By Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) Welcome to the world of nursing. Much like the weather in my hometown Melbourne, where you can experience every season in one day, you can encounter every emotion in one day when you are a nurse. Being a nurse is an extremely rewarding career and I commend you for starting this journey. Just a word…
Somebody I Used to Know Mitchell W (2018), Bloomsbury, London, ISBN 978-1-4088-9386-4 Review by Trisha Dunning AM FACN (DLF) I am sitting in front of the consultant while he scribbles down the results of my latest memory tests. From the other side of the desk, I try and fail to read his writing. Finally he…
by Dr Ruth Rae FACN Dr Ruth Rae FACN has been a registered nurse since 1978 and has worked as a freelance researcher and writer for more than 20 years. Her interest in nursing history led to her completing a PhD thesis and multiple books on Australian nurses in the First World War. ACN partnered…
By Rachel Ashton This article is an excerpt from Bye Molly, Bye Tony. Bye Honkey. Bye Canteen Creek, first published at The Scribbling Nurse, on 11 April 2018 here. Canteen Creek was an experience and a massive culture shock for me. I have learnt so much in the two and a half weeks I was in…
The Australian College of Nursing is proud to support Chief Executive Officer, Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward FACN, as she sleeps outside in the Canberra winter for her third year participating in Vinnies CEO Sleepout. Kylie’s drive to contribute comes from a level of compassion, knowing how homelessness is a systemic issue in the community. A…
In this blog series, Out and about with our ENLs, participants of ACN’s Emerging Nurse Leader program share their stories. Today you’ll read how the journey is shaping out for Jemma Poxom MACN, Stage 5 ENL. When I heard there was a program for emerging nurse leaders I jumped at the opportunity to apply. The…
Image, left to right: Julianne Brisbane MACN, Dr Kasia Bail MACN and Kristine Kealy MACN by ACN Media Officer Jessica Pham Dr Kasia Bail MACN is the Assistant Professor in Nursing at the University of Canberra. Her research interests include age and ageing and she has extensive experience in palliative care, combining her knowledge…
The Federal Government’s release of the Budget 2018-19 disclosed investments into health policy areas that were expected and others that were not so obvious. In response to a series of incidents reported in the media regarding the care of people in residential aged care facilities, a number of measures in efforts to reforming aged care…
The public and health professionals have raised concerns about unsafe and unethical practices in clinics providing cosmetic procedures. In some cases, this has prompted the issue of public warnings. With nurses both working in clinics that provide cosmetic procedures as well as delivering cosmetic procedures, the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is supporting steps to…
by Judy Hitchcock MACN Another year, another twelfth of May, its ours to celebrate, Dwell on the past, the present and future upon this special date, It’s a pause for great reflection, to take decisive, clear direction, On the matters that we choose to instigate. There’s heightened urgency this year, change is now…
Happy International Nurses Day to all nurses and nursing students, whether you are in Australia or another part of the globe! This is a day to consider our role in the global health ecosystem, celebrate our achievements, our profession and our colleagues as well as to raise awareness with the general public about what nurses…
by ACN Policy Team ACN is committed to representing the knowledge and expertise of our Members in policy development throughout the Australian health and aged care system. In this series we want to share what ACN is doing in the policy space with our Members and followers and how your contributions shape our messages to…
By Madeline Hawke MACN (Stage 1 ENL) As someone who inadvertently signed up to a university course located 40 minutes from my house, I find that I spend a lot of my time sitting in the car. If it weren’t for excellent podcasts put together by clever people around the world, this time would…
The admiration patients have for nurses is humbling and inspiring, yet when it comes to being comprehensively consulted on health care issues, nurses are battling for recognition. The Australian College of Nursing’s (ACN) second annual Policy Summit in Canberra was designed to prepare nurses for seats at the policy-making table, and to recognise the constantly…
How much do you know about the nurses who represented our profession with distinction during the First World War? Those who have nursed before us have considerably shaped how our profession is today. We owe it to our nursing predecessors to learn their names and their history. Dr Ruth Rae FACN is a nurse and…
Our favourite day of the year, International Nurses Day (IND) is fast-approaching! The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has announced that the theme for this year’s IND, 12 May, is Nurses: A Voice to Lead, Health is Human Right. But what does this theme mean for nurses, and how can we get involved? Health…
Podcasts are a great way to pass time, make you think outside your bubble, learn something new on your commute or even provide some entertainment while you complete household chores. Below are our tips for some great podcasts to listen to, which are especially relevant if you are in nursing or health care. Ausmed…
Recently, ACN’s CEO Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward FACN was interviewed by HotDoc, a website designed to facilitate GP and patient engagement with health. Thank you to Michael McKay for this wonderful article about the profession and work we love! Hugh was 19 when he was awoken by a call from his mum. It was around…
by ACN Policy team ACN is committed to representing the knowledge and expertise of our membership in policy development throughout the Australian health and aged care system. In this series we want to share what ACN is doing in the policy space with our Fellows, Members and health care community and how your contributions shape…
by ACN Media Officer Jessica Pham 7 April each year marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (more commonly known as the WHO) in 1948. The rest of the world celebrates it as World Health Day – a day for global awareness of a single health challenge that can create global…
The annual Australian Healthcare Week Conference, held 21-23 March, hosted its Excellence Awards last night at the International Convention Centre at Darling Harbour in Sydney. The Awards aim to recognise those who are making the greatest contributions to patient wellbeing. The honours are awarded in the categories below: Healthcare CEO of the Year Best Hospital…
In order to reflect and remember the stories of individual Australians on the Australian War Memorial’s (AWM) Honour Roll, the AWM holds daily Last Post Ceremonies, choosing one particular man or woman to commemorate each afternoon at 4.55pm. The 2018 schedule for the Australian War Memorial Last Post Ceremonies includes seven Australian service nurses.…
by Matt Luther FACN Disaster nursing: Are you really prepared and have you asked the right questions? (PART 1) provided an overview of disasters and the role of nursing, Part 2 below introduces international perspectives on preparedness for disaster nursing. Let us know what you think in the comments. Projecting into the international disaster response space, Hammad…
By ACN Media Officer Jessica Pham Today our offices in Canberra and Parramatta are proud to have celebrated National Close the Gap Day with a morning tea to highlight the health inequities that still exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. ACN is a Member of the Close the Gap Steering Committee and last month’s release…
by ACN Media Officer Jessica Pham The Australian College of Nursing has always been a proud supporter and advocator for equality for all regardless of gender, age, race, sexual orientation, cultural background, religious beliefs, income, education or where they choose to live. For International Women’s Day this year, the staff at ACN decided to…
by Matt Luther FACN The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, World Health Organization and the International Council of Nurses all recognise the important role that nurses have in disaster preparedness, response and recovery. Despite this, formal preparation, maintenance and positions for such nursing functions remain inconsistent. Further complicating this is the concept and frequent assumption…
By Judith Lee MACN (Undergraduate) I was part of a group of third-year nursing students in a recent overseas clinical placement in Port Vila, Vanuatu. The aim of this placement was to improve our clinical skills, and increase our understanding of community nursing. It was during this placement that I witnessed a baby being born and…
Here at the ACN, we are committed to championing for women’s equality, celebrate women’s achievements and challenge stereotypes and bias – goals that all align with this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) theme of #PressforProgress. More locally, the staff at ACN was asked the question ‘Which woman is your inspiration and why?” Below are some…
By Amanda J. Ruler MACN The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has estimated that global military expenditure was $1,676 billion in 2015 – about 2.3% of the world’s total gross domestic product (GDP) (2016). Likewise, Wright (2011) reported that total global nuclear weapons spending in 2011 was estimated as $104.9 billion, a significant proportion…
In An inside look into mentorship: PART 1, mentor Lieutenant Anthony Russell MACN outlines his experience, now hear from the mentee, ENL Emma Bugden MACN on what she thought of the professional mentorship. By Emma Bugden MACN, Project Manager – Optimum Thiamine Intervention Trial, Menzies School of Health Research Applying for the ACN Emerging Nurse Leader…
New evidence shows that poor diet is directly or indirectly linked to five out of seven leading risk factors contributing to the unequal health gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians. In light of this, the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet has published a new Review of nutrition among Aboriginal and Torres Strait…
By Emily Murray The invisibility of nurses in management and policy decisions, relative to other health care professions, continues to frustrate and confound us. I argue that sexism, ageism, uniforms and traditional healthcare hierarchies are four ways in which nurses are marginalised and silenced – but when it comes to perpetuating this invisibility, are we more…
A major aspect of ACN’s Emerging Nurse Leader program is creating valuable professional and mentor relationships. In this two-part blog series you’ll hear from from our ENL, Emma Bugden MACN and her mentor Lieutenant Anthony Russell MACN on what this mentorship meant to each of them. The mentor’s experience By Lieutenant Anthony Russell MACN, Senior Nursing…
By ACN Media Officer, Jessica Pham On Friday February 19th, Simon Joscelyne aka ‘the butterfly man’ swam 3.6km for Kirsty Boden, the heroic South Australian nurse who was killed during the 2017 London Bridge terror attacks while attempting to help people who had been run over by terrorists. Mr Joscelyne, 53, became the first person…
By Kate Birrell OAM MACN, David Ramsay and Benjamin Dingle In an effort to assist the Timorese to build capacity and improve patient care in hospitals across Timor-Leste, St John of God Social Outreach, part of St John of God Health Care (SJGHC), has been delivering a Nursing Development Program (NDP) in partnership with…
Australians who are distrustful of sunscreen, need to take note. Scientists in Brisbane have found that if we used sunscreen on a daily basis, it could result in up to 28,000 fewer cases of melanoma (one of the most dangerous types of skin cancer) in Australia by 2031. This study undertaken by researchers at QIMR…
By ACN Nurse Educator Trish Lowe MACN “The more specific and unambiguous a goal, the more likely it will be achieved.” By now, your 2017 New Year’s resolutions will have been forged or forgotten! They may have been flippantly, or conscientiously, considered and resolved to adopting lifestyle changes, embracing a more positive outlook on life,…
We’re excited to relaunch ACN’s monthly e-magazine, NurseClick in blog format. While we’ve loved bringing you the jam-packed PDF e-magazine over the last five years, it’s time to adapt NurseClick to the contemporary online setting. The blog, will remain as NurseClick, and the fantastic, thought-provoking content that we’ve always published on nursing practice, policy developments…
The opinions expressed on this blog are the author’s and not necessarily those of ACN or the editor. No articles can be republished without permission from ACN. Information is correct at time of publication.