Tami Photinos, Executive Director

With the turn of the new year, we welcome many new staff to TPCH. For those of us who have worked in health care for some time, the presence of so many fresh faces is a good reminder of the excitement of new beginnings. It’s also a reminder of the importance of being able to walk in other people’s shoes.

I remember when I first started as a graduate nurse in a busy gynaecology ward at Royal Brisbane Hospital many years ago (I won’t tell you how many years ago, it might reveal my age!) At the time, it was quite scary but I had some wonderful support from the entire multidisciplinary team which certainly helped made the road a bit smoother.

Through my working life, I have learnt that building confidence and resilience takes time and comes through experience, both good and bad. It also comes from having correct support and guidance from those more seasoned in the field. Whatever happens, we need to remember the reason why we decided to work in health care in the first place. For me, it was my family’s experiences that drew me into health care. My father trained in medicine for three years in Greece before migrating to Australia however as circumstance had it, his medical training was unfortunately not recognised here. So he opted for a different line of work out of necessity to support his family. My mother worked at RBWH as an administration support officer to the Director of Nursing (then Matron). So a career in health care seemed like a natural choice for me and I never looked back, only forwards.

I encourage you to think about your own experiences, especially the apprehension and uncertainty that can come with starting a new job in a big hospital like TPCH. If you see someone who looks lost, confused or worried, approach them and offer to help. Remember, we’ve all been a ‘newbie’ at one time or another, so this is where the value of compassion is essential.

This week, Queensland Health experienced a state-wide network issue which impacted many essential web-based systems and processes across the hospital. I appreciate this situation was challenging and disruptive for everyone. I thank everybody for their patience and ability to work together to ensure our services can continue to provide high quality care to our patients.

Executive update

It was my pleasure to attend the medical intern orientation on Monday and meet the newest faces of our medical cohort. This year 42 new medical interns are joining us at TPCH. We are excited to have them on board and provide them with the initial grounding and leadership to become excellent doctors. Metro North Board members, Dr Rob Franz and Nera Komaric also came out on Tuesday to meet the new cohort wishing them the very best for a successful career in medicine. I look forward to meeting with many more of our new starters in the coming weeks.

This week Director of Operations, Surgery and Critical Care Melanie Dubbelde and I visited the Endoscopy Unit where we spoke with staff about their current work activities and challenges. While in outpatients, I had the chance to speak with patient, Sydney and wife and daughter Mary and Anne who were waiting to be seen by one of our surgical teams. Sydney who is a returning patient of TPCH, was very complimentary of the care he has received from the hospital. During our visit, we also chatted to Clinical Nurse Jaimy Jose from Surgery, Medicine Outpatients and Preadmissions Services about her busy portfolio which covers general and vascular surgery.

Melanie and I also called in to see the Bowel Screening Surveillance Unit team who have recently relocated from Sparkes Street to the Administration Building with other members of Endoscopy team. It is good to see the team settling into their new home.

Staff profile

Today we will profile new Medical Intern Officer, Dr Abiola Dada. An international student from Canada, Abiola acquired her medical degree from UQ after her completing a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

She is excited about developing as a junior doctor and learning to provide excellent patient-centred care under the guidance of senior doctors, nurses and members of the broader health care team. She enjoys the supportive learning environment TPCH offers and its emphasis on the professional growth of residents and their overall well-being.

Abiola is passionate

Shout out

This week’s shout out goes to the Outpatients Department who recently reported some excellent results in relation to statewide PREMS (Patient Reported Experience Measures) data, with TPCH being rated in the top 5 (Very Large) hospitals for:

• Overall rating of care with – 81%
• Confidence and trust in healthcare professionals – 91%
• Confidence and trust in healthcare professionals – 91%
• Healthcare professionals worked well together – 91%.

Well done team! A fantastic result!

about establishing a strong rapport with the patients, making sure they feel heard and supported while under her care. She values compassion, openness and positivity, and enjoys bringing people together to build a shared sense of belonging and connection amongst her peers.

In her spare time, Abiola loves to write poems and journals, paint or watch old classic films. Interestingly, last year, she was involved in helping to write and produce an independent short film which will be submitted into film festivals this year. Welcome to TPCH Abiola!

Today’s quote
“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly and most underrated agent of human change” – Bob Kerrey

Tami.