News

Joondalup stars in nursing awards

Apr 18, 2016

Three nurses and a midwife from Joondalup Health Campus are finalists in this year’s WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards.

The coveted awards are run by the Western Australian Department of Health every year to recognise nurses and midwives who have made an exceptions contribution to their professions in WA.

Ocean Reef resident and award finalist Audrey Mackay is a midwife who works as the graduate nurse coordinator at Joondalup Health Campus.

Deputy Director of Clinical Services Brendon Burns nominated Audrey saying she is an absolute inspiration to the next generation of midwives.

“Last year Joondalup Health Campus helped bring more than 4000 new lives into the world, making us one of the busiest maternity units in the State,” he said. “Audrey plays a pivotal role in ensuring that new midwives are given the support they need to deliver the best care to new mums and their babies.”

“It is because of Audrey’s professionalism and passion that the hospital has an impressively high employment retention rate with 100 per cent of graduates applying for and obtaining positions here for the past two years.”

The other Joondalup Health Campus award finalists are nurses Angie Monk, Sarah Oplaat and Jay Ewers.

Carramar resident Angie Monk is employed as the Patient Blood Management Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) and is recognised for establishing one of the best blood management services in the country.

Thanks to Angie, last year Joondalup Health Campus was selected as one of 12 hospitals Australia-wide to sit on the National Blood Management Collaborative, which was formed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.

Quinns Rock mother-of-five Sarah Oplaat is an Advanced Skill Enrolled Nurse on the Medical Assessment Unit where she works assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating patient care. She was inspired to enter the nursing profession after caring for her sister who passed away from leukaemia in hospital.

And Aveley resident Jay Ewers works in the hospital’s busy operating theatres as a newly graduated registered nurse – he had worked as an enrolled nurse for nine years prior to obtaining his registration. He is also the hospital’s organ donor champion and a cell saver practitioner, meaning he helps with and educating staff on blood collection processing and reinfusion.

Director of Clinical Services Ben Irish said the hospital was incredibly proud of all four finalists and credited them with upholding the number one value of the profession in putting patients’ best interests at the centre of all that they do.

“They are truly outstanding examples of professionals who go beyond the call of duty and we are very fortunate to have them on staff,” he said.

The award winners will be announced at a Gala Ball being held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday 7 May.