Janet Roden also organised for me to visit the School of Nursing at the Australian Catholic University’s North Sydney campus. There are two parts to this campus; one situated in a residential area and the other (only 5 minutes walk away) is a very modern building situated a bit more downtown. Here we met with Prof. Amanda Johnson who is State Head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Paramedicine and Dr. Peta Drury, the Deputy Head of School, to discuss curriculum development. It was planned later in the day that I would present the NurSusTOOLKIT and, for those who were interested, I would carry out a workshop, which would take place in the skills labs.
Amanda and Peta were very interested to hear about nurse training in Germany and especially about our new BSc in Nursing in cooperation with the university of Tübingen. In turn, Amanda and Peta explained their curriculum and the philosophy behind it, the timing and format of the practical placements and the challenges of organising 6,500 nursing student over campuses in Ballarat, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and North Sydney. It was really fascinating listening to all of this.
Australia, like many countries, is experiencing a nursing shortage. This however, is not to be compared with the shortage of nurses in Germany. Perhaps this is because the government is aware of the situation and have introduced methods to not only attract student nurses but also ways for retaining trained nurses in the workforce.
Nursing in NSW has a very transparent system with nursing aids, enrolled nurses and registered nurses making up the workforce. Student nurses are supernumerary. Each role has designated duties which I’m sure must make life on the wards much easier. The registered nurse will have a diploma or a degree. Those with diplomas can advance to degree level through taking various courses. Enrolled nurse are often seconded by their employers to complete a Bachelor Degree and then to return to their employer when they’ve finished this. Enrolled nurses have direct entry into second year of the Bachelor course. This is also a good way of retaining staff. AND, the level of your qualification is also one of the criteria required for promotion.
After lunch I presented the TOOLKIT, again as a Zoom Conference, with colleagues from Canberra taking part. A technician set up the Zoom Conference and the remote controlled camera and was on hand to give full support throughout the presentation. We were able to discuss the use of the TOOLKIT and the possibilities for adapting it for use in Australian nursing curricula.
We then visited the skills labs and were able to put the monitors at each bed to good use by demonstrating access to the website and the TOOLKIT. We had quite a bit of fun carrying out some of the activities from the TOOLKIT too!
Thanks again Amelia (Amanda’s PA) for looking after us and for your support behind the scenes J
Interesting point: The ACU originated from the amalgamation of several colleges. The original College in Mount Street was established to train the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, an order founded in the 1860s by Mary MacKillop, as teachers. Mary MacKillop was canonised in 2010 and is Australia’s first Saint.