Providing community nursing in regional Western Australia is a “must do” on the career bucket list for Silverchain’s registered nurse Kate Kelly.
As nurses throughout Australia prepare to mark International Nurses Day on 12 May, Mrs Kelly said working in regional WA broadened her skills and gave her a deeper understanding of community care.
Mrs Kelly is one of the 1,200 nurses across Silverchain Group delivering care throughout Australia for more than 125 years. In addition to dedicated practitioners, Silverchain also has Enrolled Nurses, Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners and Research Nurses working towards their PhDs.
Having started with Silverchain in early 2019, Mrs Kelly has undertaken regional placements in Geraldton in late 2019 and more recently in Broome in April this year.
Mrs Kelly said her small family unit, including husband Steve and Bull Terrier-cross Harvey, gave her the flexibility to respond quickly to the ever-present need for nursing help in regional areas.
“I feel very lucky to be able to add this regional experience to my career. I think it has contributed to becoming a better, more well-rounded nurse,” Mrs Kelly said.
“When you work in a city, you tend to have everything at your doorstep, but in the regions, clients face different challenges and people tend to be more vulnerable.
“I like talking to people and finding out about them. When they open up to me, I learn more about their health conditions and that helps me provide better care. I really do believe we offer a gold-class service at Silver Chain and I know there are people in the community who can’t survive without us.”
Silverchain National Nursing Director Lisa Turner said Silver Chain nurses provided an incredible range of clinical care and were committed to promoting the health and wellbeing of clients and communities around Australia.
“All of our nurses do an incredible job each day,” Ms Turner said. “Visiting our clients in their homes, workplaces, or community settings, drawing on specialised nursing expertise enables our clients to retain their independence and connection to their communities.”
Silverchain is committed to investing in a sustainable, high-quality nursing team that allows us to continue to transform health systems to meet the needs of our clients and communities now and into the future. This ties in with this year’s theme for International Nurses Day: “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health”.
“We know that our people are our greatest asset, and we value our skilled and dedicated nurses. We are committed to promoting nursing work and advocating for the profession,” Ms Turner said.