Maureen completed her midwifery education in England in 1973 and has worked in Canada and Australia, including at Nepean and Crown St hospitals. She has been at RPA since 1982. n THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 11

N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

WENDY WARNS OVER BPAY ERROR Pay may be advertised as the safest and easiest way to settle your bills but for RN Wendy Heat, the decision to pay her nursing registration fees by BPay put her job in serious jeopardy. ‘I’d always had trouble getting the cheque off for my nursing registration fees on time, so I thought this time I’d use BPay as it all looked very easy,’ explained Wendy. ‘After I’d arranged for the money to be transferred, I was given a receipt number and I thought that was that. ‘I started to worry that I hadn’t received anything in the post a few days later but I assumed everything was OK as I had the receipt and was shown my balance after I had ordered the payment.’ Wendy was eventually contacted five weeks later by a staff member at the bank who told her there had been a ‘glitch’ and the payment hadn’t gone through – meaning that Wendy had been working out of registration for over five weeks. ‘I was shocked that this could happen and immediately contacted the Nurses’ Registration Board who told me I would have to pay a $10 late charge. After much discussion the bank agreed to cover it but to this day I haven’t received an accurate explanation as to how this happened in the first place. ‘I’d like to warn other nurses about this and advise them to always check that a payment has gone through if they’re using BPay. I was lucky I found out when I did – otherwise this could have been a very serious situation,’ she said. n

US look Down Under for cheaper drugs

Wendy Heat 12 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

ed up with paying the highest prices for medicines in the world, tens of thousands of Americans are getting prescriptions filled in other countries, including Australia. Five American states have joined forces to set up a scheme called I-SaveRx, under which residents can have prescriptions written by US doctors, filled in Canada, Ireland, Britain or Australia. Prescriptions written by American GPs are sent to I-Save-Rx, which forwards them to foreign doctors for ‘further review’. They are then sent to pharmacies in those countries and posted to patients. Americans pay so much for drugs thanks to the enormous political influence of the big US pharmaceutical companies. Major donors to politicians’ campaign funds, the drug companies have successfully pressured the US federal government and some state governments not to support drug price controls. I-Save-Rx, which so far has 61,000 Americans on its books, says Australian

drugs (non-PBS) are 51% cheaper on average than in the US. I-Save-Rx is restricted to drugs that are used for long periods and that cannot spoil during transport. Only repeat prescriptions are allowed.

Five American states have joined forces to set up a scheme called ISave-Rx, under which residents can have prescriptions written by US doctors, filled in Canada, Ireland, Britain or Australia. I-Save-Rx claims Australian authorities do not have any concerns with Australian pharmacies filling prescriptions under the I-Save-Rx program. A bigger problem may be getting Australian doctors to write prescriptions for patients they have never seen. n

WHAT’S prON nsswwna education ogram

Defend your rights at work – Day of Protest on 15 November

he Federal Government’s assault on people’s rights at work will be the focus of a Protect your rights at work National Day of Community Protest on November 15. The National Day of Tuesday November 15 Community Protest is organised by the ACTU with the support of unions including the NSWNA. It features a series of meetings at local venues to view a Sky Channel broadcast. The Association asks nurses to try to arrange their rostered day off Coming to a screen near you... for November 15 so they can attend a meeting. Announcement of the day of protest came as the Federal Join our biggest ever worker and community meeting Government opened a new front An event hosted by unions and broadcast via the Sky Channel network in its legislative assault on workers Your venue: rights. The latest victims are the Tuesday 15 November most vulnerable in the community Local start times:SA 8.00am,ACT 8.30am,NSW 8.30am,NT 8.30am,TAS 8.30am,QLD 9.00am,VIC 9.00am,WA 12.00noon For more information: www.rightsatwork.com.au – Australia’s 390,000 young You can also contact your union, State or Territory union council or call the ACTU Hotline on 1300 362 223 apprentices and trainees. Prime Minister Howard announced his intention to remove Now that it controls the Senate, the protection in existing awards and government is seeking to: State laws which currently ensure that c Abolish protection from unfair apprentices get full qualifications and dismissal for four million workers wage safety nets. employed in companies with less The ACTU said that instead of being than 100 staff. guaranteed a trade qualification as a passport c Allow employers to put workers onto to a valued career, the government seeks individual contracts that cut taketo put young people onto very low wages home pay and reduce employment to be trained in narrow parts of jobs rather conditions to only five minimum than a whole trade. standards – workers who refuse to ‘We need to ensure that a high sign may fear being sacked. skills and a quality wages path exists c Change the way minimum wages are for our young people, not dead end set to make them lower. qualifications with no future and for c Effectively abolish the award safety net next to nothing wages,’ ACTU President and replace it with just five conditions. Sharan Burrow said. c Keep unions out of workplaces and ‘The Prime Minister’s announcereduce the capacity for workers to ment also takes away the independent bargain collectively with their employer. umpire’s role in fixing wages for c Take away the powers of the indepenapprentices and trainees. dent Industrial Relations Commission. “This means that already low You can download more information apprenticeship wages – $242 per week about the government’s plans at: http:// for a first year apprentice – will fall www.actu.asn.au/work_rights/tools_ further in real terms.’ resources/dl_brochure2.html n

National Day of Community Protest

Australia-wide hookup

THIS MONTH s Leading & Coaching in Aged Care 6 October & 11 November 2005 & 2 February 2006. Camperdown, 2½ days A motivational workshop for Managers & Leaders in Aged Care. Getting back on track and modelling the way. Coaching staff to get the best performance. Action Learning for Leaders. Members $130.00 Non-members $250.00

s Professional Education Day 12 October, Dubbo, 1 day Root cause analysis, disciplinary proceedings, procedural fairness and performance management. Free.

s Legal & Professional Issues for Nurses 14 October, Randwick, ½ day Potential liability, documentation, writing statements, Nurses and Midwives Act 1991, role of disciplinary tribunals including Nurses and Midwives Board. Members $39.50 Non-members $85.00 Branch officials $28.00

s Basic Foot Care for RNs and ENs (VETAB accredited course) 24-25 October, Coffs Harbour, 2 days Aims to provide nurses with the competence to provide basic foot care. Members $203.00 Non-Members $350.00 Branch Officials $175.00

s Nurse Managers’ Seminar Series 26 October, Newcastle, ½ day Legal framework, substantive and procedural fairness, investigation of complaints and disciplinary interviews. Members $85.00 Non-Members $226.00 Branch Officials $74.00

For registration and more information: go to www.nswnurses.asn.au or ring Carolyn Kulling on 1300 367 962. THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 13

SIX CHANGES IN SOCIETY THAT ARE PROPELLING THE WORK AND FAMILY COLLISION

NO C E W V ES R I SNT O BR Y I E F

1. More women in the labour force

New rights a step forward for parents and carers

ears of work by the union movement to bring workplaces into the new century so they meet the needs of today’s families have come to fruition with some good advances won in the ACTU’s landmark Work and Family Test Case. Among the new rights won for employees who have caring responsibilities are: c The right for employees to request up to 24 months unpaid parental leave after the birth of a child. This represents a doubling of the current 12-month entitlement. c The right for employees to request part-time work on their return to work from parental leave and before their children start school. c A new Personal Leave entitlement that allows up to ten days of paid leave a year for the purpose of caring for family members or for family emergencies – double the current five-day minimum provision. NSWNA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said the new rights would make a real difference to nurses struggling to balance their careers with family responsibilities. Professor Barbara Pocock, author of The Work/Life Collision and a respected expert on work and family issues, says the new conditions are a useful

Professor Barbara Pocock 14 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

In 1978, just over a third (35.9%) of the workforce was female. Today women make up 45% of the workforce.

2. Changes in the way families and households are organised Families are more complex than they were 25 years ago. The trends are towards later marriage, smaller households, relationship breakdown, more single person households and geographic dispersions of families. Between 1976 and 1996, the number of single parent families trebled (from 221,500 to 673,000.) They are overwhelmingly headed by women. About half of these parents are employed.

3. There are more dependent people

NSWNA General Secretary, Brett Holmes

step forward but she warns they are under serious threat from the Howard government’s proposed IR changes. ‘These new rights will be very important, particularly the right to request part-time work and greater flexibility for sick leave. It is a small step forward for flexibility on workers’ terms. But there is a long road ahead to achieve other important support needs for carers such as paid maternity or parental leave and a full right to part-time work,’ she said. Cath Bowtell, the ACTU advocate in the Work and Family Test Case, says the union goal in the case was to develop a pathway that took account of different needs of different workers over different stages of their lives. ‘We recognise that workers, particularly women, require extended periods of time out from employment to undertake care, and that they need assistance in making a series of transitions back to work,’ she said. Cath Bowtell says that at each transition there are risks – of losing your job, or the loss of the quality of your job, or risks of significant stress, pressure and strain. ‘If parents can keep their jobs and the conditions of employment that go with them throughout these periods then we can minimise the risks to families,’ she said. n

The number of people with a disability has increased across all age groups. Today over 1 million Australians are severely disabled – sometimes or always need assistance with self-care, mobility or communicating. A further 2.7 million Australians have less severe disabilities that make it difficult for them to perform core tasks. Thirty years of de-institutionalisation of care means 97% of these Australians are cared for by their families. It is estimated that 45% of employees have some caring responsibilities. Most primary and other carers are women.

4. There are more young mothers in work There has been a dramatic shift in the age of the child when mothers return to paid employment. Today one third of mothers return to work when their baby is under one, and more than half by the time the child is two.

5. The gaps in care Work and family pressures are affected by the availability of childcare. Over 70% of households with children under five report concerns with the cost of childcare. Today around half of all children use some form of non-parental care. According to Commonwealth data in 2002, around a quarter of all long day care centres had no vacancies at all. The shortages are worst for children under two years of age.

6. Some aspects of work are becoming hostile to families Longer hours, unpredictable hours and irregular hours are damaging the work and family balance.

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Working mothers make brilliant jugglers

uggling work, family, study and financial survival is no small ask, says RN Jade Starkey, who has just started maternity leave to look after baby Ruby. ‘We were under financial pressure even before I had the baby. I was going to work up until 37 weeks but I got sick and I had to take time off 10 weeks early. We had to rely on savings and use up my holidays and sick leave to survive,’ she said. ‘The new paid maternity leave of 14 weeks made a big difference – it gave us huge security as I was the principal breadwinner. But if we hadn’t had money saved we couldn’t have had the baby.’ Jade says it is not only work and

family commitments that make family life hard for nurses but also the need to study and do shift work. ‘When I was four weeks pregnant I got my CNS status, which meant I had to attend conferences, do research and fulfil other criteria. So I’m not only juggling work and family but also study. ‘I love what I do but everything in nursing changes so quickly. You need to keep up. It puts huge pressure on nurses who want to have a family. ‘I’ve already started looking at childcare because there is a one-year waiting list. But it’s not easy to find something because I’m on a rotating roster and childcare centres don’t cater for that. n

HAVE YOUR

SAY

The State government has launched an online work and family survey to gather an overview of the work and life issues of both employers and employees in NSW. Nurses are encouraged to complete the survey – found on the NSW Office of Industrial Relations’ website www.workandfamily. nsw.gov.au THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 15

NO C E W V ES R I SNT O BR Y I E F

What nurses have to say about balancing work and caring for their families

‘It’s a big learning curve going back to work

Tora Vogels has just returned to part-time work at Nepean Hospital in oncology outpatients after being on maternity leave. ‘If the choice for me was between working full-time and not working at all, I wouldn’t have gone back. It’s valuable to spend time with young kids. I’m lucky to have my mum take Kristian for two days a week so I can go back part-time. ‘You work so hard at your career before you have a child. But it’s a big learning curve going back, you forget a lot. If there wasn’t some security about being able to return to your job, you would be apprehensive.’

‘Childcare is expensive’

Allison Erwin, an RN at Nepean Private Hospital, is pregnant with her first child and preparing to go on maternity leave. ‘I’m taking six months off. I’m taking all my annual leave plus paid maternity leave. Without that I’d have to come back within a few months for financial reasons. ‘I’m lucky I have a supportive family. My mother will help me out. If I didn’t have the help of my mother I’d have to take longer off. I’d have to think about childcare and I’d prefer my child was looked after by someone I know. Childcare is also very expensive – $60 a day. It would be more worthwhile for me to stay at home with the baby. ‘I’m looking forward to coming back on a part-time basis. It would be too hard to manage to come back full-time.’ c

‘The hardest thing is trying to find the time’

Kristie Allen is on maternity leave from her job in intensive care at Lismore Base Hospital. She has three young kids – Ruby 5, Nellie 2 and Henry, 4 weeks old. Her husband Glen is also a nurse. ‘I find it pretty hard to balance work and family responsibilities. I try to cope day-to-day. The hardest thing is trying to find the time. ‘Paid maternity leave is a great help. The extra five paid weeks we have just won is excellent. It gives us some financial support. ‘I’m looking at taking 12 months’ unpaid parental leave before I go back to work. But if I could I wouldn’t go back for five years so I could spend more time with my kids. ‘When I go back I only want to go back part-time. I couldn’t work full-time, especially with my husband doing shift work.’ 16 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

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Home alone caring for Mum g Demographers predict that the number of disabled in Australia will grow significantly due to a combination of the ageing of the population and longer life expectancy. Many of our disabled rely on workers to meet their daily needs. Most primary and other carers are women.

oday over 1 million Australians are severely disabled – they sometimes or always need assistance with self-care, mobility or communicating. But there is not a lot of assistance for their carers as Pamela Tremlett, a DDON in an aged care facility, found out while looking after her mother with dementia. ‘I looked after my mother for about 18 months. She also had macular deterioration so she was going blind,’ she said. ‘It was terrible. I’d get stressed out. She wouldn’t eat – she had anorexia, she always wanted to sleep and was always cold. Sometimes I’d go into the backyard and scream – I’d lose it when she wasn’t eating.’ Pamela says she found it very hard to get back up. ‘I knew there were government-funded packages to help keep the elderly at home but I just couldn’t access them. So I had no support. I tried to get home help but they wouldn’t even put me on a waiting list. ‘I took mum to the geriatrician

Pamela Tremlett, DDON at Bethany Nursing Home, with mother Jean.

and said her behaviour had changed. I felt she had early dementia but she had very little memory loss because she had frontal lobe insufficiency. I felt they did not listen to me. My mother went from being my best friend to being like a child – impatient and rude. ‘There’s no support pension I could claim even though I was over 55 so I couldn’t give up work. I worked four days of 9.5 hour shifts. I organised for day care one day. But I would arrive home and the place would be in darkness, the door left open and the house freezing with mum back in bed.’ Finally Pamela decided with misgivings to find a place for her mother in a home. ‘It was hard to put her in a home. You’re usually over 50 when you are looking after elderly parents. You feel you’re a failure when you can’t look after them at home. My sense of grief and desperation was enormous. ‘Now she’s good. She’s still got dementia but now she’s monitored and is safe.’ n

THE UNSPOKEN STORY: CARING FOR THE AGED AND THE DISABLED c today over 1 million Australians are severely disabled. c only 3% of the severely disabled rely on formal care. c the other 97% are cared for by an estimated 2.5 million Australians (1.25 million who are in paid work). c a further 2.7 million Australians have less severe disabilities (they have difficulty performing core tasks). c the majority of the 3.8 million disabled do not come from the older groups – they are aged 5-65. c more than three quarters of primary carers have been doing it for more than five years and over a third care for more than 40 hours per week. For most carers there is no choice, it is a sense of obligation and family responsibility. THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 17

NO C E W V ES R I SNT O BR Y I E F

Families the losers in IR shake-up g The years of work by the union movement to reform workplaces so they meet the needs of today’s families will be wiped out if the Howard government has its way and imposes reduced protections in its new workplace laws.

xperts are warning that the good advances won in the ACTU’s landmark Work and Family Test Case will be short lived if the Howard government gets away with the proposed IR changes. Professor Barbara Pocock says the new federal IR changes hang like a black cloud over the advances won in the Commission. ‘It is hard to overestimate the assault that the Federal government’s IR plan is for workers with caring responsibilities. It is a big step backwards on the work/ family front,’ she said. ‘It reveals the spoken commitments to work and family by John Howard and

‘Working parents not only have less access to family leave if they are on individual contracts, they also have less time for family life because they are working longer hours.’ his government as empty rhetoric. Their changes will make it harder for workers to control their time.’ Reports by the federal government’s own agencies have provided evidence that a move away from awards towards a system based on individual contracts is likely to lead to more family-hostile environments. Both the Department of Employment

WORKERS WHO CARE SHOULD BE PROTECTED Union initiatives to improve the work and family imbalance have tried to resolve the inevitable conflict that arises when a worker is simultaneously expected to be available to their employer and to their family, says the ACTU’s Cath Bowtell. ‘We have identified predictable transitions during a person’s life that happen when a worker assumes responsibility for the care of a dependent. ‘There are events during a person’s life that trigger a change in their work status – the birth of a child, the return to work after the birth of a child, working while responsible for the care of infants and toddlers, raising young children and dealing with work demands while responsible for the ongoing care of dependents. ‘At each transition there is a risk of losing your job, or loss of job quality or risk of significant stress. Our initiatives are designed to minimise those risks.’

18 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

and Workplace Relations and the Employment Advocate have published analyses that reveal a trend of inferior parental leave and longer hours in individual contracts. This comes as no surprise to Barbara Pocock, who believes the government’s proposed changes will not only prove harmful to employees and their families but detrimental to employers and the wider economy. ‘The shift to individual bargaining will be a disaster for carers, especially women. The minimum award conditions are also a skeleton, not the [comprehensive] support that employees need,’ she said. ‘It is also taking us down the road to an unsustainable labour market, privately experienced by carers and the aged but also by employers. The labour market will tighten up. And not all employers are bastards – there are those who don’t want skeletal conditions, who need a stable workforce with long-term workers. That requires good conditions, but these better employers will be forced in to a downward spiral by bad employers.’

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COMPETITION

WIN! REJUVENATION RETREAT AT LILIANFELS RESORT AND SPA THE PERFECT WAY TO UNWIND

GUTTING THE COMMISSION KILLS OFF SOURCE OF IMPROVEMENTS ederal government plans to marginalise the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission will have serious consequences for improving family-friendly conditions for Australian employees. In Australia, workplace improvements that reconcile work and family roles have been developed, in the main, through test cases in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. This has resulted in: c Maternity leave (1979)

c Adoption leave (1984) c Parental leave (1990) c Carers leave (1994/5) and c A right to refuse unreasonable overtime on grounds of family responsibilities (2003). The major employer groups and the Coalition have opposed each of these improvements. In addition to the above, NSW public sector nurses have achieved: c paid maternity leave – originally 9 weeks, then the recent increase to 14 weeks paid maternity/ adoption leave.

Restore your senses with two nights of pampering at the ‘five-star’ Lilianfels Resort and Spa. Awarded the Deluxe Hotel of the Year by the Australian Hotels Association, the newly-renovated Lilianfels Resort and Spa offers deluxe five-star accommodation, set amidst two acres of rambling English-style gardens. Nestled on the edge of the magnificent Jamison Valley and overlooking the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park, Lilianfels is a haven of relaxation.

c one week paid parental leave for fathers/samesex partners. c FACS leave at a superior level to federal test case standard. In the private sector, the NSWNA always claims paid maternity leave – working case by case to extend this benefit in bargaining.

Individual contracts are a disaster for families A recent report by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations found that of all individual contracts: c only 8% provide paid maternity leave c only 5% provide paid paternity leave. Working parents not only have less access to family leave if they are on individual contracts, they also have less time for family life because they are working longer hours. Research by the federal government’s Employment Advocate found that around one in three people on individual contracts are working more hours than they did two years prior. Families are also under more financial pressure if they are paid by individual contracts. Government data shows that: c Penalty rates were lost in more than half (54%) of individual contracts c Annual leave was lost in more than one in three (34%) individual contracts and c Sick leave was traded away in more than one in four (28%) individual contracts.n

The Lamp is giving members the chance to win a two-night rejuvenation retreat at Lilianfels Resort and Spa. The prize includes two nights’ deluxe accommodation for two, a moisturising milk bath, a full breakfast for two in the Sorelle Restaurant, two 1-hour massage treatments (Swedish or aromatherapy), undercover valet parking and complimentary use of the Spa and Health Club. To win the rejuvenation retreat at Lilianfels Resort and Spa, simply write your name, address and membership number on the back of an envelope and send it to: The Lamp/Lilianfels Resort and Spa competition PO Box, Camperdown 1450. For reservations and information, call Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa Reservation Office on 02-8248 5230

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 19

A G E N D A

g Hurricane Katrina

exposed some ugly truths about the world’s most wealthy and powerful nation: while trumpeting its defence of democracy and human rights in Iraq, the United States abandoned its poorest – and mainly black – citizens in the path of Hurricane Katrina. One bright spot amidst the devastation is the compassion displayed by US nurses who are volunteering to go to the aid of survivors.

Volunteer nurses enter Katrina’s wasteland

housands of nurses from all corners of the USA have volunteered to go to evacuation centres and cities laid waste by Hurricane Katrina. The California Nurses Association alone had sent 170 nurses to Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas when The Lamp went to press. Almost 1,000 Californian nurses were ready to follow them, the Association said. With a high death toll, the US Department of Health described the health care needs as ‘extremely critical’. The department said it would pay travel and daily expenses for volunteer nurses and cover them for workers’ compensation. They are being asked to go for periods of between 14 and 30 days. Volunteers are needed to treat many of the hundreds of thousands of exhausted, hungry and sick refugees crowded into makeshift evacuation centres including sports stadiums and disused factories. Volunteers going to flooded areas such as New Orleans are entering a dangerous environment with a high risk of disease. Trapped floodwaters have created a toxic wasteland contaminated

with sewage, industrial compounds and household chemicals. ‘We are gravely concerned about the potential for cholera, typhoid and dehydrating diseases that could come as a result of the stagnant water and the conditions,’ said Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt.

‘We are gravely concerned about the potential for cholera, typhoid and dehydrating diseases.’ Officials also predicted mosquitoborne diseases such as West Nile virus and dengue fever, and cited carbon monoxide poisoning risks to people using generators and fuel stoves in the absence of electricity. Without an effective evacuation plan, scores of hospital patients and nursing home residents died in New Orleans from thirst, hunger and lack of medical care. Hospitals in New Orelans had to airlift babies without their parents to other states. Many were hooked up to battery-operated breathing machines to keep them alive. n

NSWNA LENDS A HELPING HAND The NSWNA has donated $2,000 to the Louisiana State Nurses Association to assist their relief campaign in New Orleans. Members can make donations to the Louisiana State Nurses Association by sending a cheque to: 20 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

Louisiana State Nurses Association Relief Fund Louisiana State Nurses Association 5800 One Perkins Place Suite 2-B, Baton Rouge LA 70808 USA.

A father carries his baby through the flooded streets of New Orleans.

Advance warnings ignored

he catastrophe appears to have stretched the resources of the world’s most powerful nation to the limit. The US government

asked the European Union for blankets, medicine, water and 500,000 food rations. Offers of help poured in from around the world. The tiny impoverished island of Cuba, still subject to US economic embargo, offered to send 1,100 doctors with 26 tonnes of medicine. Cuba itself is regularly swept by hurricanes and is highly experienced in dealing with natural disasters. Last year its government successfully evacuated 1.3 million people, more than 10 per cent of the country’s population, without a single life lost, during an especially powerful hurricane. The head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Stephen Johnson called Hurricane Katrina ‘the worst natural disaster our government and people have had to face’. Katrina’s devastation was entirely predictable. The authorities had advance warning of a Force 5 hurricane yet failed

to evacuate tens of thousands of people who were too poor to make their own way out of the city. Many people had long warned of disaster for flood-prone New Orleans, pointing to the need to strengthen the levees and pumps and fortify the coastlands. However the Bush administration slashed the budget of the New Orleans Corps of Engineers by 44%. Plans to fortify New Orleans levees and upgrade the system of pumping out water had to be shelved. Bush also downgraded the capacity of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to natural disasters. The government required the Agency to devote 75% of its budget to ‘counterterrorism’, shifting resources away from protective and responsive measures against hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters. n

Black nurses open clinics for the poor

ictims of Hurricane Katrina are overwhelmingly poor and black. New Orleans is a 70% AfricanAmerican city – the third poorest in the US – with a 40% illiteracy rate. One of the most critical issues affecting African-Americans is the widening gap in health care between African-Americans and others. Compared to whites, the infant mortality rate is twice as high, coronary heart disease is 40% more, women have a higher death rate from breast cancer, and the death rate from HIV/AIDS is seven times higher. Reducing this health gap is the aim of

the National Black Nurses’ Association which represents 150,000 African-American nurses. The NBNA’s 76 chapters offer countless voluntary hours of community health screenings and outreach services on high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, cancer, mental health and other issues of concern to their communities. The New Orleans chapter of the NBNA hosted the Association’s national conference in 2003. Determined to use the conference to highlight the health problems of their community, the local nurses worked to create an event which answered community needs and reflected a nurse’s calling – helping people to achieve better health.

The group transformed the historic New Zion Baptist Church into a community health clinic. Hundreds of neighborhood residents entered the church to receive free medical and social services – everything from vision screens to cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure tests – provided by the conference delegates supported by local agencies. The event reflected the NBNA’s mission to provide a forum for collective action by African-American nurses to work to provide AfricanAmericans and other minorities ‘health care commensurate with that of the larger society.’ n THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 21

INNE DWUSS TI R N I AB LR I E S FS U E S

NSWNA AT A PUBLIC HOSPITAL NEAR YOU

Brett Holmes explains the impact of the IR changes to Celine Hill, CNC; Sharon Eather, CNS; and Rebecca Finkel, NUM.

Brett enjoys meeting members Summer Byrne, RN; Michelle Mallillin, TEN; Marianne Smith, RN; and Stephanie Maleszka, RN.

Sailina Nassedra, EN, signs up to go Direct Debit.

Nursing students Amy Roussos, Angie Butcher and Clover Hill are proud to be Associate NSWNA members.

22 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

g NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes and Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda have taken to the road to visit public hospitals across NSW during September, October and November to explain the impact of the looming IR changes on nurses and the NSWNA Nurse Power Fund to protect members. The Lamp accompanied Brett Holmes as he visited nurses on wards at Westmead Hospital and Judith Kiejda visiting members at Concord Hospital.

At the branch meeting Brett explains the NSWNA Nurse Power Fund and the NSWNA plan to help protect members in the face of IR changes.

Cate Whitelock, RN, decides to pay her Union fees by direct debit after Judith explained the benefits.

Judith with members David Beasy, CNE, and Katica Siric, NUM.

Judith talks to concerned members Anne Pusch, RN, and Mayrose Chan, CNE, about the IR changes.

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 23

N RE O P WFSE SI S N I OB N RA I EL F I S S U E S

Enrolled Nurse position under threat g Plan to ‘dumb down’ EN training and qualifications.

he position of Enrolled Nurse would be seriously undermined if proposed employer-sponsored changes to nurse training and other health qualifications are approved. The EN could be replaced by a multi-task worker who would carry out some nursing functions as well as nonnursing duties. This radical change is being driven mainly by the non-government health industry and is aimed at lowering wages bills through greater ‘workforce flexibility’. Known as the National Enrolled Nurse Project, the plan will replace the current NSW TAFE qualification for ENs. The TAFE qualification will be replaced by a set of ‘competency standards’ for ENs outlined in the National Health Training Package. Students could study units of competency in specific combinations to achieve a qualification such as EN. They may also study some (but not all) EN units of competency in combination with other non-nursing units. NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda said the proposed system could result in a ‘dumbing down’ of EN qualifications. ‘It could be harder for ENs trained under the new system to advance along the career path to the position of Registered Nurse,’ said Judith. ‘Also, non-nurses could be trained to

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NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda

attain some EN competencies in order to take over work currently performed by ENs.’ Judith Kiejda said the NSWNA would welcome a single national EN qualification but not if it lowered EN standards and handed nurses’ work to non-nursing employees. ‘A national qualification should enhance the role of the enrolled nurse, not diminish it,’ she said. ‘The NSW Nurses’ Association will fight to preserve the value and integrity of EN qualifications and standards. ‘We oppose a situation where a worker could be assessed as being competent in certain areas of nursing without actually being a nurse.

The NSW Nurses’ Association has set up an EN Working Party comprising ENs, RNs, Nurse Educators, EN Coordinators and NSWNA officers. They share a common concern that the current standard of enrolled nursing in NSW, and therefore the nursing workforce, may be degraded by the enrolled nurse project. The working party urges members to

‘We have set up an Enrolled Nurse Working Party and we welcome input from members (see box),’ said Judith. The National Enrolled Nurse Project is being carried out by the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council Ltd, a body dominated and influenced by employers both private and public. The Skills Council is working with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council to write EN ‘competencies’ into the National Health Training Package. Judith Kiejda said the National Health Training Package does not specify course content curricula, course duration or delivery mode, or teacher qualifications. ‘The training package only specifies the combination of tasks or “skills” a learner must be able to perform to be assessed as competent. It is designed to maximise flexibility for employers first and learners second,’ she said. ‘Once this project is complete, the national qualification will be the only program available for ENs – there will no longer be a NSW enrolled nurse program.’ Judith said it was essential to ensure that the core units in the new national EN qualification are aligned to the EN ‘competencies’ being developed by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council. ‘We must ensure that these core units are only accessible to those undertaking a full EN education / training program,’ she said. ‘And the national EN qualification must continue to require approval by the Nurses and Midwives Board NSW.’n

discuss the issue with colleagues and your DONs. You can give your feedback or raise your concerns about the proposed changes to EN education. Go to the Public Health. No Fix Without Nurses campaign area on the NSWNA website - http://www.nswnurses. asn.au/topics/2222.html – and send an email to the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council.

DANGERS OF THE NATIONAL ENROLLED NURSE PROJECT Unless strong opposition can be built, the National Enrolled Nurse Project could result in: c A potential erosion of the value of Enrolled Nurses’

contribution to health care delivery in NSW. c Potential creation of a generic worker used to

carry out many non-nursing duties, rather than an Enrolled Nurse. c Access to nursing units, possibly medication

administration, by non-nursing workers. c Inadequate career pathway for Enrolled Nurses. c Increased confusion for enrolled and registered

nurses in NSW.

NURSES’ JOBS COULD GO TO LESS-SKILLED WORKERS urse Educator Mardi Daddo fears the day student nurses sit in classrooms with caterers, cleaners and maintenance workers, all studying the same nursing ‘unit of competency’. ‘We should all be concerned by the prospect of nurses being replaced by less-skilled workers,’ argues Nurse Educator Mardi Daddo Mardi, a Nurse Educator for North Sydney/Central Coast Area Health Service and a member of the NSWNA EN working party. ‘The move towards national qualifications is a good thing – but it’s not good that a person off the street can do a short course and gain qualifications in some nursing units,’ she says. ‘This is how the system works in the United States, where people who have trained as operating theatre technicians work in theatre with no understanding of nursing and health. ‘They are not really connected to what’s going on in the hospital. They have no holistic, big-picture knowledge of patient care.’ The Nurses’ Association wants to maintain the integrity of nursing by influencing the outcome of the National Enrolled Nurse Project. ‘We are doing this by working with the Australian Nursing Federation, TAFE and NSW Health, the major employer of nurses in this state,’ said Judith Kiejda.

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INNE DWUSS TI R N I AB LR I E S FS U E S

Qualifications allowance paid up g Go ahead received for payment of continuing education allowance to RNs and ENs in public hospitals with additional clinical qualifications.

SW HEALTH has issued instructions for the immediate payment of the continuing education allowance award provisions after agreement on the implementation process was reached with the Association. RNs and ENs in public hospitals with relevant further education qualifications will receive an additional payment of up to $32 per week, back-paid to 1 December 2004. The continuing education allowance was granted by the Industrial Relations Commission in December 2004 to nurses who have obtained additional clinical qualifications relevant to skills and competencies required for their roles. NSWNA Secretary Brett Holmes said the decision by the Industrial Relations Commission to grant the continuing education allowance establishes an important principle that nurses deserve to be recognised for improving their qualifications. The allowance for public hospital nurses laid the framework for the Commission’s decision to also award a continuing education allowance to aged care nurses with additional clinical qualifications – as part of the aged care pay case in March 2005. The allowances will also soon be discussed with private hospital members as part of developing members’ next wages and conditions claim. The continuing education allowance is payable to ENs and RNs who can demonstrate they have achieved additional qualifications in a clinical field that is directly relevant to their work (see Clinical fields for the continuing education allowance table on page 28).

26 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

Cynthia Holbeck

‘The NSWNA will work to have the allowance extended to all nurses who have obtained further qualifications.We will keep up the pressure to ensure that all relevant qualifications are recognised.’ Cynthia Holbeck, RN, works in ED at Camden Hospital and recently obtained an Emergency Certificate from the NSW College of Nursing. ‘It was an intensive course and I learnt extra skills and knowledge that I bring to my role. It’s only fair that my hard work and extra skills and knowledge are recognised,’ she said ‘I’m 44. Many people my age may feel that it’s not worth the effort to obtain further qualifications but I think it is for the sake of our patients and also because it boosts your esteem and you feel better about your work.’ The CNC, CNE, and CNS nurse classifications are currently not eligible for the continuing education allowance. Nurse Managers (Grade 3) and above are also not eligible unless they are able to demonstrate that more than 50% of their duties are clinical work.

However, the Commission has allowed provision to review the details of its decision in November 2005, including the appropriateness of excluding these classifications. ‘The NSWNA will work to have the allowance extended to all nurses who have obtained further qualifications,’ said Brett. ‘We will keep up the pressure to ensure that all relevant qualifications are recognised.’ In order to receive the continuing education allowance, eligible ENs and RNs will need to provide their employer with documentary evidence of their qualification and the clinical field of their employment. Contact your Human Resource Department for details on how to claim the allowance. n Details of the full implementation of the continuing education allowance are available in the Department’s Information Bulletin IB 2005035, available on the Department’s website.

Members – Sign up a new member and go in the draw to win a fabulous trip to

HOW MUCH EXTRA PAY

HAWAII!

WILL YOU RECEIVE? The allowance is immediately payable, backdated to 1 December 2004 and increases in line with award wage increases. The current amounts are: c RNs who hold a postgraduate certificate in a relevant

clinical field receive an extra $15.91 per week. c RNs who hold a postgraduate diploma or degree in

a relevant clinical field (other than undergraduate nursing degree) receive an extra $26.52 per week. c RNs who hold Master’s or doctoral degree in a

relevant clinical field receive an extra $31.83 per week. c ENs who hold a Certificate IV post enrolment

qualification in a relevant clinical field receive an extra $10.61 per week.

RELEVANT CLINICAL FIELDS FOR THE CONTINUING EDUCATION ALLOWANCE he Department and the Association have developed a matrix for determining the relevance of clinical qualifications from a recognised Australian educational institution. The matrix lists a range of clinical speciality fields under major functional groups. If the nurse has an Australian postgraduate or post enrolment Certificate IV qualification in a clinical field listed under a major functional group, and is working in a clinical field listed under the same major functional group, then the qualification allowance is payable. For example, within the critical care/high dependency major functional group if a nurse has a qualification in the cardiac speciality field, s/he would be eligible for payment of the allowance, even though s/he may be working in the day surgery or spinal injury speciality fields. The matrix will not ‘cover the field’ for all qualifications. At least in the implementation period claims for payment of the CEA for overseas qualifications or in specialty fields not listed in the matrix will be determined by the Department and the Association centrally. Claims for payment where the speciality field of the qualification is listed under a different major functional group to the speciality field in which the nurse is working will also be determined centrally.

See over for Relevant Clinical Fields.

WIN A TRIP TO PARADISE Prize Includes; Return Airfares for 2 to Honolulu (ex Sydney) flying Hawaiian Airlines 3 nights accommodation Hawaii Prince Hotel, Waikiki 3 nights accommodation Maui Prince Hotel, Maui Prize includes inter island flights, return airport/hotel transfers WIN DAVID JONES VOUCHERS Once you have recruited 4 new members to the NSWNA, you will be awarded a $20 David Jones voucher, and for every member after that you’ll receive a further $5 voucher. It’s that easy! MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORMS

HURRY – CALL THE ASSOCIATION NOW FOR YOUR RECRUITMENT KITS! PH: 8595 1234 (METROPOLITAN AREA) OR 1300 397 962 (NON-METROPOLITAN AREA) OR THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 27 GO TO www.nswnurses.asn.au

INNE DWUSS TI R N I AB LR I E S FS U E S

RELEVANT CLINICAL FIELDS FOR THE CONTINUING EDUCATION ALLOWANCE MAJOR FUNCTIONAL GROUP Critical Care/High Dependency

Medical/Surgical

Community Health

Mental Health

Corrections Health

• Child & Adolescent Mental Health • Community Psychiatric (also recognised for Emergency Departments) • Mental Health/ Psychiatric Nursing Practice (also recognised for Emergency Departments) • Alcohol and Other Drugs • Substance Abuse • Psycho-geriatric Nursing • Rural Mental Health (based on geographic location) • Remote Mental Health (based on geographic location)

• Corrections Health and Forensic Nursing • Clinical Forensic Nursing • Correctional Nursing • Community Psychiatric • Mental Health/ Psychiatric Nursing Practice • Alcohol and Other Drugs • Substance Abuse

SPECIALITY FIELD • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Acute Care Cardiac Cardiothoracic Critical Care Emergency/Trauma Intensive Care Neonatal Intensive Care Paediatric Critical Care Perioperative Nursing Day Surgery Anaesthetics and Recovery Neuroscience Spinal Injury

Enrolled Nurse • Perioperative Nursing

• High Acuity (ward care) • Acute Care • Surgical Nursing • Burns and Plastics • Gastroenterolgy • Paediatric • Infection Control • Medical Nursing • Cancer Nursing • Breast Cancer Nursing • Oncology • Palliative Care • Orthopaedic • Renal/Nephrology • Respiratory • Stomal Therapy Nursing • Wound Management Enrolled Nurse • Wound Care

• Alcohol and Other Drugs • Substance Abuse • Asthma Education • Community Health • Diabetes Education and Management • Health Education • Health Promotion • Occupational Health & Safety • Public Health • School Health • Sexual Health • Women’s Health • Oncology • Palliative Care • Respiratory • Stomal Therapy Nursing • Wound Management • Transcultural Nursing Enrolled Nurse • Wound Care

Enrolled Nurse • Mental Health, Cumberland/James Fletcher Hospitals

Enrolled Nurse • Mental Health, Cumberland/James Fletcher Hospitals Paediatric etc • Paediatric • Family, Child and Adolescent Health • Neonatolgy/Neonatal • Paediatric & Child Health • Child and Family Health • Parenting Education • Lactation and Infant Feeding • Women’s Health Enrolled Nurse • Parentcraft Nursing

28 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

Midwifery • Midwifery • Midwifery Continuity of Care • Midwifery Practice in Risk-Associated Pregnancy • Infertility and Associated Reproduction • Lactation and Infant Feeding Enrolled Nurse • Parentcraft Nursing

Rehabilitation and Habilitation

Aged Care

• Developmental Disability • Other Disability • Rehabilitation • Respiratory • Dementia Care

• • • • •

Aged Care Continence Gerontology Dementia Care Psycho-geriatric Nursing

Enrolled Nurse • Rehabilitation Nursing

Rural and Remote Health • Rural Health • Remote Health (to be recognised in rural/remote locations)

Generic Courses • Advanced Nursing Practice • Clinical Practice • Transcultural Nursing • Clinical Care • Infection Control • Indigenous Health • Nurse Practitioner

Congratulations Cowra Hospital

100% direct debit g Personal touch converts Cowra Hospital members to direct debit

“If anything goes wrong, it’s important to have that union protection.”

very last member at Cowra Hospital has now signed onto direct debit, thanks to the efforts of local member Roseanne Slattery Quinn. She heard about the importance of direct debit at the Association’s Committee of Delegates, and took it upon herself to convert everyone at her workplace. ‘People were approaching me at the annual conference asking how did I do it, but it was easy,’ she said. Roseanne knows most of the staff personally and so was able to talk to

them individually about the importance of direct debit. She even posted off her colleagues’ forms herself. She also distributed an information package about what would happen if payroll deductions were cancelled. ‘If anything goes wrong, it’s important to have that union protection,’ she said. If you’re still paying your fees by payroll deductions, give the NSWNA a call right away and change your details to make sure you and your fellow nurses don’t lose NSWNA protection. n

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THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 29

30 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

Q & A

ASK

JUDITH

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS AT WORK, NSWNA ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY JUDITH KIEJDA HAS THE ANSWERS. THIS MONTH JUDITH GIVES AN UPDATE ON PRIVATE HOSPITALS.

A nurse is a nurse wherever they work. Why are we paid differently in each sector?

after only 6 hours of work. Should I be paid for 62 hours in the fortnight or my rostered 64 hours?

I work in a Private Hospital and get paid less than when I do when I work the odd casual shift at a Public Hospital. Nurses essentially do the same work everywhere. Why are nurses paid differently in each sector?

An employer does not have the right to change your roster at short notice. If the nurse does not agree to the short notice change, the roster must continue as arranged. But if an employee agrees to go home two hours early, the employee can agree to use the Banking of Hours clause of the Award. This provision allows (only with the agreement of an employee) for employees to work more or less than their rostered hours in the roster period. Where a nurse has agreed to work two hours less, and only works 62 hours in the fortnight, she must still be paid her contracted 64 hours inclusive of all the weekend or shift penalties she would have normally received had she worked 64 hours. If this has not happened, she is entitled to back payment. The nurse ‘owes’ the employer two hours in the Bank of Hours, which she will have to work. You are allowed to only be a maximum of 76 hours in credit or debit in the Bank of Hours at any time. If you ‘owe’ hours to the bank, you must be given the first option to do additional hours prior to the use of casual employees. Each hour you work extra in the Bank of Hours over your contracted hours does not receive any weekend or shift penalty, and time debited or credited outside your contracted hours is calculated at one hour for one hour. The Banking of Hours arrangements do not apply to overtime that is worked.,

There are a number of factors causing the different rates including the decisions of the Industrial Relations Commission, varying levels of union membership and branch activity and employer approaches. It is not co-incidental that the lowest paid nurses work under the Nurses’ Other Than In Hospitals Award, and are the group who have the lowest union membership. Members in all sectors should encourage their colleagues to join the union to assist in gaining better wages and conditions. If the proposed Howard Government takeover of state IR systems is successful there will be a massive push to even further splinter nurses’ pay rates into multiple enterprise agreements and individual contracts.

Can I be sent home early on quiet days? I work part-time at a Private Hospital and I am contracted for 64-hours work a fortnight. On quiet days, when I am rostered to work for 8 hours, I have been asked to go home

If you do not want to participate in the Banking of Hours system, you can give your employer two weeks’ notice to stop the arrangement.

Where do I stand when management changes my shift? I work in a very busy private hospital and do not have an agreement relating to the ’Banking of Hours’. Sometimes there are quiet periods and my shifts are cancelled the night before. At the time management said they will get me another shift later in the fortnight. If I am unable to work the day or shift offered can my employer pay me less than my contracted hours?

Under the Award, an employer cannot change your roster at short notice without your agreement. If there is no agreement, the employer must pay you. The key provision is found in clause 6(vi): An employer may change an employee’s roster at short notice, with the agreement of the employee, for any reasonable ground including unexpected situations and unforeseen fluctuations in patient dependency. If you are happy to cancel the shift at the time and then find that you are not able to work those offered shifts, you must still be paid your contracted hours. If you agree to a shift cancellation, it is advisable to arrange for the alternative shift time at the same time. n

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 31

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Nurses’ design puts an end g Evacuation board gives staff a much-needed boost.

ddie Wood gave up his engineering job to go into nursing, but when a fellow nurse suffered a careerending back injury trying to lift a patient, Eddie knew it was time to dust off his technical skills. Eddie designed an evacuation board to get non-weight-bearing patients out of cars and onto Emergency Department beds. He called it the Manning Evacuation Board after his workplace, Manning Base hospital at Taree. It went into commercial production and is now used at dozens of NSW hospitals, with EDs in Queensland and New Zealand also expressing interest. The lightweight

plastic board eliminates double handling of patients with minimal risk of injury to staff. It has proved ideal for moving unconscious or obese patients or people with fractured limbs. ‘Seven nurses working in EDs on the Mid North Coast were injured trying to drag patients out of a car, onto a wheelchair and then lift them onto the ED beds,’ Eddie said. ‘They hurt their backs, shoulders and necks, and one staff member had to have a laminectomy and couldn’t work again. ‘Since we introduced the Manning Evacuation Board in 1998 we have not had a single documented injury from this procedure on the whole Mid-North Coast.’ The evacuation board is fast, safe and simple. The ED bed is wheeled to the car and the board is used to slide

the patient out of the car straight onto the ED bed. CPR can be performed with the patient on the board if necessary. The board costs around $325. British-born Eddie came to Australia 32 years ago to play rugby league for Canterbury-Bankstown in Sydney, and later moved north to run his own engineering business. He eventually opted for a career change and followed his wife Trish into nursing. Eddie trained at Manning Base hospital and is now Manual Handling Coordinator for the Hunter/New England Area Health Service. He said he could not have designed the evacuation board without valuable input from ED staff at Manning Base. Advice from car manufacturers was also crucial. ‘I contacted all the major car manufacturers to find out the degree of the

HOW IT WORKS

The Manning Evacuation Board is a variation on the pat slide, but narrower and longer and with one end angled to 18 degrees. Eddie Wood with colleague Jimmy Buckland. 32 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

It takes three people to safely transfer a patient from a car onto a bed using the board, which is suitable for front or rear seats. Assuming the patient is in the front passenger’s seat, the procedure is:

c An emergency bed (lowered or tilted) is wheeled up to the passenger’s door. A pelican belt is placed around the patient and the car windows are wound down for easy access to the patient. c One member of the team gets in the driver’s seat. Two staff push the bed foot first into the passenger exit.

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angle on their open doors. It ranged from 18 to 22 degrees, so we gave the board an 18-degree angle at one end,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Eddie said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I made a template out of cardboard and sent it to Acacia Medical Products in Armidale. They agreed to make it and sent the first one to us for trial.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; When the ED staff took the board out the front of the hospital car park to test it, a car drove in with an unconscious patient on the front seat. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We put the board into action and it worked perfectly,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Eddie said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The NUM timed the whole operation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; getting the patient off the front seat and onto the ED bed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at 58 seconds. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve now got it down to 40 seconds.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Soon every ED on the Mid North Coast was using the board. The Far West Area Health Service followed, including Broken Hill Hospital, Maitland and Singleton Hospitals. Eddie was recently asked to demonstrate the board to Blacktown Hospital in Western Sydney. The Manning Evacuation Board is Eddieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second major health industry design contribution. He also invented the red dot mobility system for assessing patient mobility. It is now used in 250 hospitals and nursing homes around the world. n

-ASTER OF (EALTH )NFORMATION -ANAGEMENT s YEAR FULL TIME OR YEARS PART TIME s CORE AND ELECTIVE UNITS s m EXIBLE BLOCK MODE AND SOME DISTANCE DELIVERY (EALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR CLINICAL DECISION MAKING AND FOR THE PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION OF HEALTH CARE FACILITIES 4HE -ASTER OF (EALTH )NFORMATION -ANAGEMENT IS A PROFESSIONAL ENTRY QUALIl CATION DESIGNED TO PREPARE SPECIALISTS IN THE DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS 4HIS COURSE PROVIDES GRADUATES WITH A THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN HEALTH CARE AND THE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION OF SUCH TECHNOLOGIES INTO THE HEALTH SYSTEM

-ASTER OF (EALTH 3CIENCE #LINICAL $ATA -ANAGEMENT s YEAR FULL TIME OR YEARS PART TIME s BY DISTANCE WITH SOME COMPULSORY ON CAMPUS BLOCK WORKSHOP ATTENDANCES

'RADUATE #ERTIl CATE OF (EALTH 3CIENCE #LINICAL $ATA -ANAGEMENT s YEAR PART TIME s BY DISTANCE WITH A ONE WEEK ON CAMPUS RESIDENTIAL WORKSHOP 4HESE COURSES ARE DESIGNED FOR THOSE WISHING TO PURSUE OR DEVELOP A CAREER IN CLINICAL TRIALS AND CLINICAL DATA MANAGEMENT OFFERING INTRODUCTORY AND ADVANCED STUDY IN THE DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT OF CLINICAL TRIALS 4HE COURSES ARE SUITABLE FOR DATA MANAGERS HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGERS RESEARCH NURSES AND OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WORKING WITH CLINICAL DATA !PPLICATIONS FOR 3EMESTER *ULY ADMISSION TO THE #LINICAL $ATA -ANAGEMENT COURSES ARE ACCEPTED

c The team member in the car pulls the patient slightly towards the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s door. The board is slid under the patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buttocks with the other end of the board resting on the bed. c The patient is pushed and swiveled towards the passenger exit so he/she is now lying on the evacuation board and bed.

%NQUIRIES 3CHOOL OF (EALTH )NFORMATION -ANAGEMENT &ACULTY OF (EALTH 3CIENCES 4HE 5NIVERSITY OF 3YDNEY 0HONE %MAIL HIMINFO FHS USYD EDU AU WWW FHS USYD EDU AU HIM

c Two team members grip pelican belt straps and pull and slide the patient onto the bed in two movements. THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 33

Now ALL members can

contribute to First State Super!

If you are an existing member of First State Super*, you can make personal after-tax contributions** or transfer beneﬁts from other superannuation funds to your account.

How can you contribute more to your super? ■

To make a one-off payment into your First State Super account, complete a Personal contributions by cheque form. See the back of this ﬂyer.

■

Complete a Consolidate your super form to transfer superannuation beneﬁts from other superannuation funds. We will contact the other fund to arrange the transfer for you, or

■

Contribute to your super through your online internet banking. See the instructions on our website at www.ﬁrststatesuper.nsw.gov.au under Download forms/Personal contributions by EFT – Internet banking only.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to: ■

make a one-off payment to your super (maybe your tax refund cheque?), or

■

consolidate your super into one account, or

■

regularly make after tax contributions by using online banking and

■

receive the Federal Government’s superannuation co-contribution, if you are eligible.***

Notes: * If you are over age 65, read Fact Sheet 3.2 to check if you are able to contribute. ** Does not include compulsory employer Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contributions or salary sacriﬁce contributions to super. *** See Fact Sheet 1 on our website or call 1300 650 873.

More information and forms? If you want to know more about how to grow your super, visit our website at www.ﬁrststatesuper.nsw.gov.au or call us on 1300 650 873.

Disclaimer: This communication is prepared by FSS Trustee Corporation ABN 53 226 460 365 (FTC). It may contain general advice and is not a substitute for professional financial or other advice on your specific objectives, financial situation or needs. FTC recommends that you consider the appropriateness of information contained in this communication to your own situation and consult a licensed financial or other appropriately qualified advisor before acting. FTC also recommends that you obtain a Your Member Guide regarding First State Super (FSS) and consider the statement before making any decision in relation to FSS.

www.ﬁrststatesuper.nsw.gov.au

34 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

ROLLIN 07/05

For some time, members who don’t work in the Public Sector have been asking if they can contribute to their First State Super account. Now they can!

N IEPW T S SF RI N O MB RMI E F M B E R S

s u o i c i l e d y l p m i S g Roz Norman, EN at Tamworth Base Hospital, is a supremo at delicious but simple and quick food. Here she shares some tasty yet snappy tips …

oz Norman is a busy EN at Tamworth Base Hospital but she still finds time to whip up a delicious spread for her family and friends. How does she do it? Roz has turned creating quick but delicious food into a special art, having published three books of her favourite recipes for people leading busy lives, like nurses. Roz Norman describes the recipes in her three cookery books as being ‘things anyone

can cook’. ‘I try to make sure all of the ingredients are something that you would find in your cupboard. Too many cookery books these days involve you having to go to the shop to buy lots of different things.’ This down-to-earth approach to cooking is something Roz firmly believes in: she particularly favours what she describes as ‘old-style’ cooking – muchloved recipes passed down between families over generations that taste great and, most importantly, take very little time to put together. As a nurse juggling work and family demands, Roz knows what it is like to prepare food on the hop. For over 20 years she has juggled her nursing duties while working alongside The North West Life Education Centre helping with drug prevention. It was for this organisation that she decided to put together her first cookery book ten years ago.

‘Drug prevention and rehabilitation is an important issue I believe in very strongly and cooking is something I have loved from an early age. It seemed a great idea to bring my favourite recipes together and publicise the centre,’ she says. Since then Roz has had two more cookery books published and is part of a team from The Lions Club that raises funds to help the needy in the Tamworth community by catering for functions. The group has quickly become renowned for its simple yet innovative cooking. ‘I like to think of ways I can cut down on preparation time. Eating good, nutritious food is so important, particularly for nurses who are active all day long,’ says Roz. ‘I source most of my favourite recipes from friends and relatives – the tried and true kind of recipes that save the day when visitors suddenly arrive or you need a dish to take to a function. When you’ve been working hard all day and have little time to spare, it’s sometimes hard to do it all on your own.’ n

A Roz favourite IMPOSSIBLE PIE Ingredients • ½ cup self raising flour • 4 eggs • pinch pepper & spices • 6 spinach leaves • 1 cup grated cheese • 1 tbs butter • 1½ cups skimmed milk (liquid) • 2 sliced onions • 1 small can tuna

Boil onion and spinach for 7-10 mins. Drain. Rub butter into flour, then add eggs, milk, spices and beat well in a mixer or blender. Add the spinach, onion, tuna and grated cheese to egg mixture. Beat well. Pour in to a large well greased dish. Bake in a moderate oven (200°) for 40-50 mins. Serve with a garden salad and crusty bread.

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 35

L I F E S T Y L E

Little Fish haunted by past lives g The Lamp sent four members to see the new Australian hit, Little Fish. ‘Thought-provoking’, ‘insightful’ and ‘brilliant’ were some of the impressions they came away with. Our reviewers warn this is not for those wanting a ‘feel-good’ movie experience. A sensational movie worth shedding a tear over Bronwyn Clark, EN, Tresillian Family Care I think Little Fish is a brilliant movie. Cate Blanchett plays the recovering addict Tracy superbly. Tracy is the manager of a video store and lives at home with her mum in Cabramatta. She is keen to get on with her life and to have her own business. The opportunity presents itself in the vacant shop next door to her shop and all she needs is the money. The banks are giving her grief, due to her previous poor credit rating. Her ex-boyfriend has just arrived back on the scene after spending some time in Canada ‘getting clean’ and he is doing some shady business deals with Tracy’s brother, Roy. Her uncle, Lionel is an addict and ex-football player. He is having 36 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

a few of his own problems as his supplier (ex-lover) is retiring and Lionel’s supply is about to dry up. Lionel attempts to get clean but can’t handle the withdrawals so he begs Tracy into scoring for him. Tracy has just scored and is perhaps about to succumb to the demons of her addiction and stumbles into a school hall where primary school children singing ‘Flame Trees’. This wasn’t an airy-fairy, feel good movie and I did shed a tear or two. I actually thought that it was a sensational Australian movie with a superb cast.

Worth a look! Karen Bennett, RN, Langton Centre Little Fish is one of the best Australian films I’ve seen. The performances by Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving and Noni Hazelhurst make this film worth a look.

Thought provoking but not a feel-good movie Fiona Loadsman, CNS, Royal North Shore Hospital This movie is definitely not a feelgood movie but the storyline and acting were very believable. The movie shows how much drugs affect a whole family’s life – it’s a life that is very hard to move away from once you’re stuck in it. I came away deep in thought about the issues this movie brought up: the mother’s guilt and dedication to her daughter and son; the daughter’s plight to remain clean when others are using around her; and the related crimes and family problems involved with drugs. Little Fish is a very insightful movie. I can relate it to some of our patient’s lives!

* ÃÌ}À>`Õ>ÌiÊÊ -ÌÕ` iÃÊÓääÈ

We're seeking members with a non-nursing skill or talent they'd like to share with other nurses. You could be a wiz in the kitchen. Or have some DIY plumbing and home-handy tips. Or a wild and wonderful interest or skill. Be it strange, extraordinary or useful, we'd love you to come on board as a NSWNA tipster. We are also seeking closet film buffs to share with other nurses their views on the movies they love and hate. It’s a chance to see previews of next month’s new releases Please contact us with expressions of interest to be part of our tipster and movie review team. All published tipsters and reviewers will receive a NSWNA watch. Be part of the action by calling Sarah Thomson now on 02 8595 1240 or email sthomson@nswnurses.asn.au

Convincing story of Tracey’s struggle to break free

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Daphne Swan, RN, Bethany Nursing Home Tracy Heart (played by Cate Blanchett) is 32 and a former heroin user working in a video shop in the western suburbs of Sydney, with the goal of owning her own business. She lives with her hard-working, single mother (Noni Hazlehurst), who has always been there for Tracy and her brother Ray (Martin Henderson), who was almost killed in a car accident. The characters are very real and also include an old school friend (Lisa McCune), a troubled family friend, ex-football star (Hugo Weaving), ex-boyfriend (Dustin Nguyen) and criminal boss (Sam Neill). It is a story about Tracey’s vulnerability and struggle to try and achieve her goal and stay straight, and the forces that hinder her.

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STAR REVIEWERS & TIPSTERS FOR OUR REVIEW PAGES

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WANTED

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O B I T U A R I E S

Helen showed us the ‘art’ of nursing Helen Louise Tench 21 March 1951 – 15 May 2005

elen Tench has been a trusted colleague and valued friend for 20 years. She came to work at the Royal Hospital for Women in Paddington in 1985. The Newborn Care Centre (NCC) benefited greatly as her arrival strengthened the friendly, caring atmosphere in the busy neonatal intensive care unit. She used her intelligence and skill to really show us the ‘art’ of her good nursing practice. Helen was a complex person. She was all of the following adjectives and more: friendly, welcoming, accepting, generous, spirited, private, modest, neat, kind, polite, and quiet (well, mostly!). She was also professional, compassionate, helpful, a good listener, practical, slow to anger and quick to forgive, thoughtful, and always concerned for the welfare of others. Helen came to her vocation of nursing after working and studying in technical drafting for several years, before surprising her family with her desire to be a nurse. Her nursing career began at Ryde Hospital in 1979. She completed her General Nursing certificate and then a Midwifery certificate in 1983 at Canterbury Hospital. She went on to complete an 38 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

Associate Diploma in Community Health Nursing at Cumberland College of Health Sciences in 1988 and a Graduate Certificate in the Management of Lactation and Infant Feeding at the University of Technology, Sydney, in 1997. Helen continued to work in NCC as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, and helped ‘the Royal’ move to the Randwick Hospital campus in 1997. Helen became part of the fabric of NCC’s culture during her 20 years of service to the unit. She loved her work and was part of the nursing team. She always kept the nursery supplied with cards for baby nametags and specialday cards, for example, Christmas and Mother’s Day cards. I suspect that, over many years, she has done the foot- and handprints of thousands of babies with the nursery’s inkpads for thousands of grateful parents.

Helen always put the needs of others ahead of her own and never wanted to inconvenience anyone at any time. Helen was in charge of the 50 or so staff lockers in the nursery, and presided over their administration with a motherly zeal. The master keys were all kept precisely labelled and boxed and all new staff were ceremoniously written onto a master plan of who shares which locker. These sorts of jobs, though unrewarded, are so important in nursery life. Helen never wanted recognition but quietly got on with the smooth running of nursery life. A successor will have to be found who can match her quiet enthusiasm! Helen shared with her friends her wacky sense of humour. We will not forget her telephone-machine message

from The Wizard of Oz of the wicked witch of the West saying, ‘I’ll get you, my pretty … and your little dog, too.’ Midwives have to let off steam somehow and Helen knew exactly when and where it was appropriate to do so. She liked a good joke to be shared at work. There was the day we all wore “HELEN” name badges, as one of the doctors called all the nurses ‘Helen’ if he couldn’t remember their name. As there were four or five ‘Helens’ working there at the time, he sometimes got it right! Helen shared her life away from work with many friends who enjoyed her company. She was often an audience member of The Australian Ballet and The Australian Opera. She liked embroidery, tatting, and other forms of needlework. She loved to go to quilt and craft shows. Her own craftwork was meticulous and creative, although her perfectionist nature meant that she was never happy with what she created and strived to do better ‘next time’. The historical romance was Helen’s favourite read. Many friends relied on the ‘Helen Tench lending library’ to keep them supplied with the latest ‘Kinley MacGregor’ or ‘Diana Gabaldon’ novel. Afternoon tea parties with the girls have long been part of Helen’s social scene. She liked nothing better than a nice cup of Ceylon tea in a china cup. Some of our gatherings are legendary! They could go on for hours as we shared many pots of tea, much laughter, and one or three cakes! Helen suffered with ill health during the last few years of her life. However, she always had a smile and some conversation for her friends, despite her troubles. She always put the needs of others ahead of her own and never wanted to inconvenience anyone at any time. Helen has been a loyal and dear friend to many. She is among us still. Rest in Peace now, Helen. n MICHELE PRENTICE Royal Hospital for Women, Paddington.

Humour and dedication through hard times Phyllis Maria Thomas (née Burke) 11 August 1951–25 June 2005 She married Graham on 21 February 1976. They moved to Wyoming on the Central Coast in 1977. They had two beautiful daughters, Justine and Caroline. Phyllis commuted by train to nursing homes in Bondi until 1980. She commenced her career at Adelene Nursing Home in June 1980, six weeks after it opened. Adelene Nursing Home comprised RNs and ENs and Phyllis was our first AIN. Gerda Schonavelt, our Matron, ensured that all staff supported and guided Phyllis to make her feel comfortable and welcome. Phyllis loved her work and excelled when caring for dementia residents with challenging behaviours. She had the ability to step into their world and therefore coped with behaviours with minimum stress and greater outcomes. Work colleagues appreciated her dry sense of humour and dedication that often carried them through a difficult

shift. Her friends found her to be loyal and loving and many have had good times over lots of ducks’ feet! Phyllis picked the times she wanted to socialise and if it didn’t suit it was ‘too hot’, ‘too cold’, ‘too wet’ or ‘too windy’. Some have known her as a practical joker and she loved scaring them with her antics, yet if you walked behind her and said ‘boo’ she would scream and then abuse you. In recent years she had a couple of friends she called the secret society with a phone code to ring. She would know who they were and she would answer and catch up on all the work gossip. Phyllis was very much a home body who enjoyed her movies and loved her animals. After 25 years at Adelene Nursing Home she will be greatly missed by the residents and her friends. n JENNIFER PRICE Adelene Nursing Home

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3 CPD hours!

hyllis was born in Dublin, Ireland, 11 August 1951. Her family moved to London when Phyllis was in primary school. Phyllis and her mother went to live in Boston, USA, when Phyllis was 14 with her older sister, who married an American airforce member. They returned to England after a number of years and lived in Laton near London. Phyllis and her mother arrived in Australia in 1972. They settled in Bondi and Phyllis began her career as an Assistant in Nursing at Durham Lodge Nursing Home in Bondi. She also worked at Elsmore Nursing Home in Randwick.

E ¬ O F¬ . U

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 39

ideas s a m t s i r h C t a G re 3

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1 NSWNA Zingers $5 2 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nurses are the heart of the healthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mugs $6 3 Navy Rugby Hat $15 4 Thermos w c/case (500ml) $15 5 Fleecy Beanies $15 6 Beakers (set of 4) with c/case $20 7 Black Crop Top $20 8 Polo T-Shirt $25 9 Fob Watch Silver $40 0 Large Wrist Watch Navy Band $40 11 Black Reversible Vest $45

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L I F E S T Y L E

Book me Cardiothoracic Surgical Nursing Secrets by Barbara A. Todd, Elsevier Mosby Publications, RRP $38.95 Cardiothoracic Surgical Nursing Secrets is a comprehensive resource for both new and experienced cardiothoracic surgical nurses. Information provided includes anatomy & physiology, disorders, procedures, surgery, and postoperative management of the cardiovascular and thoracic systems.

Disease Management: A Guide for Case Managers by Diane L. Huber, Elsevier Saunders Publications, RRP $69.95 This book explains and clarifies disease management and case management with indepth expert commentary. It offers an up-to-date approach that captures both provider and pay or perspectives. Chapters provide case studies or case scenarios to demonstrate the ways in which case managers nationwide have responded to treatment challenges with success.

Promoting Health: The Primary Health Care Approach (3rd edition) by Lyn Talbot & Glenda Verrinder, Churchill Livingstone, RRP $66.00 This book is a practical resource which helps health care workers provide accessible and

socially sensitive health services. The text introduces a range of approaches to health promotion from individual interventions to social change initiatives. Promoting Health has been written for public health students, educators and professionals who are increasingly being required to address the health challenges arising from changing social and environmental factors.

Ageing At Home: Practical Approaches to Community Care Edited by Theresa Cluning with forward by Delys Sargeant, AUSMED Publications, RRP $79.95 Most older people prefer to live independently and to be able to stay in their own homes, but to do this they often need community support, even if they remain relatively healthy into very old age. Ageing At Home is a book that provides practical ideas for professionals and other interested people who care for the frail and elderly who choose to remain at home.

The Work / Life Collision by Barbara Pocock, The Federation Press, RRP $39.95 In Work /Life Collision the author demonstrates how the existing ‘work/care’ regime that shapes how we live and work has high social costs – for mothers, fathers, families and those who want to be both workers and carers. Pocock weighs the hidden costs of how we live and work now – costs that can be measured in bedrooms, kitchens,

workplaces and streetscapes – and in our declining birth rate and embedded gender inequality. The reader is guided through the real experiences of Australian households and is pointed to a uniquely Australian solution to a fairer world.

Australia’s First Hospital: The First 100 Years. By Caroline Wilkinson, available through The Little Shop, RRP $5.00 In 1989 Caroline Wilkinson joined the Friends of Sydney Hospital (FOSH). This booklet is in answer to the many questions she was asked when taking tours around the hospital, particularly The Rum Hospital and to help the FOSH raise money for Sydney Hospital/Sydney Eye Hospital. n

Reviews by NSWNA librarian, Jeannette Bromfield

WHERE TO GET

OCTOBER NEW RELEASES These books are all available on order through the publisher or your local bookshop. Members of the NSWNA can borrow any of these books and more from our Records and Information Centre. For borrowing information, contact Jeannette Bromfield, 8595 2175, jbromfield@nswnurses.asn.au or Cathy Matias, 8595 2121, cmatias@nswnurses.asn.au

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 41

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Test your knowledge with this month’s nursing crossword. 1

9 10

12 13

24 25

30 31

s ACROSS 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 18. 21. 25. 28. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34.

Common name for a substance used to counter heroin overdose (6) Absence of heartbeat or cardiac arrest (8) Specialist nurse, abbrev (1.1.1.) Relating to the eye (6) Measure the quantity of something in a solution in chemistry (7) The rate at which blood settles in a tube, abbrev (1.1.1.) Fluid which suspends erythrocytes in the blood (6) To protect against disease (8) The windpipe (7) A sudden involuntary convulsion (7) Produce saliva (8) Type of personal alarm (6) Fever of unknown origin (1.1.1.) Gives pain relief (7) Period of 365 days (4) Non-malignant tumours of the glands (8) A code governing nursing principals and morals(6)

s DOWN

1. Type of surgery involving blood vessels (8) 2. The tops of people’s heads (6) 3. Is emphysema usually associated with an increase or decrease in blood pressure? (8) 4. Surgical procedure for obesity, ……. bypass (7) 5. The organisation of different parts of the body to form a whole (6) 6. Overuse of a muscle (6) 7. Sheds blood (6) 16. Infection of the upper respiratory system (1.1.1.) 20. Virus that leads to AIDS (1.1.1.) 22. Enrolled nurse with medication qualification is this (8) 23. Investigate through scientific method (8) 24. A type of infection (6) 26. Essential nutrient for thyroid function, sometimes added to salt (6) 27. Paroxysmal dyspnoea (6) 29. Arrhythmia is abnormal …… of the heart (6) 31. Aspect, surface (4) Solution page 44 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 43

DIARY DATES

Conferences, seminars, meetings SYDNEY, HUNTER & ILLAWARRA Certificate IV in Counselling Course Code 13018NSW. Face-toFace Mode 160 hrs, VETAB accredited Date: 5 October 2005 Venue: TBA Contact: Erica Staples, 4924 6631

The Disability Nurse Ref. Group Date: 10 October 2005, 12.30 - 2pm. Venue: Westmead Hospital Second Tuesday of every month Contact: Cheryl Jones, 4731 6222

Community Nurse Audiometrists Assoc. 23rd Annual Conference Date: 12 - 14 October 2005 Venue: Hunts Function Centre, Cross Roads Liverpool Contact: Rhonda Boyde, 9824 8490

Course ‘Evidence based practice for RN’s’ Date: 12 - 14 October 2005 Venue: Claffy Lect. Theatre, Sydney Hosp. Contact: Gemma Bellanto, 9382 7403

Nursing Research Festival SWAHS Date: 12 October 2005 Venue: Blacktown RSL Contact: Julie Ann Stukovski, 9881 8888

Advance Notification of Residential Workshop – ‘Getting

St Vincent’s & Mater Hlth Sydney Nursing Research Symposium

The Children’s Hospital 125th Anniversary

back to basics - caring for the carer’ Date: 20 - 22 October 2005, venue: TBA Contact: Dawne@dawnefahey.com

Nursing Research: follow the yellow brick road Date: 10 November, 9:00am Venue: Function Room, Level 4, St Vincent’s Clinic, Darlinghurst Contact: Sharon Wiley 8382 9443

Graduate Nurses Reunion Luncheon Date: 29 October 2005 Venue: Sofitel Wentworth, Sydney Contact: Helen Bytheway, 9550 0518 helenb1@chw.edu.au

NSW Lactation College Inc

All past and present staff Date: 29 - 30 October 2005 Venue: Junee Bowling Club Contact: June Jackson, 6924 1093 Bronwyn.lemmitch@swsahs.nsw.gov

Aust. Dermatology Nurses’ Assoc. Annual Education Day Date: 21 October 2005 Venue: Bankstown Sports Club Contact: Carolyn Ashley, 0423 808 644 nrderm@ozemail.com.au

The 2005 Health Awards Forum - Excellence in Quality & Safety Date: 21 October 2005 Venue: Australian Tech. Park, Sydney Contact: quality@doh.health.nsw.gov.au, www.health.nsw.gov.au/quality/ awardsforum.html http://internal.health. nsw.gov.au/quality/awardsforum.html

NSW Midwives Association ‘Midwifery by the Sea – riding the waves of change’ Dates: 21 & 22 October 2005 Venue: Swiss Grand, Bondi Contact: Renne 9281 9522

The Mater Graduate Nurses Assoc. Annual General Meeting & Reunion Lunch Date: 23 October 2005, 11:30am Venue: Mater Hospital, Rocklands Road, North Sydney Contact: Jillian O’Brien 9900 7549

CNC/Advance Practice Nurses Forum – ‘Change for the Changers’

Forensic Mental Health Practice Date: 24 October 2005, 9:00 am Venue: TRMEC, Liverpool Hospital ANZCMHN (NSW) & Justice Health Revising The Boundaries Contact: Paul Sonntag 9722 8000 Date: 14 October 2005 Venue: Mercure Hotel Sydney Contact: Kim Ryan, 0407 289 189 executive@nzcmh.org

Mental Health Week 2005 Free Movie Screenings: ‘Stereotypes & Stigmatisation on the Silverscreen’ Date: 15 October 2005 Venue: Northern Sydney Education Ctr, Macquarie Hospital, North Ryde Contact: June Wilson, 9887 5597

Empowering Christian Nurses Workshop Part 2 Date: 19 October 2005, 8.30am - 3.30pm Venue: Bondi Junction Contact: Diana Marshall, 9476 4440

Young People and Sexual Health, Issues for Mental Health Staff Date: 20 October 2005, 8.30-5pm Venue: Rozelle Hospital Conf. Ctr. Contact: Heather Shield 9366 8611, Jennifer Thompson 0404 830 728, shieldhe@sesahs.nsw.gov.au, thompsonj@sesahs.nsw.gov.au 44 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005

Australian Nurse Practitioners Assoc. Inaugural Conference Date: 28 - 29 October 2005 Venue: The Chifley on Northbourne Hotel, Canberra, ACT www.dcconferences.com.au

Modern Midwifery III ‘Something for Everyone’ Date: 28 October Venue: Tweed Heads Bowls Club Contact: Colleen Gaul 5575 8119

Blacktown/ Mt.Druitt Hosp. CHS or Blacktown - Mt.Druitt Hlth over the past 40 years

Evening Breastfeeding Seminar Date: 23 November 2005 Venue: St George Hospital, Kogarah Contact: Gwen Moody 9845 6964

INTERSTATE 26th Annual Scientific Meeting of Australian Pain Society ‘Pain Across the Life Span’ Date: 9 April 2006 - 12 April 2006 Venue: Grand Hyatt Hotel - Melbourne Contact 9954 4400, apsoc@dcconferences.com.au/aps2006

Reunions Alfred Hospital, Melbourne 1/75 30 year reunion Date: 9 October, venue: Melbourne TBA Details: Dianne Doyle, (03) 5453 9202 Michelle.doyle1010@bigpond.com

Auburn District Hospital June 1975 Group, 30 yr reunion Date: 22 October, venue: TBA, Sydney Contact: Annamarie.mackie@gmail.com

Renwick Infants Hospital (now Grosvenor Hospital) Date: 8 September - 8 October 2005 Venue: Renwick Infants Hosp., 9.30 - 3pm Contact: Rae Watson (nee Botefur), 4446 5577

St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst P.T.S January & March 1965, 40 Year Reunion Date: 15 October 2005, venue: TBA Contact: Carol Briscoe (nee Patmore), carolbriscoe@bigpond.com, Rosemary Morrow nee Candsell, rmorrow@hotmail. com; Donna Lukas nee Morrow, donna. lukas@lucas.com.au

Dubbo Base Hospital Nurse Date: 31 October 2005, venue: TBA Contact: Betty Salter, 6882 2718

RNSH Midwifery 20 year Reunion November 1985 group. Hoping to organise reunion for November 2005. Contact: Megan, Leuenberger@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au Jenni Sullivan (Wilson) (07) 5524 8142

St George Hospital Graduate Nurses’ Association 2006 will mark 60th annual general meeting and we are seeking all graduates who are no longer, or never were, members. Contact: BM Carruthers, 4/1 Carlton Pde Carlton NSW 2218

Orange Base Hospital PTS Feb and March 1981 Date and venue: TBA Details: Joyce Kennedy (Biggs), 6361 0408,jkenne14@postoffice.csu.edu.au

Sutherland Hospital 30 Year Reunion – PTS August 1972 Date and venue: TBA Contact details: Lois Berry (nee Cassidy) 4441 6884. Particularly seeking contact with Gwenda Burchil (nee Hudson), Debbie Baker and Penny Lewis.

From page 43 Crossword solution

Coffs Harbour Base Hospital Medical Ward (before the move)

Date: 29 October 2005, 11am-5pm Venue: Rooty Hill RSL/Pharaoh Hill Contact: Nurse Education/Mt Druitt Hospital, 9881 1770 Lorraine-Forbes@swahs.nsw.gov.au

Date: 15 October 2005 Venue: Coffs Golf Club Contact: Anita Atkinson (Young), 6651 7317, ajycoffs@yahoo.com.au

Grafton Hospital Reunion

Reunion for all ex trainees and staff Date: 15 October 2005 Venue: Masonic Club (NSW) Contact: Evelyn Kelly, 9817 7421 Gladesville@yahoo.com

All past & present employees Date: 29 October, venue: Silks on Course Clarence River Jockey Club Contact: Kaypaine@hotkey.net.au

Junee District Hospital Reunion

Marrickville District Hospital

Send us your snaps If you’re having a reunion, send us some photos and any information from the night, and we’ll publish the results in The Lamp.

LOOK WHO'S

NURSING

Marea’s brilliant 43-year career

area Seberry retired in July after 43 years’ nursing practice. Marea was a devoted and dedicated nurse – committed to providing quality nursing with the individual’s care, protection and comfort the cornerstone of her long practice. Born in Gulgong Hospital, Marea was raised in Dunedoo. She eventually followed her older sister Carmel into nursing, despite a long-held ambition to be a kindergarten teacher. Marea commenced her training at Rachel Foster Hospital Redfern in 1962 as a very shy teenager of 17. She was a recipient of the Best Practical Nurse award during her second year. At the completion of her training, Marea worked as a private nurse before travelling to the UK – a rite of passage in those times for many young Australians. Her long-held desire to work with

Diary Dates Diary Dates is a free service for members. Please send information at least two months before the event, in the same format used here – event, date, venue, contact details. Send information to: Ms Glen Ginty Email: gginty@nswnurses.asn.au Fax: 9550 3667 Mail: PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 Please double-check all information sent is correct. The Lamp cannot guarantee that the

children led her to complete midwifery training at the Royal Infirmary in Stirling, Scotland. Marea also spent time on the Isle of Man, as Surgical Staff Nurse, before returning to Scotland and the Braeholm Maternity Hospital in Helensborough. Returning to Australia, Marea worked as a DC Sister at Dunedoo Hospital and, in 1970, she was appointed Director of Nursing there. During her stay at Dunedoo, romance blossomed between Marea and the only doctor in town. Dr Ian Campbell and Marea married in 1976, but unfortunately Ian passed away in 1979. Marea completed the Mothercraft Certificate because of the number of mothers and babies presenting at the hospital. In 1980, Marea moved to Walgett as the Walgett Shire Community Health Nurse. She very quickly discovered her constituency was mostly ‘mums and bubs’. In 1982 Marea ventured to the coast

issue will always be mailed in time for the listed event. Due to high demands on the page, some dates too close to publication or too far in the future may be cut. Special Interest Groups Special Interest Groups is now part of Diary Dates. If you are a special interest group, you now must send information about your event as above. Diary Dates are now available on the NSWNA website: www.nswnurses.asn.au.

to take up a position as the Baby Health Sister for the Macleay Shire. Despite the enormity of the role and a prodigious birth rate in the area, she managed this as a sole practitioner until 1988, when she further diversified as a Generalist Community Nurse, CNS and Nurse Audiometrist at Kempsey Community Health. Marea agreed to fill the position of Acting Nurse Unit Manager in 1989 – a position held with enormous skill and gratitude from her colleagues until her retirement. The loss of someone as respected as Marea is laden with sadness. Her friendship, skills and camaraderie will be sorely missed. However, the thought of her long discussed and deserved retirement plans finally being implemented brings joy to all of us. n

LES SIMONS NUM, COMMUNITY HEALTH KEMPSEY

x Notice The Australian Nursing Federation NSW Branch Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 2005 is now available on the Members’ page at www.nswnurses.asn.au Members without internet access may obtain a hard copy of the report by applying in writing to: Brett Holmes, Branch Secretary Australian Nursing Federation - NSW Branch 43 Australia Street, CAMPERDOWN NSW 2050 THE LAMP OCTOBER 2005 45

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DFT1622_58x84_Lamp

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Right now, we’re looking for Registered Nurses to become Nursing Officers in the Australian Defence Force. Forming part of a committed medical team, you’ll have the opportunity to train and specialise in unique fields including: Trauma Nursing, Peri-Operative Nursing, and Aeromedical Evacuations. In particular, we’re seeking nurses with Intensive Care and Accident and Emergency experience, or those interested in these areas. Starting salary after training is over $53,700p.a. with free healthcare and subsidised accommodation. As a part-time Nursing Officer you will receive tax-free pay and gain leadership and management skills.To apply, you must hold a Bachelor of Nursing degree with at least two years post graduate experience. Call 13 19 01 or visit www.defencejobs.gov.au/lamp2/nursing

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