Rhonda retires after 52 years of nursing

Rhonda Purtill will soon be closing the chapter on her 52-year long nursing career.

As the Nurse Manager Educator Unit Manager for Metro North’s Workforce Development and Education Department, Rhonda has mixed emotions as she reflects on her decorated career as a nurse.

Rhonda comes from Proserpine, and says she wasn’t born into a career of nursing, and that it happened by accident.

“I came to the big city (Townsville), and back then you could just about knock on the door and say ‘I would like to be a nurse’,” Rhonda said.

Completing her registered nurse training in Townsville, she decided to head rurally to Mackay where she really had to land on her feet.

“I ended up doing a bit of everything when you’re a rural nurse. It gives you all the confidence in the world as you hone in on your skills.”

Rhonda’s career has taken her to Brisbane, Kingaroy, London, and back to Brisbane.

During this time, she completed her midwifery, had experience in coronary care, but it was her time at the Royal Brisbane’s emergency care department, where she found her true passion of caring and advocating for elderly patients.

Rhonda spent time at the Brighton Health Campus as Nursing Director, before heading back to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

It was here where she helped to build the ‘Hospital in the Nursing Home’ service, which then went on to becoming the Residential Aged Care District Assessment and Referral Service (RADAR), being rolled out Metro North wide.

This is where Rhonda’s true passion got to shine, as she advocated for the elderly to be treated at their residential aged care facilities by specialist teams.

“Most people saw the elderly that had behavioural issues as too much, but I saw it as challenge,” she said.

“I used to sing songs to them to help them feel calm and to reduce stresses.”

Rhonda’s final stop finds her at Metro North Health’s Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development and Education Department, under the leadership of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Alanna Geary, and will retire next Friday.

“I have mixed emotions; nursing is all I’ve ever known,” Rhonda said.

“I have a lot of good memories and vast experiences that I will take with me, and hope that the feedback I have provided to the younger nurses has made me an effective and efficient leader.”