The critical role of nursing at birth, at death and everything in between.
Professor Alison McMillan PSM spoke with Australian Health Journal about the role of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer at the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.
Alison was appointed as our Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer in November 2019.
Alison is a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Business Administration.
In June 2021 Alison was awarded a Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to driving the Government’s national health response priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly to infection prevention measures.
The role of the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer
As the nation’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Alison delivers high-level policy advice to the Minister for Health, and the Executive and staff within the Department of Health. She represents Australian nursing at national and international levels.
As a member of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and as co-chair of the Infection Control Expert Group, her role in the coronavirus response is to advise the Australian Government to realise the value of the nursing and midwifery professions in achieving safe, quality and compassionate health and aged care outcomes for the Australian community.
This interview was recorded following Alison’s keynote presentation at the National Nursing Forum in Darwin in August 2022, organised by the Australian College of Nursing (ACN).
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Reflecting on a pivotal year for pharmacy
Dr. Kate Wang, a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy at RMIT University and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, University of Western Australia, has over a decade of experience in both hospital and community pharmacy settings.
Dr Wang spoke to Australian Health Journal on some of the key topics in 2024 that have been pivotal as a pharmacist, academic and researcher for the pharmacy profession.
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Specialist physiotherapist successfully mixes online & in-person
Dr. Kieran Richardson (FACP) is a Specialist Physiotherapist, conferred by the Australian College of Physiotherapists (Australian Physiotherapy Association) in 2016. Dr Richardson is the Director of Global Specialist Physiotherapy, a consultancy company providing online Formal Mentoring and Professional Development individual clinicians, clinics, and groups, as well as Second Opinions to clinicians and directly to patients all around the world.
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Diary of a Paramedic in a primary health care clinic
Alecka Miles is a lecturer at Edith Cowan University and works as a paramedic in a multidisciplinary team at Dianella Family Medical Centre in Metropolitan Perth, Western Australia.
Community paramedic roles have a history in Australia, dating back to 2007 in New South Wales and followed by similar initiatives in South Australia and New Zealand. Alecka’s position emerged after she sought to evaluate how paramedics could integrate into general practice, ultimately leading to a job offer post-COVID lockdown in 2020. Her skills, particularly in cannulation, proved valuable as healthcare shifted towards primary care.
