University of Wollongong (UOW) academic Professor Elizabeth (Liz) Halcomb FACN has become the first nurse to be awarded the prestigious Bridges-Webb Medal. The annual award recognises members of the Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care who have made internationally significant…
In this NurseClick article Christopher Veal MACN reflects on his experience working as a Community Mental Health Nurse in a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory. My role as a Community Mental Health Nurse often takes me into the…
Delegates attending the 2018 National Nursing Forum The National Nursing Forum (NNF) is the Australian College of Nursing’s (ACN) signature annual leadership and educational event which brings together nurses, students and other health professionals from around the country and the…
By Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to help…
Kazuma Honda MACN (Kaz) is an Australian College of Nursing (ACN) Emerging Nurse Leader (ENL) Program participant currently completing Stage 5 Empowered to Lead. Since commencing in the ENL program in 2018, Kaz has always expressed his desire to create…
By Genevieve Edney MACN Mr X was a young, vibrant man who had primary school aged children. He was in his 40s, having successfully migrated to Australia. At the time he was working towards arranging the necessary visa for his…
Baking some goodies for a neighbor, picking up rubbish on the beach and purchasing a thank you gift for a friend. We know these acts of kindness greatly improve the lives of others, but you may be less aware that…
For June’s Nursing Now Australia Challenge, we’re asking nurses to start including their title, qualification and membership post-nominals in their email signature and social media bio. Launched in February 2018, Nursing Now — a global initiative to celebrate nurses and…
Kylie Miller and a much-loved nurse, the late Vanessa Cameron, during her treatment at Bairnsdale Regional Health Service. Former journalist Kylie Miller was recently a patient at the Bairnsdale Regional Health Service. She has written a powerful piece thanking the…
Frances Usherwood is a clinical nurse educator specialising in paediatrics and has had a long affiliation with the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) as a lecturer, and as a tutor for paediatric students. She has also advised on paediatric content…
Ahead of this year’s CEO Sleepout, we spoke with the Australian College of Nursing’s (ACN) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward FACN on why she continues to volunteer to sleep rough in Canberra in efforts to raise awareness…
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) would like to congratulate all nurses, in particular our Fellows and Members, who were named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List on Monday. The Honours are awarded to Australian citizens who have displayed excellence,…
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) was proud to collaborate with the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, to present the inaugural Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers in April 2019. The award celebrated and acknowledged the extraordinary contribution…
The word leadership is used frequently, but do we actually know what it means to be a leader? The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) believes there are many ways to display leadership. With this in mind, we asked some of…
By Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to help…
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) was proud to collaborate with the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, to present the inaugural Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers in April 2019. The award celebrated and acknowledged the extraordinary contribution…
Sharron Smyth-Demmon MACN volunteering at an MS fundraiser with Sara Peterson World MS Day is held annually on 30 May and is dedicated to increasing awareness for all those affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In this passionate NurseClick article, Australian…
By Luke Yokota MACN I am very proud to be a part of the nursing profession. During my career as a nurse I have never looked back. Willing to give it my all, be with people and support them…
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) were proud to collaborate with the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, to present the inaugural Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers in April 2019. The award celebrated and acknowledged the extraordinary contribution…
National Palliative Care Week (NPCW), which runs from 19-25 May 2019, aims to increase awareness and understanding of palliative care within the Australian community. The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is proud to continually set the benchmark when it comes…
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) were proud to collaborate with the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, to present the inaugural Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers in April 2019. The award celebrated and acknowledged the extraordinary contribution…
Some of our ENLs at the ACN Nursing and Health Expo 2018 Are you an early-career nurse keen to make a difference to our profession? The Australian College of Nursing’s (ACN) Emerging Nurse Leader (ENL) program aims to empower nurses…
At the 2018 Australian College of Nursing (ACN) National Nursing Forum (NNF), ACN Men in Nursing Working Group Chair Luke Yokota MACN shared his views on why men continue to be a minority in nursing with the Federal Health Minister…
At the 2019 Policy Summit in March, we caught up with each of the Policy Chapter Chairs to get a brief overview of the work conducted in 2018 as well as the upcoming priorities for 2019. Distinguished Professor Patsy Yates…
By Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to help…
1min.care, a global awareness campaign originating in Germany, aims to address this issue by encouraging groups around the world to get together and applaud nursing for one minute each to raise the profile of nursing and celebrate our profession.
At the 2019 Policy Summit in March, we caught up with each of the Policy Chapter Chairs to get a brief overview of the work conducted in 2018 as well as the upcoming priorities for 2019. Professor Lisa Whitehead MACN…
How often during a time of stress do you lose focus on the task at hand? Never? Very rarely? Sometimes? If any of these are your answer to the question above, you can benefit greatly by integrating mindfulness into your…
“An extraordinary opportunity to witness history being made.” “A powerful call to arms.” “The energy and excitement in the atmosphere was absolutely phenomenal”. These were just some of the words used by three of the Australian College of Nursing’s (ACN)…
At the 2019 Policy Summit in March, we caught up with each of the Policy Chapter Chairs to get a brief overview of the work conducted in 2018 as well as the upcoming priorities for 2019. Professor Deborah Parker MACN…
At the 2019 Policy Summit in March, we caught up with each of the Policy Chapter Chairs to get a brief overview of the work conducted in 2018 as well as the upcoming priorities for 2019. Professor Leanne Boyd MACN…
Are you one of those people who stresses about stress before there is even stress to stress about? Nurses navigate many stressful challenges in their daily work lives — shift work, under-staffing and patient management to name just a few…
By Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to…
To recognise the vital role nurses play in transforming our country’s health and aged care systems the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) and the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health are collaborating to present the inaugural Health Minister’s Award…
To recognise the vital role nurses play in transforming our country’s health and aged care systems the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) and the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health are collaborating to present the inaugural Health Minister’s Award…
To recognise the vital role nurses play in transforming our country’s health and aged care systems the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) and the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health are collaborating to present the inaugural Health Minister’s Award…
To recognise the vital role nurses play in transforming our country’s health and aged care systems the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) and the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health are collaborating to present the inaugural Health Minister’s Award…
Each afternoon at 4:55pm the Australian War Memorial (AWM) holds a Last Post Ceremony to commemorate the story of an individual on their Honour Roll. On Tuesday April 2 representatives from ACN will lay a wreath at the ceremony for…
In collaboration with the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) Most of your patients will now have a My Health Record. Between 16 July 2018 and 31 January 2019, Australians had the opportunity to make a choice to have a My…
By Lynne Minion When one of the largest local health districts in NSW embarked on a transformation project designed to make it the safest in the state, it had to bring a lot of people along for the ride. With…
Transitioning to Digital: Change Management Top Tips from Peter MacCallum’s Chief Nursing Officer Ahead of Australian Healthcare Week 2019 Jac Mathieson, Chief Nursing Officer at the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre (Peter McC) shares insights into Peter MacC’s digitisation journey, which…
By Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to…
On February 11, 2019, ACN attended the Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra to commemorate Sister Alma May Beard, 2/13th Australian General Hospital, Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS). From the limited information that is available on…
ACN is proud to honour our past and commemorate those who have served our country as civilian or military nurses. The Australian War Memorial (AWM) holds daily Last Post Ceremonies, in which one person will be commemorated each day at…
By ACN Media Officer Jessica Pham The year 2018 is now past tense and we welcome 2019! With the new year, there is also the inevitable feeling to set new year’s resolutions which align with the life that we wish…
By Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to help ease the transition…
Over a 100 million people worldwide are pushed into extreme poverty paying for health services every year. That’s 100 million too many. International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day) aims to mobilise diverse stakeholders to call for stronger, more equitable…
Unlocking the Past: A Guide to the Australian College of Nursing Archival Collection is a 38-page booklet detailing the contents of the ACN archival collection. Those interested in the history of nursing in Australia and our professional organisation will find…
By Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to help ease the transition…
By Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to help ease the transition…
If you’re keen to improve your lifestyle choices and achieve certain fitness goals, but find yourself feeling unmotivated – you are not alone. ACN’s NurseStrong campaign is all about supporting our nurse colleagues to take care of our health. We…
by Deborah Burrows The first thing I did when the National Library’s publishing division suggested I write a book about the history of Australian nurses, using the photographs and resources of the National Library, was check the catalogue of the…
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…
By Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to help ease the transition…
Do you find it motivating to track your fitness and health progress, or that you need daily reminders or inspiration to stick to healthy habits? If any of these are the case, then health and fitness apps are likely to…
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…
Climate change is a health issue. As the globe becomes warmer and the climate alters, it negatively affects social and environmental determinants of health – clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter. With the projection of an…
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…
By Janice Bartley MACN The NurseStrong Campaign is designed to encourage and to help nurses make time each day for their own health and wellbeing. On the eve of the FHIT by Lauren Hannaford program kick off nurses from the…
by Stefan Wythes, ACN Policy Officer On 12 September, ACN Policy staff attended a symposium hosted by the Australian National University (ANU) and organised by the Southgate Institute for Health, Society & Equity based at Flinders University in South…
Achieving an ideal work-life balance is never easy, especially as a nurse. With overtime and shiftwork, and just plain exhaustion, looking after your diet can become a low priority. To keep you on track and inspired in your NurseStrong journeys,…
by Jessica Pham, ACN Media Officer On October 10 (10/10) of every year, people all around the world recognise global mental health education, awareness and advocacy. That day is also known as World Mental Health Day and has…
ACN was proud to place community and primary health care nurses in the spotlight this September. Our national campaign, Community and Primary Health Care Nursing Week, is a highlight of our annual calendar, held 17–23 September 2018. Our eBook created…
ACN will be launching a postgraduate unit to educate nurses on endometriosis, thanks to an Australian Government grant and community collaborations with Endo Help. Endometriosis is a common, debilitating and aggressive benign condition which affects more than 10% of Australian…
by Jessica Pham, ACN Media Officer This year we have seen an increase in people taking charge of their health and wellbeing, openly speaking about issues that they had been suffering with in silence, in some cases, for years.…
By Lucy Osborn MACN and Craig Sullivan MACN This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to…
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…
By Jessica Pham, ACN Media Officer By the year 2030, Australia’s health workforce is predicted be short by 123,000 nurses. For the current profession, that means that most of you will have decided to retire and the Millennial generation…
NNF 2018. What an amazing event. I was incredibly lucky to be able to attend from start to finish. I did my best to meet as many new faces as possible and support my fellow junior nurses. I was also…
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…
Whether you’re a student nurse or have over 20 years of experience in a range of settings, we found six inspiring international TED talks to get you through your week. In no particular order, please enjoy and let us know…
by Judy Hitchcock MACN International Neonatal Nurses Day is 15 August 2018. We extend our most heartfelt gratitude to these exceptional nurses and the vital role they play in the lives of newborns and their families! From the…
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…
by Lucy Osborn MACN (ENL) This column, The Scrubs that Fit, is all about the highs and lows of being a junior nurse, from the perspective of an ACN Emerging Nurse Leader. The aim of these blog posts is to help ease the…
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…
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…
By Trisha Dunning AM FACN, P. Martin, N. Orford and L. Orellana. Diabetes reduces life expectancy. One person with diabetes dies every 6 seconds somewhere in the world.1 Diabetes is linked to 3.7 million deaths per year, globally 2 and…
by Katherine Schaffarczyk MACN, Nurse Educator, Westmead Hospital, Sydney Overview of the literature There is evidence that clinical supervision has been practiced since the early days of Freud, with small groups gathering to discuss and review each other’s work (Carroll, 2007).…
by Julie Mortley MACN, Clinical Documentation Specialist As I look back on my nursing career I feel eternally grateful to the profession for the opportunities and experiences it has given me. More than ten years ago I left Australia to work…
by Marie Louise, Co-Founder of Evolve Yourself Institute Nurses have offered themselves in service at the front line and shown the strength and courage of soldiers, only to find themselves no longer at war in 2018. Instead they are…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
