Welcome to

The new online CPD portal

Access to online CPD

FREE for NSWNMA members and student members

Meeting your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) obligations is now even easier with this great new benefit for NSWNMA members. As a financial member you have access to over 200 CPD modules – all part of your Association membership.

Featuring

FREE access to over 200 CPD modules online

Highly visual and interactive modules you can do at your own pace

New modules added regularly for NSWNMA members LOGGING ON nswnma.info/ilearn

Your own personalised ePortfolio and CPD tracker so you can provide evidence to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) of participation in CPD annually.

Members

users create a ONE-TIME login to Member Central

Join and receive access to hundreds of FREE CPD hours

ACROSS

1. An obstruction of a blood vessel in the lungs (9.8)

9. Reappraisal, reassessment (11)

12. Overtake (7)

13. Belonging to us (3)

14. Decipherer (7)

15. A mixture of gases required for breathing (3)

16. Clothing (7)

18. Containing a common line; coaxial (9)

20. Having a lean, slightly muscular body build (11)

22. The smallest unit of DNA at which a mutation can occur (5)

24. An instrument for the examination of the interior of a tubular or hollow organ (9)

27. An abnormal group of red blood cells adhering together like a pile of coins (7)

28. The act of cooling or reducing fever (13)

30. Symbol for normal intraocular tension (1.1)

31. A form of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain that registers blood flow to functioning areas of the brain (1.1.1.1)

32. Replacements or repairs of tissues or organs lost through damage (13)

36. Relating to the upper and lower jaws (17)

DOWN

1. May cause temporary hearing loss (10.7)

2. Senile lentigo (5.4)

3. Lubricated (5)

4. Lacking blood vessels (9)

5. One of the steroids of the cortex of the suprarenal gland that influence salt metabolism (17)

6. Japanese art of paper folding (7)

7. Copy, simulate (7)

8. Antipsychotic agent (5.12)

10. Containing iodine (5)

11. Order Visibility Exchange (1.1.1)

17. A disappearance of a disease as a result of treatment (9)

19. Urethral inflammation (1.1.1)

21. Gradation of a color; tint (3)

22. Grieve (5)

23. An exercise device (9)

25. To remove moisture or mist from a surface (5)

26. The part of an organ where the nerves and vessels enter and leave (5)

29. Nearly closed cavities or chambers (5)

33. Echo-planar imaging (1.1.1)

34. An inflammatory complication of leprosy (1.1.1)

35. Weep, cry (3)

Professional Perspectives

The Association’s professional team answer your questions about professional issues, your rights and responsibilities.

The role of enrolled nurses in aged care

I am an EN working in aged care. I have heard there is no funding for ENs in aged care anymore – is this true?

ENs make up a vital part of the clinical workforce and although minutes of care provided by ENs cannot currently be counted towards RN-specific care minutes, the direct care they provide to residents is included in the total care minutes. The federal government has asked providers to report separately on their EN care minutes. These minutes will be published on My Aged Care as part of the overall Star Rating from October 2023. This shows that they see the EN role as an important part of the aged care workforce.

Legal questions Providing statements to police

There was an incident at work where a patient came in with cuts and wounds. During the assessment, the patient disclosed the weapon used to inflict the wounds and who the attacker may have been. The police have attended and asked me to provide a statement. What do I do; what will happen next; and can the NSWNMA help?

If you are ever asked to provide a statement or be a witness in a criminal case, please call the NSWNMA to speak to one of the legal officers for information and advice so you can better understand the process and what might happen next.

A statement is a formal written document outlining what you saw, heard, and did. At the start it states that you must be telling the truth in the statement, and it requires your signature before a witness.

Often the police will ask you to give them a statement in the immediate aftermath of an incident. You are entitled to take the time you need, including to seek advice or review any documents you consider will assist you with your recollection, before you provide a statement. You cannot be forced to provide a statement or forced to sign one you don’t agree with.

Always be professional and polite to the police and let them know that you wish to seek advice. You are entitled to seek independent legal advice from the NSWNMA before you provide a statement.

The impact of personal conduct on professional registration

I was stopped for a random breath test and was found to be driving with a mid-range prescribed concentration of alcohol. I must go to court in two weeks’ time. This isn’t related to my registration. How can the NSWSNMA help me?

Under the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Standards for Practice and Codes of Conduct, your conduct in your personal life can affect your professional life and your registration.

As a registered health practitioner, if you are charged, found guilty or convicted of a criminal offence, including a serious driving offence with a possible penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment, there are mandatory notification requirements to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) within seven days. This is a very short timeframe at a stressful time.

We recommend you contact the NSWNMA as soon as possible to speak to one of our legal officers, who are very experienced and can assist you to meet your reporting obligations. They can also advise, assist and represent you through any disciplinary process that may follow. Having someone on your side to help you navigate this process can make all the difference.

Our legal officers can also advise you on any declaration you may be required to make at registration renewal.

Workplace health and safety

COVID-19 and workers compensation

I have COVID-19 and I probably caught it at work. My employer says I can’t get workers compensation because I wear PPE at work, so I probably caught COVID on the bus and can’t prove I caught it at work. Is this right?

Healthcare workers including nurses and midwives in NSW do not have to prove the source of a COVID-19 infection to make a workers compensation claim. Nurses and midwives and all other healthcare workers, permanent or casual, who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are presumed to have contracted the virus in the course of their employment.

If you test positive to COVID-19, you should notify your employer immediately. A positive RAT test is sufficient evidence to submit a claim without confirming by PCR. A Certificate of Capacity will be required from your doctor and may be assessed and provided through Telehealth.

For further information please review The Lamp Professional Issues COVID-19 (https:// thelamp.com.au/professionalissues/covid19/latest-guidelinesfor-nurses-covid-19/)

If you would like some more advice or your claim has been declined, please contact the Association (www.nswnma.asn. au/about-us/contact).

Managing risks of fatigue

I am frequently asked to do overtime due to short staffing and I find it hard to say no as I don’t have carer responsibilities like most of my colleagues. I am exhausted and thinking about reducing my permanent hours to manage my exhaustion –what should I do?

Your employer has an obligation to ensure your safety at work and this includes managing risks of fatigue. They cannot require you to do unreasonable overtime that creates risks to your physical or mental health. Raise your concerns through the normal channels in your workplace. Be sure to do this i n writing.

Additionally, nurses and midwives have obligations to manage their fatigue under the Work Health & Safety (WHS) Act 2011 No. 10 (NSW) and the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia’s Codes of Conduct. All nurses and midwives can refuse unreasonable overtime that creates a risk to health and safety. Public sector nurses have this inclusion detailed in their award. After 17–19 hours without sleep, performance effects in the workplace are the equivalent to those of someone with a 0.5 blood alcohol level.