Adj. Prof. Alanna Geary, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer

Alanna and husband in NZ

I have just returned from a period of leave, and I would like to thank Sherry Holzapfel who undertook the role of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer while I was away. I went to New Zealand for 2 weeks and I am a little embarrassed to say even though I regard myself as an international traveller, I had never been to New Zealand for a holiday. What a beautiful country.  It was a busy couple of weeks, and I was not prepared for the cold that we experienced in the south, but I had the best time and at some stage I will return! I have attached a photo below of my husband and that will give you an idea of just how cold I was. I am afraid I am a warm weather girl, which is why Queensland suits me so well.

I hope everyone had a reasonably restful time over the Easter break. It can be very challenging at this time of the year with the Easter break coupled with school holidays. Certainly, the organisation is not any less busy and people who have children require time to not only care for their school aged children but also spend time with them. Thank you to everyone who has taken additional shifts, done overtime to cover shortfalls and worked so hard over this time. We are a very busy organisation, and it is hard to know now just what is “normal”. What I do know though is that we all work hard, 365 days of the year, 24 hours a day. Thank you to all of our nurses and midwives for your hard work and the care you provide our patients and consumers.

May the 5^th is International Day of the Midwife and May 12^th is International Nurses Day. As we have in previous years, we will have a week of celebration of our wonderful professions. I plan to attend as many of our Metro North sites as possible during that week. I would love to talk with you, I do have a few “freebies” to give out and would encourage you and your teams to celebrate during the week and acknowledge each other. Our Nursing and Midwifery Awards will once again be awarded in that week, and they are open for you to nominate either yourself or a colleague who you believe goes above and beyond. I look forward to reading the nominations. It never ceases to amaze me when the nominations come through. The calibre of our staff is second to none and it is such a thrill to present the worthy recipients.

Thanks to those nurses & midwives who have proactively taken up the initiative to join our QUT Metro North Nursing & Midwifery Academy. I also acknowledge and applaud those leaders who have seized the opportunity to access the support Gillian Nasato and the Academy can offer you, your teams, and services. Momentum is growing in pockets across Metro North however we need your input. This is not just an opportunity for senior staff. Staff at all levels can be involved and we would welcome you and your ideas.

The 4 Sphere Groups are all striving to achieve an improved working environment, an engaged and well-connected workforce, strong educational and research support, and opportunities around addressing the many challenges faced by our current and next generation of nurses & midwives.

Nurses and midwives supporting nurses and midwives is easy to say but more challenging to operationalise unless we all lean in and work together.

Attached is our process and membership information making it easy for you to apply and in the meantime please reach out to Gillian should you have any questions. She will continue to make herself available and will work with you locally around how the Academy can work collaboratively to make our profession both clinically and professionally excellent. This excellent translates into great care for our patients, their families and supports our professions.

Until next time, please stay safe.

Alanna.