The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is excited to announce The ACN Podcast is back in 2022 with a new season and new host. Andrea Jansen MACN is currently the Deputy Chair of ACN’s Next Generation Faculty and is taking over as host of The ACN Podcast for Season Three.
Andrea is ready to share her experiences and insights across 2022, with the first episode to launch on May 10 just in time for International Nurses Day.
The ACN Podcast began in 2020 Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and was hosted by Ben Jenkins MACN. Ben went on to host a second season in 2021 and ACN would like to acknowledge his extensive contribution in establishing and hosting the podcast in its first two seasons.
In the lead up to Season Three beginning, we spoke to Andrea to learn about her nursing career and aspirations for the podcast in 2022.
From satellite phones to the radio waves
Andrea joins the ACN Podcast after being inspired by Seasons One and Two, having listened to them on long trips throughout 2021 to the outback Northern Territory to administer COVID-19 vaccines to remote communities. Continuing to be motivated by rural and remote nursing, she takes Season Three to the Northern Territory (NT), where she will be interviewing expert nurses across Australia from a diverse range of specialties, regions and life experiences.
“I was feeling a bit stuck [at the end of 2021] and considered starting a blog,” she says.
“I had listened to all of Ben’s [Jenkins] work and I was really driven by the strong notion that this podcast platform that was created for nurses cannot just stop, so I put my hand up to continue it.”
Andrea is certainly more than qualified to discuss a diversifying nursing workforce, having worked in general medical, surgical, kidney and liver transplants, mental health, primary health care, telehealth, clinical education, and is currently working as a Clinical Nurse Consultant for Hearing Services in Darwin.
However, her talents are not limited to nursing and, having contributed to ACN’s NurseClick blog on several occasions and passion for music, it was inevitable that would lead an innovative platform like a podcast to share her experiences and advice.
“Writing and the podcast have helped me find a way to creatively express myself and my passions in nursing,” she says.
“It’s about being open to learning – and mistakes – and willing to try things a little differently.”
Beyond the hospital
Andrea says the main focuses for the upcoming season is to diversify what people think of when they think ‘nurse’ and to address the social impact side of health care.
“I want the next generation of nurses to feel empowered, engaged and connected,” she says.
“By highlighting the breadth and diversity of nursing practice and what the nursing profession can offer, I hope to give nurses who don’t want to work in hospitals the knowledge that there is so much more out there.”
By outlining different ways of nursing, Andrea also hopes to bring forward a discussion on the social issues that matter to nurses. Having experienced accommodation crises as a mental health nurse, she knows about barriers to creating change and wants to share from experts how to approach advocacy.
“I want to talk about how nurses can advocate for the changes they want to see in health care,” she says.
“Nurses should not just be valued at the bedside anymore, we have so much more to offer and I want to have a conversations on the podcast about the social issues impacting those we care for. Join me in Season Three of The ACN Podcast to dive deeper into these issues – and others – with our nursing leaders.”
The ACN Podcast can be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or on The ACN Podcast page on the second Tuesday of each month. Tune in to hear about the latest in the nursing leadership space and a new interview with a nursing leader and expert in their field.
