Victorian School Nurses Association

29/01/2026

⚠️Safety advisory – Safety concerns over imported counterfeit melatonin products⚠️

We are issuing an updated safety advisory regarding imported counterfeit unregistered melatonin products.

Laboratory testing of several imported unregistered melatonin products has confirmed they are counterfeit under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.

The results indicate significant discrepancies in the actual melatonin content compared to the labelled amounts. One product contained more than 400% of the labelled content and another containing no melatonin at all.

This variability in melatonin content raises serious safety concerns for consumers, including the risk of accidental overdose and hospitalisation, especially in children.

Melatonin is a prescription-only medicine in Australia, except in specific circumstances for adults.

Parents are strongly encouraged to consult their child’s treating medical practitioner regarding the use of melatonin, especially for children with seizure disorders as it may increase seizure frequency.

Melatonin products taken without appropriate medical oversight can cause serious side effects including accidental overdose and hospitalisation, especially in children.

Read more: https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/safety-monitoring-and-information/safety-alerts/safety-concerns-over-imported-counterfeit-melatonin-products

05/01/2026

25/11/2025

School nurses do WAY more than most people realize 👩‍⚕️📚

Ever wonder what they really do? (Hint: it’s a lot.) This article breaks down their real impact using the NASN 21st Century Framework.

https://doi.org/10.62116/PNJ.2025.51.5.219

23/11/2025

While no formal education pathways to become a school nurse in Australia exist, nurses are stumbling into the career path via a number of ways, new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) suggests. “The accidental school nurse; that’s almost a way to describe this career path,” says lead au...

21/11/2025

Social Inclusion Week (SIW) Australia is about encouraging communities to reconnect and be inclusive of all cultures, age groups, nationalities and abilities.

CONNECT, COLLABORATE and CELEBRATE!

18/11/2025

On November 19, International Men’s Day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. It aims to highlight positive role models and raise awareness of men’s well-being.

13/11/2025

Diabetes mellitus is more commonly known as diabetes. It’s a health condition where there is too much glucose (sugar) in your blood.

Your blood glucose levels are normally controlled by a hormone called insulin. Insulin controls the amount of glucose in your blood. It helps glucose move from your bloodstream into your cells, where it can be used for energy.

How do you manage students with diabetes in your school?

12/11/2025

World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world.

If every Australian performed an act of kindness on World Kindness Day, we would have 25 million acts of kindness in a single day.
The possibilities are endless – together let’s make Australia kinder.

11/11/2025

An informal portrait of Australian Army Nursing Staff (AANS) homeward bound on HMAT Shropshire after service in WW1. From left to right are Nurses Quinn, Warner, Homewood, Baron and R.A. Skyring.

Their faces are weathered by their WWI service, a tired, purposeful resilience, tempered by the peace of finally coming home. We can only imagine what they truly experienced.

Formed in 1902, the Australian Army Nursing Service consisted of civilian nurses, primarily women who were educated and unmarried, between the ages of 25 and 40. Nursing was one of the few avenues for women to work in these times; yet, even in the army, women were paid approximately half of what their male rank counterparts earned.

Across the conflict zones and battlefields of WWI, they worked to deliver life-saving care in some of the most challenging conditions and were essential in the complex triage to transport and treat sick and wounded soldiers.

With 2,861 women in the AANS during World War I, they served across Europe, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Burma and India.

On the 11th day
Of the 11th month
At the 11th hour

We shall remember them.

Photo: Australian War Memorial

10/11/2025