Emergency nurses highlighted on day

EMERGENCY Nurses Day was marked last week with Grampians Health staff seeking to highlight the work of the frontline medicos.

Ballarat Base Hospital’s emergency nurse unit manager Kirsty McLean said teamwork and collaboration between colleagues is key to successful outcomes.

“What makes our teamwork strong is the cooperation of doctors, nurses, orderlies and ward clerks all supporting each other,” she said.

“Every team member who works in ED talks about how well we all work together to meet each challenge and get the job done.

“It’s what makes people such as nurses on placement want to come back to work at our organisation.”

Ms McLean said she has nursing colleagues in Dimboola, Edenhope, Horsham and Stawell as part of the amalgamated health service, and that she is contributing to, and benefiting from, work being done across the region.

“I feel very comfortable ringing Horsham emergency department’s NUM Odette Richards and asking her for help with forms or around programs they’ve adopted,” she said.

“In return, Odette is happy to ring me to ask about things like our short stay pathways and I can provide support there. It’s no different with Stawell’s Urgent Care.

“We are supporting Stawell’s urgent care nurses to consolidate and maintain skills by working in a supernumerary role in our resuscitation bay at Ballarat.

“We have also offered to our staff the opportunity to work in Stawell and Horsham. We are working together and striving for the same thing.”