Adj. Prof. Alanna Geary, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer
Happy New Year! I trust that everyone had a happy festive season and had an opportunity to spend time with family and loved ones. To those of you who worked, I thank you very much and for those who had time away, I truly hope you were able to return somewhat rested from the year that was.
My husband and I spent some wonderful time with siblings and our parents, our children, their amazing partners, and the most delicious grandchildren any Nana and Grandpa could wish for. I felt truly blessed…. even though one of my children, who will remain nameless, gave me a set of pink Crocs as a gift! Perfect beach attire, not sure that they will get worn much at work! Although I do see the value in some of our clinical areas.
Certainly 2022 was another challenging year. I have no reason to suspect that 2023 will not be greatly different. There will be existing challenges and new ones, but together as the professions of nursing and midwifery I am confident that working together, with our broader health service colleagues we will meet them and once again go over and above to provide excellent clinical outcomes for the patients and families who require our care.
2023 will see Metro North take large numbers of new graduate nurses and midwives. Over the next few months we will welcome many of these into our clinical services and over the course of the year many more. Please remember if you are a new graduate that no one expects you to know it all. Learn from your colleagues, listen to their sage advice and counsel and emulate their professionalism and passion. Know that it will be a little tough because you are new and working in unchartered territory, but your colleagues and soon to be friends will be there to assist.
For those of us who have been around a while and as we welcome our newly graduated colleagues into the services in Metro North, please use this time to reflect on your journey and what it was like to commence in your profession in your first few months. It can be quite daunting and somewhat scary, so let us support, guide, mentor and value our newest professionals. We work in what I regard as the most wonderful of professions and in order to ensure longevity and career satisfaction, it is imperative that we support each other.
As compassionate, caring professionals I know that you are kind to your patients and their families. Please be kind to each other but most importantly be kind to yourself. Look after you! Metro North is the biggest health service in the country, I believe we are the best and if we work on kindness (patients, colleagues and self) we WILL be the nicest.
Alanna