With a complete change of committee members this quarter and an impressive growth in members, NZNO’s nursing leadership section wants to connect and support senior nurses, wherever their role.
We are open to any nurse in a leadership role joining the section. That’s really important as there are as many ways to nurse as there are nurses – and there are a lot of senior registered nurses (RNs) around, they just might not have ACNM (associate charge nurse manger) for example, as part of their title.
The nursing leadership section has surpassed its own five per cent growth target this year, with 805 members – about 160 up on 2023. This is heartening and we feel it is due to our continued efforts to be relevant and supportive.
It can feel lonely in a nurse leader position – or any leadership position, without the right support.
Through surveys, coaching and mentoring workshops and monthly leadership blogs, the section aims to connect with all types of senior nurses, across all areas of nursing.
The section’s logo — te wheke (octopus) – is an acknowledgement of this, reflecting the many arms of senior nursing, across all aspects of the profession. As part of the professional arm of NZNO, we represent nurses across the board, including nurse practitioners, clinical nurse managers, associate nurse managers and educators — so we really want to try and meet all that need.
This year, our survey found feeling isolated was one of the challenges for senior nurses or nurses in leadership roles. Our members told us it can feel lonely in a nurse leader position – or any leadership position — without the right support.
Our feeling is that we’re all nurses and we need to retain the wisdom in the workforce.
The section’s senior nurse coaching and mentoring workshops have been well taken up. The committee wants to build on that success by finding more ways to support senior nurses/leaders around the motu, regardless of which part of the health sector they work in.
We want to retain people in nursing and if we can support any of those senior nurses, no matter what their job title is — we’re all about that. Our feeling is that we’re all nurses and we need to retain the wisdom in the workforce.
Challenging time for nursing
It is a challenging time currently for anyone working in the health system, whether it’s in hospitals, community or aged care — and with budget pressures, there is more pressure on nursing leadership.
Te Whatu Ora is under well-publicised pressure to cut $100 million from its budgeted spending this year – right down to whether staff can drink Milo or provide toast for new mums.
A proposal to cut four directors of nursing this year has been criticised by NZNO as another blow to nursing leadership.
We need to accurately represent what senior nurses and nurse leaders think about pay, funding cuts or the Treaty Principles Bill – all those sorts of things.
Senior nurses are waiting for better pay relativity — the boost to the RN scale last year means it nearly surpasses the senior nurses’ own lower steps.
Nurses are looking forward to 2024/2025 bargaining between NZNO and Te Whatu Ora, which must surely see senior nurses better recognised for their responsibilities. The recent announcement of about $10 million of funding for 75 senior/specialist nurses in areas with shortages such as mental health/critical care/rural health is a positive step.
Professional voice
It is important for college and section members, as experienced professionals, to have a say at NZNO – Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa board level, and have input to these conversations happening within and around the organisation and profession.
For us, it is about emphasising the fact that we are part of the professional arm of NZNO. We need to accurately represent what senior nurses and nurse leaders think about pay, funding cuts or the Treaty Principles Bill – all those sorts of things.
We’re all senior nurses, we know how it is and we want to help our fellows.
That’s the motivation of the committee. We’re all senior nurses, we know how it is and we want to help our fellows, help our colleagues and build and retain our nursing mana. We’d like to leave nursing in a better state for the next generation of nurses while making a difference now. That’s kaitiaki.
Joining details, as well as links to our coaching and mentoring services, blogs and events, can be found on our NLS website and Facebook page.