‘You feel humbled’: Nurses and midwives recognised in 2024 King’s Birthday Honours
Lesley Woolf originally wanted to join the Navy, but her father wouldn’t let her. So, she decided to become a nurse instead, embarking on a remarkable journey that has taken her across the country and now spanned more than five decades. The Northern Territory registered nurse and midwife is among hundreds of Australians recognised in […]
New resources to reduce asthma symptoms and improve the environment
The National Asthma Council Australia (NAC) has released new information on today’s World Environment Day to help GPs make choices that could reduce asthma symptoms, prevent severe exacerbations and, at the same time, help improve the health of the environment. Reducing the environmental impact of asthma treatment is the first statement from the NAC outlining […]
Australia’s minimum and award wages to increase by 3.75%
Australia’s minimum and award wages will increase by 3.75%, the Fair Work Commission has announced at its Annual Wage Review hearing in Sydney this morning. The increase, effective from 1 July, will impact about 20.7% of the country’s workforce, or 2.6 million employees, who mostly work part-time, are predominantly women, and are more likely to […]
New report calls for faster MS diagnosis in Australia
Looking back, Laura Birchall believes she experienced years’ worth of MS symptoms that she simply dismissed at the time. “After I exercised my arms and my legs would be really tingly and my vision would go really dark, and I just thought it was because I was really bad at cardio,” she recalls. “When I […]
‘Plan for the worst, hope for the best’: Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner on matters of life and death
As a young nurse working in oncology, Peter Jenkin began to question the often “futile treatment” given to patients and the lack of informed decision-making. Something inside him clicked, setting him on a path into palliative care nursing that has spanned nearly three decades. “I just went, this makes so much sense, that dying is […]
ANMF calls on government to swiftly implement aged care pay rises
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has called on the federal government to implement final pay increases for aged care workers, as determined by the Fair Work Commission (FWC), by 30 June. The FWC handed down its Stage 3 decision in March, determining that direct care workers, including Assistants in Nursing (AINs)/Personal Care Workers […]
Nursing at a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic
Victorian registered nurse Sarah O’Rourke fronts one of nearly 60 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics now running across the country. Funded by the federal government, the clinics were established with the goal of making it easier for Australians to access urgent care, while simultaneously, diverting people from overcrowded emergency departments and easing pressure on public hospitals. […]
Five of My Life: Podcaster Nigel Marsh unearths the stories of everyday nurses and midwives
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has partnered with acclaimed podcaster Nigel Marsh to launch a series featuring everyday nurses and midwives. The six-part podcast series follows the Five of My Life challenge – where guests share a film, book, song, place and possession. Initial episodes will be launched on International Day of the […]
New scholarships to upskill registered nurses and midwives
The federal government has launched a $50.2 million scholarship program to upskill registered nurses and midwives to become nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives in primary care and aged care settings. The Primary Care Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship Program will provide 1,850 postgraduate scholarships over four years and be managed by the Australian College of Nurse […]
‘Prac Payment’: Government to pay nursing and midwifery students $319 per week during clinical placements
Student nurses, midwives, teachers, and social workers will be paid $319.50 per week while undertaking their mandatory clinical placements under a new federal government measure to address rising ‘placement poverty’.