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From Deadly Start trainee to RBWH’s first mental health nursing cadet, Maleek is turning his interest in health into a career. 🙌🏽

Maleek’s family are Bobongie, with connections to Mackay and the Torres Strait. His pathway at Metro North Health began through Deadly Start in high school, where he qualified as an Assistant in Nursing before going on to study nursing at university.

“I’m the first mental health cadet at the RBWH, and I always wanted to go into the mental health space. I’ve gained so much experience and made so many connections, and I love being able to work with patients every day,” Maleek said.

Are you an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student studying nursing, midwifery or an administration-related degree full-time at university? 🩺

@qldhealth statewide 2027 nursing, midwifery and administration cadetships offer eligible students paid work experience and financial support while studying — helping you build skills, confidence and connections for your career.

👉🏽 Take your next step: check your eligibility and apply today. Parents, carers and family, share this with a student in your life! #WorkforusWednesday

📅 Applications close 19 October 2026.
Click the links in our bio to apply! ...

Did you know that your own blood can be recycled during surgery? 🩸

Director of General Surgery at TPCH Dr Robert Franz and TPCH Perfusionist Gary often use a cell saver machine which can collect, clean and return your own blood back to you and this is particularly useful for patient cohorts that cannot accept donor blood, including some religions.

"They used to be big bulky machines, quite awkward to have in surgery, but they have definitely improved over the years. We set it up for collection and it can assess what we get and will tell you whether we want to process it to return it to the patient," Gary explains.

"Most Jehovah`s Witnesses will accept cell saver as it`s your own blood being processed, and it really changed the way we deal with major blood loss in those cases, but we also use it for various cases where there is the potential for a lot of blood loss including cardiac procedures, chest cavities and pelvic fractures," Dr Franz adds.

"From a clinical point of view, not only does it save using blood from blood banks, but it is safer using your own patients` blood and the washing process that goes on, it is really as clean as it can be." ...

"I am in hospital because of my SCC`s which is squamous cell carcinoma or skin cancers, and it`s an ongoing process that requires me to come in three to four times a year. I have surgery and they grow more skin in the skin lab for me, harvest it and then I get skin grafts. I`m pretty chuffed that they are able to do this for me. I just love sport, I was recently at the AFL Grand Final which was just unreal, but what I really love is the cricket. I`ve been to Lords for the Ashes, my boys took me there in 2023 which is just the pinnacle, the home of cricket. I think just keep going at life, don`t give up and you`ll eventually get there. I say my prayers all the time as I`ve got a bit of faith, but whether you`ve got faith or a higher power, or maybe your kids just praying to them, it will keep you going."

💭 Monday Mantra, Shaun, 8A North Patient ...

You`ll likely never see Wendy and her team during your visit to the RBWH, but you`ll sure benefit from this team`s work behind the scenes ensuring safe standards for Reusable Medical Devices (RMDs) across the hospital. 👀

A new purpose built Central Reprocessing Department in the works will allow an increased number of RMDs to be processed in the one area and will allow for smarter workflows and greater capacity to support the growing number of surgeries every year at the RBWH.

"The new department will centralise the reprocessing of all RMDs throughout RBWH and it is the coming together of several departments including thoracic medicine, gastroenterology and ENT outpatient scopes which they currently process within their own departments," Wendy said.

"Our primary RMDs come from the operating theatres and then we have 28 departments that are external to perioperative services that send us their RMDs so they can continue with their clinics, areas like outpatient clinics and birth suite.

"At the moment we have limited ability to grow so this new department will allow for the expansion of our services, and the new equipment will be designed for increased ergonomic efficiency!" ...