Each May, Mater joins midwives and nurses worldwide to celebrate International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day.
International Day of the Midwife—launched in May 1991—is an occasion for midwives to make new contacts and to widen the knowledge of what midwives do for the world. In the years leading up to 2015, the theme for International Day of the Midwife is The World Needs Midwives Today More Than Ever.
International Nurses Day is held on the birth date of Florence Nightingale, who made many reforms to nursing and health care and significantly reduced the death rate amongst soldiers during the Crimean War. Her reforms have influenced modern health care and her writings continue to be a resource for nurses, health managers and planners today. This year’s theme for International Nurses Day was Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Chronic Care.
Mater Foundation proudly supports the exceptional work of our Mater nurses and midwives in a number of ways. A simple pocket guide is a useful tool for graduates starting their careers in nursing at Mater Adult Hospital and Mater Private Hospital Brisbane and Redland. The book, funded by Mater Foundation, was designed by nurse educators and clinical staff as a quick reference guide for new graduates. According to Nurse Educator, Leah Cowley, the guide was developed to provide a resource for commonly asked questions by graduates in their first year of nursing.
“It is an aid to help smooth the transition from university to practice with Mater-specific information in a handy and useful form,” said Leah. “It includes information such as common drugs, abbreviations, admission and discharge procedures and checklists used throughout Mater.”
All new graduates that begin working for Mater Adult and Private Hospitals receive a copy of the guide book. In a formal evaluation graduate nurses said they found the book gave them confidence as a new graduate and was easy to follow.
One group committed to supporting staff education is the Mater Nursing and Midwifery Alumni. The Alumni is a membership organisation for past and present Mater nurses and midwives. Proudly supported by Mater Foundation, the organisation was established in 2005 and is the first of its kind in Australia.
Alumni members benefit from a range of professional and educational opportunities, including the Nurses and Midwives Need Nurturing Too seminar—made possible through a grant from Eli Lilly. The seminar helps educate nurses and midwives on the importance of caring for themselves.
The Professional Development Committee of the Alumni also continues to support education programs within the hospital such as the recent Transitional Learning Seminar and the 2010 Fellowship Program: Translating Evidence in to Practice.
If you would like to learn more about how your support can benefit the work done by our Mater nurses and midwives, please contact Jackie North or Leigh Cleave on 3163 8000 or email jacqueline.north@mater.org.au