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You're an experienced general nurse and midwife. Your post graduate MCH study and experience will be put to excellent use in the community to support Victorian families with babies and young children.
You'll be a member of a team of service providers in a local government or community setting. You will work in collaboration with other early childhood care and education staff and community and allied health services in your locality.
Many councils have established integrated service centres where nurses are co-located with other services. This benefits families as well as providing a supportive work environment for nurses.
You will feel rewarded as you work with families from many different cultures and walks of life.
The service you will be offering to parents and children includes:
- a schedule of consultations at key ages and stages of a child 's development
- additional activities and appointments according to individual family needs and may include home visiting
- referral and links to specialist services
- parent groups to provide health information and an opportunity to meet other parents in the local area
- information, support and advice regarding parenting, child health, development and learning, child behaviour, maternal health and wellbeing, child safely, immunisation, breastfeeding, nutrition , family planning
Features of your role are support, information, health promotion, the early identification of health concerns and appropriate intervention.
MCH nurses work with all families with children from birth to school age to support them during this important and often challenging phase of parenting.
MCH nurses have the ability to relate to all families, including Indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse and socially disadvantaged families.
MCH nurses also develop an extensive knowledge of specialist referral networks and community supports for families in the locality. This assists continuity of service provision as far as possible.
Most maternal and child health nurses work in community-based facilities auspiced by local councils. A small number of services are provided by community health services or a hospital.
An MCH facility may have one or more nurses working together, but each has a high degree of accountability and autonomy in their role. Increasingly MCH nurses are co-located with other early childhood professionals in integrated service centres. This benefits the nurses as well as the families accessing a range of services.
Hours of operation for MCH services are generally from Monday to Friday, however there is provision in some municipalities for extended hours or Saturday services to meet the needs of the community.
The underlaying approach of MCH services is that they are family-centred.
Initial contact with parents is at a home visit in the clients home. Visits following this generally occur at the MCH centre. An important aspect of the MCH services is the coordination of parenting groups and development of partnerships with other service providers to engage families in community activities that strengthen capacity.
Becoming a maternal and child health nurse
Victorian registration as a Division 1 Registered Nurse and Midwife is the prerequisite for entry to Post Graduate Diploma or Masters Degree courses in Child and Family Health currently.
Before undertaking this study, experience in general nursing and midwifery is essential. Courses are offered at Latrobe University Bundoora and Bendigo campus via distance education and RMIT Bundoora campus. Follow this link for details of 2009 course at RMIT
Career opportunities
Maternal and child health nurses are generally employed by local government in both rural and metropolitan settings with a trend towards part time and flexible working options available
Prospects of obtaining employment when qualified vary within each local government area.
Further opportunities exist in enhanced maternal and child health services, clinical education, management, private practice or as a nurse practitioner in Maternal and Child Health nursing
Qualified practitioners are also sought by early parenting services, maternity and paediatric health care facilities.
Changing careers at Glen Eira City Council
Support
Innovation in the delivery of early years services means nurses increasingly work alongside other professionals to deliver integrated care for children and their families. Nurses are supported through ongoing training and education opportunities to deliver integrated care for children and their families.
Ongoing education opportunities to enhance professional development are also available. A number of councils provide mentoring, preceptorship or clinical supervision programs to assist in the transition to a Maternal and Child Health nurse.
The Maternal and Child Health Service is delivered in close partnership between local and state government to ensure a quality service designed to meet the diverse needs of families with children in Victoria.
Available scholarships
A limited number of scholarships are available through some local councils.
The Department of Human Services, Nurse Policy Branch offer scholarship opportunities twice a year with other organisations such as the Royal College of Nursing also offering them.
Early years professionals working together
Recent research in early childhood years is demonstrating the importance of the early years on a child's development, health and wellbeing.
Four key themes have emerged
- the early years are crucial in setting the stage for later life,
- young children develop through their relationships with others,
- children’s development is shaped by the balance between risk and protective factors, and
- supporting families effectively requires a comprehensive, coordinated family-centred service system.
Early childhood services are moving to establish closer working relationships that strengthen service delivery and provide a more integrated approach to the primary care being provided for babies, children and their families.
Early years professional networks are being established in Victoria at a local government level to enable early years professionals to work together collaboratively to provide effective communication pathways and strategies.
Integral to the early years professional networks are Maternal and Child Health Nurses, Preschool Teachers, Child Care Workers and Allied Health Professionals.
Importance of the Early Years
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