Dear colleagues,

Well, another busy week finished and what a week it was.

This week I had the pleasure of attending the state-wide launch of the Clinical Supervision Framework for Queensland Nurses and Midwives. I am so proud to be the sponsor of the Office of the Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer (OCNMO) Queensland Health who funded a Clinical Supervision Project which was led by Metro North Mental Health Nurse Educators Kobie Hatch and Cathy Boyle. The project team conducted a state-wide consultation to produce this framework, and also developed a four-day education and training program to train nurses and midwives as clinical supervisors.

It is well recognised that the work of nurses and midwives can be as challenging as it is rewarding. Clinical supervision is a professional development activity that supports nurses and midwives to reflect on their practice, with the purpose of promoting critical reflection, improving practice and maintaining psychological well-being.

I am proud of the contribution that Metro North nurses and midwives are making in this important space. To date the project team have provided clinical supervision education and training to 30 nurses and midwives from across Queensland. With this week’s launch of the Framework, we are hoping there will be an even greater awareness of the benefits of clinical supervision for nurses and midwives. Please find the a link to the Clinical Supervision Framework for Queensland Nurses and Midwives. I hope that you find this a useful resource in your clinical areas.

I would encourage you to utilise this resource to support clinical supervision in your workplace, or to start a conversation as to how you might introduce this important professional development activity for nurses and midwives.

The RBH Graduate Nurses Association is a long-standing association on the Herston Campus. The President is Sharon O’Toole who many of you may remember for her long and illustrious career in the RBWH Operating Theatres. Joy Wilson is the immediate Past President of the association and is the Honourable Curator of the RBWH Nursing Museum situated on the Herston Campus. Across our wonderful health service we have many nurses and midwives who have worked and trained at RBWH although may be working at other sites. The Association is a wonderful way to keep in touch with colleagues past and present and also enables you to be actively involved in preserving the history of the unique contribution of nurses and midwives in the history of Queensland. The museum in Building 19 Herston Campus is open on Thursdays and Fridays between 10am and 2pm, but if you contact the association on rbhnursesassn@gmail.com or call 3646 8702 and leave a message I am positive that they would open the doors to let people come and view the amazing collection and discuss the association more broadly. I am also very positive that if you would like to become involved in the association or have an interest in the history of our professions in Queensland, the committee would love you to meet you. I personally am a member and love the fact that this amazing group are so committed to preserving what should be near and dear to all of us.

I hope you have all had a wonderful week and that you have a safe, fabulous and productive weekend.

Regards,

Alanna