Medication training for aged care nurses
More aged care nurses across Australia will be able to undertake medication training, under a new round of Commonwealth funding to manage the training.
Announcing the results of Round 3 of the enrolled nurses medication management initiative, the Minister for Ageing, Senator Santo Santoro, said the Howard Government was providing $7.5 million over four years to train enrolled nurses to manage and administer medication.
The initiative comes out of the Government’s $2.2 billion 2004 Budget package: Investing in Australia’s Aged Care: More Places, Better Care.
“Through this initiative, the scope of practice for enrolled nurses working in aged care will be broadened, allowing them to safely and competently manage and administer medications,” Senator Santoro said.
“This will allow more qualified registered nurses to focus on managing the clinical care of aged care residents.”
More than 1,300 enrolled nurses working in residential aged care around Australia have completed or are undertaking medication management training as a result of the first two rounds of grants.
Training will be available at the following institutions:
NSW – College of Nursing; NSW TAFEs- Hunter Institute, New England Institute, North Coast Institute, Riverina Institute, South Western Sydney Institute, Western Institute, and Western Sydney Institute.
VIC – Australian Catholic University; Australian Nurses Federation – Victorian Branch; Bendigo Regional, Central Gippsland, Chisholm, Gordon, Goulburn Ovens, Homesglen, Kangan Bateman, Wodonga, South West, and East Gippsland Institutes of TAFE; Care Training Australia Pty Ltd; Mayfield Education, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology; Swinburne University of Technology; University of Ballarat; Integrated Learning Solutions – Wodonga Institute of TAFE.
QLD – Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE.
SA – Carers’ Training Centre Pty Ltd; Celtic Training and Consultancy Pty Ltd; EQUALS International; Kranz International College; TAFE SA – Adelaide North Campus. TAFE SA Regional – Barossa Campus, Central and Central West.
WA – Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital; Southwest Regional College; TAFE WA – C.Y. O’Connor Campus.
ACT – Canberra Institute of Technology.
