Month: April 2014

A bit of sunshine on the horizon for primary health care nurses

Whilst the rumour mill continues to churn out bleak and often daunting messages about the forthcoming Federal Budget, much of the talk is about the implications for health.

What we do know is we are struggling to sustain a system that is overwhelmed by the burden of chronic disease. The future, with our ageing population and predicted workforce shortages, must be considered seriously and action taken to ensure our nation’s health is not compromised.

We also know that best utilisation of an army of nurses ready, willing and able to help improve the nation’s health makes very good sense. Primary health care nurses are positioned in or close to every community across Australia, working in various settings and specialties delivering frontline primary health care to their communities. APNA continues to work very hard to ensure this message is front and centre to policy and decision-makers federally.

Amongst all of this fiscal debate and prophecy, a bit of sunshine is on the horizon for primary health care nurses.

The APNA 2014 national conference Thriving Through Change is not far away: Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 May, held at the Hilton in beautiful Sydney. This is the perfect opportunity for all nurses working in primary health care to gather and share knowledge and learn from others how we can and will deliver care to our Australian communities into the future. 

Thriving Through Change has something for everyone. Pre-conference workshops will be held on Thursday 29 May. Full day workshops include Leadership and Professional Practice Standards – What’s the connection?, Diabetes Assessment Skills and Wound Care. Two hour workshops include Asthma and COPD, Chronic Disease Management, Implanon Insertion, Immunisation, Sterilisation, and Travel Health.

National speakers are led by our own Commonwealth Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer Dr Rosemary Bryant and we also have outstanding APNA international guests Dr Madrean Schober from the United States and Barbara Docherty from New Zealand. The program is exciting and extensive with something new and informative for all. Of great interest to APNA members will be our new policy workshops; please come with your story to help shape APNA policy in these vital areas.

Thrive or survive?
An interactive discussion on transitioning to general practice nursing. What’s been tried in Australia and overseas? What works and what doesn’t? Where should we be heading?

Money, money, money… it’s a minefield!
Discussing payment mechanisms such as the Practice Nurse Incentive Program, block payments, item numbers, blended payments… what might work best to support the role of the primary health care nurse in delivering care and promote the best interdisciplinary team care? 

APNA conferences would never be the same without opportunities in abundance for us all to network. Now in its sixth year, the conference is truly a much anticipated opportunity for the APNA family to catch up with old friends and welcome new ones. And indeed the APNA family has grown with nearly 4000 members and numerous supporters including many international nurses now identifying as APNA family.

On Thursday evening APNA will hold its AGM followed by a Meet & Greet function – a perfect opportunities to meet the Board, staff and sponsors. On Friday evening APNA will host a Roaring Twenties themed Gala Dinner held on the Sydney Showboat! Get your flapper dresses and zoot suits out of the closet and join your peers over a delicious dinner, beverages, dancing and an abundance of entertainment on a cruise of Sydney Harbour. During the evening we will celebrate the achievements of primary health care nursing in Australia and present nine outstanding nurses with Best Practice Awards.

Please take the opportunity to attend this wonderful conference. I promise you will not regret it. Not only will you gather information and new approaches to your work but you will have loads of fun learning (and laughing) with your primary health care nursing colleagues. See you there!

Your thoughts are very welcome at president@apna.asn.au.

APNA – Supporting Australia’s student and graduate nursing workforce

Many of you will know APNA was established in 2001 by nurses, for nurses. However, our vision is broader than the interests of the profession. Our vision is a healthy Australia through best practice primary health care nursing.

APNA is the voice for nurses in primary health care, representing and advocating for the profession, and supporting the profession to deliver better primary health care to the community. However APNA continues to be concerned about the ongoing predictions of a looming workforce crisis in nursing and yet there still remains the contradiction of graduating nurses each year being unable to obtain a placement, with many leaving the health workforce having never truly developed their career in nursing.

APNA is committed to lead national policy development towards an education and career framework for primary health care nurses, particularly in relation to undergraduate clinical placements and transition to practice. Plans are underway to drive this policy development collaboratively at a national level. An important initiative with the vision of supporting Australia’s future workforce has been to encourage student and graduate nurses to experience and seriously contemplate primary health care nursing as a viable and rewarding career option. Thus, in July 2013 APNA offered free membership to nursing students in Australia.

This offer has been taken up by over 600 student nurses across Australia, all of whom receive regular updates, offers and access to APNA resources such as eNews to allow them to see and taste primary health care nursing from the peak professional organisation directed by and for primary health care nurses.

It was with great delight at the recent CoNNO (Coalition of National Nursing Organisations) member meeting on 4 April, as Chair I was able to welcome guests ASANNA (Australian Student and Novice Nurse Association).

APNA first met with ASANNA late in 2013 and offered encouragement and support for this brand new organisation which is inclusive of students enrolled in an approved nursing degree, and novice nurses up to five years after graduation.

ASANNA is proud to be an independent organisation offering free membership, with vision and commitment to development of the future nursing workforce by facilitating growth through support, community engagement and advocacy; values that APNA celebrates and embraces.

APNA wish ASANNA executives Stephanie Jeremy and Carol Mudford and their passionate team all the very best for the future and their good work supporting student and novice nurses and Australia’s future nursing workforce. We anticipate working with ASANNA into the future.

As always your thoughts are very welcome at president@apna.asn.au.