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Are you an Ear, Nose and Throat expert looking for your next opportunity? Then we are all ears to hear from you! 👂👃

Dr Steph is an Otolaryngologist, more commonly known as a Head and Neck surgeon, and she specialises in skull base surgery, helping patients across both RBWH and STARS.

"I do a combination of outpatients and surgery, however the facilities differ in that STARS is quite high volume, we see a lot of patients each day that might have waited a long time for their treatment and we are doing a lot more common procedures there," Dr Steph explains.

"Whereas the RBWH, we are doing more complex surgery cases, a lot of big head and neck surgery cases for cancer and there is a lot of collegiality between various teams, for instance today we did the first half of this surgery, and then the neurosurgeons come through for the second half."

"The thing with ENT that I love is that at the beginning of the day you might be operating on something under a microscope, doing a procedure with really fine work and then by the end of the day you might be doing a big head and neck operation, it`s the variety."

If you are an outstanding ENT Consultant like Steph, then there is an opportunity at Metro North with your name on it. Click the link in our bio and apply today. #WorkforusWednesday ...

Forget Sherlock Holmes, our social workers are deep in detective work to help their patients and families cope with the challenges that might arise from a hospital stay. 🕵️‍♂️❤️‍🩹

Senior Social Worker Helena works in the ICU, with patients who are in a critical condition, but primarily with their families navigating the next steps for their loved one who may no longer be able to make decisions about their healthcare.

"Often we need to find the most appropriate person to be a patient`s substitute decision maker for healthcare matters, and often the reason patients come in isn`t planned so they don`t have the opportunity to express their wishes to their loved ones," Helena says.

"We use police and past hospital records and investigate whether there`s a pre-existing enduring power of attorney (EPOA), which might require some exploratory phone calls. However, we are also balancing a person`s privacy whilst navigating complex family dynamics.

"Because we are a trauma centre at the RBWH, we got a lot of patients who come from elsewhere outside of our catchment area, so we also provide resources for those who might travel into Brisbane and not think about where they might stay, how they will pay for it or how they will return home if they choose not to stay." ...

"I retired as a beekeeper, my brother and I were doing business out at West Emerald, producing five tonnes of honey a month for Capilano. People always asked me how many stings I would get in a day and I said it depends, whether it`s a good day or a bad day. A bad day might be 150 stings, but it depends what tree they were on. Not everybody can say that they enjoyed their work, but I did, until the health went, I was working seven days a week. Doesn`t matter who it is, I always try to say g`day when people walk past and be outgoing, I may not know their names, but people know my face so they will then stop and talk. The most interesting thing I can tell you is to smile and not let anybody know that they`re hurting you, it doesn`t cost you anything for a smile!"

💭 Monday Mantra, Norman, RBWH Cardiac Care Unit Patient ...

Whilst menopause is something that almost half of the population will experience, it`s a topic that is often underdiscussed. ❤️‍🩹

Caboolture Hospital Pelvic Health Physiotherapist Helen is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Sunshine Coast, and with the support of The Common Good, is exploring experiences of how menopause impacts staff working in healthcare settings.

"There are lots of evidence-based strategies that can be implemented to improve menopausal symptoms. Some of these are based on the pillars of lifestyle medicine - healthy eating, physical activity, mental wellbeing, sleep, healthy relationships and avoiding risky substances - which are all things that we promote and practice in allied health," Helen said.

"I have seen some of the challenges that women have to manage in the workplace particularly in relation to some of the less talked about symptoms of menopause such as bladder urgency or incontinence and I wanted to see if there was a better way to support staff during menopause transition.

"Our project identified that menopause related symptoms are common and bothersome in the workplace for majority of peri and postmenopausal staff at CKW. Only one in ten peri or postmenopausal staff feel women experiencing menopausal symptoms are supported at work."

The next phase of Helen`s research will involve focus groups and workshops at Caboolture Hospital and surrounding Metro North facilities to co-design a solution to support staff with menopause transition. ...