Story courtesy Antony Perry APHA. The veteran nurse had just received Australia’s highest honour in nursing – the Nurse of the Year Award at the HESTA Australian Nursing Awards. It was a fitting scene for a woman truly deserving of the grand gesture. For four decades Angie has dedicated her life to nursing and midwifery – two areas of the health sector she harbours a deep admiration for. To some, nursing is a job. But to Angie, it’s a little more than that. “It’s never been just a job – it’s always been a lifestyle,” she said. “There’s not been a day I’ve regretted being a nurse. It’s been a fantastic life and I’m very, very proud. “To be honoured by HESTA in this way, I’m just so overwhelmed. I’m just so proud to be in this room tonight with so many wonderful nurses who have done so much.” In a field where actions speak louder than words, Angie has drawn the attention of many. Long recognised as a pioneer in her field, the 40-year veteran has seen and done it all in a challenging and demanding profession. Angie moved to Australia from England in 1980, settling in Perth where she worked at a number of different hospitals. In 1997 she took a role at Ramsay Health Care’s Joondalup Health Campus. It was a very different nursing landscape back then, Angie recalled. “Nursing has changed significantly over the years,” she said. “When I first started out the money was poor and we lived in nursing homes, but the public was right behind us. The 20 The Ramsay Way 2016 | 02 public knew how hard we worked and they’d recognise that by giving us a bottle of milk or a free ride on the bus.” The veteran nurse has seen firsthand the changes Australia’s healthcare system has undergone. Technology and money have led to significant advancements and while they have helped shape the robust system Australians rely heavily on today, Angie said nurses remain very much irreplaceable. “It’s been incredible to see some amazing changes in nursing and technology over the past 40 years,” she said. “Everything’s changing with evidence-based practice and we’re learning more and more. But the bedside nurse is always there, the empathetic nurse, the one that will hold someone’s hand and fix their pillows. “We’ve never lost that no matter how educated we’ve become, how many degrees we’ve got. Nurses always put their patients first and that empathy is the most important thing.” Angie is the Blood Management Consultant at Joondalup Health Campus. In her role she has developed a leading blood management program for patients undergoing major surgical procedures involving significant blood loss. Angie received the nation’s highest nursing honour for the program, the judges recognising her exceptional advocacy and leadership in developing the innovative system that has improved outcomes and recovery for patients. “I’ve been able to see things like how the transfusion rate for hips and knees dropped from 15 per cent to three per cent,” she said. “That drop means all those patients have much better outcomes. We are making a difference and I see it in patients having a shorter length of stay in hospital and a reduction in the number of patients getting infections. Patients are less at risk of the adverse outcomes sometimes associated with blood.” Despite claiming the most coveted nursing award in the country, Angie said she wouldn’t hesitate to start over in a profession she has found so rewarding and fructiferous. “I wish I was starting out now as a nurse,” she said. “There have been a lot of changes, but it’s a fabulous career. You can take any pathway you like, whether it be education, bedside nursing or specialist nursing. You can work anywhere in the world with your qualification. “There’s happy stories and there’s sad stories. I’ve been there at births and I’ve been there at deaths. I’ve said to the young nurses to always remember that they can make a difference to the patients and their families.” Forty years is a long time in a profession, but Angie wouldn’t have it any other way. She plans to continue practising for years to come and, unsurprisingly, will use her prize money to improve her skillset. The veteran nurse will travel to the United States later this year to meet with the pioneers of patient blood management at the Society for the Advancement of Patient Blood Management. Angie’s desire to improve the lives of others is never sated. “I find it an honour to look after patients and I strive to do my best to improve their health and their outcomes,” she said. 40 Years of Care The altruistic nurse honoured for unwavering devotion to healthcare As International Nurses Day (12 May) came to a close, the tears streaming down Angie Monk’s face spoke volumes about a day and a profession she holds close to her heart. Turning Back Time: Ramsay Offers Bachelor of Midwifery Historically, dating back to 1931 midwives were in their own right a single entity, independent from the nursing workforce. As time went by the marrying of nursing and midwifery became ingrained and becoming a midwife meant being a nurse first and foremost. However, traditional midwifery culture is making a comeback and coming full circle, Ramsay NSW Undergradplus program began taking Bachelor of Midwifery students in 2013. This competitive three year degree accepts school leavers and attracts mature age cohorts who arrive with substantial experience from other professions. In 2015 the first cohort of midwives from the University of Technology graduated and we wish to celebrate this exciting milestone for the profession of midwifery. A total of three students completed their studies in 2015: Jean Uwamahoro graduate midwife from Westmead Private; Helena Blackstock from North Shore Private; and Belinda Kerr who went on to the public sector. Nesrine Hatif, a second year midwifery student at Westmead Private describes the liberating feeling that came from her first delivery as a feeling of independence and the ability to feel the physiological mechanics involved that, until then, were only theoretical. Angie Monk. Nesrine Hatif, a second year student at Westmead Private, who holds a passion for midwifery can be seen with the mother for her first accoucheur (catching the baby) coinciding nicely with international midwives day. House Keeping Team in ‘2016 Pride of Work Awards’ St Andrew’s Ipswich Private Hospital’s House Keeping Team was awarded a Certificate of Nomination at the Ipswich Rotary Club’s ‘2016 Pride of Work Awards’. Coz Potter, Environmental Services Manager, was proud to share this award with her team. These Ramsay students expressed how indebted they are to the Midwifery Educators and Managers for their ability to cultivate each student’s development and ensure the success of the Bachelor of Midwifery program. House Keeping Team at St Andrew’s Ipswich Private awarded Pride of Work Certificate by Rotary. Find us on Facebook facebook.com/ramsayhealth RAMSAY PEOPLE
The Ramsay Way - 2016 Edition 2
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