Congratulations Bachelor of Nursing Graduands

A total of 57 students completed the Bachelor of Nursing program, including many international students at the end of this year. The Bachelor of Nursing graduation dinner (held on 24 November 2011) celebrated the end of their journey as the University of Adelaide undergraduate students and the start of their career as Registered Nurses.

The graduands were toasted by many who had nurtured them through their three years including Head of School Professor Alison Kitson, Executive Dean Professor Justin Beilby and of course program, course coordinators and staff of the School. The elegant surroundings of Ayers House provided a perfect backdrop for a delicious dinner and drinks to round off the evening.

View some of the photos from the Bachelor of Nursing Graduation Dinner held on 24 November via our Photo Gallery

The School of Nursing wishes them and all graduands the all the best with their careers and look forward to involving them as alumni of the School and University.

The School of Nursing would like to invite all graduands to attend their Badge Ceremony.

The Badge Ceremony holds significant importance to the School of Nursing, representing graduands’ pledge and ongoing commitment to the service of mankind, humanity, integrity and confidentiality.

For the School of Nursing, the Badge Ceremony represents:

• history of the School and its close alignment with the hospitals in Adelaide and particularly with the Royal Adelaide Hospital
• its focus on clinical excellence
• its commitment to evidence-based practice
• an acknowledgement of many exceptional nurse leaders in South Australia who have and continue to advance nursing.

Paul McLiesh (centre) with Chancellor the Hon. Robert Hill and Vice Chancellor Professor Warren Bebbington

Congratulations to Paul McLiesh, Lecturer and Stream Lead, for graduating with the Master of Nursing Science in the graduation ceremony on Wednesday 19 September. Paul was the mace bearer at this ceremony.

The second cohort of students from the Bachelor of Nursing (Post Registration) program graduated at the University of Adelaide Singapore Graduation ceremony in March 2013. The mace bearer for the University ceremony was the top nursing student Ms. Yoke Ping, who also received the Ngee Ann Kongsi prize for the most outstanding student. Ms. Cui Jeiting received the book prize for achieving the highest grade in the course titled Knowledge Translation in Nursing II. Eight students received a Certificate of Merit for achieving a Distinction average across all courses in the program. The graduation was followed by the School of Nursing Badge Ceremony where each graduate was presented with their badge by the Dean of Nursing, Professor Alison Kitson.

Congratulations to all graduates and welcome to the University of Adelaide alumni community. A special congratulations goes to the following graduates and students who were recognised at the Badge Ceremony on Wednesday 17 April in Adelaide including:

Charlotte de Crespigny Prize
Awarded to Jane Baulis, Bachelor of Nursing
Awarded to Jane Drane, Graduate Diploma in Addiction and Mental Health
Commendation to Jacqueline Smit, Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Mental Health Nursing) in recognition of significant achievement

Pearson Prize
Awarded to Elizabeth Thompson, Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Intensive Care Nursing)

Margaret Grace McNair AM Award
Awarded to Jane Baulis, Bachelor of Nursing

Edeline ‘Tommy’ Lyon Prize
Awarded to Mary Currie, Bachelor of Nursing (3rd year student)

Read more about the awards offered at the School of Nursing.

On Friday 22 November, Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Clinical Nursing graduands celebrated the completion of their studies at the National Wine Centre. Undergraduate Coordinator Frank Donnelly, an obvious favourite amongst the undergraduate cohort, opened proceedings with his rousing and honest reflection of their three year journey. Dean of Nursing Alison Kitson took to the stage and expressed gratitude to both the student body and all staff who had contributed to development of the exceptional nurses they had now become, calling upon 3^rd year student Rose Foley for an on the spot Q&A who played testament to this. On behalf of the student body, Hannah Albanese thanked all of the clinical tutors for their guidance, support, knowledge and most importantly friendships which have formed over the years. Master of Clinical Nursing Coordinator, Tammy Page, praised the first cohort of Master of Clinical Nursing graduands and this was reiterated by Rob Ellinger to staff on behalf of the inaugural cohort.

The graduands were toasted by all who had nurtured them throughout their journey before festivities continued with a DJ providing a soundtrack to the evening as attendees indulged in delicious canapés and drinks.

The School of Nursing wishes the graduands all the best with careers and look forward to seeing them in April for the Badge Ceremony and Graduation Ceremony.

The organising panel under the direction of the Adelaide Nursing Students’ Society would like to thank all sponsors for ensuring the event was a success including: HESTA, Bendigo Bank, Faculty of Health Sciences and the School of Nursing.

On Tuesday 6 May, the School of Nursing hosted its annual Badge Ceremony to recognise all our recent Nursing graduates. We congratulate all the graduates awarded prizes and merit awards.

Photos from the event are now available on Flickr.

Tell us a little about you…
I am a clinical nurse in renal dialysis at Murray Bridge Hospital. I am a mother of four and have just finished my studies in Master of Nursing Science and will be graduating in May this year.

Current Research Projects
I wrote a thesis on the lived experience of undergoing cannulation of an arterial venous fistula for haemodialysis at a satellite unit. At the moment I am writing a journal from that thesis. I hope to go ahead and do a PhD in the near future.

What inspired you to research in your field?
When I started my career as a dialysis nurse I found it very daunting because of the technical processes involved especially cannulating a new fistula. This feeling encouraged me to explore how the patients felt when their fistulas were being cannulated. I discovered that there was very limited information that addresses the patient,s perspective of their experiences regarding cannulating their fistulas especially in satellite units. I therefore decided to enter their life world and let them describe their experiences during the course of my research.

What is the ultimate goal of your research?
The ultimate goal of my research was to explore the participants’ lived experiences and utilise the results to contribute to the growing body of evidence pertaining to patients’ perspective on cannulation of a new fistula for dialysis. I also hope to inspire other nurses to embark in research and also encourage evidence based practice.

Any advice for an early researcher?
My advice to an early researcher is that research becomes a part of your life style because it is not like a simple assignment that one can complete in a day or so. I found that it became part of my everyday life and I had to allocate time on a daily basis. Research is also circular in that it has many twists and turns where different components have to be put together to make a complete study. I also learnt to be very disciplined so as to prevent too much pressure on myself towards the end. Overall I really enjoyed the whole process because I chose a topic that I enjoyed to learn more about. My supervisors were very supportive so I worked closely with them throughout the study.

A little bit more about Killana…
We were fortunate enough to have Killana model for the 2015 Postgraduate Coursework Program Brochure in May 2014. Look out for Killana as the face of postgraduate coursework studies at the University of Adelaide…

Killana Mafara, graduate of the Master of Nursing Science program

We were delighted when the School of Nursing was chosen to represent the University of Adelaide’s advertising campaign focused on the University’s relationship with all our industry partners. Look out for the billboard throughout the year. You might have caught a glance of it in May, when it was unveiled on the corner of Rundle Mall and King William Road. Read more

The establishment of the Adelaide Medical and Nursing School and its new building on North Terrace at the city’s west end is building steam. This month you will be able to notice the beginnings of visible changes to the site.
The University Council approved the $206m building. Read more
The new premises have attracted some recent media attention. Read more

On Tuesday 6 May, the School of Nursing once again held its annual Badge Ceremony. The Badge Ceremony is a key event for our graduates, and symbolic of the history of Nursing. It is also a great opportunity to recognise excellence in our students through the following awards:

• 2013 Pearson Prize – Jacqueline Bateson, Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Perioperative Nursing)
• 2013 Margaret Grace McNair AM Foundation Award – Laura Mitchell, Bachelor of Nursing
• 2013 Tommy Edeline “Lyon” Award – Hannah Andjelkovic, Bachelor of Nursing
• 2013 Charlotte de Crespigny Prize – Undergraduate – Mary Currie, Bachelor of Nursing
• 2013 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Award – Susannah Hilton, Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Mental Health Nursing)
• 2013 Roshan Award – Raymond Bowey, Master of Clinical Nursing
• 2013 Kitson Prize – Lisa Thiele, Master of Clinical Nursing

Congratulations to our awards winners.

International Nurses Day Health Lunch
On Friday 9 May 2014 I attended the Adelaide Nursing Student’s Society (ANSS) Healthy Lunch to celebrate International Nurses Day. Held on the Mezzanine in Hub Central on campus, I was proud to see such a great turn out. Although some of the items on the bake sale table questioned the namesake of the event, I was very pleased to help myself to some treats. Well done Rachelle and the team for a successful event.

Students enjoying the healthy lunch for International Nurses Day

Professor Greta Cummings visit
Professor Greta Cummings visited the University of Adelaide 3 to 16 April along with her husband Dr Garnet Cummings. Greta is Centennial Professor at the University of Alberta. I was very pleased to host Greta in the School of Nursing, where I believe she received an authentic experience of working with the School of Nursing team. This no doubt led to us formalising Greta’s position as an official titleholder of the University of Adelaide and making arrangements for future collaboration. Thank you to the Northern Communities Health Foundations for sponsoring Professor Cummings to come to Adelaide. Read more

Professor Emiko Suzui visit

Alison Kitson, Emiko Suzui and Judy Magarey

Professor Emiko Suzui visited the School of Nursing 1 to 15 June. Emiko is a Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the Hyogo University of Health Sciences in Japan.

During this stay we have helped Emiko to establish strong research connections in South Australia. Emiko meet with a variety of researchers and worked with us at the School to establish a connection with Hyogo University of Health Sciences and the University of Adelaide.

Emiko is very fond of dogs and so jumped at the opportunity to experience an authentic dog agility show in Whyalla during her visit. Along with our Deputy Head of School, Associate Professor Judy Magarey, Emiko had a lovely time at the show.

Emiko with her new friends, Flynn, Scout and Biddy

We look forward to our future collaboration with Emiko through our student exchange program with Hyogo University of Health Sciences. And I am looking forward to my visit to Japan in 2015.

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of one our alumni, Joanna Pupkiewicz. Joanna was a Bachelor of Nursing student, who also completed her Honours degree and the Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Perioperative Nursing). Joanna passed away unexpectedly on Monday 24 March.

Alison Kitson
Dean of Nursing
Head of School

Adelaide Medical Nursing Schools Project

Construction has officially begun on the biggest capital works project in the University of Adelaide’s history – the new $206 million Medical and Nursing Schools building in Adelaide’s West End. I was delighted to attend the Sod Turning Ceremony along with the Premier of South Australia, the Hon. Jay Weatherill, our Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Warren Bebbington and one of our first year students, Dearbhla Grant. Read more

Facebook!

We recently launched a Facebook page for the School of Nursing. ‘Like’ us on Facebook and be kept up to date with information relating to student studies, scholarship opportunities, events and activity from the wider nursing community.

Open Day

What a turnout for the University of Adelaide’s Open Day on Sunday 17 August! I was so proud to see our current students successfully promoting nursing at the University of Adelaide, and nursing as a profession. And a big thank you and congratulations to two of our final year Bachelor of Nursing students, Bianca Cooper and Daniel Hall who were a major highlight of the Nursing @ Adelaide information talk. The information talk will be available online on Degree Finder.

You too can be part of Open Day in 2015. Our success is built on student involvement. Thank you to all who attended Open Day in 2014, I look forward to next year.

Planning day

The School of Nursing held a 2015 planning day in August. We locked ourselves away for the whole day and came away with a clear focus for 2015. The School’s main areas of focus will be: inter-professional learning and simulation development in the new health precinct building at the west end, developing and adapting online learning solutions, research projects and publications and also developing a new model for clinical placement.

Staff

We have welcomed Dr. Jo Dollard to the team for three months to work on the initial development of the LINKIN 2 project. This project builds on the NHMRC research study undertaken in Port Lincoln to develop and evaluate a Population-based Health Systems Laboratory. Jo will be working on the development and piloting a methodology to map the processes of care for older people who have frequent hospital admissions, including some that are potentially preventable.

In August, we said farewell to Christine Pryor, Chris Hiscox from the Clinical Lecturer team. Recruitment is now underway in the Clinical Lecturer team.

Dr Philippa Rasmussen and Dr Rick Wiechula represented the School of Nursing on a visit to Austria this month. Philippa and Rick are in the process of developing a student study tour program in Austria. When established, this program will be an exciting opportunity for our students to further their studies and get exposure to international nursing activity. Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Philippa Rasmussen and Frank Donnelly for their recent promotion to Lecturer Level B.

Visitors

We were fortunate to have international researcher, Professor Anne Marie Rafferty visit us on Thursday 7 August. Professor Rafferty was in town for a Conference and kindly accepted an invitation to visit the School. Professor Rafferty presented to the School of Nursing about her past and present experiences. With a British flavour, Professor Rafferty covered topics such as Nightingale’s leadership legacy and the relevance for policy and practice today.

On 1 – 3 October the School of Nursing will once again host an International Research Conversazione here at the North Terrace Campus. The Conversazione program includes; armchair interviews with international researchers Anna Ehrenberg, Lars Wallin and Alison Tierney; presentations by School of Nursing students; a panel discussion on supervision and another on ethics. If you are interested in research at the School of Nursing, register to attend.

Finally, on behalf of everyone in the School of Nursing I would like to offer sincere congratulations to the recent graduates who had their degrees conferred on the 17 September. You should be very proud of the achievement.

Five Bachelor of Nursing (Post-Registration) students from Singapore chose to travel to Adelaide with their families to graduate in the September ceremony. Pictured here with lectures Tiffany Conroy and Paul McLiesh

Alison Kitson
Dean of Nursing
Head of School

In December 2013, Ms Dolorosa Shabangu completed the Master of Nursing Science (Anaesthetics and Recovery) program. The thesis component of her program explored the role of Anaesthetic Nurses in Australia and was supervised by Dr Philippa Rasmussen and Mr Frank Donnelly. Following completion she returned to Swaziland to her position as a Nurse Anaesthetist at the Mbabane Government Hospital.

In October 2014, Ms Shabangu visited the School of Nursing whilst in Adelaide on holiday. She reported that since returning to Swaziland she as contributed to improving clinical practice and developing policy for nursing at the Mbabane Government Hospital. Additionally she led the development and implementation of the curriculum for the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Nurse Anaesthesia) at Southern Africa Nazarene University Swaziland. This program was accepted for accreditation by the Southern Africa Nazarene University senate and commenced in August. She reported that previously nurses needed to leave Swaziland to undertake such a program. Ms Shabangu attributes her ability to undertake these achievements to the clinical specialty, coursework and research skills she developed as a student of the Master of Nursing Science program.

We congratulate Dolorosa on her achievements since she completed the Master of Nursing Science program. If you have a story to tell, don’t forget to let us know.

Ms Dolorosa Shabangu with Dr Philippa Rasmussen in October 2014

It was another successful Graduation Ball for the Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Clinical Nursing students on Friday 28 November. As always it was great to see our pre-registration students experience a well-deserved celebration!

Thank you to the Adelaide Nursing Students’ Society for organising this wonderful event.

The Clinical Lecturer team presented with a photo of the graduating class of 2014

On Wednesday 10 June, the School of Nursing hosted a career’s event for final year pre-registration nursing students. Attendance was great and students’ commented on how motivated they felt to put the most into their applications for TPPP positions. We wish them all the very best!

In July 2015 Amy Marshall received notification that her PhD thesis has been accepted by the review panel and we were so proud to hear this news.

We asked Amy how she is feeling to be awarded her PhD after all her hard work:

Q. How are you feeling now that you know you have passed your PhD?

A. Elated, excited, exhausted, proud, and mostly relieved. It’s like little fireworks going off inside me!

Q. What are your top three observations after completing your research?

A. That it takes longer than you think it will and everyone tells you this and you know it but you don’t ‘KNOW’ it until you live it. That the hardest part is not the intellectual side of things but the personal side of things – it requires a lot of mental, emotional and physical energy. And that good research is all about people – fostering relationships with people that can help you from participants to liaison roles to supervisors to editors to people who will cheer you along the way and pick you up when you fall over, these people and these relationships are key to getting through it all.

Q. How will these observations influence your role at the School of Nursing?

A. I will continue to build and nurture relationships with people and gladly give my time and energy to help others in their own research endeavours.

Q. Do you have any advice for your fellow HDR students?

A. There are 3 little phrases that helped me along my journey and kept me going during the tough times. The first is ‘how does an ant eat an elephant? One bite at a time!’ so keep at it, little bit by little bit and over time they will all add up. The second is ‘don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good’, you don’t have to get everything perfect the first time, just get it done and you can continue to refine it as you go along. And lastly, I was the little train that could, ‘I think I can, I think I can’ – believe in yourself, and keep going! And I would also add – listen to the advice that others offer you, some of it won’t apply to you but much of it will, trust them, they know what they’re talking about and when they say to be organised etc it really is true!

Thank you Amy, for being an inspiration within the School of Nursing and the community.

Professor Emiko Suzui enjoying a cuddle with Associate Professor Judy Magarey’s dog, Jordi

Congratulations to all our Nursing graduates who conferred their degree on 17 September. In particular, congratulations to all our Higher Degree by Research (HDR) graduates. This is a huge achievement! The School had a bumper record of six HDR completions in the September graduation ceremony. This included Amy Marshall who now has also completed her PhD since my last update.

A huge thanks to all the staff and students who were involved in making sure Nursing was well represented at Open Day on Sunday 16 August. View the photos

We also had a great turnout at the Nursing Showcase on Saturday 19 September and the feedback received from those who attended the tour of the Robin Warren Clinical Skills Facility was very positive. View the photos

Japanese exchange students
In August, we had the pleasure of hosting 12 Japanese exchange students. The students arrived on 19 August for two weeks. They thoroughly enjoyed their time spent on campus, at clinical venues and exploring Adelaide. We are looking forward to welcoming our upcoming Austrian exchange students in just over two weeks’ time.

AMNS update
I am honoured to chair a taskforce which has been formed to oversee a large body of work that will help bring the Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences building to life. Keep updated

Staffing update
A couple of weeks ago we said farewell to Sue Sharrad. Sue had been working with the School for eight years so her presence is definitely missed. We are excited that Misty Rushton, Clinical Lecturer, has stepped into the Bachelor of Nursing Course Coordinator role and doing a stellar job.

Registrations are now open for the Ageing & Living Well Think Tank & Innovation Collaborative. This is an exciting initiative between the School of Nursing and Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Innovation Centre. The event, Boomers – Riding the Long Wave – ‘Wicked Problem’ and Opportunity Spaces, 9 to 11 November 2015 held at the Crowne Plaza, Hindmarsh Square in Adelaide, is designed to bring together leaders, practitioners, academics and policy makers concerned to explore and evaluate identified opportunities. Register now

Alison Kitson
Dean of Nursing
Head of School

Gender Equity & Diversity (GED)

The Ageing & Living Well Think Tank Innovation Collaborative (ALWTTIC) held on 9-11 November was a resounding success. The aim of the Think Tank was to collaboratively develop innovative solutions to complex problems impacting healthy ageing policy and practice on topics such as finance; technology; lifestyle; healthcare informatics; medicine, gender and ageing; careers and work; the built environment; resource planning; person-centred care – with the aim of:

• Stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship as a means to foster effective and economically and socially responsible active ageing, and
• To bring together leaders, practitioners, academics, policy makers, industry representatives and consumers concerned to explore and evaluate identified opportunities that promote and deliver active ageing.

With our conversations with many participants over the two days, we know that the diversity and quality of the speakers and the novelty of the range of events were aspects of the Think Tank that were enjoyed. Equally, we were delighted to have such a strong voice from older people and we found their contribution to the Think Tank invaluable.

The Think Tank included a total of 20 workshops (that examined aspects of “wicked problems” associated with active ageing involving discussion around “Baby Boomer” ageing, innovation, and entrepreneurship) in addition to six keynote presentations.

The presence of the Premier – The Hon Jay Weatherill was an absolute bonus and his words certainly added to the flavour of the first evening and gave introduction to the importance of the next two days of presentations and activity. The Minister for Ageing, the Hon Zoe Bettison MP and the Minister for Industry and Productivity, the Hon Kyam Maher MLC added to the tone of the program with their encouragement and support of the two exhibitions.

Ageing and Living Well Think Tank Innovation Collaborative – 9-11 November 2015

While I am on the acknowledgements, I want to make a special mention of the Adelaide Nursing Students’ Society Committee.  The Committee has done an amazing job and if you didn’t know about the Society then I encourage you to contact the President, Jessica Beck, for more information. However, thanks to the tenacity and determination of a small sub-committee the Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Clinical Nursing enjoyed one of the best celebrations at the Graduation Dinner on Saturday 28 November. What an outstanding job Luisa, Sally and Ashleigh did – thank you ladies!

Pre-Registration Graduation Dinner – 28 November 2015

AHMS Transition Taskforce Update
As the Adelaide Medical, Nursing and Dentistry Schools project shifts from a design focus to a more operational one, a team chaired by the Dean of Nursing has been formed to oversee a large body of work that will help bring the building to life.  In particular we will be focusing on community engagement and creating high performing teams.

The teams include representatives from across the Faculty of Health Sciences as well as Infrastructure Branch.  They will co-ordinate and integrate the delivery of a wide range of related projects.

The group will be seeking input and collaboration from staff on issues including shared facilities, technology, workplace culture, staff relocation and educational research.

Keep up-to-date with how the transition is progressing.

Staff Update
The month of December sees the School of Nursing farewell a number of valued staff as they move forward in their careers.  Please join me in thanking the following staff for their contribution to the School and for all of their hard-work, we wish them well in all of their future endeavours:

• Ryan Clarke
• Ami Rogers
• Deidre Wurm
• Rhianon Marshall

Bree Alexander will be leaving the school for a 12-month period from 16 December 2015 and will return to the School, January 2017.

Congratulations to all our students who have now completed their degree. It is a huge achievement and I hope that you are proud of what you have accomplished. We look forward to hearing about your journey as now advance in your nursing career.

Farewell to our International students.  It was a delight to enjoy a lunch prepared by our postgraduate international students.  We really appreciate all the culinary delights that we got to sample.  From all the staff, a big thank you.

And finally, just to let you know that I was recently awarded a Fellowship to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.  This is a great honour for me as a nurse and as a knowledge translation researcher.  I want to thank all the people who have helped me along the way.  I’m hoping that there will be a lot more nursing – and particularly Adelaide alumni, who will be joining me.

Alison Kitson
Dean of Nursing
Head of School