Saluting our aged care nurses

We love our nurses. Nurses have held the title as the most trusted and ethical profession in Australia for the past 20 years.

However, aged care nursing still often faces stereotypes that depict the profession as less interesting and exciting when compared to working in emergency, maternity or other clinical settings.

Registered nurses like Ana Hourihan disagree. She says aged care offers nurses a fulfilling career. She is the care manager at one of VMCH’s newest services, Star of the Sea Residential Aged Care in Torquay.

“I’m really passionate about working in aged care. There can be a stigma around nursing in aged care. It concerns me when I hear that.

“In aged care, you build a relationship with residents because you see them every day and you have more of a connection with them. In hospital, you work with different patients every day.”

Ana says one of the most rewarding parts of her job is meeting interesting people and using her nursing skills to help them.

“I like building relationships with residents. It gives me a lot of satisfaction knowing that in little things, I have actually helped someone.”

Registered nurses complete a three-year bachelor degree at university and are trained to assess, monitor and manage complex medical conditions. Once they leave university they can choose more than 100 specialist areas to work in. So, why choose aged care nursing?

VMCH quality co-ordinator Emma Mole said spending time in aged care was a great career opportunity for nurses who wanted to develop their management and people skills.

Registered nurses in aged care liaise closely with personal care staff, management, families and allied health services to ensure that any health issues faced by residents are quickly and effectively addressed.

International Nurses Day is on Saturday, May 12 to mark the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.