“How would you have gone if you had taken your mum to uni, Conor?” recent nursing graduate and mother Lorella McLatchey asks me. As I ponder this, I imagine sitting at the uni bar while my mother stares at me disapprovingly, ...
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Patients happy with ‘very good’ care in emergency departments
Almost 16,000 NSW emergency department patients were surveyed about their experiences during 2017–18, with 88 per cent or nearly nine in 10 patients rating their experience as ‘very good’ (59 per cent) or ‘good’ (29 per cent). This is down slightly from ...
More »New gerontology framework to ensure skills for nurses
In the wake of the aged care royal commission and a perceived skills shortage in the sector, the University of Wollongong, in partnership with the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, has released the Gerontological Nursing Competencies (GNCs) framework. The framework ...
More »Rock ‘n’ roll, push ‘n’ pull: avoiding nurse and patient injuries
Studies show that an average nurse lifts 1.8 tonnes per 12-hour shift, re-positions patients around 69 times a shift and often perform 4 transfers per day. That is a lot of lifting, pushing and pulling and can leave nurses battered ...
More »Keeping our nurses engaged: combatting an ageing workforce
“My kids will kill me for this,” Dan Levitt told the nurses in the crowd at his Australian Healthcare Week talk. “DAY-OH” he sings. The tickled crowd responds in kind. “DAYYYY-OOOHHH,” he continues and goes on to complete the attempt ...
More »How to survive clinical placements: Tips from a student nurse
The nursing clinical placement is an essential part of the nursing degree and is an opportunity to solidify clinical knowledge and get real life exposure to clinical settings. For almost all students, the transition from university-based learning to the real ...
More »Looking to the year 2030: Australian Healthcare Week 2019
Embrace the change. Embrace technology. Be a leader. These are the messages from ACN chief executive Kylie Ward. Ward gave the opening address to the packed out Nursing Expo at Australian Healthcare Week. Entitled 'The Future and Nursing', she asked the ...
More »Uni’s nursing e-portfolio wins innovation in teaching award
The nursing department at Murdoch University recently received an innovation honour at the 2018 Australian Awards for University Teaching. Awarded for their e-portfolio, the team's platform prepares Murdoch graduates for professional practice by allowing them to construct, explore and discuss real-world problems in ...
More »Nurses satisfied overall: new workplace survey
A survey of primary healthcare nurses has found that 46.2 per cent believe they could be doing more at work, and when they've asked for more responsibility, 27.9 per cent report that managers didn’t approve the request. These are just ...
More »Nurse fatigue and its effect on patient safety
How many hours do you work a day, and how much sleep do you think you get a night? According to Dr Ann Rogers, it probably isn't enough. And if that's the case, your patients are at risk. Studies have shown ...
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