February 2002 News Update | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chairperson's
Notes |
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In December 2001 Nursing Council was delighted to approve the endorsement of Deborah Harris as New Zealand’s first nurse practitioner following assessment of her application by a panel of expert nurses. This was a highlight and the culmination of a successful centenary year for nursing in this country. I wish Deborah all the best as she takes up her new professional status. Looking forward to the ongoing development of nurse practitioner, Nursing Council is heartened by the number of enquiries and new applications received from nurses seeking recognition of their advanced practice. The level of interest reflects the significant involvement of expert nurses to the health sector. Nursing Council looks forward to being able welcome more new nurse practitioners as 2002 unfolds and also to supporting the continuing development of the nurse practitioner role. This includes continuing participation and leadership on behalf of nursing in the implementation of nurse prescribing. Council has now approved a scope of practice for nurses working in Sexual and Reproductive Health and this will shortly be submitted for approval to the Minister of Health. In more new beginnings this year, the terms of some Council members are soon due to expire. The Minister has already called for nominations and it is anticipated that new appointments will be announced in April. Sadly, we will lose the valuable contribution made by departing Council members. However we also look forward to welcoming the new appointees and supporting their introduction to their new role. Council would also like to congratulate Council member Annette Huntington on her recent appointment as Associate Professor, Massey University.
Judy Kilpatrick
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An
Alternative Pathway for RGONs to RCpN
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At its meeting on 12 September 2001, the Council approved an alternative pathway for Registered General and Obstetric Nurses to gain Comprehensive registration. The usual route of moving from a single registration to comprehensive registration via recognition of prior learning in a programme leading to comprehensive registration still exists and Departments/Schools of Nursing can still obtain approval for recognition of prior learning for any RGON wishing register this way. The process for the alternative pathway will require the following: (a) Approval by the Nursing Council of the individual nurse undertaking this pathway(b) Enrolment onto an approved Entry to Specialty (New Graduate) Mental Health Nursing Programme (c) Achievement of programme requirements (both theoretical and practical) and assessment of the nurse as competent against the mental health competencies for entry onto the register. (d) A pass in the State Examination (Mental Health) in order to be eligible for entry on to the Register for Psychiatric Nurses and then the Register of Comprehensive Nurses. It should be noted that a RGON undertaking this pathway is not yet qualified to work in the mental health/illness area under section 57 of the Nurses Act 1977 and will therefore require supervision when practising clinically for the duration of the programme.
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Annual Practising Certificates
- Instructions for Completion of Application Forms and Return of Fees
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With this newsletter you will find your application form for renewal of your annual practising certificate for the year 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003. All nurses and midwives living in New Zealand and holding a current APC as of the last week in January 2002 should receive this form. If you require a practising certificate and do not receive a renewal form by the end of February 2002 please telephone Registrations on (04) 8020245 or 8020235, to ensure your most recent address is on file. To ensure that you receive your practising certificate by 31 March 2002 it is important that you complete all sections of your personalised application form including all the data requested and return it, with the required fee of $45.00, to the Nursing Council by 15 March (this is earlier than the date stated on the APC application form due to Easter falling early this year). Fees must be paid by returning a cheque with your completed APC form or by providing your credit card details on your completed application form. Please note that under section 51 of the Nurses Act 1977 it is illegal to practise as a nurse or midwife without a current practising certificate. Instructions for Laminated APCs You should expect that your APC will be mailed out to you within 3-4 working days of Nursing Council receiving your completed form and payment. Once again, the annual practising certificate for the 2001/2002 year uses a built-in self-lamination feature. The laminate layer allows us to personalise the card and prevents any forgery or tampering. Please read and carefully follow the illustrated instructions provided on the back of your certificate.
Your laminated practising certificate is now ready to use. Early Easter Warning Don’t be caught out, please get your completed APC form and fees to us by 15 March. We tend to get a last minute rush as 31 March approaches. That won’t work this year since Good Friday falls on the 29 March and NZ Post wont’ be delivering on the public holidays. So, be in early to ensure that you have your new practising certificate before 1 April. |
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Post
Christmas Sale
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Centenary Calendars
Now available at a discounted price of $10.00! A high quality commemorative calendar, produced as part of the centenary celebrations. The 16 month calendar covers September 2001-December 2002 and includes photographs of New Zealand nurses dating from 1912 until the present time.Envelopes Commemorative envelopes are also available. The envelopes cost 45c each and feature a collage of five photos and are pre-paid 40c standard business size, both with and without a window. To order your calendar or envelopes, please forward: Calendars: $10.00 (no postage), $12.50 (postage plus packaging) Envelopes: $ 4.50 per ten or $45.00 per 100, specifying whether you would like window or plain envelopes
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Major
Leap Forward for Nurses - the First Nurse Practitioner |
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Nursing in New Zealand has taken a major step forward, with the appointing of the country’s first ever Nurse Practitioner in December. "It is highly appropriate that exactly 100 years since the first nurse was registered in New Zealand, formally creating the nursing profession, we are seeing nursing take another major leap forward", says Judy Kilpatrick, Chair of the Nursing Council of New Zealand. Waikato-based Neonatal Nurse Deborah Harris became the first nurse in the country to be officially titled a Nurse Practitioner when she was presented with her certificate by the Minister of Health, Annette King. To be approved as a Nurse Practitioner means she is a skilled and experienced nurse with more than 5 years’ clinical experience within a particular scope of practice, and is practising at an advanced level. Nurse practitioners must also have Clinical Masters level educational preparation (or equivalent) and be recognized and approved by the Nursing Council as a Nurse Practitioner following a detailed process. "Health care has been changing over the last few years. New technology and population changes mean we have to find new ways to provide health services. Health professionals need to work together more than in the past, and bridge the gap between hospital and community-based care. Nurse Practitioners are ideally placed to walk that bridge between hospitals and communities," says Judy Kilpatrick. The opportunity to become a Nurse Practitioner will mean that more of our top nurses will want to stay and practice in New Zealand, rather than their skills being lost to this country, says the Nursing Council. "Skilled nurses now have something to aim for. Really good nurses will no longer have to leave clinical nursing to be able to advance in their careers." "There have always been nurses who have chosen to specialise and develop expert skills. But an exciting new ballgame has opened up with Nurse Practitioners." Health Waikato is immensely proud to have produced New Zealand’s first Nurse Practitioner, says its Director of Nursing, Jan Adams. She says Deborah Harris’s achievement brings huge kudos to the hospital, and will inspire other nurses. "This takes nursing to a whole new level." Health Waikato has supported Deborah and helped her to work towards this role for several years. Neonatal Pediatrician Dr Phil Weston says Deborah has not only taken on advanced duties, but she has advanced the role way beyond what he originally expected. "It is wonderful that we now have a way for really top nurses like Deborah to remain at the clinical coalface as nurses, instead of having to move into management to advance their careers. Good nurses are too valuable not to keep being nurses", says Dr Weston. He describes Deborah Harris as a ‘mover and a shaker, and a great role model for other nurses.’ "She is a true leader in her field, one of the leading neonatal nurses in Australasia, and someone who is looked up to. She is a really good example of what a Nurse Practitioner can achieve, and why they are so important in the health system." Jan Adams agrees. "These are nurses who can work at a similar level to registrars, and take on extra roles and responsibilities. That is much better for patients, who will have nurses with more advanced skills and training. In rural areas, a nurse practitioner will be able to do a lot of the basic health care and follow up. That will be great for disadvantaged areas." Nurse Practitioners already operate in several other developed countries, including the United States. "The demand for them has increased dramatically as illness-oriented systems around the world have failed", says Judy Kilpatrick. "Nurses have been educated with a broad health focus to use the full range of their skills. As a result there is increasing demand for highly skilled and experienced nurses, and the demand for Nurse Practitioners will increase because they will be both effective and practical."
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Meet
Deborah Harris - New Zealand's First Nurse Practitioner |
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Flying with a sick baby in a helicopter from Rotorua or Gisborne to Hamilton’s Waikato Hospital is a regular part of the job for Deborah Harris, but there’s no time to admire the scenery below. "I am incredibly focused, and all I want to do is stabilise that baby and bring it safely back to Waikato for treatment." It is this single-minded commitment to the job that has allowed the 39 year old mother of three to step into the historic role of becoming this country’s first Nurse Practitioner. That means that Deborah can legally practice at an advanced level. She can take a leadership role in the care and treatment of her patients, doing some of the work that previously only a doctor could do. It has been a huge amount of work to get there – "my personal Everest", Deborah says - but she was determined to go through the processes and become a Nurse Practitioner, both for herself and as a role model for other nurses. "Being named as a Nurse Practitioner is a recognition of the work that nurses do, and the contribution we make. I work very hard, and so do many other nurses – and this is a way of having that recognised." Deborah firmly believes that nurses can contribute even more than they do to improving people’s health, because of their unique place in the health care system. "Patients are very complex, and nurses are trained to look at the person differently from other health care professionals. We can look at the whole person and work out what they need, and that works in very well with what doctors do. " If, for example, one of the babies Deborah is accompanying back to Waikato in a chopper or ambulance gets into trouble, Deborah is in charge, keeping in touch by phone with the consultant doctor. "The job is tough, but my reward is seeing those happy, healthy children who were once sick babies come back and visit me. That feedback is so important." With three sons aged 9, 7,and 4, and a husband who also works in health, Deborah has had to be very disciplined to achieve her goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner. She has been a nurse since 1984. "Here in New Zealand, we are world leaders in neonatal care (looking after newborn babies). I’m very proud of that. Nurses may get paid more overseas, but for me, this is better. I want to make a difference here." Deborah’s only regret is that her grandmother Betty Spencer, who was also a nurse, is no longer alive to enjoy her grand daughter’s achievement. "She would have been so proud. I know that she was with me when I got that certificate", Deborah says. Why I want to be a Nurse Practitioner Deborah Harris spoke movingly when she received her Nurse Practitioner Certificate on December 19. I am very honoured and humble to receive the title of Nurse Practitioner in this year that we celebrate the first 100 years of nursing registration in New Zealand. As I stand here and accept it, I am aware of the enormous effort and work that many have contributed to get nursing to this point. I have a passion for nursing. It has been there in whichever corner of nursing I have practised. I cannot say for certain that I had this passion from the start, but it grew in me as my skills and confidence grew. Nursing has allowed me to develop in ways that I could not foresee as a student. I’ve been lucky enough to practice my skills in different countries and in different disciplines: some intense and exciting, others more ordinary. But I know that wherever nurses can practice their skills, there is an opportunity to deliver quality care and to make a difference – to make the intolerable tolerable, the unbearable bearable, and the to feel good about that. I have found this somewhat addictive. Within my unique scope of practice, that of neonatal nursing, I have found variety, satisfaction, frustration and challenge. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by people who by example and/or encouragement have stimulated me to contribute to a high quality of care – not just to the patient and family in front of me, but also to the future management of patients in hospital and community settings. "wherever nurses can practice their skills, there is an opportunity to deliver quality care and to make a difference – to make the intolerable tolerable, the unbearable bearable, and the to feel good about that. I have found this somewhat addictive." I’m absolutely delighted that now to have the Nursing Council’s approval to be known as Nurse Practitioner, an endorsement which will allow me to more ably develop my area of nursing for the benefit of patients and their families. I’m well aware that there are many facets of nursing that will lend themselves to Nurse Practitioner development, and I’m excited by this. I hope that many more nurses will rapidly join with me at this level. It will help to make me feel less lonely on this hilltop! I expect that our group, when we have a group, will provide strong leadership, role models, and career examples to clinical nurses who want to remain involved in the most important part of nursing – with the patient. |
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Notes
from the Chief Executive
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Greetings everyone for 2002 and the beginning of a new century of nursing regulation in New Zealand. At the Nursing Council we have sadly farewelled Denise Wilson, our Education Advisor, who has taken up a position as a senior lecturer at Massey University. Denise has made a valuable contribution in her time at the Nursing Council and will be sorely missed. We wish her all the best for the future! At time of writing we also have a vacancy for the Registrations Adviser position. In the meantime our services are being ably maintained by Sue Scobie who has played an important role in the development of the nurse practitioner and nurse prescribing initiatives and Marilyn Rimmer who is relieving in the registrations role. Filling these key positions permanently is a priority as the new year gets underway and I would welcome enquiries from nurses for both the education and registrations positions. These are senior leadership roles within the Nursing Council offering successful applicants an opportunity to contribute to the development of the profession at an exciting time for New Zealand nursing. The Education Advisor role would be of interest to nurses with a background and expertise in nursing education whilst a management and professional development focus is needed for the registrations position. For those who may be interested in one of these roles, job descriptions are available on the Council’s website. As we return from holiday refreshed, we at the Council look forward to an stimulating year of new developments with considerable interest being shown by nurses in achieving nurse practitioner endorsement; continuing to progress nurse prescribing and the possible implementation of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act should the Bill be passed this year. I trust that you are also looking forward with anticipation to nursing in 2002 and I wish you all a successful and satisfying year. Marion Clark
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Sexual
Relationship with a Patient - Decision Upheld |
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A nurse who had been found guilty of sexual misconduct tried unsuccessfully to appeal the Nursing Council’s decision to remove her from the Nursing Register. The nurse had entered into a sexual relationship with an inpatient under her care while she was a first year nurse in a psychiatric ward. The Nursing Council ordered that her name be removed from the register, but said that she may reapply for registration after one year. The nurses’s lawyer put forward these grounds for appeal:
The Court decided that disciplinary proceedings for all professions are to uphold professional standards, therefore a guilty plea has less significance than in criminal matters. That there was a lack of guidance to this newly graduated nurse on sexual conduct with patients. The Judge found that a sexual relationship between a nurse and patient s/he is caring for is fundamentally unprofessional and inappropriate. He said that the Nursing Council is made up of nurses with extensive experience, who know what the basic principles of nursing are and what nurses are taught. Members of all professions are judged by their peers, he said. The Nursing Council’s Code of Conduct is a general guide, which does not need to specifically state that nurse should not have sexual relationships with their patients. That the Council should have ordered a lesser penalty because the relationship developed when the patient was on leave. The Judge disagreed. He said…."a nurse’s professional and ethical duties to a patient do not end at the door of the hospital or surgery, and nor do they terminate with the nurse/patient relationship." That the penalty ordered by the Council was excessive.
"This penalty is mainly to protect the public by driving home to all nurses that intimate/sexual relationships with patients or former patients are unprofessional and unacceptable. They will be taken seriously, and dealt with accordingly. "
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Website
News
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The Nursing Council website www.nursingcouncil.org.nz is a continually evolving tool that puts people in touch with Council information and activities. In December State Examination results were made available on the website for the first time, which enabled candidates to access their results before official notifications were posted. This resulted in a record 169,812 hits on the website during December 2001, and reflects steady growth in visitors to the website since it was established in 1998.Developments planned for the future include:
Any comments or suggestions regarding the website are welcome and can be emailed to webmaster@nursingcouncil.org.nz. |
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Scopes
of Nursing |
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With the new position of Nurse Practitioner and the reintroduction of Enrolled Nurses, it is timely to look at just what is the scope of each nursing role, and how they differ from each other. Enrolled Nurses have completed a course approved by the Nursing Council, delivered by a school or Department of Nursing approved by the same Council. When the nurse has completed the prescribed requirements, he or she is entered onto the Roll of Nurses. Enrolled nurses work with people of all ages, in health promotion, disease prevention and care of the sick, but not in situations which call for complex nursing judgement. They work under the direction or supervision of registered nurses or medical practitioners. Registered Nurses cover various disciplines. They may be Registered Comprehensive, General and Obstetric, General, Psychiatric or Psychopedic Nurses. Once registered, they must practice within the context of their registration. In other words, a General and Obstetric Nurse cannot legally practice in the area of mental health/illness. Similarly, a registered Psychiatric Nurse cannot legally work in acute medical or surgical areas. Registered nurses assess, make clinical judgements and decisions, plan treatment interventions, make referrals to the health professionals and evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions. This is all done using the knowledge and skills relevant to the individual patients’ situation, underpinned by critical thinking and the use of evidence-based literature and research. They can advance their clinical practice through experience and education. It is important that Registered Nurses think critically about their nursing practice, in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients or clients. This means going beyond routine functioning and questioning what they are doing and how they could do it better. Registered Nurses are accountable for their own practice, and are also responsible for the direction and supervision of enrolled nurses and health care assistants. Nurse Practitioners are highly skilled and experienced Registered Nurses who practice at an advanced level in a specific scope of practice. To become a Nurse Practitioner (a term which is protected and trade-marked) they will have at least 4-5 years’ clinical experience. They must also have a Master’s level of education or the equivalent, and have been recognised and approved as a Nurse Practitioner by the Nursing Council.
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Update on
Post-Registration Nursing Programmes Approved by Council |
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The November 2001 Council newsletter
included a list of all post-registration nursing programmes approved
by Council to date (also available at www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/educa.html).
Since then, Council has approved programme content preparing nurses to
prescribe within their scope of practice in the University of
Auckland's Master of Nursing programme, Postgraduate Diploma in Health
Science (Advanced Nursing) and the Postgraduate Certificate in Health
Science (Advanced Nursing). These are the first programmes to
have content preparing nurses for prescribing approved by Council.
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Nursing
Council Meeting Dates for 2002 |
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8 February
21 March 9 May 20 June 8 August 19 September 7 November 13 December |
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Nursing
Council Members |
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Judy Kilpatrick (Chairperson)
Jan Adams (Deputy Chairperson) Sue Bree Brenda Hall Shirley Hughes Sandy Grey Annette Huntington Marie Kiely Denise Messiter Jean Patterson Beverley Rayna |
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Nursing
Council Staff |
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Marion Clark (Chief Executive/Registrar)
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Registration
- Annual Practising Certificates | ||||||||||||||||||||||
