Adj. Prof. Alanna Geary, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer
Well, who can believe that we are nearly halfway through the year!!! Wow. Won’t be too long and we will all be rushing to get sorted for the end of the year. As I get older, I realise how precious time is. Certainly, time is one of the very things we can do nothing to stop but we can ensure that while we are here, we do things that will make our “time” meaningful and enjoyable. We spend so much of our treasured hours working and for that reason it is imperative that we make our work environments the best they can be and that includes ensuring that as health professionals we arm ourselves with the tools, expertise and support that will make our lives easier.
To that end, this week I was fortunate to spend some time with the Clinical Skills Development Service and in particular Cathy Boyle and her team who have been instrumental in the development of Resilience Based Clinical Supervision (RBCS). We are certainly going to look at how we can effectively roll out this program across Metro North. To give you a taster of what RBCS is…
RBCS is a facilitated reflective discussion, characterised by:
- The identification of the unique group conditions needed to create a safe space.
- The integration of mindfulness-based stress-reduction exercises.
- An explicit focus on the emotional systems motivating the response to a situation.
- A consideration of the role of the internal critic in sustaining or underpinning the response to a situation.
- A commitment to maintaining a compassionate flow to self and consequently to others.
The clinical supervision literature provides evidence for RBCS in providing restoration and developing resilience for nurses and midwives. I feel this is a model that would be congruent to support any nursing and midwifery graduate group and we are very keen to understand how we do this.
We have our blog about Clinical Supervision that has a lot of information and Cathy was also a guest in the Five Things Nursing podcast, episode 79 where she spoke about all things Clinical Supervision.
Here is the blog link: What is Clinical Supervision? (csds.qld.edu.au)
I would strongly recommend that you listen to this. It is excellent and I would encourage you to think about this for yourselves. My job now is to think about how we can make RBCS readily available for all our nursing and midwifery staff. It is a program that has been very successful and longstanding in our Mental Health directorate and I would love nothing more than for it to be readily available for all. Watch this space.
This week I was saddened to hear of the passing of Jeanette Schwenke. Sr Schwenke as she was known to many of us was an After Hours Nurse Manager for many years at RBWH.
In the old days the AHNM group at the then RBH were known as “Blockies”. They were a very formidable group and somewhat feared by those of us who knew much less than they did. While Sr Schwenke wore her blue epaulettes with pride and we all stood when she came into our wards, she was a very kind and wonderful nurse and a great friend and colleague to many. She worked at RBH/RBWH for 50 years.
RIP Jeanette. I hope she passed knowing how many lives she touched and how revered she was by those who were fortunate enough to have worked for her, with her and have wonderful careers because of her.
So, as we reach the end of May, I once again thank you for your commitment to our wonderful health service. I do know how busy everyone is and while I thank you I also do want you to ensure that you look after yourselves.
The cold and flu, and of course the dreaded COVID, season is upon us and it is imperative that you continue to look after yourselves and your families. If you haven’t had a flu shot yet then please do and drag your family and friends along to have theirs as well. There are also some rather nasty gastrointestinal conditions circulating (I know because I was the lucky recipient of one) as well so make sure you take all the necessary precautions to avoid becoming unwell.
I spent a few days trying to get into see my GP to help me manage my symptoms. Well, that was just about impossible with the first available appointment being nearly 2 weeks away… so I called the Metro North Virtual ED! Wow, what an impressive service! From the triage nurse, through to the administration officer and then the Doctor, the process was seamless and the care exemplary. Needless to say, I am symptom free now…hooray!!
Until next time, stay safe. Remember there is no one more important than YOU.
Kind regards,
Alanna.