on the ground

New members nurse high expectations

Jim Marr Journalist
or the payment of one union fee school nurses can now utilise the industrial strength of the IEU and the professional expertise of the NSW Nurses Association. Last years settlement of industry-wide agreements with NSW Independent schools was the catalyst for the dual membership agreement. Sue Peterie, President of the NSW School Nurses Association, was one of the first to take up the option. She sees linking with teachers and support staff as the best way for nurses to have their skills and qualifications recognised while still valuing the specialist nursing advice available from the Association. Sue had been nursing for nearly 30 years when she started at Tara Anglican School. She arrived with experience in public hospitals, the community, private practice and stints in palliative care and pediatrics. She had nursed in NSW, the ACT and Tasmania. I enjoy this job and have a very

Stronger voice for nurses

good relationship with the teaching staff, she says. But the fact is, as a nurse you are isolated and you work autonomously. School nurses run a full practice and, sometimes, that can be daunting. We rely very much on our basic nursing skills, particularly our assessment skills. Increasingly, we find ourselves dealing with mental health assessments and filling in as counsellors. Sometimes, we have to work out whether maths is the issue or a girl has a genuine medical condition that needs attention. People contact and variety are two of the things she enjoys about school nursing. Tara educates girls, including boarders, from preschool to Year 12. It also has a few 19 and 20-year-olds, mainly from Asia, who are completing their higher school certificate before embarking on Australian university studies.

Sometimes, we have to work out whether maths is the issue or a girl has a genuine medical condition that needs attention.
has dealt with hypoglycemic incidents as well as the the odd bout of chest pain among adult members of the school community. She has already had discussions with IEU officials Dick Shearman and Anne Lajoie about what she and her colleagues regard as the under-valuing of nurses in the sector. School nurses are generally paid according to the 2010 Enterprise Agreement but the majority feel the remuneration does not reflect our skills or experience. We are hoping the IEU can help us negotiate better wages and conditions in the next round of enterprise bargaining. There are more than 120 nurses across NSW independent schools and a smaller number in Catholic schools.

They are young women with their own issues and, sometimes, their own traditional remedies, Sue says. It can be a challenge to advise on alternative medicines when you cant even read the label on the bottle. This is exactly the sort of scenario that can mean a call to the Nurses Association to check out the medical, ethical and legal considerations. Sue is the first port of call for sprains and breaks from the sports fields and

A healthy approach to work

The duties cover a wide gamut including diagnostic, advisory, pastoral, educational and administrative, she explains. In looking after medical needs you are the one making decisions all day long about the required level of care which can vary from trying to work out whether the patient needs a heat pack or an ambulance, she says. And in some of the boarding schools these can be very well-equipped, almost like mini hospitals." Not that Janette is complaining. Since taking up the position at William Carey almost 14 years ago, after a lengthy stint of child rearing and study, she has thrived on the diversity of the job and full integration into school life. I love it and feel really valued here, she says. The expansion and diversification of the role has been really stimulating and Ive really welcomed the opportunities and challenges for further training that it has offered. I believe the more we do, the more credible the role becomes. It's important for nurses to have contact with each other, as well support and access to continuing education, which their Association is constantly endeavouring to provide. Janette says the agreement for school nurses to join the IEU is a further positive step. They understand the complexities of schools so well that they will be able to relate to the uniqueness of our position. Our association with them thus far indicates a strong and positive attitude that suggests they will be very effective in looking after our interests," she adds. I am treated very well at William Carey but philosophically I believe that unions support people who cant speak for themselves, so it is very important to belong. And in our profession, its wise to have good legal coverage, she says. Although thats true, my position as a Christian is that legal aspects are not foremost in my mind. Its a Biblical principle to care for people as I would want to be cared for, not just because I am frightened I will end up in court. Often the world perceives protection (wanting to cover yourself ) as a feardriven principle which is really sad. It takes the positive aspect of caring for one another out of it. In a Christian school such as ours, holistic care is the bedrock of the educational ethos - its about body, mind and soul. By providing a school nurse and clinic that care is shown in a tangible, practical way."

Mar y Colber t Journalist

s a lone practitioner looking after students, teachers and other staff, the job of a school nurse can be so diverse, says Janette Clay, Secretary of the School Nurses Assocation who is located at William Carey Christian School in Prestons.

NEWSmonth Vol 31#3 2011