I interviewed in late 1993 and commenced employment in the Children’s Ward in 1994.

I worked there for two years, then moved to the original Emergency Department with only 13 beds.

Our resus room was a cubicle just inside from the QAS bay.

Emergency Services chopper landing

Janine O’Keefe

Staff would be called out to retrievals as there was no High Acuity Response Units (HARU) and we would turn the light on for the helipad for the chopper to land.

We did our own HBSCIS registrations, printed the labels, collected the patient chart, or made new ones after hours.

There were only a small number of charts compared to HIU now, including mine within the first 500 when I presented with a broken nose from basketball.

We moved into the new current Emergency Department in 1997.

Janine’s grandbaby

Janine O’Keefe with her third daughter

I remember we used to sit out the front of the ED on a night duty early in the morning before the shopping centre/medical hub and school appeared and watch the fog lift across the vacant land with kangaroos waking up with the amazing sunrises.

There have been lots of changes since then, both in the physical building and my own personal development.

I have moved through many roles, including Enrolled Nurse, Registered Nurse, Clinical Nurse/Facilitator, Clinical Nurse Consultant and acting Educator, Hospital Coordinator and Nursing Director of ED, Kilcoy and Woodford.

No birth suites were available as so many babies were being born that day, but the procedure room sufficed.

One of my three grandbabies was born here May 2022.

We’re about to move into our third new, innovative and larger Emergency Department with 76 cubicles.

have been very involved in since the start of planning, so it’s very exciting.

As I am nearing the end of my 43 years of nursing it will be a privilege to end it here at Caboolture Hospital.

Have you got a story to share? Email ckw-engage@health.qld.gov.au.