The risk of boundary violations for inexperienced practitioners
Developing and maintaining therapeutic relationships with clients is a core part of a clinician’s role. Boundary crossings render this relationship vulnerable whilst boundary violations have the potential to do substantial harm to the client. New practitioners are particularly vulnerable to boundary errors and can find themselves ‘out of their depth’ without realising this, as the […]
Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2023: For Our Elders
“If I can do it, you can do it,” is the motto of a trailblazing Aboriginal mother and daughter duo at the grassroots of improving access and quality healthcare in their communities, along with inspiring the next generation to choose health as a career pathway. The theme for NAIDOC Week 2023 For Our Elders is […]
‘Safe staffing and better pay’: Major changes to rebuild aged care sector begin
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) applauds two significant achievements to rebuild the aged care sector, which will come into effect tomorrow. Legislation to implement Registered Nurse (RN) 24/7 comes into operation, and historic wage increases following the Aged Care Work Value decision, will start to flow through to nurses and carers in the […]
Changing the conversation: Nurses, midwives, and addiction
The nursing and midwifery professions are currently in a vulnerable position. The workforce is facing critical staff shortages, with a projected national deficit of approximately 85,000 nurses and midwives by 2025 and increasing to 123,000 by 2030 (Health Workforce Australia, 2014). In light of this, it is critical that creative and innovative solutions are pursued […]
Gender equality stagnant across the globe
Bias against women is similar to what it was a decade ago and gender equality is stagnant, according to the latest United Nations (UN) 2023 Gender Social Norms Index. In 2015 the United Nations set out 17 goals as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – one of these goals was to achieve gender […]
Mental health, wellbeing, and support needs of nursing students – ‘Help! I’m overwhelmed, I need an extension’
High and increasing prevalence rates of mental health problems among young people mean that youth mental health is a key priority for policymakers worldwide.1 University students around the world have increased vulnerability to poor mental health.2,3 Studying nursing is often regarded as more stressful than other healthcare studies, leading to compromised mental wellbeing in students.4 […]
A step towards smartwatches supporting chronic disease prevention in healthcare
University of Queensland researchers have developed a roadmap for the potential integration of smartwatches into Australian healthcare – but concede there are still several challenges to overcome. According to Dr Graeme Mattison, from UQ’s Faculty of Medicine, using smartwatches for a comprehensive analysis of a patient’s health could enable personalised care for people diagnosed with […]
Rural Australians missing out on $6.5 billion in healthcare access, report finds
Rural Australians missing out on $6.5 billion in healthcare access, report finds
Nursing and midwifery tops Ahpra’s criminal prosecutions
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) has racked up its 100th criminal prosecution, with nursing and midwifery topping professions that have been involved in breaking the law the most. Ahpra’s first criminal prosecution was finalised in January 2014 when a West Australian woman was sentenced to a $20,000 fine for claiming to be a […]
‘Waste of nursing skill’: A third of primary health care nurses not working to full scope, survey finds
A third of Australia’s primary health care (PHC) nurses believe their skills are not being fully utilised most of the time, according to a new survey. More than half (53%) of ‘under-utilised’ nurses had requested to use their skills and experience more. Of these, less than four in 10 successfully negotiated a change, while more […]