Australian nurses and health care system

Practice in the domiciliaryhealthcareenvironment

A multi-disciplinary health care team consists of physicians, nurses, and other personnel in the field of health care who are collaborating in the health care of a patient who is being cared for at home.  Other personnel that can be considered as a part of the health care team can include those from the emergency service personnel, the persons who are involved from the referring agencies such as the paramedics and the ambulance staff as well as the hospital department staff so that information with regards to the entirety of the illness of the patient can be properly documented and endorsed to the persons who are in charge of the patient in home care.

In order to manage the care needs of the patient in the domiciliary health care, all the members of the health care team should work hand in hand in dealing with the medical problems of the patient.  Through monitoring and working closely with the patient, his health problems can be identified early.  For example, in our case, since the patient suffered from a stroke, he may have problems with swallowing. After informing the patient of this condition, as a nurse, I would inform coordinate with the health care team on what the effect of this problem is to the patient and what they propose to do to solve it.  Swallowing problems can be a source of nutritional problems and psychological problems that may have an impact in their eating which is considered an activity for daily living.  Information on the patient’s physical, psychological, social impacts of health, actual or potential problem on the activities of daily living can be obtained by merely observing the patient and by giving a holistic approach ofnursingcare, the health care team can be immediately informed about the problems that may be encountered with any of these aspects and the solution can be sought early on.

Data gathering can be obtained through interviews with the patient and the other members of the health care team as well as including the laboratory anddiagnosticassessments that were made in the hospital during the patient’s admission as well as by obtaining his medical history.   Health teaching plans in the domiciliary care of the patient would include relaying to the patient any information about his disease and what he can do to help prevent it from recurring or becoming worse.  An example of a teaching plan is to help a patient identify the things in his diet that help bring up his blood pressure.  The avoidance of these substances such as salt and fat may decrease his chances of having a high blood pressure and ultimately prevent him from experiencing another stroke.

Nursing interventions would include providing plans of care that is appropariate for the patient’s age and condition that is accepted by hiscultureand tradition.  A form of intervention is assisting the patient in indentifying risk factors that can be prevented or modified such as his diet and helping the patient to hold fast to his medications and follow up appointments.  These nursing interventions are prioritized in a manner that helps prevent the future of the recurrence of the disease.  Collaborative interventions with the patient and hisfamilyor relatives may foster the success of the intervention.   The patient’s response to the interventions can be monitored by assessing his lifestyle and diet.  The reporting of the success orfailureof the nursing intervention to the other members of the health care team can be done through regular meetings regarding the updates and plans for the patient.

In order to initiate appropriate first aid/emergency treatment to the patient, there should be an emergency kit that contains the proper medications and medical gadgets in preparation for adverse events.  A number of the specialist who is in charge of the patient should be placed in an area that is accessible and symptoms such as changes in the behavior of the patient, the occurrence of slurred speech, the presence of convulsions among other things should be taken note of that would prompt an emergency referral to a nearby tertiary medical institution.

Work in the nursing profession

Primary health care includes the promotion of health, the prevention of illness, the care and treatment of the sick, the development of the community, rehabilitation programs and population health approaches (ADGP 2009). The principle of wellness is active and holistic and is based on the persons’ health potential.  The principle of wellness does not dwell only on the absence of the disease but also on the presence of symptoms that can be considered as a risk factor in the development of a disease.  A patient who appears healthy may be suffering from a mental illness or emotional instability.

The quality of health care being provided in our country today has evolved since it was first formed.  In the early 1970’s Medicare was first shed to light and has been evolving ever since.  The levels of health care available in Australia are comparable to those in developed countries.  One of the problems that can be encountered due to the implementation of primary health care is the use and abuse of service by critically and chronically ill patients.  Since most of the funding comes from the government and the number of taxpayers are fewer in number as compared to the elderly population who are mostly using the health care services provided, there is an imbalance between the use of the health care service between the taxpayers and the elderly and disabled population that the government is finding ways to fill in the immense cost of care by promoting the use of private care insurance and cutting the salaries of the primary health care providers.

Being part of the multidisciplinary team helps being an enrolled nurse to fit in the primary health care.  As a nurse, the promotion of health and the prevention of disease are being advocated through proper nursing care.

The wellness and illness model is a continuum.  Persons with disabilities comprise the far left end of the spectrum while the healthy individuals occupy the far right of the continuum.  The center of the spectrum means that the person is well and healthy.  The sicker the person is, the farther he or she is located in the left area of the spectrum.  The wellness paradigm works hand in hand with the treatment paradigm in order to help persons with disabilities reach a higher level of wellness.

In the old days, nursing was only performed by priests and religious orders (Anderson 2005).  There was a certain time in the United Stated where criminals were actually the ones providing nursing care.  During this time, nursing care was poor and unsanitary until Florence Nightingale came along.  At present, there are professional nursing bodies that serve to preserve the quality of care that nurses can give to their patients.  These nursing bodies are like policemen who keep order in the members of the society.  I can assist these bodies during audits and accreditations through performing my best on the job at hand.  By proper charting and recording of all the events that I encounter during my shifts, there would be an easier transition as the personnel in charge of auditing the work tries to do his or her job.  This would promote faster results and cause no delays in the deliberation process in whether to grant the accreditation to the institution or not.

Death is eminent and cannot be prevented.  As a nurse, in order to help a dying patient, the first thing to do is to help alleviate the pain and discomfort that the patient is feeling.  Bereavement care should be offered to help a family cope with the death of their loved one.

The implementation of care plans as a nurse who is a part of the multidisciplinary team can help the patient understand fully the disease, to know the possible outcome of the disease and the expectations orgoalsfor the patient.  For example, in the patient who is being treated after surgery from a gunshot wound to the abdomen, proper nursing care should be done in order for the patient to achieve a faster healing period from his wounds.  The plan should include the assessment of the knowledge of the patient in terms of the outcome of his operation and what things should be done so that any complications from his surgery can be avoided.

Nursing Journals should be used in order to determine if the nursing care plans are realistic and attainable by the patient.  These journals may also serve as a guide in the formulation of a nursing care plan whether or not it is at par with the standards of the nursing bodies that monitor the quality of health care being administered by the nurses.

The options for professional development include the attendance of further training and seminars that can further hone the craft of the nurse in giving quality health care to patients.  Performance reviews can be attended in order to learn what simple mistakes that the nurse is oblivious to and to correct them.  Agencies that are composed of associations of nurses can be enrolled in.  Employment opportunities for nurses include nursing care that is being provided inside the hospital, home care, hospice care, nursing home care, and rehabilitation care among others.  During theinterview, the employer will be asking personal questions that is already found in the curriculum vitae as well as your preferences and why you would want to work in the particular institution.  It is of paramount importance that the employer will be awed by the determination of the person to get the job.  The eagerness of a person can be interpreted both ways which is good or bad.  It is also important to answer the questions of the interviewer honestly so that any amount of shame that comes from fibbing may be avoided.

A jurisdictional requirement that is related to the scope of nursing practice is the possession of a license to practice nursing.

Apply understanding of the Australian health care system

The act of nursing care which can be demonstrate by a nurses’ conduct and attitude that can help establish a healing relationship with the patient and their families and to foster health promotion and illness prevention, can be considered as the implementation of primary health care and wellness principles.  Some factors such economic factors may have an impact on health care delivery as it may or may not allow a certain treatment to be administered to patients such as blood transfusion among a certain religious group.  Non-western models of health include the practice of medicine and nursing in many asian countries that are being accepted in the developing countries today.  An example would be acupuncture which is a very popular alternative form of medicine that is widely being accepted.   To ensure the quality of health care, I would consider monthly evaluations so that the performance of the job at hand is being controlled and maintained and the flaws that come with the different personalities of the nurses involved will be corrected early on.  Major health care considerations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people include their access to health care and their cooperation in actually seeking health care (AGDHA 2009).  These issues have an impact in the development of health policy in a way that the health policy is adjusted based on their cooperation and demand.

The Australian health care is being funded by the federal and the state governments with which both public and private sectors of the community play a role. Medicare health is the publicly funded health insurance and provides payments for certain operations and nursing care options.  Factors that affect health in the aged population and the disabled are the decreasing stability of their level of health and wellness.  Existing health care services include physical therapy and hospice care among others.  In order to promote a patient’s wellbeing, a holistic approach of nursing care should be employed so that the every need of the patient can be anticipated and given the proper attention and action.

Works Cited

Anderson, M. (2005). Nursingleadership, management, and professional practice for the

LPN/LVN: In nursing school and beyond. (3rd Ed.). Philadelphia:  FA Davis. (Chapter 1).

Australian Divisions of General Practice.  Primary Health Care Position Statement. 209 Retrieved 12 May 2009 Available from

Australian Department of Health and Aging. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Health. 2009 Retreived

12 May 2009 from