Unlock the past just published Nurses & Midwives in Australian History: A Guide to Historical Sources. The thin volume provides assistance regarding how to source primary information from document repositories in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The book is unique in that it focuses specifically on sources appropriate to writing the stories of Australian nurses and midwives and thus it looks at both general archives, such as state and national libraries, as well as more discipline-specific sources, such as those found in hospital libraries and via female religious orders. Whether you are researching midwives and nurses working in institutions, asylums or maternity hospitals, in the city or in the bush, you’ll find guidance for locating the documentation needed to weave their authentic stories.

Nurses & Midwives in Australian History draws on the knowledge of the three women who collaborated on its development. Dr. Noeline Kyle’s expertise is in writing family history with a particular emphasis on nursing history, and she is the author of a biography of nurse Mary Kirkpatrick. Dr. R. Lynette Russell is a nurse educator, registered nurse, nurse midwife, historian, and author of multiple texts on the history of nursing in Australia. Dr. Jennifer Blundell is a registered nurse and the archivist for the Australasian Neurosciences Nurses Association who bought her passion for family and nursing research to the writing table.

Nurses & Midwives in Australian History: A Guide to Historical Sources may be ordered from Gould Genealogy and History for $17.

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Starting with the list of blogs at Nurse Uncut (thank you team!), we set out to identify the nursing blogs that met two key criteria: 1. They were active, updated in the past three months, and 2. They were written primarily by and for Australian nurses. We love our international counterparts, but our search was for those nursing blogs sporting an authentic Australian voice.

Nurses are a busy lot. Many once-active blogs are not currently publishing. But the ones that are offer both nuggets of wisdom and wonderful resources that set them apart. We hope you’ll consider adding these four to your regular reading list.

Four Six Australian Nursing Blogs

Along the Path: Written by Canberra nurse Ian Miller, Along the Path is the blog embedded within his website, The Nurse Path. It offers beautifully written reflections on the realities of nursing and on striving to be better at what you do.

Injectable Orange: Penned by Brisbane nurse educator Jesse Spurr (and occasionally guests), Injectable Orange focuses on free, open-access nurse/medical education in multiple forms and covers everything from career advancement to fluid therapy. Spurr recently started a supplementary podcast that is worth your time as well and is accessible via the site.

Meta4RN: The blog of Australian Paul McNamara “Nurse. Educator. Digital Citizen.” McNamara’s writing is broad ranging, from health practitioner use of social media, to mental health issues, to health and nursing as portrayed in media and art. Articulate and intriguing, McNamara educates, enlightens, and makes us think.

Nurse Uncut: Sponsored by the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, Nurse Uncut spans the breadth and depth of the field. Its multiple authors cover everything from nursing history to ethical issues to challenges facing the profession. It’s all here, even coverage of nursing in entertainment and the occasional cause for laughter.

Defining Nursing: Based in NSW, RN Laurie Bickhoff offers a mix posts focusing on nursing education, and reflections on everyday life on the ward and as a practicing nurse.  Bickhoff’s insightful writing prompts nurses and patients alike to reflect on what it’s like to provide nursing care and how we might elevate that calling.

Rhonda Wilson MHN: A rural mental health nurse, Rhonda Wilson began her blog writing about providing mental health nursing services in rural settings. And, while that remains a major focus, it has broadened to address a range of issues including nurse education, and research findings to inform nursing practice.

Do you know of a blog we missed? A blog both by and for Australian nurses? Please share in the comments.

[Note that this page has been updated as we’ve become aware of new blogs.]

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All crew and medical staff aboard the Africa Mercy are volunteers who pay their own way including travel expenses, room, and board. They live and work aboard the vessel, bringing medical care to those in need due to a range of ailments from cleft palates to cataracts, fistulas to fractures.

Nurse Hannah Newell of Warrnambool, Australia is currently on board the Africa Mercy completing a four-week volunteer stint during her annual leave from her regular nursing position. Newell tied her choice of nursing as a career to her commitment to volunteerism. “I became a nurse because it was a profession I could travel all around the world with and do volunteer work to help those less fortunate than me… Mercy Ships provided me with a perfect opportunity to use [my] skills to bring hope and healing to those less fortunate, in particular to the Malagasy people.” Hannah sees herself as part of a bigger project, noting the contribution of the entire team on board to the success of the mission. “I get to be part of and see the actual operations that change people’s lives. Every person on the ship, no matter what role they are in, makes it possible for this to happen.”

While in Madagascar, the staff of the Africa Mercy will perform over 1500 surgeries across a period of 8 months. The story of past work aboard the ship is the subject of an award winning documentary, The Surgery Ship. We’ve included the trailer for the film below. If you’ll be in Sydney on December 3rd, there will be a screening of the full-length director’s cut of the feature. Tickets and further information may be found online here.

And, if you are interested in learning more about volunteering aboard the Africa Mercy, check out the Mercy Ships website. There are currently multiple nursing positions open with commitments ranging from two weeks to one year.

The post Nurses Making a Difference: Aboard the Africa Mercy appeared first on nurse2nurse.com.au.

The United States is experiencing a similar expansion in the need for aged-care services due to its own baby boomer population bubble. The considerable rise in the need for geriatric services, coupled with a shortage of geriatricians, has put the spotlight on innovative solutions to providing quality senior care in light of a physician shortage.

One program offering a solution focuses on nurses as the agents of change. American nurses are stepping up and stepping in to improve positive outcomes throughout the continuum of care through NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Health system Elders). NICHE is “the leading nurse driven program designed to help hospitals and healthcare organisations improve the care of older adults.” NICHE focuses on creating systemic improvement by changing the processes over which nurses have control with a vision for “all patients 65 and over to be given sensitive and exemplary care.” NICHE empowers nurses through extensive training and resource provision, to ensure evidence-based care at the bedside in a care environment focused on patients and their families.

There are over 575 hospitals and healthcare facilities with a NICHE designation. Concentrated in the United States, and with representation in three other countries, there are none yet here in Australia. Are there lessons to be learned from NICHE to further empower Australian nurses to respond to our aging population?

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This network of nurses can help you manage your career in nursing by offering you the support from their collective experience. Many of the members of this marketplace have been practicing nursing in Australia for decades. They can guide you through the process of learning new procedures, finding the best programs to update your skills, as well as provide you with ongoing tips and tricks that will make your job much easier. Connect with other nurses and nursing students to provide you with the support that you need to feel less stressed and more organized in your career.

Nursing can be one of the most challenging careers in Australia because of its emotional strain, hectic workload and competition for jobs. Having an inside track for advice on how to manage your career in nursing can give you an advantage in this industry and make you more in demand for a nursing career in Australia. Through advice articles, job postings, online connections with other nurses and more you can get the support that you need to become a better nurse and to provide a better level of support in the Australian health care system.

Check back with Nurse2nurse.com.au often for new updates.

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1 in 5 Australian suffers a mental illness. And it goes to work with them.

Leaders, HR Professionals and WHS advisers are on the ‘front line’ when it comes managing stressed employees. With 1 in 5 Australian adults suffering from a mental illness, that employee performance or behavioral problem you are dealing with right now may be caused by an underlying mental health issue.

According to 2013 Comcare figures: the average cost of a successful mental mental injury claim is $250,000. And 1,535 suicides occurred in 2012 according to ABS data.

The personal and financial costs of saying and doing the wrong thing is enough to give you pause. But ignoring the problem won’t make it better, for the organisation, the team or the individual.

In a recent survey conducted by the Mental Health Recovery Institute, 93% of leaders said they would like more tools to manage a mentally or emotionally unwell employee.

We listed:

Over an intensive 1 day format, you will develop the awareness and skills to:

• Identify sings of the three most prevalent mental health disorders in the workplace.
• Determine the difference between an employee under stress and an employee with a mental illness.
• Have the difficult conversations with an employee suspected of (or known to have) a mental illness.
• Confidently manage a mental health issue to a positive outcome for the individual, the organization and the team.
• Understand the mental state and likely behaviors of an employee with a mental illness.
• Respond confidently, effectively and compassionately to a mental health emergency
• Discharge the legal responsibilities and duty of care of a leader, HR or WHS professional and dealing with mentally ill employees.
• Develop preventative and recovery strategies to proactively manage future mental health issues.

Are you ready to make a difference? Register Now

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Management of the emergency patient is a subject familiar to primary health care nurses working in general practice. However, the opportunity to train with the practice team is often not available until an emergency occurs.

Management of Medical Emergencies in the General Medical Practice is a one-day course (7 hours) which will enable primary health care nurses working in the general practice setting to:

• Identify the most common medical emergencies affecting patients, using a risk management approach
• Manage the immediate care of medical emergencies utilising a practice management (crew resource management) system
• Apply techniques and protocols consistent with current emergency medical guidelines for pre-hospital care
• Refer the patient to further appropriate care.

Management of Medical Emergencies in the General Medical Practice training covers:

• Identification and management of poor perfusion
• Signs and symptoms of life threatening conditions including:
  • Cardiac chest pain
  • Altered conscious state, CVA and TIA
  • Respiratory conditions
  • Seizures
  • Hypoglycaemia
  • Anaphylaxis
  • Cardiac Arrest
• Use of the pulse oximetry and observation of vital signs
• CPR including Team CPR and use of defibrillators
• Introduction to the ECG
• Use of Laryngeal Masks and Bag/Mask ventilation
• Oxygen therapy and titration recommendations
• Emergency drugs

Cost

Registration includes:

• Course notes and booklet
• Morning and afternoon tea
• Lunch
• APNA Endorsed
• Certificate with recognition of 7 CPD hours
• Paramedic trainer
• Training equipment

Workshops still available this year are as follows: -

Murray Bridge, SA – Saturday 6 September              REGISTER NOW ONLINE

Melbourne, VIC – Friday 19 September                     REGISTER NOW ONLINE

Hobart, TAS – Friday 10 October                               REGISTER NOW ONLINE

Launceston, TAS – Saturday 11 October                   REGISTER NOW ONLINE

Ararat, VIC – Friday 24th October                              REGISTER NOW ONLINE

Ballarat, VIC – Saturday 25th October                       REGISTER NOW ONLINE

APNA Endorsed Educational Activity

This activity has been endorsed by the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association, according to approved criteria.

Completion of this educational activity entitles eligible participants to claim 7 CPD hours.

Details taken form http://www.apna.asn.au/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=APNA/ccms.r?PageId=12257

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The following provides an overview of the typical types of care or patient encounters that practice nurses carry out in the primary care setting of the GP surgery or clinics as part of the healthcare team. Each nurse will bring specialist knowledge or interest of a particular area to their work so may choose to work more in depth in that area, but the following offers a example of what a practice nurse does on a daily basis.

Maternal and infant health

Antenatal care
Registered midwife practice nurse, in rural and remote areas only, giving antenatal care on behalf of suitably qualified GP.

Well baby toddler
Vaccinations, measurements, meeting centiles, starting solids, nutritional advice, management of reflux, sleeping advice, referral to early childhood nurse and specialised care if indicated.

Breastfeeding mother
Breast care, feeding and attachment advice, nutritional advice for mother, monitor for signs of postnatal depression, parenting advice and referral as needed.

Healthy Kids Check
Health screen including nutrition, meeting milestones including fine and gross motor assessment, eye check/reading skills, behaviour and ability to follow instruction, social skills, level of physical activity, nutritional status and diet review and advice. Parenting advice and referral for specialised service if indicated.

Mid life

Includes 45-49 year old health check
Screening for diabetes, heart disease, cancer: Physical measurements blood pressure, taking blood for testing BSL, lipids, liver function etc, diet and lifestyle counselling, quit smoking advice and safe drinking guidelines, advice and formulation of exercise programs and referral to exercise physiologist and/or diabetes prevention programs/life scripts as well as ongoing monitoring and diet advice. Updating medical records by documenting family and past medical history and coding this data so that it can used to identify and calculate the patient’s risk of developing certain diseases. Immunisation as needed, referral for Pap test to GP or to Pap test accredited practice nurse.

50-75 year olds
As above as well as screening for osteoporosis (height loss and symptoms), bowel cancer screening, menopause advice, breast screening and mammogram referral. Discussion of additional nutritional needs.

75 years onwards
Physical assessments and measurements, mobility assessments and exercise advice/planning/referral, nutritional status and diet advice, assessment for support in the home and prepare reports for GP for referral to support agencies, geriatric assessment teams as needed, identify need for Home Medication Reviews as needed & assist with care planning.

Women’s health checks
Pap smears, sexual health checks and education.

Practice nurses also identify patients who qualify for preventative health checks. Manage recall and reminder systems to monitor that patients are receiving their appropriate preventative care e.g. immunisation and Pap smears, and follow-up care.

Chronic Disease Management (CDM)

Practice nurses help to streamline care of patients with complex chronic health problems. In many cases chronic disease management and preventative healthcare overlap.

The practice nurse contributes to CDM by:

• Assessing patients’ health needs and ability to manage self-care
• Collecting data and mapping the patients’ current care
• Prepare care plans in consultation with GP and patient, and arrange new referrals as appropriate
• Collaborating with GP and on behalf of GP with other health professionals involved in the patients’ care, collecting and collating information from referral appointments and incorporating information into patients’ care/review care plan
• Reassessing/reviewing the patients to measure outcomes, offering support including CDM visits (item 10997), and presenting information to GP
• Asthma care: monitoring and education, health maintenance/asthma 2+
• Diabetes care: monitoring, education, cycle of care/health maintenance, planning.

Testing

May include but not limited to:

• Phlebotomy
• ECG
• Spirometery
• Brachial pulse index measurements
• BSL/Glucometer
• INR point of care test
• Urinalysis
• Visual acuity
• Hearing screening
• BHcG

Other care and treatments including:

• Triage
• Wound care
• Ear syringing
• Stock management
• Infection control/sterilising
• Vaccine ordering and monitoring
• Maintaining up to date allied health and community service directory for practice

Practice nurses may also be involved with:

Occupational Health & Safety, Accreditation project management and maintaining personal professional development.

General Practise Nurse Workshops

APNA is pleased to be delivering a national series of workshops to facilitate education and networking for nurses working in general practice.  The following is a list of workshops still open for registration: –

Australian Capital Territory – Friday 15 and Saturday 16 August 2014

Novotel Canberra

Earlybird registration extended to Friday 8 August – REGISTER ONLINE

Queensland – Friday 29 and Saturday 30 August 2014

Rydges Southbank Townsville

Earlybird registration closes Friday 15 August – REGISTER ONLINE

New South Wales – Friday 24 and Saturday 25 October 2014

The Portside Centre Sydney (CBD)

Earlybird registrations closes Friday 10 October – REGISTER ONLINE

* Please note earlybird registration closes two weeks (Friday) prior to each workshop.

Earlybird: APNA member $250 / non-member $350

Standard: APNA member $290 / non-member $390

APNA’s Continuing Education Workshops for Nurses in General Practice include:

•Two day registration

•Morning/afternoon tea and lunch on both days

•Certificate with recognition of up to 10 CPD hours

•Practical tools and resources designed for nurses working in primary care

•APNA Endorsed according to approved quality standards

Workshop Program

Designed and facilitated by nurses, with a range of outstanding presenters from across disciplines, these workshops offer nurses working in primary care an engaging opportunity to network and update their expertise in:

• Lifestyle and weight management: How nurses in general practice can lead the way in supporting patients to balance health, weight and happiness
• Nurse clinics: Innovative strategies to establish your own nurse clinic
• Venous leg ulcers: A new perspective using compression
• Immunisation: How can you increase rates in your practice?
• Innovative ways to support your work using MBS and the PNIP
• Nurses as leaders in cardiovascular disease management
• Chronic Kidney Disease: Identifying patients at risk
• Managing COPD: The role of the nurse in general practice
• Travel Health Consultation: A Practical Approach
• The progress of nursing Australian general practice: Opportunities, information and answers

Includes a keynote presentation on Lifestyle and Weight Management from Dr Rick Kausman, author of If not dieting, then what? Dr Rick Kausman, a medical doctor based in Melbourne, is recognised as the Australian pioneer of the person-centred approach to wellbeing and healthy weight management. He has many years of experience in the field of weight management and offering training to health professionals throughout Australia and overseas.

As published on the APNA website 2014

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• Set your study goals and create a flexible study plan: In order to achieve exam success you need to know what you want to achieve. That’s why it is extremely important to set your Study Goals now and outline to yourself what you need to do. It should be broad enough to allow you to add and change aspects but concise enough so you know you’re covering each subject/topic as best you can at this point.
• Understand your study topics in your own words:  Get into the habit of explaining whatever it is you are studying, in your own words, so you understand your study notes. The key to help improve your memory is to understand what you’ve learned when you are studying it. So don’t just memorise and tick off the list – make sure you understand your theory and can speak confidently about what you are learning.
• Quiz yourself: Once you feel you understand a concept or a topic, it is important to test yourself on it. Try and replicate exam conditions as much as possible: turn your phone off, don’t talk, time yourself etc. You can set yourself a study quiz or practice exam questions and, so long as you approach it with the right mindset, you can get a very good idea of how much you know
• Get Creative with online study tools: Don’t feel obliged to just sit in front of a book with a highlighter; there are many different ways to study. Perfect examples of such study tools would be online flashcards, mind maps, mnemonics, online study planners, video and audio resources.
• Tape record. This is especially handy on “test review” days when instructors share what material is likely to appear on the exam. Remember to check with your instructor first!
• Compare notes. It’s possible that your classmates have information you didn’t catch and vice-versa.
• Use the textbook to your advantage. Outline each chapter, write down questions about concepts you don’t understand and refer to other resources for extra help (i.e. the Internet, nursing journals, etc.).
• Stay informed. Attending class is important. You never know if a question asked by a fellow classmate or a piece of information not found in the book might be found on the next exam.
• Ask questions. Get answers to questions raised in your book, ideas you’re unclear on from lectures or clarify your notes.
• Stay in touch with your instructor. Visit during office hours, send an e-mail, talk by phone and sit in the front row during class whenever possible.
• Be exam prepared. Find out what the exam will cover and the exam format. Review points emphasized in class, questions in your study guides, past quizzes and end of chapter review sections.
• Complete difficult tasks first. If you’re a procrastinator, start with something simple and/or interesting to get you motivated and on task.
• Give yourself a break. Study for 50 minutes and then give yourself a 10 minute break. The break is a good time to stretch, relax or have a snack..
• Change scenery. Get out and study at a coffee shop, the library or the park. You’re likely to concentrate better and get more done.
• Getting tired or bored? Put down what you’re doing and start on a different task or subject. Stop studying when you’re no longer being productive.
• Keep your schedule practical, flexible and realistic. Make time for socializing, studying and sleeping. If you’re someone with lots of time, develop good organizational skills. For those with an already busy schedule, re-establish your priorities so that you aren’t trying to do too much in too little time.
• Repetition, repetition, repetition. It’s true that practice makes perfect-read your notes several times over until you remember the important points.
• Get plenty of sleep.

Some useful tips and tools of the trade…

Mnemonics, which simply means “memory aid” in Greek, is a quick and significant means to enhance your memorization skills. Unlike acronyms and other means of learning by association, using mnemonics is an effective way to remember hard-to-retain lists of facts.

World’s Database of Medical Mnemonics http://www.medicalmnemonics.com/cgi-bin/return.cfm?discipline_id=26&system_id=All&bodypart_id=All&level_lo=All&level_hi=All&clinical=All&hi_yield=All&g_rated=All&language_id=All&numrows=10&rowstart=1&searchbox=&mtype_id=All&orderresultsby=rating

Though they vary in their offerings, you are likely to find that they provide information on up-to-date pharmaceuticals on the market, as well as off-label uses and dosages, herbal supplements and nutritional products. Some clinical drug databases also list new drugs on the market and drugs being tested.

With so many different types of cardia arrhythmias, learning what the electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) rhythms mean can be confusing. Here is a link to help you interpret, study and improve your ability to recognize EKGs, – normal and abnormal heart sounds

http://int-prop.lf2.cuni.cz/heart_sounds/h14/sound.htm

The most important thing to remember is what drove you to become a nurse in the beginning.  Nurses aren’t born, we are made.  We start from all walks of life, united by compassion for others.  It is the years of dedicated study, hours of training, and many sacrifices along the way that hone us into the practical, composed professionals we see bustling around the hospital wards and general practices.  The vast amount of knowledge and training is what gives Nurses their ability to not only care for people, but to also save the lives of people all over the world.

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The Nursing & Allied Health Rural Locum Scheme (NAHRLS) is part of the Australian Government’s National Health and Hospital Network Reform agenda and aims to remove some of the barriers rural and remote health professionals face in accessing leave.

NAHRLS enables rural and remote professionals to take leave by finding suitable locums to back-fill positions, ensuring ongoing service delivery. NAHRLS recruits locums, and covers associated costs of the locum’s accommodation, travel, meals and daily allowances. This means health services and practices must only pay the base locum rate.

213 Australian Government funded placements available !!

The NAHRLS Team have reopened our locum requests applications for the second quarter of this financial year. This means that if your staff leave requirements fall between 1 October and 31 December 2014, you are now required to complete our online Client Job Order Form and submit your application for support on or before 29th August 2014 to allow the NAHRLS team to prioritise placements for the quarter.

There are 188 nursing and midwifery placements and 25 allied health placements available this quarter so it is important that you get your locum requests in as soon as possible!

NAHRLS use a Prioritisation Checklist introduced in December 2013. This checklist incorporates the eligibility criteria available on the NAHRLS website and includes the following:

• Rurality
• Purpose of leave
• Professional Details
• Other details

The following list of health professions are eligible to apply to the NAHRLS locum register for the opportunity to work on a rural or remote placement:

• Aboriginal health worker (certificate IV)
• Audiology Chiropractic
• Dental & oral health
• Dietetics Exercise physiology
• Medical radiation science
• Midwifery Nursing (registered or enrolled)
• Occupational therapy
• Optometry
• Orthoptics
• Osteopathy
• Paramedics
• Pharmacy
• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry
• Psychology
• Social work
• Speech pathology

In addition to practicing one of the eligible professions, you must also be legally entitled to work in Australia and have current unrestricted professional registration in your field of practice.

Prioritisation of applications will take place from Monday, 1 September 2014 and successful applicants will be notified shortly thereafter.
NAHRLS Locum Request Applications will close at midnight on Friday, 29th August 2014.

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