CONTACT Nursing and Midwifery Office – GPO 825, Level 2, 11 Moore Street, Canberra, ACT 2601 Phone: 02 6244 2147 Fax: 02 6244 4630 Email: n&mo@act.gov.au

Nursing and Midwifery Office

Newsletter Issue 16 | July 2013

From the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer 1

2013 International Nurses and Midwives Week Celebrations 2

Nursing and Midwifery scholarship update 6

ICN Conference 6

News from the Research Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Practice (RCNMP) 7

ACN National Forum 7

SCPU 7

Personal Classification Level 2 8

From the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer

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Hello everyone

Within these pages of the July newsletter are real examples of individual nurses and midwives and teams of nurses and midwives who were recognised this year as deserving of an award for excellence, announced during International Nurses and Midwives Week. I congratulate them wholeheartedly. Each one of you is deserving of recognition because as health professionals, you work hard and you make a difference.

I had the great pleasure earlier this year, of delivering the occasional address to graduates from the Faculty of Health at the University of Canberra. It was an honour to be asked so I thought for some time about what it would be best and most appropriate to speak about to nurses and midwives, among other health professionals, as they embark on their careers.

enough colour. Mediocrity is nobody’s goal and perfection shouldn’t be either. We’ll never be perfect. But remember these three P’s: Passion + Persistence = Possibility.”

So here was my clue for what I would talk to the new graduates about. I weaved these “P” words into a fourth P, that of Professionalism.

So I ask us all, what is professionalism, and why should it matter to you and to me?

First and foremost, as professionals we are known for our specialized knowledge. We’ve made a deep personal commitment to develop and improve our skills, and where appropriate, we have the degrees and qualifications that serve as the foundation of this knowledge.

As professionals we work in a serious, thoughtful and sustained way to master the specialised knowledge needed to succeed in our specialties and we have an obligation to keep this knowledge up-to-date, so that we can be competent to continue to deliver the best care possible.

As professionals, we get the job done. We are reliable, and we keep our promises. If circumstances arise that prevent us from delivering on our promises, then we manage

A degree in nursing or midwifery has provided those who are graduating with a strong applied professional training that will open up the potential for many career paths so perhaps I could have talked about options within their professions. I could have bored them to tears about my own professional journey or even talked about the challenges in health care today, but of course I would not want to frighten them too early in their careers!

Being a not so young nurse of the 70’s and 80’s, I was quite fond of singers like Mick Jagger (who I note is on another world tour which shows you are never too old to rock and roll), and Bon Jovi. Bon Jovi and I have a few things in common, not the least of which was our unusual dress sense in the 1980s. Fortunately recent photos of both of us indicate that we have improved. But further to this, Bon Jovi is also known as the grumpy old man of rock and I have been described as the grumpy old Chief Nurse of the ACT. And he too delivered an occasional address at Monmouth University in 2001. Monmouth is near New York and happens to have a Faculty of Health where nurses, midwives, dieticians and nutritionists are all educated. Bon Jovi said this:

“Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do with your life, be passionate. The world doesn’t need any more gray. On the other hand, we can’t get

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International Nurses and Midwives Week falls between International Midwives Day on 5th May and International Nurses Day on 12th May. This special week marks the contributions that nurses and midwives make to society and acknowledges the wonderful work that nurses and midwives do across the world each day.

International Nurses Day is held annually on 12th May as it commemorates the birthday of Florence Nightingale (in 1820) who is widely considered to be the founder of modern nursing.

This year we celebrated International Nurses and Midwives Week with a variety of exciting events.

Celebrations included :

A Poster Retrospective - The Research Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Practice (RCNMP) collated an eclectic display of nearly 50 research posters showcasing the diversity of research that has been undertaken by nurses and midwives in the ACT over the past 20 years. A catalogue listing the posters is still available from the RCNMP office.

A Wreath-laying and Remembrance Ceremony - This reflective and poignant event, recognising nurses and midwives who have served their country, was held at the Australian War Memorial on a cool but bright, sunny afternoon. The ceremony was attended by Her Excellency, the Governor-General, Mrs Quentin Bryce AC CVO and around 300 nurses and midwives as well as members of the public.

It was a moving ceremony. Captain Erica van Ash Platoon Commander from the Army School of Health in Bonevilla, Victoria gave a thought provoking and insightful commemorative address and Colonel Bronwyn Wheeler Director of Defence Force Nursing recited the Ode.

2013 International Nurses and Midwives Week Celebrations

Her Excellency, the Governor-General, Mrs Quentin Bryce, AC CVO, laying a wreath commemorating those nurses and midwives who lost their lives in the line of duty while serving their country.

Following on from last year’s humorous debate on whether nurses would actually be needed in the future, this year’s event was even more amusing. Set in a hot air balloon flying high above Canberra, the debate began between the passengers, a nurse educator, a nurse administrator, a midwife, a surgical nurse, an ICU nurse and an enrolled nurse as they justified why they should not be ejected from the balloon after the gas supply failed and it began to lose altitude. We were treated to some hilarious reasoning and rationale which would never be acceptable in any legitimate health care setting! The debate was adjudicated by a gambolling, comical pilot of questionable competence with a broad Scottish accent and the winner was the smooth talking, martial arts expert from the University of Canberra. Congratulations Janet Jenista!

The Great Balloon DebatePassenger List: (from left)

Janet Jenista RN

Ronnie Croome Chief Nurse

Suzie Nash RM

Donna De Silva RN

Tristan Checkley RN

Gloria Davison EN

Pilot: Frank Bowden Chief Medical Advisor

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The ACT Nursing & Midwifery Excellence Awards Presentation and Dinner - 500 guests attended a spectacular gala evening held at the Hellenic Club in Woden, complete with balloons and serviettes in the ACT Nursing & Midwifery colours of green and purple. Guest speakers Chief Minister and Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher, Director General, Dr Peggy Brown and Canberra Centenary Director, Robyn Archer AO provided interesting and entertaining addresses to an appreciative audience.

The Nursing & Midwifery Office was delighted to receive almost 80 nominations from a wide range of health care settings in both the public and private sectors demonstrating the depth, breadth and diversity of excellence in the nursing and midwifery professions across the ACT.

2013 International Nurses and Midwives Week Celebrations

There were 9 awards presented. The winners are :

• Donna De Silva - Nurse of the Year

• Melissa Pearce - Midwife of the Year

• Karen Mulquiney - Enrolled Nurse of the Year

• Linda Spurrier - Primary Health Care Nurse of the Year

• Gloria Davison - Graduate Nurse/Midwife of the Year

• Debbie Hagen - Nurse Practitioner of the Year

• Kylie Simons - the ACT Chief Nurse’s Encouragement Award

• Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Canberra Hospital and Health Services - Public Sector Team of the Year

• Peri-Operative and Surgical Team, National Capital Private Hospital - Private Sector Team of the Year

Donna De Silva: Nurse of the Year - After an illustrious career as a Travel Consultant, Donna graduated in 2006 from the University of Canberra with a Bachelor of Nursing. In August 2006 Donna commenced work at The Canberra Hospital as part of the New Graduate Nurse Program. At the end of 2009 Donna commenced in the position of Clinical Development Nurse Ward 10A. Currently Donna shares her working week between Ward 10A and the Graduate Nurse Progam. Donna is a member of Canberra Hospital Standard Group 9 Recognising and Responding to Clinical Deterioration in Acute Health Care, a committee member of the ACT Wound Management Association and a Respecting Patient Choices Advocate having been involved with the Care of the Dying Patient Pathway. Donna regularly organises ‘Pink Days’ on Ward 10A where Hand Hygiene Awarenss is the focus. She is passionate about providing the best possible care to her

patients, always displays integrity and commitment in her professional practice and has the ability to make people from all walks of life feel valued and cared for.

Melissa Pearce: Midwife of the Year - Manager of the Birth Centre at the Canberra Hospital for the last 3 years. Melissa completed a Graduate Certificate in Midwifery at Flinders University last year to obtain prescribing rights as a midwife and has almost completed her Masters degree at UC. She received a practice development grant in 2012 to develop a guide to midwifery practice that facilitates physiological birth and her professional skill and commitment have contributed significantly to the design and development of the new birth centre. The success of the design is testament to her understanding of the importance of environment for childbirth.

She is passionate about enhancing the wellbeing of women and is a strong advocate for childbearing women and midwives. She is President of the ACT Branch of the Australian College of Midwives and is a role model for all midwives, particularly promoting the necessity for ongoing education.

Karen Mulquiney: Enrolled Nurse of the Year - Karen demonstrates an outstanding commitment to the provision of optimal nursing care to elderly residents with dementia and is a thoughtful, pro-active nurse who shows initiative and a desire to learn. She works in the dementia unit at Morling Lodge.

Karen is a true role model and has contributed to raising the profile of enrolled nurses by demonstrating a professional and positive approach to the health and clinical care needs of residents. She demonstrates outstanding clinical knowledge and this is apparent in the appropriate identification response and management she demonstrates when providing care for her patients, promoting choice, decision-making and encouraging independence wherever possible. She is currently studying workplace management and plans to further her nursing career by specializing in dementia care.

Linda Spurrier: Primary Health Care Nurse of the Year - Linda is a forward thinking, dynamic, innovative and passionate registered nurse who has worked in many fields of nursing including Coronary Care, Intensive Care and Emergency and is now sharing and utilizing her expertise and experience within Primary Health Care.

Her enthusiasm is infectious and she has been the driving force behind improving practice systems in the Gordon Family Practice particularly in the area of diabetes where she has taken the lead in the management of patients.

Her work has contributed significantly to improving the quality of health care provided by this practice. She is always caring, friendly, approachable and thoroughly professional in everything she does.

2013 ACT Nursing and Midwifery

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Gloria Davison: Graduate Nurse/Midwife of the Year - Gloria completed the Enrolled Nurse Graduate Program in Feb 2013. She is focused, caring, reflective and passionate in her pursuit of high quality care. She demonstrates excellent leadership qualities and her contribution to mental health nursing and to the community has raised the profile and professionalism of enrolled nurses working in ACT Health. As a Quality Improvement Project, she developed a “Time Management Sheet’ which is now part of the daily function of the adult mental health unit where she works. Her colleagues have described it as ‘fantastic, ingenious and useful.’ She also won the 2012 Australian Vocational Student of the Year.

Debbie Hagen: Nurse Practitioner of the Year - Debbie became a nurse practitioner in 2006 and was one of the first nurse practitioners in the ACT. She has achieved a first for nurse practitioners in the ACT by developing an initiative for managing an adult ventilated quadriplegic patient in the Community setting, using a unique new model of care. This took incredible hours of work and skills beyond that normally expected of a nurse practitioner. Even during difficult times Debbie bounced back with a drive and enthusiasm which led to a successful outcome for the patient. She has an extensive professional portfolio and a personal drive for her own development. She has also developed an education program called Fundamentals of Rehabilitation Nursing. Her goal is to establish this training as an accredited course. She also finds time to be the first non-medical vice president of the Australian and New

Zealand Spinal Cord Injury Society. Her dedication, commitment and outstanding performance as a role model proves truly inspirational to her colleagues.

Kylie Simons: ACT Chief Nurse’s Encouragement Award - Kylie has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to her profession. Her positive energy and attitude, her reflective thinking and critical thinking skills are demonstrated at all times. Recent change in management in her unit caused negativity and unrest but Kylie readily embraced the change. Her constructive and optimistic attitude had a positive influence on her colleagues resulting in a positive outcome for the unit. She has made notable contributions to improving the management of diabetic clients in her unit by enrolling in a diabetic management course and then developing a diabetic management plan. She is always willing to share her knowledge with colleagues and has proved to be a great role model.

The Peri - Operative and Surgical Team, National Capital Private Hospital: Private Sector Team of the Year - This team has been recognised for their excellence in clinical practice. They undertook a quality improvement project in 2012 to ensure all patients had a correct and completed consent in place before leaving the surgical department prior to their surgical procedures. This change involved the implementation of a 3 stage process. The team was so successful that they moved from a pre-audit compliance rate of 54% to a post audit compliance rate of 100%. Advanced negotiation and communication skills were required to achieve this success and it led to them being awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award in their 2012 ACHS Periodic Review Survey. This achievement has subsequently been maintained at follow up audits. Persistence and team work have contributed to their success.

Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Canberra Hospital and Health Services: Team of the Year - Public Sector 2013 - This team of seven nurses falls under the Division of Medicine but works across the whole of ACT Health and is extremely patient focused. They have worked tirelessly to prevent and detect infections in both patients and staff to improve the patient journey. They provide education to patients, carers and staff as well as educating themselves and submitting their work for publication. In 2011 the team noted that the incidence of Clostridium Difficile had increased nationally and locally. They worked closely with the oncology unit, who were experiencing an increase of new cases, and introduced an acronym “SIGHT” for the management of new cases. Their work was recognised nationally and presented as a poster at the Nursing and Midwifery Research Conference in October 2012. Subsequently the team worked with the Pharmacy Department to develop a poster to help healthcare staff manage patients with Clostridium Difficile more effectively. This team works hard, studies extensively and puts their stamp of excellence on everything they do.

Award Winners

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Nursing and Midwifery Scholarships - Update June 2013

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Post Registration ScholarshipsThe Nursing & Midwifery Post Registration Scholarship Scheme has been offered since November 2000. It provides financial assistance towards course tuition fees to support studies in clinical, education, research or leadership management areas.

For Round 1, 2013 the Nursing and Midwifery Office received a resounding 22% increase in requests for scholarship assistance. This has resulted in a record number of applications for the 2013 academic year and a record number of registered nurses, midwives and enrolled nurses receiving scholarship support to assist with their study.

Graduate Certificate Course requests have increased by 122%, Bachelor of Nursing Degrees have increased by 83% whilst those undertaking Master Degrees have increased by 144% for the 2013 calendar year. An emphasis in Clinical Nursing, Critical Care and Neonatal Care is evident.

JBI Clinical Fellowship ScholarshipCongratulations to Zivai Maburuse and Jennifer Mossard. Zivai and Jennifer are the March recipients of the prestigious

Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Clinical Fellowship Scholarship, for the ACT Government Health Directorate.

Zivai Maburuse is currently Acting Chronic Kidney Disease Coordinator in the Renal Outpatient Department at the Canberra Hospital. Zivai hopes to further explore ‘Root causes of inadequate dialysis in the Haemodialysis Unit’ as his audit topic during 2013.

Jennifer Mossard is currently Acting CDN, Medical Imaging Department at the Canberra Hospital. Jennifer’s audit topic investigates ‘What is the incidence of contrast media extravasations in CT? Are there factors that increase the risk of extravasations?’

Up to four JBI Clinical Fellowship Scholarships will be awarded to support nurses and midwives again in 2013.

If you are interested or would like further information concerning scholarships please visit the Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship site: http://health.act.gov.au/professionals/nursing-midwifery/scholarships/ or contact the Professional Development Coordinator directly via the Nursing & Midwifery Office on: 6205 5128.

The Nursing and Midwifery office sponsored approximately 80 nurses from ACT Health to attend the ICN 25th Quadrennial Congress in Melbourne in May. The Congress brought together over 4,000 nurses from around the world. This was an amazing and exciting event that culminated in a mass sharing of ideas, evidence, experience, trends and innovations in nursing care from nurses from every continent (with the exception of Antarctica).

The presentations from the Keynote speakers and the concurrent presenters gave powerful demonstrations of the international importance of nurses in ensuring equal access and quality of health care for all. The Nursing and Midwifery Office sponsored a Research Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Practice booth where ACT research was show cased.

The booth was well presented and colourful. Special thanks go to Barbara Conroy, Violeta Lopez and Rowena King for this achievement. The booth was a significant draw card for all the delegates attending the conference.

Copies of the 2008-2012 Research Compendium, the 2012 Poster Retrospective catalogue and various ACT Government tourist information pamphlets were distributed.

Also thanks to Juliet Langridge who donated Australian souvenirs as give-aways to our international visitors. It was a most generous and well received gesture. Needless to say they were all snapped up quickly.

Back in Canberra Ronnie Croome hosted a debrief lunch for the nurses who attended the Congress. The nurses provided outstanding feedback. They expressed

appreciation for the opportunity and the financial support provided by the Chief Nurse that enabled them to attend this once in a life time event and their impressions and pride in being part of such a large international Congress.

They also spoke about their respect for our international colleagues who provide nursing and midwifery care with extremely limited resources and do not have nearly such good working conditions as those enjoyed by us in the ACT.

Some discussed ideas brought back from Congress that they would like to trial in the ACT, others would like to maintain and foster connections and contacts made at Congress, to further develop a support network. Overall participants voted the Congress an outstanding professional experience.

International Council of Nurses

Research Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Practice

The previous conferences in 2011 & 2012 held by the RCNMP had outstanding evaluations and it fully intends the 2014 conference will build on these successes.

The venue will again be the wonderful heritage listed Hyatt Hotel on Commonwealth Avenue, Yarralumla ACT.

Possible themes for this conference were distributed at the ICN Congress debrief lunch and the nurses asked to provide feedback to Ronnie. We encourage all nurses who haven’t as yet provided their preference to send this through to Ronnie. Sub themes will follow from the overall theme.

Known social events for the conference include a welcome reception on the Wednesday afternoon and a conference dinner on the Thursday evening Each conference day will include the Hyatt Hotel’s scrumptious food and hot and cold drinks at morning and afternoon tea and lunch.

Calls for abstracts will open early in 2014 - so consider what you have achieved and haven’t yet shared with your nursing and midwifery colleagues, write it up and submit it.

Remember the RCNMP staff are available to anyone who would like to consider submitting an abstract, but may not have the experience and would like to discuss their ideas and whether it would be suitable for oral or poster presentation. Once again there will be prizes for outstanding posters.

There will be early bird and student registrations offered. So remember the date... and as Eddie says, “Lock it in!”

Keep Wednesday 15th - Friday 17th October 2014 free! Why? For the 3rd RCNMP Biennial Conference.

The National Nursing Forum is hosted by the Australian College of Nursing (ACN), and will be held in the National Convention Centre, Canberra, from Sunday 20 October until Tuesday 22 October 2013.

The forum will attract delegates from all states and territories including leaders and professionals in the fields of nursing and health. This represents a great opportunity for us to showcase the many evidence-based and innovative nursing practices and models of care that occur throughout ACT Health.

ACT Health, through the Nursing and Midwifery Office (NMO), is a Silver Sponsor. This level of sponsorship means we will be linked to all aspects of the forum. It includes a booth as well as pre-forum and onsite marketing, program advertising, naming as luncheon host and an opportunity for a five minute address to delegates.

The forum theme is ‘Success through Synergy’ and besides the promotion we gain from being a significant sponsor, the NMO plans to enable as many nurses as possible to attend at least some of the forum events; a number of our staff have submitted abstracts and posters already.

It is also being planned to offer site visits to delegates to give them a better understanding of ACT Health’s services and facilities.

Having this national forum in the ACT gives us a fantastic opportunity to network, share, learn and to support our nurse colleagues nationally.

It will also raise the ACT’s profile as a major player in the health of the nation.

ACN National Forum 20-22 October 2013 in Canberra

The Student Clinical Placement Unit coordinates a diverse variety of clinical learning opportunities for both undergraduate and post graduate nursing and midwifery students. Planning for Semester 2 clinical placements is well underway with close to 400 nursing and midwifery students scheduled for placement in the coming months.

For all enquiries regarding nursing and midwifery clinical placements please contact: scpu@act.gov.au or call 02 6174 5887.

SCPU (Student Clinical Placement Unit)

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Personal Classification Level 2 positions provide an opportunity for ACT Health Level 1 RNs and RMs who are permanent employees to advance to Level 2 based on their experience, knowledge, skills and attributes. Applicants may apply through a generic process. To find the application package go to:

http://health.act.gov.au/professionals/nursing-midwifery/personal-classification-level-2

Advancement to Personal Classification Level 2 involves a written application and interview process. Four advancement rounds are offered annually. Round 3 closes on 30 August and Round 4 closes on 22 November 2013.

Personal Classification Level 2

Applicants may submit an application at any time to the Nurse Advisor - Career Advancement (address below) for inclusion in the next scheduled advancement aound. Applicants not advanced in previous rounds may reapply.

Applicants are invited to attend the “Job application skills for RN2/RM2 Personal Classification Workshop” to assist them in completing the application process. Log into Capabiliti to book in.

For additional information contact the Nurse Advisor – Career Advancement phone: (02) 62052370

Nurses and midwives who have advanced to a Personal Classification Level 2 position so far this year are:

Merlene Carsula - OR Blessly Blessen -6BKatherine McKinnon - OR Sally Bray - Rad OncFiona Huang- PACU Jane Hattley - GEHUDebbie Fleischer-ICU Bindhu Jexin - PerioperativeSally-Anne Trotter - ED Wendy Watson - NICULucy Taylor - HITH Anja de Ruijter - EDJulie King- HITH Sandra Farrell - AnaestheticsVijitha Rajasegaram - Paeds Helena Rathouski - PaedsMichelle Pan - 14B Milka Kaaria - 7B MAPUKobi Boyce - ED (Calvary) Simon Smith - HITHStephanie Hatte - ED (Calvary) Lorraine Upton – Community Health IntakeLinda Cheah - Maternity (Calvary) Katherine Charlton - Paeds

Dawn Sheridan - Post Natal

expectations up front, and we do our best to make the situation right. And as professionals, we don’t make excuses, but we focus on finding solutions.

As professionals we exhibit qualities such as honesty and integrity. Armed with these, we keep our word, and we can be trusted implicitly because of this. We never compromise our values, and will do the right thing, even when it means taking the harder path.

More than this, as true professionals we remain humble – if a task or job falls outside our scope of practice, then we’re not afraid to admit this. We immediately ask for help when we need it, and we’re willing to learn from others. And in turn, we help others.

As professionals we hold ourselves accountable for our words and actions, especially when we’ve made a mistake. And we all make mistakes. This personal accountability is closely tied to the qualities of honesty and integrity, and it’s a vital element in our professions.

As genuine professionals we show respect for the people around us, no matter what our role or situation. We will exhibit a high degree of emotional intelligence by

considering the emotions and needs of others, and we will not let a bad day impact on how we interact with our colleagues and our patients.

As you can see from these characteristics, professionals are the kind of people that others respect and value. As nurses and midwives, we are a genuine credit to our organisations, to our families and friends and to the community! This is why it’s so important that we all work to earn a professional reputation in the workplace.

I hope when I spoke about professionalism to these new graduates, I was able to impress upon them, that by demonstrating these characteristics, they would enjoy successful careers as nurses and midwives. And should they choose to work in the ACT, they would be joining a committed health care team of which I am proud to be a part and I hope you are too.

Please feel free to contact me on my email address veronica.croome@act.gov.au should you wish to talk with me.

Bye for now,

Ronnie

From the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer

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