Nursing and Midwifery Portfolio

The Senior Nursing and Midwifery Representative for 2013 is Carol Mudford.

Carol is a final year Bachelor of Nursing student at Charles Sturt University in Albury, New South Wales and a MARHS Rural Health Club member. She grew up on a sheep farm in central NSW, spent high school in circuses, and has varied working experiences in hospitality/tourism, the performing arts and outdoor education. Naturally, this has led her to pursue a nursing career.

 With a genuine love of the bush and its people, Carol is passionate about rural living and rural health. With belief in the ability of resilient communities to affect positive change, she is also passionate about the NRHSN and the network of Rural Health Clubs.

The Junior Nursing and Midwifery Portfolio Representative for 2013 is Melissa Childs.

Melissa is a 3rd year undergraduate Nursing Student at Flinders University, in Adelaide, South Australia and FURHS Rural Health Club member. She is born and raised in Adelaide, but has travelled extensively through rural South Australia and Victoria. Melissa first gained an interest in rural health by joining her university's Rural Health Club FURHS during her first year of study in 2010. Her interest and education about rural health has since grown by attending national conferences and educational weekends, thanks to funding and organisation from the NRHSN. She is particularly interested in the provision of nursing education, upcoming workforce shortages for nurses within the next decade and improvement in rural health education and employment access for current and upcoming nurses.
Her aim for the Nursing Portfolio is to raise its image as a strong portfolio in its own light and to showcase to Nursing Students around the country about the student benefits of being a part of their Rural Health Clubs.

Contact us at nursing@nrhsn.org.au.

2013

The Nursing and Midwifery Portfolio can help your Rural Health Club in a variety of ways, please take a look at our role and let us know how we can support your Club:

• To be the main point of contact for Nursing and Midwifery Representatives at a Rural Health Club level
  
• To encourage engagement with Nursing and Midwifery students at a Rural Health Club level
  
• To advocate for Nursing and Midwifery students to the NRHSN and stakeholders
  
• To liaise with relevant nursing and midwifery stakeholders
  
• To contribute to publications (in consultation with NRHSN executive)
  
• To be informed of issues pertinent to nurses and nursing students at a national level
  
• To represent the NRHSN at stakeholder conferences and meetings
  
• To contribute to papers produced by the NRHSN, e.g. NRHSN National Priorities Paper, Positions Statements
  
• To contribute to COOEE!
  
• To maintain monthly updates of Nursing and Midwifery Portfolio activity to NRHSN Executive

The Nursing and Midwifery Portfolio goals in 2013 will increase engagement with Nursing and Midwifery Student members and relevant stakeholders.

If you are a Midwifery Student and would like to recommend any ideas of how to increase the rural health profile of Midwives or fellow students, please let us know! Midwifery is included as part of this Portfolio.

What else can we do? Let us know, we’d love to hear your ideas!

CRANAplus

CRANAplus is dedicated to the development and delivery of safe, high quality primary healthcare to remote and isolated areas of Australia through the education and support of remote health practitioners and advocacy for the issues affecting them and the people in their care (from https://crana.org.au/).

As a result of the 2011 CRANAplus conference, a sub-committee was established that will draw on students and early career professionals from all disciplines. A representative from each of the Nursing and Midwifery Portfolio and Allied Health Portfolio sits on this sub-committee. The Nursing and Midwifery Portfolio representative will join the sub-committee at meetings and advocate on behalf of the NRHSN.