The future of health care highlighted in grad speech Health graduates at Charles Sturt University will see today as the beginning of a lifelong learning process if they are to be effective and successful health care professionals according to guest speaker at this morning's graduation ceremony, Professor John Daly. Nursing research and education in Australia and around the world has been a major focus in the career of Professor Daly, Head of the Division of Nursing and Director of Research at the University of Western Sydney. In highlighting many of the changes in Australia's health system in the past decade Professor Daly urges those new to the health profession to take advantage of lifelong learning opportunities and impressed the importance of being mobile, multiskilled and motivated, in their future careers. Professor Daly forsees a continuing shift from a system of health care driven by a medical model to an increased focus on economics, where the influences of consumer demand, information technology and the quest for efficiency will play a major role.
Major changes bring threats and opportunities for all health disciplines.
Since beginning his nursing career in the early 1980's Professor Daly has been an active clinician, teacher and researcher in health and education in positions at the University of Technology, Sydney, University of Newcastle and Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga. His research interests cover issues such as women's health, requirements in rural and remote health, mental health, emergency and critical care and generating clinical nursing research in oncology, palliative and aged care.