Karlene Willcocks, Executive Director
Happy Administrative Professionals Day, to all our absolutely amazing administration professionals that work with us across the CKW Directorate!
Today is a special day that recognises the invaluable contribution that our administrative professionals make every day as a key partner in the delivery of compassionate patient and family centered care.
Our hospitals and health facilities could not run without administrative staff, they are the glue that keeps our system running and functioning.
And, most importantly, they are most frequently the first point of contact with our health services for our patients, their families and our community partners. This first point of contact and subsequent ongoing port of call is what can make or break the experience of our patients.
It is important therefore that we celebrate all of you who work with us and provide us and our community with amazing support and service.
Today, to recognise our CKW Administrative Professionals Day, we will announce the CKW Administrative Professionals Day Awards. We received a very impressive 144 nominations this year, which goes to show just how much CKW appreciates our administration colleagues.
Please enjoy the various events that have been organised today to celebrate your important role.
Today, I want to profile four of our true administrative superheroes, just a very small group of the amazing a broad group of Healthcare Administrators we have working for us!
Hannah Wilshire
Hannah Wilshire my Executive Support Officer and if anyone is ever looking for me, she is the absolute magic that will make me appear.
She makes my job possible, managing me and keeping me on track every day. Not only could I not do my job without her, it would simply be no fun at all.
Hannah Wilshire’s work experience at Queensland Health spans across many various administrative roles and all directorates in Metro North.
“I began with Queensland Health in 2007 as a temp in the Office of the Chief Health Officer, under Dr Jeanette Young, as a Communications and Correspondence Officer,” Hannah said.
Her previous administrative roles include:
- Evolve Therapeutic Services, Child and Youth Mental Health
- Surgical Service Line Support Officer, Redcliffe Hospital
- Project Officer, Specialist Outpatient Department
- Executive Support Officer, Senior Director Clinical Operations COH
- Executive Office Coordinator TPCH
Hannah has been Senior Executive Support Officer for the CKW Executive Director since 2022. The role supports the Executive Director and provides generalised executive support, which includes coordinating schedules, correspondence and recruitment.
“My role entails professional fire extinguisher, acting as Karlene’s vigilant eyes and ears while liaising with a diverse array of internal and external stakeholders,” Hannah said.
“I see it as my role as an Administration Officer (AO) to alleviate the burden on our executive team, reducing barriers and serving as the link that keeps our team cohesive, supported and operating efficiently.
“Every facet of my role contributes, either directly or indirectly, to our health service and community.
“I love working alongside Karlene and the Caboolture Executive team – I’m very proud to be an AO and very thankful for the support of my dedicated team of Executive Support Officers who work tirelessly alongside me to juggle all the varying priorities.”
Thanks, Hannah for all you do for me, the Executive team and broader CKW team every moment of every working day – we truly could not do it without you!
Sue McGrath
Sue McGrath has been an administration officer in the Caboolture Hospital Emergency Department more than 17 years, having started previously in Outpatients.
In talking to Sue, she told me she had been working in our organisation for 22 years – she shared so much knowledge and positivity for our community.
“Currently, I am in the role of Administration Logistics on the afternoon shift for most of my nine shifts a fortnight,” Sue said.
However, I am also on the floor for other shifts when not on this desk.
“The Logistics role is a trial position – it is for all emergency administration staff to have a person they can go to.
“Whether that be for help with registrations, looking up Medicare numbers, helping with filing when needed, retrieving charts and distributing throughout the department.
“I constantly help with training the new staff on new procedures, as well as training on the floor and helping patient families.
“I love this role, it gives me the opportunity to help staff, be proactive, teach, help the public, answer questions, find answers, be productive.
“I like to help people, whether that be just with a smile or a helping hand for registrations, family members, etc.
“In my personal life, I have a passion for travel. You get to see new things, meet new people, see how other people in other cultures and countries live.
“I appreciate the land here in Australia, I love camping!
“Nothing is better than waking up to the smell of the trees and feel the breeze in your face on a fresh cold morning.”
Nicole Richards
Elimbah local Nicole Richards lives in a beautiful part of the Moreton Bay region, has less than 30-minutes to drive to work and enjoys a successful career at the Caboolture Satellite Hospital (CSH) as a Senior Administration Officer.
Nicole says she has the perfect work-life balance!
“One of the main reasons for the enjoyment of my role, is definitely the culture that has been nurtured at the CSH and I’m proud of the way that the whole administration team has worked to develop this,” Nicole said.
“As an example, we have developed a calendar of events unique to the facility, which are enjoyable and encourage participation, but importantly, they help teams connect so that the whole satellite operates very seamlessly.
“Many of our staff are local to the region and it’s fantastic to see the service offering grow to meet the needs of the community.
“This is great for patients who can now access care closer to home, but it also means that staff have great career opportunities with lots of variety.
“One of the most enjoyable aspects of my role relates to working with a multidisciplinary teams and mentoring young people.
“I’m very proud to say that we have our first school-based trainee working with us at CSH. Her name is Zoe and she is currently doing her Certificate III in Business Administration.
“She is amazing and it’s very exciting to be part of her career development in Administration – it’s a great role with a great future.”
Every time I visit the satellite hospital, Nicole jumps up with a cherry smile to welcome me to site and talks to me about her amazing team and role.
It is such a boost to my day – the true epitome of the experience created by so many of our administrators across all positions.
Jules Mackie
Jules Mackie is a friendly face who greets everyone at Caboolture Satellite Hospital (CSH) with a smile.
Jules Mackie is an Oral Health Administration Officer at CSH and says it is a role that provides her with great satisfaction and career flexibility.
As the first point of contact for oral health patients visiting the facility, Jules assists patients with their dental appointments and enquires, as well as supporting other patients and visitors.
“It’s a role that requires good organisation and people skills,” Jules said.
“It is also a deeply human-centred role, where you must have empathy for people and the circumstances that may be going on in their life,” Jules said.
“I trained originally as a Dental Assistant and spent eight years in the Royal Australian Navy and, more recently, I was part of the oral health clinical team at Woodford Correction Centre.
“Moving to an administration role has allowed me to apply learnings from my past experiences to really contribute to the patient’s quality journey.
“As an example, disagreements can happen in the workplace. That’s normal. But when a disagreement boils over into an argument, it becomes a problem. Having good people skills and being able to de-escalate situations when required is vital.”
Jules completed a BA in Dementia Care in 2023 and recently commenced a Master of Nursing which she hopes to complete in 2026.
“Working in healthcare administration really opens career pathways, and it’s a great way for people to see all the opportunities that are available in health.”
As I finish this very special Administrative Professionals Day message, may I ask you all to take the time to acknowledge and thank those administration professionals that work within your team today.
Their roles vary greatly but the one thing I know is that they truly are the enablers in our system.
Again, thank you to all our Administration Superheroes – have a great day!
Regards,
Karlene.
