Debra Thoms, the head of the Australian College of Nursing, talks to Amie Larter about the merger and current focus of the organisation What first prompted your choice for a career in nursing? When I left school I could not ...

As resources get stretched to breaking point, nurse practitioners could help solve ED workflow problems. By Louis White Australian hospital emergency departments are under pressure as patient numbers increase, while workforce and workflow issues between hospital departments remain constant. Funding ...

In the past two months, nurses at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) have worked more than 400 double shifts of 17 hours. It’s a situation that Neroli Ellis, Tasmanian branch president of the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF), classifies as an ...

An ageing population means palliative care is no longer a specialised field – but training is lagging. By Amie Larter In 2011, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 14 per cent of the Australian population was aged 65 years ...

Nurses at Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia will be discharging patients as part of a new trial that is expected to create more efficient health services. Beginning early next year, the trial will see nurses given the responsibility of ...

Nurses are the key to sustainability in healthcare, according to the recent Greening the Health Sector Policy Think Tank report. Climate and Health Alliance convenor Fiona Armstrong said nurses are demonstrating the willingness and capacity to drive a sustainability movement. ...

Working in remote areas has some disadvantages but one of the big pluses is being a valued member of a community. By Linda Belardi Sue Stewart had only planned to stay for six months at Bidyadanga clinic in Western Australia’s ...

Most of us take what we do for granted, and sometimes we need to step back and recognise that we make a difference to the lives of the patients we serve. As I reflected on the day while driving home ...

Perioperative nurse surgeon assistants are a dynamic group of advanced-practice nurses redefining traditional roles. Linda Belardi reports With historical origins tracing back to the Crimean war, nurses have long acted as first assistants to surgeons, opening and closing wounds and ...

The role of the occupational nurse has moved from mainly clinical duties to involve more on-the-job training and risk management. By Mardi Chapman Occupational health nurses might have to wear high-visibility vests on the job but their size and prominence ...