Spring is just around the corner! To celebrate Nurse Uncut thought it was about time we ran another contest! To find out more about our ‘Celebrate Spring’ contest read on…. HOW YOU CAN WIN: There are two ways of winning this contest! First: Leave us a comment on this contest post and tell us in 20 words or less what you look forward to in spring time? Is it the longer sunshine hours? The end of winter chill? The winning comment will be selected via a random draw! Second: Go to...More...

Our friends across the ditch in New Zealand have been having a rough time since the earthquake on the weekend. The 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit region of Canterbury at 4:36 am on September 4, the epicentre was 40 km west of Christchurch city, and the depth of the quake was 10 km. The epicentre was close to the town of Darfield. It was fortunate the earthquake occurred when the central city streets were deserted, as there could have been many deaths and injuries if it had happened during wo...More...

It was Father’s Day last weekend. How did the Father’s in your life spend the day? Do you need a special day to honour your Father? Richard Thomas from the Sydney Morning Herald said even though his 80-year-old dad is 22,500 kilometres away, he regularly sends him tokens of gratitude and affection “for a lifetime of fatherly care and love.” He does this without “relying on a designated day instructing me to do so“. “I know as a father what I value m...More...

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 award fo...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 numb...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 ...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 awa...More...

Kidney Health Australia’s BIG RED BBQ campaign is about to start. The campaign is based on an Australian icon, the barbeque. Barbeques are great opportunities to bring family and friends together to create and share fantastic memories. It is with this in mind that Kidney Health Australia developed the BIG RED BBQ, to give everyone the chance to get their family and friends together to not only have fun, but to raise funds and awareness of kidney disease.   Caption: Kidney Health Australia CEO...More...

Nursing is one of those professions that has you on your feet most of the time. Like waitresses, shop assistants, surgeons and pharmacists and people from many other professions, we often end the day with sore or tired feet. What is it that you do to make sure you can get through your day whether it be a 4, 6, 8 or 12 hour shift without being unable to walk? I have always been a fan of buying good comfortable shoes. I don’t buy shoes that are designed specifically for nurses. Why is that ...More...