The Royal Children's Hospital

Happy NAIDOC Week everyone! NAIDOC Week is an important time to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The theme this year is “Keep the fire burning! Blak, loud and proud”, honouring the strength and resilience of First Nations communities. Today the RCH was led in a reflective Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy AO and her son Craig, bringing together staff, patients and families from across the hospital. Thank you to all those who were able to attend. There are many more activities planned and we look forward to celebrating with our Melbourne Children’s Campus community throughout the week. What does NAIDOC Week mean to you?

As Pride Month is coming to an end, staff from the Women’s and across the precinct came together to strengthen our connections and celebrate solidarity in gender and sexuality diversity. We shared stories and ideas on how we can continue to build relationships across our precinct to better support LGBTQIA+ rights and inclusion for staff, patients and families. Together, we can advocate for equity in health outcomes and a society based on inclusion and respect. Thank you to the The Royal Children's Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research), QueersInScience, Frances Perry House and everyone else who joined us in the celebration. #PrideMonth

Congratulations to our current and former staff members who were recognised in the 2024 King's Birthday honours list. Professor Sharon Goldfeld, Director of the Centre for Community Child Health was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant service to paediatric medicine as a clinician and academic, and to public health research. Dr James Elder received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to medicine as an ophthalmologist. Thank you for your outstanding contributions to the RCH and the wider community. We are so lucky to have you as colleagues.

Yesterday was National Sorry Day, a day for us to remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, especially the hardships endured by the Stolen Generation who were forcibly removed from their families. This morning we held our 26th commemoration of Sorry Day, with the annual Flag Raising Ceremony. We were Welcomed To Country and had the honour of participating in a traditional smoking ceremony led by Senior Aboriginal Leader, Craig Murphy-Wandin, son of Wurundjeri Elder, Aunty Joy. At the RCH, we are dedicated to creating culturally sensitive healthcare services and improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families through our Wadja Aboriginal Family Place. Wadja do incredible work day in and day out. We extend our thanks to them for ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families feel safe engaging with the RCH while receiving health care.

Happy National Volunteer Week! At the RCH, our 300-strong volunteers are an invaluable part of our care ecosystem. Joining us from a broad range of backgrounds, they help us improve the experiences of our patients, families, and friends by providing a range of services. Marked by their signature pink shirts, they are always there to lend a helping hand and offer a friendly smile. Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers, past and present, you are all a truly special part of our community. If you’re interested in making a difference and joining our volunteer family, apply today! To be a volunteer you must be: 🩷Aged 18 or older 🩷Triple vaccinated 🩷Willing to commit to a regular roster (approximately 3 hours per week/fortnight) For more information and to apply: www.rch.org.au/volunteers

Do you know someone who is studying nursing? Or maybe you’ve always wondered what it’s like to start your own nursing career at the RCH? If this sounds like you or someone you know, our Graduate Nurse Program twilight sessions are for you! Whether you're currently studying nursing or completing VCE and exploring the path to nursing, our twilight sessions will offer a relaxed experience for future graduates to explore the RCH with guided tours and gain invaluable insights into the programs we offer. You will also get the chance to meet a range of RCH nurses and former graduate nurses like Rona, who started her career in nursing after spending a lot of time in hospitals when her mum was going through treatment for cancer. “I saw how much love the nurses poured into mum’s care, and that’s when I knew I wanted to become a nurse,” she said. After completing one of her placements at the RCH, Rona knew she wanted to work at the Children’s and quickly made it the top selection in her graduate applications. “As a student, the nursing staff and ward culture were so supportive that it made me think, if this is my experience as a student, I can only imagine my experience as a grad nurse here! I wanted to work at the RCH ever since, and now I’m here.” Throughout her journey, Rona has always had a deep admiration for nurse educators and already has her sights set on one day becoming a nurse educator herself to inspire the next generation of nurses. The RCH Nursing Education team is also conducting a hybrid information webinar offering insight and information about our Graduate Nurse Programs and the application process. To attend any of these sessions or to learn more, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/g9pU8cA #graduatenurse #nursingeducation #paediatricnursing

For the past week, we've been celebrating our wonderful nurses, extending International Nurses Day celebrations. We know our amazing colleagues work long hours and in fact, most of them are too busy to stop and celebrate, which is why this year we brought the celebrations to them, where they work, to say thank you. Throughout the week there were quizzes and career cafes. Patients and families drew messages of gratitude and thanks, were delivered on our trolley of treats. Snacks, fruit and even some special presents in the lucky dip were shared among teams on the wards. Scrubs-shaped cookies were delivered to those who worked through Sunday and on Monday morning, staff started the day with a BBQ and pastries. To our nurses: you're the best. Thank you.

How much do you really know about asthma? Today is World Asthma Day and the theme for this year is ‘Asthma Education Empowers.’ The RCH is a proud partner of the Safer Care Victoria ‘Improving Childhood Asthma Management’ project to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for children living with asthma in Melbourne’s north and west. Data shows that children in these areas have poorer asthma outcomes and higher risks of admission to hospital than in other areas of the city. RCH Respiratory Consultant Shivanthan says, “this project is exciting because you get the ability to work with many different health services to improve the care children with asthma receive, which allows for a broader impact than just working within the walls of the RCH.” “A key aspect of this project is creating a culture of continuous assessment of the quality of asthma care delivered, which allows teams to continuously improve the care they deliver. By doing this we hope to ensure the project has a long term impact in ensuring the children of Melbourne’s north and west receive the best asthma care possible.” As a mother of two children with asthma, Safer Care Victoria Senior Project Officer Melissa says, “I am excited about the opportunity this project brings to the children and their families in the north and west of Melbourne to experience more consistent and integrated care, especially with the link to community asthma programs. This will enable parents to understand how to better manage their child’s asthma so they can stay well and out of hospital.”

Gráinne is an Honorary Fellow at the RCH through the Department of Nephrology. She’s also a full-time PhD Candidate at the Centre for Health Analytics. Gráinne will present at Thursday's RCH Kidney Showcase as part of an expert panel speaking about new research and resources for those with kidney disease. “The Kidney Showcase is a great opportunity to see the breadth of research being done across campus, the incredible lab work developing kidney organoids, the data-led research and the pioneering framework being used to mainstream genomics within nephrology,” she said. “It's a great example of a research flagship highlighting the benefits of collaboration between research scientists and clinicians. Everyone is working towards the one goal: better outcomes for children with kidney disease, with the ultimate vision of ending kidney failure in childhood.” The Kidney Showcase is open to all RCH staff, families and patients and is happening Thursday 2nd May from 2 to 5 pm, in Ella Latham at the RCH. If you’d like to register to attend, please visit https://lnkd.in/gFh_KqXf

Last week, The Royal Children‘s Hospital (RCH) welcomed 18 new nursing student fellows to the hospital as part of the new Paediatric Student Nursing Fellowship Program. This initiative is a collaboration between the RCH and The University of Melbourne and is a pre-registration pathway into paediatric nursing. As part of the pilot program, final year Master of Nursing Science (entry -to-practice) students from the university will complete all of their final placements at the hospital, working closely with our nursing education team. This will include placements across a broad range of clinical areas including medical, surgical, perioperative and ambulatory settings. You can read more about the program at Nursing Education : Entry To Practice Nurses (rch.org.au)