Conversations that Connect

This episode of the Nursing and Midwifery Health Program Victoria podcast is a thought-provoking episode hosted by Cheri Huggins, Senior Clinician at NMHPV and our highly respected guest Dr Moira Junge, Health Psychologist and CEO of The Sleep Foundation, Victoria. The podcast delves into the challenges faced by many nurses and midwives.

Nursing and Midwifery Health Program Victoria. Rachael Pallenberg works as the Quality and Safety Co-ordinator with NMHPV and leads the Strengthening Responses to Family Violence Project. She has extensive experience working with victim survivors experiencing family violence. Rachael provides her knowledge, experience, wisdom and resources in relation to the complex issue that is family violence. Additionally, a range of information, resources and supports are provided.

Nursing and Midwifery Health Program Victoria. Carolyn McDonald is a registered nurse and Senior Clinician with NMHPV and an Iyengar yoga teacher. She provides advice, tips and techniques for how students, graduates, early career nurses and midwives can nurture your emotional, physical and spiritual health. This includes how to establish self-care as a routine so it becomes part of your nursing and midwifery toolkit to refresh and restore your health and wellbeing.

Nursing and Midwifery Health Program Victoria (NMHPV). Sam Eddy, a health, wellbeing and stress management expert, talks about stress and crisis, how you can understand your stress response and establish your wellbeing anchors to support your health. Sam provides information, resources and tips for how to look after yourself, take your stress temperature and check in with a friend, family member or colleague who needs support.

In this first podcast, Mark Aitken talks to Heather Pickard, a registered nurse and Chair of the NMHPV Board, who provides her personal story of a nurse in recovery from addiction.

Twenty-six years into recovery, Heather shares her addiction journey, thoughts on the risks for nurses and midwives in relation to developing addiction, the reasons people may not seek support, the importance of self-care and how to access support. She discusses the importance of maintaining a healthy work and life balance and self-reflection.

Heather tells us that nurses and midwives are often loaded with shame and stigma when  experiencing addiction and this may be an impediment to accessing support. However, key to Heather’s recovery, was another nurse who recognised her problem and provided support and care. It is the nursing and midwifery community that can be our greatest support.

Throughout this podcast, Heather provides hope that support and recovery is possible, and she reminds us that to live our best life we need to be ‘humans being’ not just ‘humans doing’!