AHPRA provides guidance for the guidance on advertising, but still leave health professionals with concerns

Over the last week or so, there are been a lot of discussion, concern and complaints about the advertising guidelines released by the Australian Health Practitioner Agency (AHPRA) -  full story can be read here. So much so that an online campaign has got going, and health professionals' associations have been lobbying to have the guidelines revised.

On Tuesday,  AHPRA released FAQ that has gone some way to clarify the advertising guidelines. AHPRA states:

• There is a difference between advertising and unsolicited online comments;
• The advertising guidelines do not apply to unsolicited comments over which practitioners have no control; 
• Practitioners are not responsible for removing (or trying to remove) unsolicited testimonials on sites over which they have NO control.

Still unsure about positive comments
However, there is still no clear guidance in the FAQ about unsolicited comments in the health practitioners’ own space. The FAQ initially say “There is a clear difference between advertising – which requires an advertiser’s intent to promote a health service – and unsolicited online comment, which does not involve an advertiser’s intent to promote a health service.” The FAQ then go on to say “Practitioners are not responsible for removing (or trying to have removed) unsolicited testimonials published on a website or in social media over which they do NOT have control.” There is no mention of how practitioners should deal with unsolicited comments in websites or social media which they DO control.

Should we need guidance to read the Guidance?
At the beginning of the FAQ, AHPRA states “We will keep updating these FAQs to answer questions about emerging issues and guide practitioners about their regulatory responsibilities in relation to advertising.” Whilst it's great that AHPRA is willing to respond to practitioners’ questions as they emerge, I feel that the Guidelines should be easy to understand, consistent, and lacking contradictions in the first place. Then there would not be such a need to provide guidance on how to read the Guidance. I am also very concerned about the fluid nature of the FAQ. I feel it makes practitioners vulnerable and begs the question about how much reliance we can put on the changing information in the FAQ.

What is the legal impact of inconsistencies between Guidance and FAQ?
Finally, in view of the confusion and inconsistency between the Guidelines and FAQ I am left asking what would be held up in a court of law – the Guidelines, or the FAQ which contradict the Guidelines?

 Need for robust guidance
The #AHPRAaction campaign are asking for the complete removal of the section of the guidelines that talks about social media and testimonials. I am not sure I agree with the complete removal because I feel there needs to be guidance on the difference between testimonials and unsolicited comments. However, I would call upon AHPRA to incorporate the FAQ into the Guidelines. This will significantly strengthen the Guidelines and decrease risk to practitioners, especially in the face of vexatious reporting that I have already heard is happening in relation to practitioners’ use of social media.

I would also recommend that the Guidelines are reviewed again in one to two year’s time, instead of three years. The social media landscape changes very quickly and a shorter time frame for review is appropriate in this instance, especially as this is a relatively new area for regulatory consideration.

What do you think? Are the FAQ clear? How will the Guidelines impact on your practice?

Two sides to every gardening story

As far as I am concerned, one of the great mysteries of life is how everyone and anyone can grow the most wonderful vegetables in the most unusual pots and challenging locations but I can't!!! 

I know all about vertical gardening....

                                                                                                                   growing vegetables in pots...

making the most of a balcony...

But do you think I can manage anything similar?!  The answer is NO!

I lost track how much I spent this spring on pots, plants and compost, with the view of feeding Africa from the produce I would grow on the balcony of my flat in Canberra. 

This is all I managed....3 tomatoes...and 4 capsicum the size of gob stoppers!

Honestly...I give up!

Confusion for Australian health professionals about AHPRA advertising guidelines and social media

In the last couple of weeks the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (the body that regulates health professionals in Australia) has released its social media policy and advertising guidelines. They are generic documents and apply to all the health professions that AHPRA regulates, including midwives, nurses and doctors. The social media policy is broad and uncontroversial. But the advertising guidelines, in particular the advice regarding social media, has caused a good deal of confusion and consternation amongst health professionals.

What is the difference between a testimonial and unsolicited online comment?
The problem with the guidelines is the lack of clarity around the difference between a testimonial used for advertising the services of a health service or health professional, and an unsolicited online comment that is posted by a consumer in an online space, such as Facebook or review website.

It is illegal for health professionals in Australia to use solicited testimonials to advertise their services because of the potential to interfere with health consumers' ability to make informed choices about their care.

What the guidelines advise is that unsolicited appreciative comments or stories posted by health consumers in online spaces belonging to health professionals, such as Facebook, could be deemed as testimonials, and must be removed. Additionally, if these comments are posted in the consumers' own online spaces, health professionals must do all they 'reasonably' can to get the comments removed.

Does AHPRA understand how social media works?
Since the guidelines were published, there has been a lot of discussion about this apparent lack of understanding of how social media works. Social media gives health consumers a voice that they often do not have in the face-to-face setting. Online comments that are both appreciative and critical increase transparency in health care practice, and provide health professionals feedback that supports reflection. These comments and stories are the everyday way that people network and hold online conversations using social media, and generally are not used for advertising.

Is it right to censor health consumers?
One of the main concerns is that the guidelines appear to be an attempt to gag health consumers. The guidelines say that stories told by health consumers and patients could be construed as testimonials. This has huge implications for health professionals. For example, if a woman tells her birth story on her blog and talks about the excellent midwifery care that I provided, I would have to ask her to remove any reference to my clinical care. At best, it feels rude to do that, and could potentially impact on my relationship with that woman  - at worse, it feels like censorship.

This advice has implications that reach beyond the online environment.  For example, could health professionals be disciplined because of what consumers say about them in birth or death announcements? Would the nurse who was praised for her care of a terminally ill patient in a death announcement be taken to court?

How 'reasonable' is AHPRA being?
A further concern that health professionals have is the advice that they must make "reasonable" efforts to have comments and stories removed from online spaces that are not under their control. There is no discussion about what it deemed to be reasonable. Keeping in mind how far comments are shared, 'liked' and re-tweeted, the guidelines do not make it clear what is considered to be 'reasonable'  and how far health professionals have to go to get online content removed, or how they should track online content.

All for one, and one for all?
Criticism has ensued since the publication of these guidelines, especially from doctors. This led to what appeared to be back-tracking from the Medical Board last Friday, when Dr Joanna Flynn announced in a media statement that "there is a clear difference between advertising - which requires an intent to promote the health services - and unsolicited online comment over which practitioners do not usually have control", and that health professionals are not expected to monitor or control what is written about them in online spaces.

This statement was well received by doctors, but the rest of us continue to be unclear if the statement from the Medical Board applies across all the other national Boards ie was the Medical Board speaking on behalf of AHPRA? 

Another question is, what credibility does this media statement have compared to the guidelines?  In other words, if I am charged with breaching National Law, am I judged against the media statement, or the guidelines?  If this response to one doctor is anything to go by, the Medical Board spoke out of turn, and AHPRA does not intend to change the stance that it has taken in the guidelines.

Where does this leave us?
Until if or when the guidelines are amended, health professionals must use them as their basis for practice, and not base their actions on unsubstantiated media statements.

In the meantime, I would advise all health professionals to write to AHPRA asking that they amend the guidlines to clarify that:

• testimonials are solicited comments and stories used for the purpose of advertising;
• unsolicited comments and feedback from consumers in either health professionals' online space, or that of the consumer, are not considered to be testimonials;
• heath professionals are not expected to monitor online spaces, or ask consumers to remove content from consumers’ own space.

Disclaimer:  This blog post contain my own views and are not necessarily that of the Australian College of Midwives

Image: 'Does flickr need an eyetest (freedom test)?'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60364452@N00/546901054

ACM workshop (January 15 2014): Use social media tools for collaboration and engagement

Plan and resources for the ACM workshop on Wednesday, 15th January 2014.

Welcome

Welcome video using Animoto: http://animoto.com/play/vVeIDpLJv50z3EOu5VaRhw

Animoto is a web-based tool that you can use to make videos, which can then be shared on Facebook, YouTube etc. It's really easy to use, and free to make a 30 sec video - there is a charge to make longer videos. Need to think about copyright of the images you use.

What do you know about social media and how do you currently use it?

Brain storm/discussion using Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m038bNvYN_Sn-MoO5t02kxC2X_LosBF5-6RwsVf4DtQ/edit?usp=sharing

Google Docs is a web-based collaborative tool that allows collaborators to edit in real time. May be restricted to invited only, or completely open access. Ideal for work that requires collaboration on one document- saves multiple versions and monitoring track changes. Some people have problems accessing without a Google account.

Social Media Revolution 2013

Introductory video explaining the impact of social media using YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUCfFcchw1w

YouTube is third most commonly used social networking site. Not only excellent for finding out information, but also for publishing your own messages. 

Characteristics of social media 

PowerPoint presentation delivered via Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/sarahs/using-social-media-for-collaboration-and-engagement-in-associations-and-organisations

Slideshare continues to be one of social media's best kept secrets. A place to find information and get ideas about how to make great presentations (or not, as the case can sometimes be).  You can add audio to make a screencast. Need to watch copyright.

Example of a profession conversation:

https://www.facebook.com/sarahmstewart/posts/10152124937136306?stream_ref=10

Different types of social-media tools and applications

Blogs - http://midwifethinking.com 

Wiki - Virtual International Day of the Midwife 

Web-based applications - eg Screenr, MindMeister

Video-sharing websites -  Vimeo 

Hosted services - eg Skype, Google Drive and Google +

Bookmarking - Delicious  

Social networking - Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat

One example of how social networking can be used for gathering information and promoting discussion

Issues to consider when using social media - curated using Storify:
http://storify.com/SarahStewart/issues-associated-with-the-use-of-social-media-too

Most popular social networking tools and applications

Facebook - Eligible Midwives Group (closed)
                - Example of professional discussion using Facebook

Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=midwife

LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmargaretstewart

Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/pin/479633429036800280/

Twitter

Closer look at Twitter

Common Craft - What is Twitter : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

Activity

In this activity, I would like to ask you to go back to your computers and explore Twitter.

• Set up a Twitter account: https://twitter.com
• Post your Twitter name on the Google Doc
• Develop your profile 
• Decide on your avatar 
• Post a message/tweet
• Find the other workshop participants on Twitter  and follow - see names on Google Doc
• Send a message to the other participants 
• Reply to message 
• Include the hashtag in one message - #midwives 
• Follow hashtag conversation and respond
• Follow someone other than a participant to follow

Evaluation activity

While you are interacting with Twitter, have a think about these questions - we will discuss them later as a group.

1. How easy is it to use?
2. How reliable is it?
3. How can the ACM use it?
4. Is it fit for ACM purpose?
5. What are the potential constraints/problems?
6. How would the use of Twitter by the ACM compare with other social media tools and resources that you know about?

 Workshop evaluation

Thank you for attending this workshop. I would greatly appreciate your feedback on this evaluation: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B7B2CRM

Additional resources

Mashable.com is the first place to go to for all things "social media", including its Facebook and Twitter guides. 

I have written a lot about social media on this blog - some key posts are:

• Non-profits using social media - taking things to the next level
• Facebook and critical thinking   
• Facebook for midwives: how to enjoy Facebook and stay out of trouble 
• Why I don't follow you on Twitter 
• How to get a conversation going on Twitter?

If you want to know "how to"...with any social media tools, go straight to Google or YouTube.

Heaps about social media and non-profits by Beth Kanter: http://www.bethkanter.org 

Image: 'Growing Social Media'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93212162@N08/8539048913

Midwifery: Isn’t there an App for that?

 

I am facilitating a workshop around midwives' use of social media, on Monday 30th September, at the Australian College of Midwives 2013 conference. My usual program is to talk about the reasons why midwives should engage with social media, and then focus on some of the most popular tools. But this time, I am going to take a slightly different tack.

Over the last year I have observed a shift in Australian midwives' requirements for knowledge, from what tools are best to use, to how we use the tools. I feel there has been a greater engagement with Facebook, and a growing interest in Twitter. But along with the greater use of social media has been an increase in stories of the misuse, both by midwives, and the people they engage with.

So, along with my usual talk about tools, I am going to use the draft Australian College of Midwives' social media guidelines as a framework to explore how to use social media professionally. In particular, I am going to devise some scenarios for the participants to discuss and explore solutions.

What situations have you found yourself in, or observed that would make a good scenario for discussion at a workshop about social media? 

Image: 'What’s on my iPhone'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15261067@N00/3969329831
Found on flickrcc.net

Why I don't blog much any more - and is there a cure?!

I have been blogging since 2007, and up until this time last year, wrote fairly regular posts, at least three times a week. But looking back at the last year, you can see that there has been a rapid drop off, to the point where I wrote just one post in July and again in August.

You could be forgiven for asking why it matters; after all, it may indicate that I have found a life away from the computer, which has got to be a good thing...hasn't it?!

In a way, that has been true. Since moving to Canberra, especially in the summer months, I have been spending more time outside and enjoying the beautiful warm weather, especially on a Sunday, which is when I typically write my blog posts for the week.

But it does matter that I am not blogging much these days because of the benefits I found when I was doing it regularly, which include:

• a space for reflection;
• a permanent record of my work, processes, thinking and development;
• collaboration with people in the online space
• development of international networks
• a reputation as a midwifery/educational blogger
• opportunities for research and work as a result of my blogging.

Because I am not blogging at the moment, I feel as if my networks and the conversations I have been involved with are slowly drying up. And this is not good for my professional growth in the long term.

So why aren't I blogging at the moment?

Much has to do with my new job.  Because it is a national role, I am extremely wary of what I talk about on social media. So I feel I must only blog about "neutral" topics that aren't going to get me into any kind of trouble, which is a tad tricky at times if I cannot come up with any ideas.

I spend a lot of time working on the Australian College of Midwives' Facebook page and use a lot of emotional energy figuring out what is appropriate to post on that page, and responding to comments there. So by the time I get to my social media platforms, I'm too tired to start again with the process. You have only got to look at my personal Facebook page to see how it has changed from a professional page, to almost completely personal comments and links.

On a personal level, I don't have much time where I am completely alone to spend thinking, or I am too tired, and just want to blob and watch reality TV.  And the studying I am doing isn't inspiring any creative thought.

So how do I get my blogging mojo back? Any suggestions?

I would especially love to hear from people who manage professional social media sites - how do you juggle that work with your own social media needs?


Image: 'The Art of Social Media'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/93212162@N08/8468788107
Found on flickrcc.net

Saying goodbye to our darling Angel

It's been a sad couple of months.

Six weeks ago I had our darling cat, Blackie put down. She had been with us for nearly 21 years and was a vital part of the family.

If that wasn't enough, I have now just had our dog, Angel, put down today. She was 16 and a half years old, and like Blackie, was an integral part of the family. But also like Blackie, she was very old and her quality of life was suffering.

We got Angel from the SPCA in Gisborne when she was about three months old. She was an absolute terror when she was a puppy, and had quite a few adventures. I lost her once in the bush, about an hour's drive outside Gisborne, when I was visiting a midwifery client. Mark and I went looking for her twice a day for a whole week, and eventually gave up, and broke the sad news to the kids. On the morning of the eighth day we had a call to say that the driver of a logging truck had picked her up. She wasn't half as quick to go wandering off after that.

Angel was a bit of a rascal when it came to chocolate. She loved nothing better than to steal chocolate out of the grocery bags, if I made the mistake of leaving my shopping on the floor.

She loved going down to the beach, which I think was a result of the many hours we spent at the sea side at Gisborne when she was a puppy. We spent many hours trying to teach her to catch sticks or balls, but all she loved to do was run through the waves.

One day I took a friend down to Broad Beach, which is just outside Dunedin,. We took our shoes off and went for a long walk. Suddenly I realized that Angel wasn't with us. And knowing her history for running off, I knew I wouldn't have a chance of finding her in the fields that surround the beach. We spent ages calling and calling her, and eventually I gave up. But when we got back to the pile of shoes, we found her there guarding them, and waiting patiently for us to return.

The other thing that used to make me laugh was the love-hate relationship that Angel and Blackie had. Blackie knew that we would regularly let Angel out into the garden so that she could do her thing. So as soon as Blackie saw us head for the front door, she used to dart into the door entrance and wait for Angel to pass by. As Angel passed by, she would whack Angel with her paw. Then, she would wait for Angel to come back indoors and give her another whack. Poor Angel never worked out a way to get past her without being clobbered.

Angel was so much a part of our lives, and for so long that we took her for granted. But now she is gone, the house is going to feel very empty.

 

Social media for midwives - work of the devil or best thing since sliced bread?

One of the things I have been aiming to do ever since I started my job as Professional Development Officer at the Australian College of Midwives last August, is write a guidance document for midwives around the use of social media. This has become more relevant and urgent as the Australian midwives' regulatory body, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, is about to release its social media policy which directs midwives back to professional bodies for in-depth advice and guidance.

Consultation on the ACM Draft Social Media Guidance for Midwives 
So here is the ACM Draft Social Media Guidance for Midwives: http://www.midwives.org.au/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=MIDW/ccms.r?PageId=10190

I would be delighted to hear what you think of it, and collect any suggestions for how we can improve it.

ACM supports midwives using social media

To be honest, the ACM Guidelines don't really say anything different to what other professional health bodies have said, such as the Royal College of General Practitioners and Royal College of Nursing Australia. We all pretty much say the same thing, and even use the same examples to illustrate a point - the student midwife and the placenta incident in the USA has figured all over the place.

However, what I hope comes over strongly in the ACM Guidelines is that we support social media as a very useful tool to facilitate professional networking and engagement with consumers. But there are professional rules and regulations that midwives have to adhere to.

What do we consider is best practice?
The other thing I wanted to do, was not only present stories of where things have gone wrong, but also to present the other side of the picture, and give examples of best practice...to give midwives ideas about how we can use social media constructively. I would love to hear if you have an example of how you have used social media constructively, either to connect with consumers and other health professionals, or for learning and CPD.

Endorsements and social media
The one aspect that I did struggle with is the advice around endorsements. This is because we do not have clear guidance from AHPRA, and this area is one that we are still feeling our way around. So again, any feedback on this area will be gratefully received. What do you think we should regard as an endorsement? How should we manage this when a consumer posts an "endorsement" on our social media sites? If you are a health consumer, what are your views on what constitutes an endorsement? How do you use social media to give feedback to your midwife?

Finally, I'd like to thank Carolyn Hastie who was the co-author of this Guidance paper.


Image: 'flickr and facebook'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92132559@N00/4425771596
Found on flickrcc.net

Third time lucky?

Over 10 years ago I enrolled into a PhD program. Sadly, things didn't work out and eventually I withdrew from the program. After a couple of years of phaffing around, I enrolled into an EdD at Otago University because I felt a more structured approach to my studies would ensure my motivation and completion. However, my move to Australia, and changing jobs from education to industry has made me think that an EdD no longer has relevance to my life. So I have withdrawn from that program.

In the meantime, I have had a very interesting chat with Profs Deborah Davis and Keith Lyons at the University of Canberra. They have suggested that I apply to do a PhD with a thesis by publications. This would entail writing/submitting four papers for publication, and tying them together in a thesis with a literature, introduction and conclusion.

I love this idea because it really is more like a portfolio-approach to a PhD. It will allow me to take all the work I have done over the last six years and bring them together and make sense of the themes, track my learning and growth over the years, and help me work how where to go from here, now that my working context has changed so drastically.

This is my "third time lucky". If I don't get on and complete with this enrolment, then I have to kiss the whole PhD thing goodbye. But I am also a tad embarrassed that I'm still working at it....13 years later!

Does anyone know what the record is for number of enrolments, or time it took to complete a PhD?! I hoping I am not one of the worse!? 

Virtual International Day of the Midwife: Where to from here?

In my last few posts I have been reflecting on the 5th Annual Virtual International Day of the Midwife. In this post I want to take a little time to think about what we still want to achieve.


What objectives have we achieved?
There are a number of objectives that we have articulated over the years which we have achieved, and I am extremely proud of that.

• Recognition on an international level that this is a credible event, with endorsement by the International Confederation of Midwives.
• Recognition of the event's credibility by the world's midwifery leaders, with offers from our leading academics, leaders and researchers to be speakers.
• Have people clamour to be speakers.
• Build capacity in online facilitators.
• Have speakers presenting from across the world, resource-poor countries as well as Europe, North America and Australia/New Zealand.
• Have the VIDM screened/accessed in countries such as PNG that have so little communication and external interaction with the rest of the world.
• Advance our model of virtual communication and collaboration for midwifery CPD.
• Advance Open Education Resources (OER) and OER practices in midwifery.

However, there are some other objectives that I feel we have yet to reach.

• Sessions facilitated and presented by non-English speakers.
• Break into the Asian market, including China, because we hear so little from Chinese midwives.
• Make the event more "mobile".
• Completely fill a 200 seat room.
• Support an ongoing conversation.

The last two objectives will be achieved in the next year or two. However, I am not sure about the first two, or that it is appropriate to try and achieve them. I am very mindful that we do not meet the needs of non-English speakers, and I have angsted about this on more than one occasion - have a look here at my thoughts on this last year.

Free web-conferencing for resource-poor countries?
What I am starting to think about is making a proposal to someone, probably the ICM, that they buy a license to a virtual room that any midwife can use, something like the model that Steve Hargadon used to facilitate a couple of years ago. There would have to be a virtual booking system, and someone would have to be responsible for keeping an eye of things, as well as finding funding for it. However, I think that it might be a more culturally appropriate way to approach online CPD for resource-poor countries, than trying to make them fit into our model.

Keeping the connections going?
As for our last objective, I am not at all sure how we facilitate the connections to continue talking and sharing. We have our Facebook and Twitter page, and we keep that ticking over during the "down-season", however, I am not sure we have the capacity or desire to keep it going at the same level as we do in the six months of the conference. I have also thought about organizing a regular monthly seminar, but, again, don't have the time or energy to do that. So...any other suggestions gratefully received.

What do you think? What aims and goals do you think we should be continuing to strive toward?

Making practice transparent through e-portfolio

I am delighted that at long last my article about how I use social media and social networking processes to reflect on my practice, and develop my e-portfolio, has been published by the Women and Birth journal: http://www.womenandbirth.org/article/S1871-5192%2813%2900036-X/fulltext

It took a considerable amount of time to get written, and I am truly grateful to Maxine Alterio for mentoring and supporting me in the processes.

I am especially pleased with this work because a. I managed to write this as a sole author, which has boosted my confidence around my ability to write academic papers, and b. there is very little written (if anything) about how to use social media and social networking for personal reflection and e-portfolio, by practitioners once they are out in practice.

Feel free to have a read - I would love your feedback. How practical, relevant or appropriate do you think it is for health professionals to use social media tools for reflection and e-portfolio?

   Making Practice Transparent Through ePortfolio

The latest art exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery: Paris to Monaro. Pleasures from the studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas

Bringing in the sheep c. 1936. Hilda Rix Nicholas oil on canvas Bega Valley Art and Craft Society’s Permanent Collection, Bega Valley Regional Gallery

 I had the pleasure on Thursday, of being invited to the opening night of the latest exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, called: Paris to Monaro, which is an exhibition by a local Australia artist, Hilda Rix Nicolas. Since moving to Canberra last year, several institutions have become my favourite places; the War Memorial is one, and the National Portrait Gallery is another. So, needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity to attend an opening night of the latest exhibition.

 At this point I have to admit that I am not an art critic. I know nothing about brush stokes, quality of light, and I certainty cannot tell you what the Impressionist movement is! I can barely draw a straight line, although I did win first prize in a painting competition when I was five, at the village fete in Somerset, and won five shillings. However, the event was marred considerably by the fact my parents made me give both of my sisters a shilling each!  So, as far as art goes, I know what I like, and what I don't like, but that is about it.

The opening night of the Hilda Rix Nicholas exhibition got off to a mixed start. I really enjoyed my free glass of bubbles, and was very pleased to actually get to see Robyn Archer in person - I haven't been in Australia very long but I know enough to know that Robyn Archer is famous here - and she opened the exhibition. We were told that there were a number of ambassadors attending, so I had great fun trying to work out who was an ambassador, and what country he/she represented. But, on the down side, my daughter, who had arranged to meet me, turned up with blood pouring all over the place- she had fallen over in the dark and had a really nasty cut on her arm. However, a very nice security officer got out her first aid box and patched Ellen up.

The exhibition is lovely because it captures the imagination on a number of levels, and is definitely worth visiting. Hilda Rix Nicholas is a fascinating woman in her own right.  She was born in Ballarat in 1884, travelled widely overseas between 1907 and 1926, studying and painting in England and France. The story goes that Major George Matson Nicholas, D.S.O., from Melbourne, found and admired her abandoned paintings in France. They met and married, but tragically he was killed in France, in the First World War, only a few months later.

Eventually, Hilda came to Canberra to paint and married Edgar Percy Wright, a grazier, and went to live at Knockalong station, Delegate, in the broad, bleached landscape of the Monaro, New South Wales. Her son Barrie Rix was born when she was 46. She was an extremely successful artist who was not part of any group, movement or set; her art is not assigned to any ‘school’. She is an anomaly amongst Australian women artists of the first half of the twentieth century; combining an artist’s dedication, ambition and relentless self-promotion with a full life as a partner in a grazing and wool enterprise, and utter devotion to the physical, intellectual and aesthetic development of her son. Hilda died in1961.

Ellen and I really enjoyed the exhibition. Ellen particularly connected with the Australian landscapes. She felt the realness of them - the colours and details made her as if she was part of the paintings. I was more drawn to Hilda's charcoal drawings; of the brothers of her husband, and of her son, who she clearly adored. They seemed a lot more authentic to me, compared to the idealised landscapes. However, what this does demonstrate is this exhibition speaks to different people in different ways. If you go, let me know how Hilda's art spoke to you.

Paris to Monaro: pleasures from the studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas is open now, until the 11th August 2013

Virtual International Day of the Midwife 2013 - What can we do better?

In my last blog post I talked about some of the highlights of the Virtual International Day of the Midwife, and what I feel we do well. In this post I want to reflect a little more on what we could do better.

Better organisaton?
I think we have our management processes pretty much sorted, especially thanks to our new email system and domain. However, we are not as responsive as I think we should be in the last two or three weeks. This was a challenge for me at times in the run up to the conference because I didn't feel fully updated with progress of facilitator and speaker organisation. This puts the event at risk because if we don't know what was going on, we cannot take action to put things right if they were turning to custard.

(Mind you, I have to admit that I am a control freak and I go into manic/panic mode in the couple of weeks running up to the conference. The VIDM is my life for those two weeks - I live, sleep, breathe the VIDM. I recognise that I have to let go of this, and trust in the process, and trust in the wonderful people that I work with on the organizing committee.)

Eventually, we got ourselves sorted with a shared tracking document which we maintained in Google Docs. To overcome this problem next year, I suggest that:

• we develop an extensive time line with jobs and have that ready to go, right from day one of our organisation;
• we integrate the time line into a shared tracking document;
• we aim to start organisation in December, rather than leaving it until January/February;
• we start the process of matching facilitators and speakers at least 1 week earlier, and have strictly enforced time lines for what facilitators/speakers should do.
  

A little more structure to master facilitation
The master facilitators are amazing people who donate a lot of their time to make sure the event runs well on the day. There isn't really much more I would do different except to suggest that we are more proactive about having a "spare" presentation/speaker available in every time zone, just in case some one drops out at the very last minute, or we have technical difficulties.

Facilitators/speakers
On the whole everyone did a fantastic job. But there were one or two facilitators and speakers who either found they had committed to something that was too advanced for them, or they didn't quite realise how stressful it is for us when they did not stick to time lines, like send in their presentations to be prepared in the virtual room.

One thing I am going to suggest for next year is that if we have any doubt about people's commitment or ability, especially as facilitators,  that we ask them to attend as a participant in the first year to get an idea of how everything works, before we accept them as facilitators in the following year. We do need to build capacity in facilitators but at the same time, we also want facilitators who can do a professional job. It is very stressful to the master facilitators if the facilitator don't do their job well, before or during the conference. Another idea may be to do a virtual teaching session or two, on how to be a good facilitator, a few weeks/months before the event.

24 hour social media coverage
Another thing I think we need to improve is our social media coverage, making sure that there is someone at the back end of our Facebook and Twitter accounts throughout the 24 hours. This will be especially useful when it comes to answering real-time questions and posting up photos of participants.

Did you attend the Virtual International Day of the Midwife this year? What do you think we could do better?