Virtual reality (VR) is helping to create safer birthing experiences for Queensland mothers and their babies in remote towns. Nurses in the remote and predominantly Indigenous towns of north-west Queensland are learning how to prepare mothers for childbirth with the ...
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“The MeToo moment for birth”: NSW birth trauma inquiry
“I’m sorry.” These are the words that Naomi Bowden repeated as she tearfully attempted to get through her opening statement to a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in Wollongong. Ms Bowden tearfully spoke about her daughter, Bella, ...
More »Australia has had school nurses for more than 100 years – but we don’t use them enough
Teachers are not always equipped to deal with the growing health needs of their students, from mental health challenges to complex medical needs. Federal and state governments are currently looking at “key targets” as part of the next National School ...
More »New scholarships to boost aged care nurses
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) has opened scholarships to help boost the aged care nursing workforce. Last week, scholarship applications for aged care nursing and allied health opened at ACN – a move labelled by ACN as “vital”. ACN’s ...
More »Five new initiatives to help rural QLD maternity services
The Queensland Government has introduced new initiatives to boost regional maternity services in rural and remote areas. As part of the $42 million funding announced in June, five new actions have been introduced following stakeholder feedback from the Ministerial Maternity ...
More »Subsidised flexible courses for mental health nurses
Almost half of all Australians have experienced a mental health disorder in their life. However, a dramatic shortage of mental health nurses puts a heavy burden on individuals and nurses. To address the ongoing problem, Edith Cowan University (ECU) is ...
More »Cost of living measures take effect this month
Billion of dollars worth of cost of living measures will this month begin flowing through for millions of Australians feeling the pinch at the checkout or when paying their bills. While the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data indicate inflation ...
More »Surge in students for fee-free nursing diploma
Mater’s nursing diploma applications have soared since the Queensland Government’s Fee-Free TAFE initiative. Applications for the Diploma of Nursing at Mater Education have surged by more than 330 per cent since the fee removal, with almost 400 applications to join ...
More »Midwife shortage must be addressed: Q&A
Chronic shortages of midwives in hospitals are causing various workforce issues, such as ineffective leadership and burnout – leading to a dire future for the midwifery workforce. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported a record number of babies ...
More »Does private health insurance cut public hospital waiting lists? We found it barely makes a dent
Yuting Zhang, The University of Melbourne; Jongsay Yong, The University of Melbourne, and Ou Yang, The University of Melbourne The more people take up private health insurance, the less pressure on the public hospital system, including shorter waiting lists for ...
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