Tales from ‘The Half Century Nurse’
Registered nurse/midwife Janene Steward retired back in February exactly 50 years on from the day she began nursing. In the lead up to the milestone she penned an e-book, The Half Century Nurse: A Memoir, after taking the advice of friends and colleagues who believed her diverse career was different to the norm and would […]
Nurse still in the profession after 65 years
It is hard to imagine nowadays but when Pamela Butler trained as a nurse in the 1950s part of her education involved scaling, cleaning and filleting a whole fish before cooking it for teachers to taste and score. The then 17-year-old undertook her training at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children at Camperdown, now The […]
New Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse for the Top End
New Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse for the Top End, Ruby Hilario, says she will be able to increase the level of support for the 100 Territorians diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. A joint funding agreement with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) and the NT Government has resulted in the new dedicated Prostate […]
The NET Nurse: A unique role
Problem solving, creativity, and being able to see outside the square are key attributes of the RN Kate Wakelin’s role providing support to people with neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). Ms Wakelin has been the NET Patient Support Nurse with the Unicorn Foundation since October 2015. The Unicorn Foundation, a not-for-profit medical charity, works with people affected […]
The community remote area nurse
“We sometimes laugh that we are coiled springs – waiting to respond,” says Kelly Lynch of her role as a community remote area nurse. Kelly has been in the Cape, far north QLD for seven years. Originally from New Zealand, having raised five children, a marriage break up prompted a life change. “Half of my […]
Nursing and naturopathy: a holistic approach
Victorian RN and naturopath Anita DiStasio has a passion to help others help themselves and a focus on the prevention of disease. DiStasio started nursing at 15 years old, in a nursing home where she used to get residents up on a Saturday morning. “I really loved it. Even as a young kid I wanted […]
Nurses help build capacity in the Pacific
Prior to undertaking advanced emergency training, nurses working in a small island nation in the Pacific called Kiribati had limited knowledge and were easily overwhelmed. Wind the clock forward and the hospital ED’s have designated emergency nurses ready to tackle challenges head on. Such as the time a patient arrived in cardiac arrest and nurses […]
Keeping it real; keeping it black
Remote area nurse Jason Coombes believes nurses and midwives have to get out of the clinic and into the community to improve health outcomes. “The community won’t come to the clinic unless they are sick or in pain. We need walking clubs and cooking classes; we need to play basketball with kids after school.” Jason […]
Up in the air with an RFDS flight nurse
Royal Flying Doctor Service senior flight nurse Jenine Harmer counts joining the vital healthcare operation as the best decision she has ever made. “It gives you more experience. It gives you confidence. More skills. More independence. It’s just fantastic,” she says. “Nursing is great because you can work in so many areas. It’s just another […]
Q & A with Phil Della
Head of Curtin University’s School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine Professor Phillip Della was presented the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Honour at the Western Australian Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards earlier this year. Professor Della is arguably most well-known for his position as Chief Nursing Officer of Western Australia from 1999 to 2008. In this role, […]