The health and health behaviours of Australian metropolitan nurses

The health and health behaviours of Australian metropolitan nurses

Health workforce Nursing Nutrition Obesity

Nurses make up the largest component of the health workforce and provide the majority of patient care. Most health education is delivered by nurses, who also serve as healthy living and behavioural role models.The aims of this study published in BMC Nursing, were to investigate nurses’ overall health and the presence of chronic disease; to describe nurses’ health-related behaviours and to compare them to those of the general population, with both groups matched by age and gender.
The study found there  are early ‘warning signs’ concerning the health status of nurses. Despite perceiving current good health, support is required for nurses to prevent future chronic disease, particularly in the areas of nutrition and alcohol intake.
 Perry, Lin,  Gallagher, Robyn  and Christine Duffield . (2015) The health and health behaviours of Australian metropolitan nurses: an exploratory study. BMC Nursing, 14:45

Breast Care Nurse Role

Breast Care Nurse Role

Cancer Nursing

The aim of the study published in Nursing Open, was to explore the role of the Australian breast care nurse in the provision of information and support to women with breast cancer, with a focus on the differences experienced depending on geographic work context.This was the first Australian study to describe the role of the breast care nurse nationally and the first study to investigate breast care nurses perceived ability to meet a selection of the Australian Specialist Breast Nurse Competency Standards.
Important differences were found according to the geographical location of breast care nurses.

Aherne, T., Gardner, A. & Courtney, M. (2015). A survey of the breast care nurse role in the provision of information and supportive care to Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer. Nursing Open, 2(2), 62-71

Nursing and midwifery workforce 2014

Nursing and midwifery workforce 2014

Health workforce Nursing

The total number of all nurses and midwives registered in Australia increased from 330,680 in 2011 to 352,838 in 2014 (6.7%) according to this recently published web report on the nursing and midwifery workforce, from the AIHW.

In 2014 the overall supply of employed nurses and midwives was 1,134 FTEs for every 100,000 people, slightly higher than the last report in 2011. There were more employed nurses and midwives in the 50-54 year age group than any other age group, and the proportion aged 50 and over grew from 38.3% to 39.4% over the past three years. 

Be Nice to Your Casuals

Be Nice to Your Casuals

Communication Health workforce Nursing

Jess Morton is a casual EEN and has written an informative piece for the blog Nurse Uncut. The post "Casual Nurse and Proud of it" writes honestly about the difficulties presented to her when working in different wards. "I’ve walked into a department or ward and in my bubbly manner introduced myself , “Hi, I’m Jess. I’m the EEN working this afternoon”, more times than I could count. Of the hundreds of times I’ve made that introduction, a good number of them have been met with a glance up and down and, well, nothing!" Lets hope that this isn't the reception facing casuals in our hospitals.

Casual nurse and proud of it!               

Nursing and Midwifery Workforce 2012

Nursing and Midwifery Workforce 2012

Midwifery Nursing

This report ,release by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on 29 November 2013, outlines the workforce characteristics of nurses and midwives in 2012. Between 2008 and 2012, the number of nurses and midwives employed in nursing or midwifery increased by 7.5%, from 269,909 to 290,144. During this period, nursing and midwifery supply increased by 0.5%, from 1,117.8 to 1,123.6 full-time equivalent nurses and midwives per 100,000 population. In 2012, the proportion of employed nurses and midwives aged 50 or older was 39.1%, an increase from 35.1% in 2008.

No health without mental health: the link between chronic disease and mental illness

No health without mental health: the link between chronic disease and mental illness

Education Mental health Nursing

Many physical health conditions increase the risk of mental illness, while poor mental health is known to increase the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and cancer.To address the issue of unacceptably poorer health outcomes of people with chronic disease and the associated mental illnesses, nurses and midwives need to have the knowledge and skills to identify manage and refer their patients.

As such, the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses has released a series of online resources aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of nurses to identify and manage mental health conditions associated with chronic disease.

These free online resources attract continuing professional development points and focus on four chronic disease areas: cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and respiratory disease. You will need to register to access these free resources which will be made available October 22, 2013.

For further information, and to access these resources, go to www.acmhn.org/chronic-disease-elearning 

Good Practice Guide to Performance Management for Nurses and Midwives

Good Practice Guide to Performance Management for Nurses and Midwives

Health workforce Midwifery Nursing

This guide provides a framework for best practice performance management for nurses and midwives in the Victorian health system. Using the guide will lead to more effective performance management in the Victorian health system and contribute to a systematic approach to preventing bullying. This guide answers the following questions:

1. What is the role of performance management in preventing bullying at work?

2.  How can I deal with poor workplace performance in an appropriate manner?

3. How should I respond to negative behaviour in the workplace?

4. What should nurses and midwives with different roles do to respond to poor performance and negative behaviour in the workplace? 

Written by Andrea Shaw, this guide was published in April 2013 by Horizon Consulting.