RAMSAY PEOPLE N O R T H S H O R E North Shore nurse on international stage North Shore Private Nurse Educator, Elizabeth Matters, was proud to represent Ramsay Health Care recently as a delegate to the International Council of Nurses’ 2015 Conference in Seoul, Korea. P E E L H E A LT H C A M P U S Peel nurse celebrates 50 years of service Registered theatre nurse at Peel Health Campus, Sue English, had no idea that she was coming up to 50 years of service until she rang AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) to pay her annual registration fees. APHRA advised Sue this was her 50th year as a registered nurse and that Sue was invited to a high tea at the Duxton, one of Perth’s finest hotels to commemorate the occasion and receive her 50 years of service badge. Sue qualified in 1964 after completing her placement at Princess Margaret Hospital, Perth and says she is incredibly proud to achieve this milestone. “It’s a tough job, but extremely rewarding. It’s stimulating as no two days are ever the same. “Like any job there are highs and lows, but it’s been the best career choice and I’m incredibly grateful to my patients as you never stop learning from them," says Sue. Director of Clinical Services Di Barr said this was an amazing achievement. 16 The Ramsay Way 2015 | 03 “Peel Health Campus is extremely lucky to have someone with such a wealth of experience and knowledge on the team,” says Di. “We really want to mark this special occasion and will be celebrating with Sue by organising a morning tea at the hospital in honour of her achievement.” ■ Elizabeth Matters and conference delegates in Soul, Korea Sue English (Centre) The conference is held bi-annually in a different part of the world and this year’s conference attracted more than 7000 delegates from over 100 countries. The conference was opened by the President of Korea and attendees enjoyed stimulating sessions over three days from world experts on health policy, clinical nursing, nursing research and nursing education under the conference banner of ‘Global Citizen, Global Nursing.’ Elizabeth presented a paper on the international student program which has been running at North Shore Private Hospital since 2014, and which met with an enthusiastic response from the international audience. “This conference was such a fantastic experience and really made me feel part of a global profession” said Elizabeth. “Nurses are often told that we can take our work anywhere but it is not until you find yourself chatting with colleagues from The Bahamas, Denmark, Kenya and Thailand that you realise that you actually belong to a huge international network with whom you share so much in common. It is an amazing and heartwarming realisation.” ■ L AW R E N C E H A R G R A V E No more Mondays for Noni It’s a combination of happiness and sadness for the friends and co-workers of Ramona ‘Noni’ Gardner as she bids farewell to Lawrence Hargrave Private Hospital (LHPH) & Ramsay Health Care after total commitment and dedication for the past 33 years to embark on a well-deserved retirement. Noni commenced part-time employment at LHPH in January 1982 as a kitchen hand/cleaner. Six months later she went full-time and in 1990, was appointed Catering/Domestic Supervisor (now called Hotel Services Manager). CEO Robyn Ashe said the hospital thanked Noni for the dedicated 33 years of wonderful service she has contributed to LHPH. “She has been a tremendous asset to the hospital and we are extremely thankful to her for her remarkable commitment to excellence. We have seen the department grow and always run so efficiently because of her dedication, sincerity and efforts taken towards the work and her staff. Always happy and friendly, her team are a reflection of Noni.” Noni said her decision to retire was not an easy one to make as she had literally spent half her lifetime working at Lawrence Hargrave. “I have enjoyed working here and have made some beautiful friendships over the years and I will miss the daily contact.” S T R AT H F I E L D $1000 is just the icing on the cake They say the brightest kites fly against the wind — and breast cancer survivor Vicki Carpenter from Bringelly is living proof. Vicki threw her support behind Daffodil Day last week by helping Strathfield Private nurse Hanadi Arabi raise more than $1000 for the Cancer Council. Vicki, who has undergone seven months of chemotherapy and has eight weeks of radiation ahead of her, says that the intimate surroundings at Strathfield Private have made a big difference in her treatment. “In a big hospital, you’re just a number. In a smaller hospital like Strathfield everyone knows your name — even if I do have to drive a little further to get here.” Every day 350 Australians receive the life-shattering diagnosis they have cancer; but the good news is that survival rates for many common cancers have increased 30 per cent in the past two decades; and Australia is now at the top of the international league table next to North America and Japan when it comes to long term survival. Breast cancer five-year survival in Australia is now 89 per cent and testicular cancer more than 95 per cent. At Strathfield Private’s Breast Centre, a seven day turnaround from diagnosis to treatment aims to improve these survival rates further. For breast care nurse Hanadi, it’s just a way to give back. “The Cancer Council gives vital ongoing support for our patients — from providing patient information packs in hospital; to wig and breast prostheses services; through to a telephone service that connects cancer patients to someone who has had a similar cancer journey.”
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