Archived Professional News: November 2005

CATSIN: From strength to strength

The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses is always a great event. This year it was made all the more so by the launch of the book, In Our Own Right: Black Australian Nurses' Stories.

These stories are powerful vignettes providing insight into the challenges faced by Indigenous people as they pursued their goal of becoming a nurse. As Professor Olga Kanitsaki said in her foreword, 'what is particularly confronting about this exposé is that individual nurses, and the nursing profession as a whole, were complicit in this racism and its soul-destroying consequences to Indigenous nurses: The courage and dignity of the individual nurses who have come forward to write their stories has established a firm and profound basis upon which Indigenous nurses today can stand proudly and with dignity to create a brilliant affirming future.'

Another highlight was to hear about the ANF's role in supporting Indigenous Australian nurses to form their own professional nursing organisation. Kate Adams (NSW Branch), Marcia Gleeson (Victorian Branch) and Robyn Coulthard (previously Federal Office) described the memorable and moving experiences of the early days of CATSIN, as this group of nurses came together, told their stories, and planned for a better future.

Nursing students now benefit from the provision of undergraduate scholarships and a mentor program.

CATSIN plays a role in supporting students and enabling some to attend their annual conference.

Indigenous Australian issues are increasingly part of nursing curricula, and the ANF is supporting the inclusion in the enrolled nursing qualification of a unit of competency on Indigenous Australian issues (see www.anf.org.au)

Aboriginal or a Torres Strait Islander nurses interested in joining CATSIN, can email catsin@bigpond.net.au or telephone (07) 34107236.

Monitoring training packages
Activity in the vocational education and training area continues, with public consultations underway on the health training package and the project to include enrolled nursing in the package (see www.cshisc.com.au for a review update).

Developments in the area of medical assisting and pathology technicians are also being monitored carefully.

The ANF is also taking an interest in the Certificate III and IV qualifications for health services assistants as they appear to reflect an assistant in nursing/patient care assistant (however titled) role used in some of the states and territories.

Victoria Gilmore
ANF Federal Professional Officer