Deep care for patients helps overcome nursing challenges

Nurses and midwives have been on the front line of the community response to COVID-19 since the pandemic first swept the globe just over a year ago.

At a time when people have been at their most vulnerable, nurses and midwives have been dedicated and tireless in supporting communities and helping people most in need.

That’s why we are honouring these unsung heroes to mark 2021 International Nurses Day (12 May) and International Day of the Midwife (5 May).

A career of lifelong learning

One of Queensland’s leading nurses, Shelley Nowlan, believes that while changes within the industry had been vast – with technology being the driving force behind continual improvement – the one constant was the great rewards that come with a nursing career.

“Ninety-nine per cent of people within our community have at one stage in their lives been supported by a nurse or a midwife,” Ms Nowlan said.

Queensland Health’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, as well as Assistant Deputy Director-General Clinical Excellence, Ms Nowlan has been working in healthcare since her first nursing position at the Toowoomba Base Hospital in 1987.

“Within nursing I refer to continuing education as lifelong learning,” she said.

“Queensland Health has a wonderful framework for that which is important because evidence changes all the time and we see new equipment, new treatments and new medications on a daily basis, so being up-to-date is essential.”

Dealing with the challenges of COVID

One nurse who understands all too well the joys and challenges that come with helping people in your care, no matter the situation, is Helen Zahos.

Ms Zahos is a registered nurse at the Gold Coast University Hospital’s Emergency Department. She is also a paramedic and has more than 25 years’ experience in emergency departments, rural and remote areas and humanitarian and disaster relief responses.

While she has faced many challenges in her career, Ms Zahos said COVID had been one of the biggest tests for nurses everywhere.

“Nurses have been coming to work and showing up when others wouldn’t and with that has come a lot of extra challenges,” she said.

But despite the challenges of the past year, Helen wouldn’t change it.

"Like most nurses, for me nursing isn’t just a job, it’s a calling, a passion and a way of life,” she said.

“No matter where you are nursing, no matter the circumstances or who you are helping, it comes down to patients and the individual patient you are helping in a particular moment.”

Making a difference to people’s lives

Nikki Goodwin is the director of nursing within the Nursing and Midwifery Unit at Hervey Bay Hospital and, with her 43 years of experience, she still believes nursing is one of the most rewarding careers anyone could have.

“The community has such high levels of trust in nurses and most of the patients you see are so appreciative of what we do for them,” she said.

“Being able to go home after work and know that you did everything you could for your patients and that 99% of the time they appreciate the difference you made to their lives … that’s what I recommend all nurses reflect on to keep themselves motivated.”

Continued education, both formal professional learning and on the job learning, is important for all nurses, she said.

The opinions expressed and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the QSuper Board. No responsibility is taken for the accuracy of any of the information supplied and you should seek advice for your circumstances.