Nurse-led vascular access team
A unique Queensland first, nurse-led vascular access team is reducing catheter-associated complications and improving the patient experience. Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service’s vascular access surveillance and education (VASE) service sees specially trained nurses insert peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), guided by ultrasound. “Years ago, this was traditionally a procedure that was done by medical […]
Nursing on the doorstep: a socialised model of healthcare
Powered by a passion to increase connectivity and decrease stigma around homelessness, primary healthcare nurse-driven organisation OneBridge provides health equity, health education and social prescriptions for individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. OneBridge Founder and Churchill Fellow, Sonia Martin RN, has been working alongside vulnerable populations for 30 years and was recently appointed National Chair of […]
‘No More Shame’ in disclosing and responding to violence and abuse of older women
Violence against women, in Australia and internationally, is a longstanding and pernicious scourge on all communities. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that one in three women globally have suffered either physical and/or sexual violence from both intimate partners or non-partners in their lifetimes, with the majority perpetrated by intimate partners.1 In May […]
Celebrating nurses and midwives launches on international days – A podcast series exploring their lives
In honour of International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) is inviting you to learn more about the extraordinary lives and views of your fellow nurses and midwives. Launching on International Day of the Midwife, renowned podcaster Nigel Marsh is interviewing nurses and midwives over the […]
Queensland’s inaugural First Nations Midwifery Director driving the change towards culturally safe care
Proud Gurindji woman and midwife Melina Connors has recently been appointed Queensland’s inaugural First Nations Midwifery Director, a historic first not only for Queensland, but for all of Australia. She talks with the ANMJ for International Day of the Midwife on 5 May. What is the role of the inaugural First Nations Midwifery Director for […]
Improving maternity care for First Nations women through midwife led models
Sydney’s Westmead Hospital initiated Midwifery Group Practice (MGP)/caseload care, a decade ago, providing pregnant women with continuity of midwifery care. This gold-standard maternity care involves a team of midwives ensuring consistent care throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period. The demand for this model has grown, highlighting its effectiveness and satisfaction for both midwives and […]
Continuity of Care Programs in midwifery education support future midwives
Continuity of care is where a woman* receives care from the same midwife, or team of midwives, throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.1 It is a marker of high-quality midwifery practice.2 The approach nurtures trust, communication, and often better birth outcomes and experiences for both women and babies.3 Midwifery continuity of care has a […]
Stress of notifications
Earlier this year I had the privilege of representing the ANMF at a symposium hosted by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (Ahpra) exploring the distress and stress experienced by practitioners involved in a regulatory process. The symposium was part of a project undertaken by an Expert Advisory Group (EAG) commissioned by Ahpra and the […]
Empowering Indigenous student nurses: A cadetship journey towards healthcare equity
This piece reflects on the experience of an Indigenous Nursing Cadetship from the perspectives of an Indigenous Nursing Cadet, a Nurse Researcher, and an Executive Director of Nursing. There is value in the opportunity to present individual viewpoints in collaboration as the authors believe in a genuine partnership between health services and Aboriginal and Torres […]
Supporting women’s choices: The women’s health nurse
Women’s health is much more than reproductive and sexual health, says long-time women’s health nurse (WHN) Annette Heather. “As a women’s health nurse you need to have broad experience and understand all aspects of women’s health – it’s not just reproductive health and pap smears. Sexual and reproductive health is only part of women’s health […]