Light at the end of the tunnel for night shift workers
The use of circadian-informed lighting, where artificial lighting is synchronised to the natural biological rhythms or a person’s ‘body-clock’, significantly improves quality of sleep and work performance for night shift workers, a new trial has found. The Flinders University trial is amongst the first tightly controlled in-laboratory studies to have simultaneously evaluated circadian-lighting effects on […]
Welcoming midwives: A look back at the ANF’s 2013 name change to recognise midwife members
On July 25, 2013, the union formally changed its name from the ANF to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) to acknowledge the valuable skills and knowledge of midwife members. History was made after the union’s then Federal Secretary, Lee Thomas, and late Senior Federal Industrial Officer Nick Blake, put the case forward at […]
Contraceptive and medical abortion model of care in rural areas
An innovative co-designed model of care has been developed to help elevate the role of nurses in contraceptive and medical abortion care in rural and regional areas. The model has been developed as part of the landmark ORIENT study which involves nurses gaining the knowledge and skills to insert contraceptive devices and support delivery of […]
NMBA freezes registration fees for 2024/25
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) have frozen their annual registration fee for nurses and midwives for 2024/25 The cost of renewing general registration for nurses and midwives will remain at $185. The fee will cover the upcoming registration period commencing on 1 April 2025. […]
NSW nurses and midwives to stage 24-hour strike next week
NSW nurses and midwives are ramping up their campaign for a 15% pay increase, planning a 24-hour strike next week over the state government’s ongoing refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations. Thousands of nurses and midwives will strike for 24 hours from the start of morning shift on Tuesday 24 September. However, life-preserving staff will […]
Humour a primary health initiative, says nurse comedian
Lucy Downey, a nurse from NSW, has been telling stories all her life, but her journey into stand-up comedy began at a rather unexpected moment—her father’s wake. “He always said I was a good storyteller and that I should get up and share them. I thought, what better time than now, in front of over […]
Senate Inquiry backs paid reproductive leave to manage menopause and perimenopause
A Senate Inquiry examining issues related to menopause and perimenopause has recommended the federal government consider introducing paid gender-inclusive reproductive leave in the National Employment Standards (NES) and modern awards to help people manage symptoms and a range of impacts. It has also called on the federal government to consider how to expand the scope […]
Decades of advocacy for NPs
In the late 80s, early in my grad year, I recall telling my mum I was puzzled that the most experienced nurses were the furthest from the bedside. Pathways to promotion led away from clinical practice to management and education roles. The 90’s saw the introduction of Clinical Nurse Specialists and Clinical Nurse Consultants, followed […]
New online resource aims to increase antimicrobial resistance knowledge
Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has launched a new resource that provides evidence-based information to inform policy and action to reduce the impact of antimicrobial resistance on human, animal and environmental health. Now live, AMR Action and Insights was developed as part of CSIRO’s minimising AMR initiative. AMR occurs when disease-causing microbes evolve to resist […]
Why sex, gender, and sexuality census data matters for inclusive healthcare
Earlier this month, the federal government announced it would scrap questions about gender and sexuality from the 2026 census.1 However, within 48 hours, this decision was reversed.2 But why does this matter? Firstly, it’s important to understand that sex, gender, and sexuality mean different things in this context. Sex is most simply understood as referring […]