Latest Nursing News

Five new medical clinics run by nurses opened in Perth this week after winning the same right as doctors to bulk-bill patients. The Revive group, which now has six bulk-billing in-pharmacy clinics in Perth, said that after years of battling red tape and doctors, nurse practitioners could treat patients under Medicare at no cost, including writing prescriptions and referrals for tests.

Reducing the pressure on nursing staff at Mt Druitt Hospital's operations suite is the main focus of innovative changes that are also saving patients time on the operating table. After an incident a couple of years ago in the operations suite, which delayed surgery for 30 minutes, a focus was put on a two-step program.

Today in my series on Mental Health, a look at the work of the Mental Health Unit and the important people who staff it - the nurses. Stacey Styles is the Nurse Unit Manager of the Mental Health Unit and I asked her how it is that clients come in to the unit. ^[audio]

COASTAL nurses will meet today to consider a 2 per cent pay rise over three years, which has already been rejected by nurses in Hobart and Launceston. The rejection was because of changes to working conditions the union says would cancel the pay rise out.

THE McKinlay Shire Council has stepped into the breach left by federal and state governments and will temporarily fund the Bush Nurses clinic at McKinlay. Mayor Belinda Murphy told a capacity community gathering in the small community on Sunday that talks with Medicare Local to stretch their funding to fill the breach until a new agreement could be hammered out had fallen through.

Teaching history to university nursing students could produce better nurses, according to a CQUniversity professor. Professor Margaret McAllister from CQUniversity’s Noosa campus discussed the importance of teaching nursing history at the 12th annual Vivian Bullwinkel* oration at the Nurses’ Memorial centre in Melbourne.

Nurses and midwives suffer the highest rate of needlestick and sharps injuries among Australian healthcare workers each year. Needlestick and other sharps injuries remain the most common and potentially most dangerous injuries that face nurses and midwives in Australia.

Tasmanian nurses and midwives have warned they will resort to industrial action within weeks unless the State Government fails to deliver better work conditions. The move comes after more than 100 nurses and midwives at the Royal Hobart Hospital unanimously rejected the government’s offer amid negotiations for a new enterprise agreement for public sector nurses and midwives.

A woman who has travelled the globe delivering talks to some of the best wound management experts has been named Australia’s best nurse practitioner. Margo Asimus, of Lorn, has been honoured with the 2013 title for her outstanding contribution to the development of her profession, namely wound management. “I feel very honoured and it was a great surprise,” Mrs Asimus, 51, said. “I never thought I was clever enough to be a registered nurse so it makes me and my family really proud to think I have come this far.”

Tasmanian nurses are threatening to take industrial action over attempts to change their working conditions. The Government has to negotiate a new pay deal with the state's nurses by December. Neroli Ellis from the Australian Nursing Federation says a 2 per cent wage rise over three years is on the table.