The Nursing Centre News

One of the aims of The Nursing Centre is to encourage nurses to actively think about and discuss contemporary issues that influence both their nursing careers and the nursing workforce.  Our aim is not to replicate the vast amount of formal published nursing literature, but to write a series of informal articles that can promote thinking and discussion.

This series of papers are called the Pulse Check Papers series - with the aim of keeping the pulse on issues of relevance about nursing careers and the nursing workforce.

We've just uploaded the first paper - Public Relations and the Nursing Preceptor Role.  Click here to download the paper.

Plus - we're on the lookout for nurses who would like to write a Pulse Check Paper with us or suggest a topic.  If you're keen to get involved - just drop a line to info@thenursingcentre.com.au. 

We look forward to your feedback and involvement. 

Nursing is one of the most (if not the most) trusted profession in the community.  This means that nurses are trusted to enter into therapeutic relationships that adhere to professional boundaries. 

According to Peterson (1992), personal boundaries in nursing are defined as limits which protect the space between the profession's power and the client's vulnerability; that is they are the borders that mark the edges between a professional, therapeutic relationship and a non-professional or personal relationship between a nurse and a person in their care.

In February 2010, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council, in conjunction with the Nursing Council of New Zealand, released a new document: 'A nurse's guide to professional boundaries', which had previously been available from the ANMC website in draft format.

This document is a companion document to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Nurses.

To access the latest version - click here.

If you subscribe to the Australian Nursing Journal (ANJ) - why not turn to page 7 of the June 2010 edition to read about the Director of The Nursing Centre - Gilly Johnson - in an article titled: Passionate About Nursing.

Gilly was interviewed by the Editor of the ANJ recently and her story features in this edition.

To subscribe to the Australian Nursing Journal - go here: www.anf.org.au/html/publications_anj.html

In the second half of 2010, we will be launching a series of new education workshops, especially tailored and designed for nurses! 

Here's what's coming up:

For All Nurses

• Reconnect with your Nursing Desire - Career Planning for Nurses
• Career Coaching for Nurses (1:1 coaching service)

For Preceptors

• Strategies for Giving Feedback

For Nurse Educators

• How to Conduct Mentoring Groups and Circles
• How to Design an Effective Preceptor Program

For Nurse Managers

• Help! I'm now a Manager - Making the Transition from Clinician to Manager
• Exemplary Leadership for Nurse Managers

To keep in contact with us as the dates and more information becomes available - why not join our mailing list OR contact us.

Have you ever wondered about the nurses who are deployed into military environments?  They face healthcare environments that are hard to imagine.

Read about one nurse's story here:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/my-tour-of-hell/story-e6frg8h6-1225875472110.

The Nursing Centre has recently conducted two Preceptor Development Workshops in Melbourne and Adelaide.  We had a wonderful time meeting two superb groups of nurses, all of whom are passionate about and committed to supporting the role of preceptors.

Here's some of the feedback that we've received from workshop participants:

• I really enjoyed the workshop and felt that it gave me lots of new ideas for our organisation.
• Thank you for an enjoyable workshop on Friday. The information presented was extremely worthwhile and useful in my current roles, and was presented in a relaxed manner.  I feel very passionate about the role of preceptoring and mentoring and of nurses in the workplace being well supported, so it was great to chat with other people who feel the same.
• The feedback from our staff who attended the workshop has been very positive.
• I found this workshop really beneficial and I have some strategies to try out at work with preceptors and students.
• Thank you - very informative.  I enjoyed listening and gaining 'new ways' of viewing this subject.
• Really great day - thank you!  Even though by the end on a Friday afternoon I was tired, I still felt engaged. Thank you!
• Have become more enthusiastic about preceptorship and feel comfortable to spread my enthusiasm to others.

Our sincere thanks to all participants for their energy and engagement at the workshops - we've also learnt alot from you too!

We look forward to bringing you more Preceptor Development Workshops in the second half of the year - do join our mailing list to keep in touch with our events.

If you reside in Victoria and are due to graduate in 2010, you should be aware of the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria's Computer Matching System.  This system enables candidates and hospitals to register, submit their ranking of preferences, edit their preference ranking and view the results of matching.  For nurses there is the Graduate Nurse Computer Match.

Here are links to access this website:

• PMCV website - http://www.pmcv.com.au/computer-matching-service
• Main website - http://computermatching.pmcv.com.au/index.cfm
• About computer matching - http://computermatching.pmcv.com.au/public/about/index.cfm
• How to guide - http://computermatching.pmcv.com.au/public/howto/index.cfm

The Graduate Nurse match will open on 1 June 2010.

Did you know that Australia's National Career Development Week will be held from 17-23 May 2010?  As we are focussed on helping you grow your career, we'll be putting together some helpful resources and making them available on the website during this week.

Building, monitoring and growing your nursing career can be rewarding, and while much of your education may be about clinical or professional development activities, it's important that you also take time to grow your career.

During the recent Expo in Melbourne, we heard nurses say:

• 'I'm just starting my career - I just need a job.'
• 'I'm an overseas nurse - how do I get sponsorship in Australia?'
• 'I'm an experienced nurse - but I feel that I might need a break for a bit - what can I do?'
• 'I'm changing nursing specialities and retraining to be a midwife - I'm excited about my next career opportunity.'
• 'I've got other skills besides my nursing competencies - I'd like to find a way to combine them all!'

Nursing is such an expansive profession - there are so many speciality areas that you could choose to work in and stay  involved in a profession that you love.  So - to start thinking about your career - why not take a moment to review your career? 

Questions you might like to review include:

• Why did I become a nurse?
• What do I most enjoy about nursing?
• What do I find challenging about nursing - are there other areas of nursing where these challenges don't exist OR do I need to strengthen my resilience in this area?
• What do I know about the opportunities and career paths open to me in nursing?
• What contribution do I want to make to nursing?
• How could my nursing skills be combined with my personal interest and hobbies - could I 'craft' my own career in nursing or a related healthcare field?
• What is my 1 year career plan?
• Where do I see myself in 5 years?
• What actions do I need to take today? Next month? Next 6 months? Next 12 months?
• Who could support me in developing my nursing career?
• How can I support others in building their nursing career?

Plus - here's a video from the 2009 National Career Development Week to get you thinking about your career: 

We'll keep you posted on events - but why not drop a line to info@thenursingcentre.com.au and pose a career question OR tell us about how you have managed your nursing career.

The Nursing Centre is also passionate about supporting Australian Midwifery professionals.  Please find below links and information on a range of midwifery topics:

International Midwifery Day (IWD)

IWD takes place on 5 May each year and celebrates midwifery.  The IWD also provides an opportunity to bring awareness to the importance of the work of widwives.  In 2010, the recurrent theme is 'the world needs midwives now more than ever'. 

To find out more - see these links:

• www.internationalmidwives.org (International Confederation of Midwives)
• www.internationalmidwives/portal/5/IDM%Poster%202010-English.pdf (Download the IWD free poster)

Australian College of Midwives (ACM)

ACM are the peak professional body representing Australian midwives. To find out more about ACM visit www.midwives.org.au.

On 12 May 2010, nurses around the world will celebrate International Nurses Day (IND).

This date coincides with the anniversary of  Florence Nightingale's birth.  The theme for  IND in 2010 is Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Chronic Care.  

To help you celebrate this day, the International Council of Nurses provides a IND Kit. 

•  Click  here to download the full kit (69 pages)
• Click here to download the poster

Florence Nightingale

As IND celebrates the birth of Florence Nightingale, here are some resources for you as well:

• Nursing Notes - written by Florence in 1860
• YouTube video featuring the voice of Florence Nightingale

On behalf of the The Nursing Centre - we wish all nurses across Australia a truly wonderful celebration on 12 May 2010, and encourage you to remember that Nurse 2 Nurse support is a key way in which the nursing profession can grow and shape the current and future nursing workforce.