2022 – Who would have thought…
2022! Who would have thought…
… we would be going onto our third year since Covid made its first dramatic entrance. Two+ years of talking of nothing but ‘lockdown’, ‘mandatory’, ‘isolation’ or ‘quarantine’. No more ‘do you think it will rain today’ more like ‘have you been vaccinated’. April 2020, my first thought was ‘what’s going to happen to me and my work’. Well, I shouldn’t have worried one little bit. Yes, Davaar teetered for 2 seconds but my boss, whose brain never shuts down much, has come out of it for us. Long story short, Wendy continued to think outside the box.
Davaar workshops and supervision went from face-to-face to Zoom. So even though quite a few of our workshops and supervision appointments were cancelled or temporarily postponed, we also picked them back up due to no travel, organising training rooms, venues, or catering. Thank you Zoom. Also, a very big positive was the early development and forethought of Davaar’s Online Training. Yes, we may have wobbled a bit but we continue to grow stronger.
Early this year, Wendy came up with ‘Professional Boundaries Flash Cards’. We designed cards of the alphabet with beautiful scenery per letter. For example, ‘A’ stood for ‘Aware’, ‘Alert’, ‘Appreciate’.
Professional Boundaries Flash Cards
- Aware: refers to self-awareness of the professional in relationship with the client.
- Alert: remain alert to subtle changes in the dynamics of the professional relationship words spoken and behaviour.
- Appreciate: the unique journey that you experience in the professional relationship with clients you see.
This theme continues through to the letter ‘Z’, in full colour and complete with a calico carry bag.
These flashcards were designed to be used to facilitate discussion about boundaries and what different words mean for participants in face-to-face and virtual workshops. A very different approach and one that will be a lot of fun when used. Click one of the images to learn more.
Enter 2022. Wendy will continue focussing on professional boundaries.
Wendy first started teaching the importance of professional boundaries in 2005. The theme she discusses in her podcasts (the Podcast Book is now complete), and in the Safe Professional Boundaries internet tool, resonate with people around the world from a number of different professions including health, teaching, and prison officers. In 2022, at Davaar, we will continue to build on the body of work we already have through a series of videos and other education options.
Something exciting to us that must be mentioned here, and something we are very proud of, is that the professional boundaries podcast has been picked up by the School of Health and Social Care, at Edinburgh Napier University to be used in their curriculum.
2022 will also be the year that Wendy will release a series of videos on professional boundaries. These will be available for 5-minute viewing before deciding to purchase.
Now, a little bit about Wendy that you may not know … she is a passionate Rotarian. She, and her friend Sue, came up with the Charter, Global Nurses & Midwives Rotary Club (GNMRC), which officially kicked off in late December 2020. It is a wonderful and exciting new Rotary chapter and one that I have been honoured to assist Charter President Wendy with developing certificates, guestlists, shirts, posters, videos, etc. At the end of December 2021, we asked members to send short videos of themselves, their family or home which we would put together to celebrate a) One Year of the new club, b) Christmas, and c) Friendship. It was a great review of the year and a lot of fun.
Davaar continues to proudly support GNMRC and projects that the club is doing for nurses & midwives around the world.
In the meantime, whilst isolating at home, my veggie garden hasn’t looked so good in years. An abundance of peas and beans (some of which ended up with the cattle), mini capsicums, and corn. The best part of growing your own is ‘bartering’ with the neighbours. I supply my neighbours with lemons and mangoes, and they exchange with limes, blueberries, and cucumbers.
I sometimes wonder if this is what will continue happening in the foreseeable future with the different strains threatening us. All I need now is a milking cow and a paddock of wheat (and a bread maker!).
Till next blog, stay strong, stay safe.
Debb
Why Rotary for Nurses & Midwives?
Why indeed?
A very special podcast this time – with the exciting news that a new Rotary Club being formed for a very special group. Announcing the new Provisional Global Nurses and Midwives Rotary Club.
Episode #31: Dr Wendy McIntosh on Rotary for Nurses & Midwives
https://nmemporium.com/index.php/2020/10/11/rotary-for-nurses/
Sue Walker (of Nurses for Nurses Network and Nursing CPD Institutex) and Charter Member of Provisional Global Nurses and Midwives Rotary Club poses the question: “… why is our nursing and midwifery voice not being heard where decisions about how health and community services are delivered?” So, why ARE our nursing and midwifery voices not being heard? How do we even start to get people to listen and truly hear what is being said? Wendy has a solution.
In the first half of the podcast, Sue talks to Wendy about her role as a Rotarian. What is involved in becoming a Rotarian? Wendy describes her role, experiences and contribution as a ‘newbie’ Rotarian (joined 2011) who is ‘humbled by being a citizen of the world’. ‘Is there a place for nurses and nursing skills in Rotary’? Wendy takes us on her 30-year journey of nursing & 9 years of Rotary, meeting like-minded enthusiast Sue Walker along the way and together with the leadership group, putting their heads together to form the Global Nursing & Midwives Rotary Club (GNMRC).
In the second half of the podcast, in the discussion between Sue and Nic, the listener learns that 50% of the global health workforce are nurses and midwives, yet the profession’s representation in policymaking, at the political level or in the boardroom is at best… scant. Through volunteering, fundraising, grants, exchange programs, sponsorship – Sue and Nic talk about a perfect platform for lasting change; understanding others’ needs, getting involved and making an impact both locally and internationally.
It IS indeed exciting times. As we come towards the end of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife the chartering of a Rotary Club specifically for Nurses and Midwives is a great initiative – a global opportunity to join a tribe.
Working together as a team, Sue, Wendy & Nicole Nash-Arnold (Nurse Manager HQ) … you couldn’t find a more interesting and formable combination of passion and experience to introduce this exciting new concept to the world. There’s that ‘e’ word again … exciting. When listening to this episode you can feel the enthusiasm, and yes, again, excitement, our speakers share with their listeners.
As Wendy asked … what’s possible? Let’s be challenged and let’s figure out a way to meet those challenges.
2020 International Year of the Nurse and Midwife … “This is our Time”.
Read MorePodcast Special Guest Appearances
Special Guest Appearances: Dr Wendy McIntosh
Nursing and Midwifery Education is a platform put together by Nicole Nash-Arnold (of Nurse Manage HQ) and Sue Walker (of Nurses for Nurses Network and Nursing CPD Institute) to give nurses the information, resources and stories that they need to live their best nursing life. Nursing + Midwifery Emporium was born for exactly that reason. Sue and Nic’s vision was to create a place where nurses could access a variety of non-clinical information about their careers and the lifestyle of being a nurse.
Wendy has appeared on the NMEmporium Podcast twice so far in 2020, and we thought it might be helpful for our podcast listeners to include links here for those appearances, so without further ado:
Episode #21: Dr Wendy McIntosh on Nursing Professional Boundaries
https://nmemporium.com/index.php/2020/05/28/nursing-professional-boundaries/
Episode #26: Wendy McIntosh on Clinical Supervision
https://nmemporium.com/index.php/2020/08/27/clinical-supervision/
Dr Wendy McIntosh PhD shares insights and strategies about developing and maintaining professional boundaries. Professional Boundaries are not limited to the clinical or therapeutic arena. If you are in a professional role – a nurse, a teacher, support worker, doctor, police officer, a prison officer, a council worker, healthcare worker, or hairdresser. If you are a volunteer or belong to a theatre group, a choir, a sports club, there will be something in this podcast for you and the relationships you have with others. Setting boundaries in our life is necessary for our emotional, psychological, spiritual and physical well being. Setting boundaries is about our safety.
Since 2005 Wendy has been developing her knowledge and interest in the area of professional boundaries. Wendy delivers workshops on boundaries in Australia (where she now lives) and Internationally when invited to do so. She is continually integrating learning and insights she gains from the work she does in professional boundaries. Wendy comes from a nursing, and predominately psychiatric nursing, background.
Wendy consistently receives feedback on her passion, knowledge, and creativity as a presenter and facilitator. Enjoy exploring boundaries in these podcast episodes as Wendy takes you on your own reflective journey on your professional boundaries, and clinical supervision.
Read More
Reason to Thrive
Reason to Thrive – Equine Assisted Learning Programs
Debb @ Davaar – August 2020
Nearly 2 years ago I had the fortune of meeting the lovely ladies from Reason To Thrive. Their organisation offers “… equine Assisted Learning programs for skills development and personal growth. Equine Assisted Learning is a ‘hands-on’ innovative approach to learning where the participant learns through interaction with a horse.”
A fantastic initiative that supports at-risk children and youth, offers a special needs school program and women’s empowerment for survivors of domestic violence. Visit their website … https://www.reasontothrive.org/
I was asked to represent Davaar Consultancy at the opening of their Thrift & Thrive Shop at Kenmore. A great turnout with a local councilman and staff present, cutting the ribbon. Coffee & beautiful cakes … it was very enjoyable and I felt honoured to be there. Dr. Wendy, on behalf of Davaar, supports their cause, so when the lovely ladies were thinking about team 
building workshops we were the first ‘guinea pigs’ to be contacted.
We needed to organise 6 people. Easy enough. We were then presented with three options and Dr. Wendy with her wonderful sense of humour and adventure chose ‘Brainiac’ !! We’re in trouble already.
So, what was Brainiac all about? We were given our briefing and put in teams of three and allotted a horse per team. In hindsight, these magnificent creatures were the true ‘brains’ of the team! And I don’t mean that lightly. As a team of three, we linked arms.
The person in the middle was the ‘brains’ (obviously me – tongue in cheek); the person on the left was the ‘left arm’ and the person on the right ‘right arm’. One of those ‘arms’ held the horse’s reigns. Around the arena, there were ‘tasks’ to achieve. For example, there was a set of upstanding poles. ‘Brains’ had to instruct her ‘hands’ to direct them around the poles, or put a halter on our horse. Oh and did I mention, that only the ‘Brains’ could talk – neither the ‘hands’ NOR the horse were allowed to speak.
There was also a row of logs that the ‘Brains’ had to instruct her team to walk over, and a piece of cloth in a semi-circle. ‘Brain’s had to instruct her ‘hands’ to gently guide the horse to stand on that cloth. That one was a doozy – and, thankfully, in our case, our might steed knew exactly WHAT to do. He was either frustrated with our pathetic attempts or he was getting bored and wanted to get back to some feed as soon as possible. ‘Enough of this silliness human person! There is some real food to be had over yonder.’
It’s all about teamwork.
We finished by brushing down our exhausted steeds, thanking them for their patience and reassembling for a debrief … not to mention some yummy wraps & cake.
A fabulous day of learning was had by all.
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