On International Nurses Day (12 May), CALHN celebrates the compassion, professionalism, and round-the-clock commitment of nurses across our sites and services.
Highly skilled and trained, our nurses are often the first point of contact for patients and their families. They also support the delivery of comprehensive care, playing a vital role in educating patients and their families about health-related issues, such as disease prevention and managing medication.
This year’s theme for International Nurses Day is ‘Our Nurses. Our Future’ and we asked some of our graduate nurses who are at the start of their career at the network to reflect on those who inspired them to take up their profession.
Stephanie – Plastics & Orthopaedics/Outpatients
“I became a nurse because my uncle has multiple sclerosis. I saw how carers looked after him from when I was four years old while I grew up and it made me want to be involved in caring for people. I want to make a difference. The senior nurses I’ve worked alongside are inspiring. They’re so caring and empathetic not only to patients, but also to other staff. I’m looking forward to continuing learning new skills and helping sick people get better, especially in outpatients. I love being part of the healing journey.”
Amardeep – ICU
“I used to be physio in India however I never applied for registration here. I worked as a disability support worker for eight years but wanted to get back into the clinical side of things. My wife is also a nurse. Whenever I had to transfer disabled people to hospital, I liked the ways the nurses treated them. It was amazing. The amount of knowledge and the way they treated the patients was inspiring. The treatment from start to finish was smooth from the first interaction onwards. Even though I liked being a disability support worker I thought it would be better for me to have more clinical skills to provide support on clinical aspects as well.”
Jess – Outpatients
“I chose to become a nurse because I want to help people. I’ve also been a patient and seen that there is a big difference between nurses who just do their job and those that put in so much extra effort. I want to be a nurse who puts in that extra effort. My colleagues on the ward have been inspiring, not just about teaching me about clinical process but also how they go the extra mile for patients. Teamwork is a big thing here. I’m looking forward to gaining more skills and experience here – it’s a very supportive environment.”
Sheree – ICU
“I grew up around healthcare as my mum and older sister are nurses and I was inspired by them. I like making people feel better, the clinical side of things and making a difference. The little things are as important as the bigger stuff when it comes to taking care of patients. Everyone welcomes and supports you here, I feel like I’m welcomed and supported and not at all a burden.”
Ashlee Davis – ICU
“My mum is a nurse, and she studied to be a nurse at RAH all those years ago, and so is my aunt and so she has inspired me. Also, my father was an ICU patient in Queensland and the empathetic, caring nurses made a huge difference to him and to the rest of the family. I’d like ICU to underpin my nursing as I’m interested in critical care and ICU. I also like that nursing allows me to travel. You can do nursing anywhere.”
Anastasia – Outpatients
“I chose to become a nurse because I wanted to help people as well as being interested in knowing about the human body and how it works. The nurses I’ve worked with so far have inspired me. A lot are Certified Nurse Educators, which has made me consider becoming a nurse educator.”
To learn more about the impact of our world-class nursing staff you can listen to the latest episode of Research Pulse, featuring Dr Rebecca Munt, a research nurse who is leading work to examine the experience of inpatients with diabetes in South Australian hospitals.
