The Positive Living in Aged Care Awards were held in Sydney this week. Aged care facilities in Katoomba, Killara and Hamlyn Terrace received first prize in their respective category, for their award-winning mental health and wellbeing projects.   The big winner of the day was the intergenerational program concept. Half of the competition's finalists were recognised for their work in challenging age-related boundaries. UnitingCare Ageing’s Starrett Lodge in Hamlyn Terrace won an awar... More...

The ward I work on is predominantly a children's medical/ isolation ward but the majority of our patients these days are oncology patients that require isolation for one reason or another. So, it got me thinking about what it is that I like about nursing children with cancer? Seems almost wrong to enjoy looking after children and their families who are dealing with the most terrible diseases, having treatment that makes them so so sick and often seeing them pass away. That said, the number... More...

One of our new forum members Krishna had some interesting thoughts on the changing nursing workforce. So much that we thought it deserved a blog post. We’d be really interested to hear your views so share them below! She has been nursing for 30 years and says she has noticed a shift in "life values" between the 70's-80's trained nurse and the upcoming young grads of today. “But this isn't a bad thing,” she says. “In the 80's we looked up to Alan Bond and Christopher Skase for 'h... More...

Sleep is important for everyone. But for nurses and other healthcare workers - who can cause serious injury to others if they are careless for even a moment, it is even more important. But how are you supposed to get enough when you're switching from a morning shift, to an afternoon shift, to a night shift? You come home and the sun is shining, cars a driving by, people are talking, and dogs are barking.  You arrive home, have breakfast, greet your family, then head to the bedroom, ... More...

Are you employed on a casual contract? do you know all the rules, regulations and entitlements? One of our recent forum questions was on casual staff and whether they are eligible for overtime if working more than 40 hours in a week...can you help? Q: Is a casual pool employee eligible for overtime if over 40 hours are worked in any one week period? Amanda63 thought casual staff could not be paid overtime due to the fact that they ARE casual. “In the public award, as far as I'm ... More...