Mentoring in nursing is important for several reasons:
1. Career Development: Mentoring provides nursing students or novice nurses with guidance and support from more experienced nurses. This guidance can help them develop their skills, expand their knowledge, and gain insight into the profession.
2. Personal Growth: Mentoring helps nurses identify their strengths and weaknesses, set goals, and improve their self-confidence. It can also provide emotional support during difficult times.
3. Knowledge Transfer: Mentors can share their knowledge and experience with their mentees, helping them understand the complexities of the healthcare system and how to provide quality patient care.
4. Retention: Mentoring can help reduce nurse turnover by creating a positive work environment, increasing job satisfaction, and improving career advancement opportunities.
5. Leadership Development: Mentoring can help develop leadership skills in nurses, preparing them for management positions and enhancing their ability to lead and inspire others.
Overall, mentoring in nursing is crucial for the development of nurses and the advancement of the nursing profession. It provides a supportive environment for personal and professional growth, knowledge transfer, and leadership development.
Australian Health Journal met with two nurses both working in Queensland, one the mentor, the other, the mentee. Both get to appreciate the experiences mentorship gives them.
Belynda Abbott FICDA FACN is a Clinical Nurse Consultant who at the time of the interview worked in Metro South Health within the Neurosciences care field. Today she works as the Nursing Director at Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service and is the Queensland State Chair for the Australian College of Nursing (ACN).
In her 20 year career, Belynda has worked as a nurse educator, a clinical nurse consultant, and nurse unit manager, and also assisted in the Health Emergency Operation Response for COVID. She has a breadth of knowledge and skill, with an attitude to be willing and wanting to stretch herself as a nurse.
Bronwyn Hausler is a perioperative nurse based on the Gold Coast. Following the interview recording, Bronwyn qualified as a registered nurse (RN) at the end of 2022 and now works at Queensland Children’s Hospital. She began nursing as an enrolled nurse after having children. In 2022, she was recognised as an Emerging Nurse Leader in a program run by the Australian College of Nursing, a role that has helped her build on skills to fulfil the vision and goal of leadership type roles.
Both Bronwyn and Belynda talk about the steps and mindset needed to reach out to a possible mentor. Both talk about the enriching experience of being and mentor and mentee.
Belynda has helped Bronwyn on her journey as as nurse, as well as develop as a leader herself, and adds, “When Bronnie has a concern or a question, I actually throw it back on her. So that I don’t actually give her the answers, because she has the answers herself.”
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Australia’s Nursing Crisis Snapshot
“Nursing, already under pressure, is reaching breaking point due to the pressures of COVID-19 and a disjointed healthcare system, including the acute, primary and aged care sectors”, says Kylie Ward, Australian College of Nursing CEO adding, “We must act now to protect our nurses and healthcare; the time has come for a national reckoning on nursing in Australia.”
Australian nurses cannot continue to work under the extreme pressure they are currently operating under – the impacts are mounting.
The almost 400,000 Australian nurses are a constant presence in every one of our major life milestones, national emergencies and global crises. The nurse of today holds a science degree, possesses highly technical training, valuable medical opinions, front-row expertise, is an effective trainer, and is skilled in population and systemic thinking. But the pandemic is inflicting a major emotional and physical toll on nurses.
In this “Perspectives” special, Australian Health Journal spoke with 4 nurses on the challenges they or nurses in their circle have experienced, the key issues as well some of the opportunities. These nurses come from national leadership & policy, large scale workforce management, a final year student completing over a year on placement across 6 Melbourne Hospitals and a NSW based ICU nurse stranded in Mexico, unable to return to a critical role in nursing to an already strained team due to incoming quotas.
While the issues are challenging, there are strategies that can be put into place to ease the pressure, to support nurses, and nursing care in Australia. These are discussed by the the 4 nurses.
– Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward FACN CEO, Australian College of Nursing
– Adjunct Professor Alanna Geary FACN ACN Chair of Workforce Sustainability Policy Chapter & Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer, Metro North Health
– Natalie Reyes, NSW based ICU Nurse Currently stranded in Mexico
– Hayley Pollock, Final Year Bachelor of Nursing Student & ACN Emerging Nurse Leader
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Allied health flourishes in regional and rural Victoria
Genhealth Hamilton was established in 2015 in regional and rural Victoria. The practice offers a range of services including physiotherapy, podiatry, occupational therapy, exercise science, and group classes such as clinical reformer therapy and clinical Pilates in Hamilton, which has a population of around 10,000. The clinic also serves a wider community within 100 kilometre, reaching rural residents and local industries.
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Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Synopsis, including modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors
Talking to the Australian Health Journal, Professor Russo states there is a particular concern in joint operations, such as hip or knee replacements, as infections in these areas can have severe consequences, including the removal of the infected joint, prolonged treatment, and significant costs for both hospitals and patients. Despite the substantial impact of surgical site infections, Australia lacks a national surveillance program for these infections, making it challenging to obtain accurate data. However, an estimate suggests that around 45,000 surgical site infections occur annually in Australia, resulting in approximately 900 deaths.
