Nurse has registration cancelled for groping unconscious patients
A nurse has had his registration cancelled and been disqualified from reapplying until April 2025 after intentionally touching and, in one case, groping the breasts of two unconscious female patients. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) referred Mr Blair Easdon to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (the tribunal) after he self-notified to […]
Gender assumptions and the value of work
The recent Fair Work Commission aged care work value decision confirmed that the work of aged care sector employees and nurses has been undervalued on the basis of gender assumptions.1 The decision sets out a fascinating history of how and why gender-based assumptions about the value of women’s work has permeated Australia’s industrial relations system […]
Placing mum in Residential Aged Care – thoughts of a nurse/daughter
This article is offered as a personal reflection on my lived experience of placing my nonagenarian mother into residential aged care Of course, my personal lived experience is also inextricably intertwined with me being a nurse of 44 years. As much as I try, these two “personas” cannot be separated, and both are apparent every […]
Trailblazing nurse receives NAIDOC lifetime achievement award
Registered nurse and long-time Indigenous rights activist Aunty Dulcie Flower says she’s never considered she has a legacy to leave. “I’m just me, going about my business,” says the 85-year old who is the recipient of this year’s National NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. “I am blessed to have the privilege of working with Aboriginal […]
Nurse midwife co-creator of women’s health app CHARLI
Clinical nurse and midwife Samantha Costa is co-creator of CHARLI, a recently launched women’s health app that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help empower women in their health and wellness. She talks with the ANMJ. CHARLI Health uses evidence-based, AI technology for women to track and manage their menstrual cycles, fertility, sexual health, pregnancy, peri/menopause […]
Australians fare well in health report card despite ongoing COVID impact
Australians’ overall health continues to fare well when compared with similar countries despite significant impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing burden of chronic conditions. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) biennial flagship report card of Australians’ health was launched this week by Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler. The […]
Evening exercise benefits those with obesity
Undertaking the majority of daily physical activity in the evening is linked to the greatest health benefits for people living with obesity, according to new research. “Exercise is by no means the only solution to the obesity crisis, but our research does suggest that people who can plan their activity into certain times of the […]
Queensland announces first nurse-led clinic site
Queensland has announced the first location of four new promised nurse-led clinics aimed to improve healthcare access with a focus on women and girls. The Miles Government committed $46 million to deliver four walk-in clinics in regions that need it most as part of its Queensland Women and Girls’ Health Strategy 2032. The Adelaide Street […]
New powers allow health regulator to ban unregistered practitioners
Unregistered practitioners, including those who have been suspended from practising, can be prevented from treating patients under a suite of new powers afforded to Australia’s health regulator. The public will also have more information about practitioners on the public register, including if they use an alternative name to practise, in new changes to enable the […]
National midwifery update
“I didn’t know there was a midwife at the ANMF.” At a national conference in 2023, I was excited to run into a midwifery professor I had learned from during my Bachelor of Midwifery. We talked about my journey since my graduate year, and when I mentioned that I had been working for the union […]