Adjunct Professor Alanna Geary

December is here and I suspect everyone is getting ready for the festive season, however that looks for you.  We all celebrate this time of the year differently and for very different reasons but please take this time to reflect on the year that was and think about all the wonderful things that we have achieved, not only as a Health Service but also within Nursing and Midwifery Services.  We have seen more graduates within our service than ever before and while I am so very impressed with them and the way they have embraced the challenges that have faced them, I am also so proud at how we as a health service and our more experienced nurses have supported them on their journey.   

We are currently undertaking the processes around the recruitment of our new graduate cohort for 2022 and I know that we will ensure that their learning journey is not dissimilar to our current grads.  Thank you.  As the largest health service in the country we have a responsibility to ensure that we educate the next groups of health care professionals and that includes our nursing and midwifery graduates.  Without everyone working to do this, to achieve positive learning outcomes we will do our profession a disservice.  We still have international nursing and midwifery shortages looming with large deficits anticipated within 5 – 10 years so lets work hard now so that our profession is safe in the hands of those who will follow. 

This week I would like to share a wonderful story about one of our amazing TPCH ICU nursing staff.  Michelle Westerhuis was out with her children when she was required to instigate CPR and AED use on a gentleman at the skating rink they were attending.    Her quick thinking and immediate actions until the QAS could attend resulted in the patient being successfully transported to TPCH for care.   Michelle, you are a shining example of “once a health professional, always a health professional”.  The setting may change but the requirements to act quickly and purposefully using expertise and skill never changes.  Well done Michelle, we are all so very proud of you.    

Until next time, please stay safe….and dry during the big wet that we are currently experiencing. 

Kindest regards 

Alanna