Student nurses help in critical staff shortages

IT was disappointing to read that Dunedin Hospital (ODT, 27.7.22) was criticised for calling in student nurses to help with critical staff shortages. For Manu Reiri (NZNO student representative) to suggest student nurses were unlikely to have been in a hospital ward before shows a lack of understanding of the Otago Polytechnic nursing programme. Student nurses have their first acute hospital ward based clinical experience in their first year and increasing experience in each following year. They are always supervised by ward registered nurses. The programme meets the clinical experience requirements set by the Nursing Council of NZ. The enrolled nurses and third year nursing students will be graduating later this year and have the requisite knowledge and skills to carry out delegated duties under RN supervision. The nursing director should instead be congratulated for calling in this nursing resource to help in this dire situation.

Anne Coup Retired RN & senior lecturer Dunedin School of Nursing, Mornington

I AM not surprised by the experience of the trainee nurse at the hospital. Her comment ‘‘I had no idea what I was doing’’. As nursing students do not appear to have ward experience for over a year into training, how many suddenly find nursing is not what they envisaged. It is all very well to have academic qualifications, but experience in the wards and the ability to relate to patients is a vital part of their careers.

P. Miller

Wanaka

WHAT a practical common sense solution to use trainee nurses to help in the Dunedin Hospital. Those there are so overworked and stressed and help like this would make such a huge difference. And it would give the trainee nurses experience too. A win/win outcome.

J. Park Wakari

Polytech merger

PHIL Ker is spoton (ODT, 27.07.22). The polytechnic merger as fantasised by the minister was a predictable disaster right from the start. I’ll refrain from rehashing the warning signs because this is not a time for ‘‘told you’’. What’s required instead is a cleanout and restart, and that means the Te Pukenga council needs to go too. One of its members has just been appointed acting CE, living proof that the entire enterprise is bonkers.

Ray Meldrum, PhD Former executive dean at Unitec

Dunedin

IF the polytechnic debacle is not the biggest red flag waved to awaken the masses to the folly of an ideology that promotes and enforces governmentcontrolled centralisation then we are doomed to follow the lemmings over the cliff and sorry comrades due to mismanagement and overspending on bureaucracy there isn’t an ambulance at the bottom. Beware Three Waters. B. Carvell

Kenmure

Digital divide

I WISH to support Citizens Advice and others who have pointed out the irony of incredible government spending on communications when so many lack the skills and/or resources to participate in key aspects of modern life.

There should always be nondigital alternatives and digital approaches should always be user friendly. An example of where this does not at present apply is the NZ Traveller Declaration. No alternative, not user friendly, and now of no obvious point. I have tried to meet my new local MP to discuss this and related issues. All I have achieved is the suggestion I email various people!

It seems as though such meetings are also a thing of the past. Sad world. J. Munro Abbotsford