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LETTER of the month
L E T T E R S
Dave Hughes
Deirdre Murphy
Becky Broomfield
Are men the forgotten parents?
Checked pay slip, I was being underpaid
Promoting our professional knowledge
Ged Kearney (The Lamp: December 08, p8) wants maternity leave to ‘recognise the crucial contribution they (mums) make’ and states that it is ‘an investment for our families’. The Productivity Commission discusses the need for paid ‘Parental Leave’ and how this affects fathers and mothers. The research is overwhelming that babies need both mums and dads in the early months. Divorce rates are skyrocketing, and a disproportionate number of these are within two years of having a baby. The delegates voted almost unanimously at the 2008 Annual Conference to support a resolution that directed the NSWNA to ‘recognise and support the important role fathers provide in childrearing by demanding equal leave provisions for both parents under the award’. Can Brett tell The Lamp readers what Ged’s response was when he informed her of the NSWNA policy on parental leave? Dave Hughes, CNS Men’s Health Bangalow Community Health Centre
I would like to covey my thanks to all at the NSWNA. I am a UK-trained midwife and have been working in Australia as a midwife for approximately nine years. Like everyone else I was very excited about recognition of my academic qualifications (obtained in the UK) and a few more dollars in my pay packet due to the CEA. I initially did not receive the CEA when it was introduced because of my CMS status. When CMS status became applicable for it, I made my application. After some delay, I was paid what I assume was the correct CEA for my qualifications. I normally do not check my pay slip in great detail (I note your advice in The Lamp, February 2009, p7) but I felt something was amiss. On closer inspection I noted I was being paid a certificate allowance rather than a diploma allowance. On inquiring with HR, I was informed that my overseas qualifications were not recognised and I was only entitled to a certificate allowance. I was advised to apply to an independent body for my qualifications to be assessed at a cost of approx $600. I had no idea what to do. I called the NSWNA and they went into action and were fantastic. It has taken a few months but they never gave up and now overseas-trained nurses/midwives get what they are entitled to. Had I not been a member of NSWNA I would have had no voice and no recourse except to pay the $600. Deirdre Murphy, CMS/Acting CME
Thank you for a magazine that continues to support and promote nursing. Each issue continues to have many valuable sources of information on a number of issues. It is apparent nurses continue to work in an environment that throws many challenges at them. I am writing this letter to mention two issues of concern to me. First, the recent rewriting of the Code of Professional Conduct highlighted in the October 2008 issue of The Lamp reinforces the need to promote our professional knowledge and competence by delivering care based on current evidence, best practice and, where possible, validated research. The continuing need for our profession to update and maintain our credibility remains evident. As an RN and university lecturer I am aware nurses are expected to be able to read and critique research to aid their theoretical knowledge underpinning their clinical practice. From experience, many nurses find this a daunting experience, particularly if they were originally educated/trained via the hospital-based system as I was. I often wonder how many other nurses, whom I don’t meet as students, find reading research difficult. Another issue I feel is important to address is how nurses behave towards each other. The Code of Professional Conduct requires nurses to treat their patients with respect and dignity. I would like to see a Code of Professional Conduct written that addresses a Nurse to Nurse Code of Behaviour and Conduct. If the environment nurses work within is one that promotes support, respect and high levels of quality communication, then promoting knowledge and competence through confident nursing will naturally follow. Becky Broomfield, RN, Cert. Ed, Dip. N (Lond), BSc, MSc, PhD student Becky Broomfield won the prize for this month’s letter of the month, a $50 David Jones voucher.
Editor’s response: Please be assured that the Association treats resolutions from Annual Conference most seriously. The December Lamp story is a short article on the delays by the Government’s Productivity Commission and was in no way intended to offend or negate the important role fathers play in childrearing.
‘Green’ paper towels at Nepean It was very interesting to read your ‘green’ article on page 35 of February 2009 Lamp, but I was surprised to see that the paper towels used at Byron Bay were not able to be recycled. This caused us to check our towels with Kimberly-Clark and they have assured us that our Kleenex ‘Optimum’ towels are able to be recycled. Thought it would be good to pass this information on. Sandy Mowbray, RN Nepean Hospital 6 THE LAMP APRIL 2009
CORRECTION On page 15 of the last issue of The Lamp we featured a photo of Mary Ametximey from St Mary’s Villa nursing home. The photo was incorrectly captioned as Filomena Iakopo. Our apologies to Mary and Filomena.