Nursing News Blog

Presenter

Dr Wendy Pollock RN, RM, Grad Dip Crit Care Nsg, Grad Dip Ed, PhD,
Grad Cert Adv Learn & Leadership
Research Fellow
La Trobe University/Mercy Hospital for Women

Dr Wendy Pollock is a critical care nurse and midwife who examined the characteristics, severity of illness and provision of acute health services to critically ill pregnant and postnatal women for her PhD thesis. She sits on the Victorian CCOPMM Maternal Mortality and Morbidity sub-committee and on the National Advisory Committee on Maternal Mortality. Wendy was part of the Haemostasis Registry Obstetric Committee that examined the use of recombinant Factor VIIa for obstetric haemorrhage, contributed the Obstetric Chapter for the Emergency Triage Education Kit and has published extensively on topics related to maternal critical illness and severe maternal morbidity. Presently, Wendy sits on the National Board of the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses, is an Associate Investigator on the Australasian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System and is conducting research on a number of areas related to severe maternal morbidity in her role as a Research Fellow, La Trobe University/Mercy Hospital for Women.

Presentation:

Background: Pregnant women have the lowest uptake of influenza vaccine in the adult ‘at-risk’ groups. With the pandemic H1N1 influenza 09 strain severely affecting pregnant women, the aim of this study was to examine the uptake of the pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine during pregnancy.
Method:  All women who gave birth during a two-week period in July, 2010, at a public tertiary obstetric hospital in Melbourne, underwent a clinical audit prior to hospital discharge. Audit data included whether the woman was offered vaccination, details of the vaccination and reasons why the woman received or did not receive the influenza vaccine.
Results: 199 women were audited. 72 (36%) women were offered the vaccine with GPs and employee influenza programs responsible for offering the vaccine to 58 women (81%). Hospital antenatal providers and specialist obstetricians offered the vaccine to just 13/162 (8%) women in their care. Overall, 59 (30%) of recently delivered women reported receiving an influenza vaccination during pregnancy. The main barriers to receiving the vaccination were (1) concerns about safety of the vaccine for the baby (42%), (2) no-one mentioned the vaccine to the woman (38%) and (3) concerns about the side effects of the vaccine for the woman (32%).
Conclusions: Pregnant women were not routinely offered the influenza vaccine during pregnancy. Both an improved process for maternity clinicians to offer the vaccine during antenatal care and dedicated information for pregnant women addressing the safety concerns of the vaccine, are required to improve the uptake of influenza vaccination during pregnancy.

On

Wednesday11th May 2011

at

12.00 am – 1.00 pm

Venue

School of Nursing and Midwifery Room 325.

Bundoora Campus

Panel discussion is available via video conferencing by dialling 131.172.239.70 at the School of Nursing and Midwifery - Bundoora.

For further information please contact Dr Renzo Vittorino on  r.vittorino@latrobe.edu.au

On 11 March, 2011, around 40 alumni, friends and senior staff members
of La Trobe University gathered together for an insightful panel
discussion and cocktail party at the Kowloon Shangri La Hotel in Hong
Kong.

The panel discussion, ‘International Perspectives on Mental Health’,
assembled some of the most knowledgeable thinkers on the subject, and
was moderated by our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Johnson.

Our panel members included Associate Professor Bill McGuiness, Acting
Head of the La Trobe University School of Nursing and Midwifery,
Professor Paul Sui Fai Yip, Director of the Centre for Suicide Research
and Prevention, the University of Hong Kong (alumni and Distinguished
Alumni Award winner), Dr Susie Lum, Chairperson, Hong Kong Academy of
Nursing Preparatory Committee (alumni) and Dr Fowie Ng, Head of
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Health Care Division, School of
Professional Studies.

The evening provided a great
opportunity for alumni to participate in this topical discussion around
mental health, and to connect with friends and senior staff of La Trobe
University, in a relaxed and intimate environment.

“Imposition and outcomes of sanctions in Australia’s residential aged care quality assurance system”

Wednesday 13th April, 2011, 12.00 am – 1.00 pm

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Room GS 325, Bundoora Campus
Presenter
Dr Julie Ellis
Senior Lecturer
Scholl of Nursing and Midwifery
La Trobe University, Australia

Dr Julie Ellis is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nursing and Midwifery. In July 2008 she was seconded to a private nursing home organization, Aged Care Services Australia Pty Ltd to conduct research, provide education for staff and to oversee the clinical placements of first and third year nursing students at ACSAG Residential Aged Care Homes.  She has conducted several research projects at ACSAG homes, including a project on ‘Relocation into residential aged care’, for which she received a Nurses Board Victoria Grant in 2009, ‘An investigation into apathy in residents with dementia living in residential aged care facilities’, ‘The aged care workforce: retention and intention to stay’ and research into ‘The imposition of sanctions in RACH, and it is this project which is the focus of the presentation today

Over twenty years ago Pauline Tan Chief Nursing Officer from the
Ministry of Health in Singapore received her Bachelor of Nursing at La
Trobe University.  Today she received an Honorary Doctorate of Nursing
for her years of dedication and devotion to the nursing profession.

Read The Full Article

School of Nursing and Midwifery Open Research Seminar

“Learning to improve the management of back pain in the community (LIMBIC): a regional (UK) interprofessional education project”
Monday 14th March, 2011, 12.30 am – 1.30 pm
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Room GS 325, Bundoora Campus
Presenter
Eloise Carr BSc (Hons) RN PGCEA, RNT, MSc PhD
Professor and Deputy Dean Research & Enterprise
School of Health & Social Care
Bournemouth University, UK

2011 Re-Enrolment for the Faculty of Health Sciences will be conducted between 11th – 24th October via Student-Online.

Please view the Falculties Re-enrolment Page for more information

The Nurses Memorial Centre is honoured to offer the "Babe" Norman
Scholarship. This three year Scholarship is available to nurses and
midwives enrolled in a research doctorate at an Australian university.
Recipients of the "Babe" Norman Scholarship will be selected by a panel
of experts in conjunction with the Nurses Memorial Centre.

Nurses Memorial Centre "Babe" Norman Scholarships are offered to
successful candidates for a period of three years, subject to
satisfactory progress, with a possible extension of six months in
certain circumstances. In 2010, the value of the Scholarship is AUD
$30,000 per year.

The closing date for this scholarship is 5pm Friday 10
September 2010.

Further information including Application Guidelines and an
Application Form is available on the following link.
http://www.nursesmemorialcentre.org.au

There have been a number of changes to the eligibility criteria for the
scholarships this round. In particular, please be advised that the
scope is slightly broader than in previous years: Division 1 and 3
mental health nurses are eligible if enrolled in a course of study
leading to a postgraduate qualification in mental health nursing or a
postgraduate qualification that advances the applicant's knowledge,
skills and capacity to provide effective mental health care.

Therefore Masters and Phd students are  encouraged to apply as well as
those enrolled in courses of study that, while note specifically within
the discipline of mental health nursing, involve mental health content
and will enhance the applicant's mental health nursing practice.


Applicants who have previously received a Postgraduate Scholarship
will also be considered.

The closing date for this scholarship is Friday 16th July
2010.

Further information including Application Guidelines and an
Application Form is available on the following link.
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/mentalhealth/careers.htm

There are at least 50 scholarships available to be awarded. Scholarships are worth up to $11,000
and will be considered from applicants who are:

• Australian citizens or permanent residents


• Students enrolled in an accredited registered or enrolled nursing program that results in a
  nationally recognised and accredited qualification either on a part-time or full-time basis


• Wishing to participate in a clinical placement in an AMS


• Completed/or intending to complete cultural competence training

Selection Criteria

Selection will be based on criteria including how the applicant addresses the following:

• Knowledge of contemporary issues in Indigenous health


• Commitment to promote and aid Indigenous health in the future, and


• Indicate how this placement will contribute to your ambition and understanding of Indigenous health in Australia

Students in their second year of study and above may be given priority for clinical placement scholarships.

The closing date for this scholarship is 18^th June 2010.

More details may be found on the web site www.rcna.org.au.

Created in 2007, the UniJobs Lecturer of the Year award was initially designed as a way to acknowledge and commend the efforts of university teaching staff that have gone above and beyond in their efforts to better the lives of their students, and to better their campus community.

Last year's competition attracted more than 65,000 votes from every university in the country, and this year the stakes have been raised even higher.

We would like to congratulate the top 10 staff including Nursing & Midwifery's Dr Helen McLachlan nominated from La Trobe University for the award in 2009 and for all their efforts in making their campus community a better place to work and learn.
UniJobs Director Jarrod Kanizay believes the award is a representation of the general feeling that students and colleagues have for the academic community.

"Every year the award attracts more and more nominations, and every year more and more universities get behind the initiative in their media releases, student news updates and campus promotions" he said.

To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be employed as a lecturer or a member of the teaching staff at any of the university institution located in Australia.

The grand prize consists of an overseas holiday for two to tropical Fiji to the total of $1500.*

Both staff and students can vote, and you can vote for more than one Lecturer.

Nominations can be made electronically at the UniJobs Lecturer of the Year website located at www.lectureroftheyear.com.au. *conditions apply

To allow time for processing of applications prior to the move to national registration on 1 July 2010, any application for equivalence of qualifications must be received at the NBV by close of business on Wednesday 19 May. Masters programs to be considered by the NBV must have been completed no greater than 10 years ago or are intended to be completed at
the end of 2010.

Any courses due for completion after this date cannot be considered by the NBV until further information is available from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia regarding the endorsement processes for nurse practitioners after 1 July 2010. All queries regarding this can be directed to

accreditation@nbv.org.au or 8635 1250

Changes in Oxygen Levels of Intensive Care Patients Following Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment

Gordon Bingham is a La Trobe University PhD student and a nurse at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

In the short video below Gordon discusses the topic of his PhD thesis, how he became interested in this area and some of the things he has learned along the way.

Applications for Department of Health, Nurse Practitioner scholarships for courses being

undertaken in 2010 are now invited from eligible nurses/midwives.

The closing date for this scholarship is 7 December 2009.

For further information on the guidelines, and application form please visit: http://www.health.vic.gov.au/nursing/furthering/practitioner/nurse-practitioner-scholarships

The McGrath Foundation Scholarship will provide financial support for
two students to complete either the postgraduate certificate or the
postgraduate diploma in Breast Care Nursing at La Trobe University.
Both the postgraduate certificate and diploma form part of the Master
of Nursing (Breast Care). These studies are recognised both nationally
and internationally and provide an educational platform for the Breast
Care Nurse to speak with authority.

The Albury Campus of TAFE NSW Riverina Institute and La Trobe University (Wodonga) are offering an exciting Nursing pathways option that will facilitate entry to the nursing profession at a number of levels. The Course known as the Riverina Region Nursing Studies Project will provide opportunities for university study.