2014 Recipients
Ashleigh Tracey
My name is Ashleigh Tracey and my career as a neuroscience intensive care nurse began as 19 year old bright eyed and bushy tailed student nurse. From the first moment I stepped inside the ICU I knew it was the career I had dreamt of. I have been a member of the Neuroscience ICU for the past 9 years with 5 of those as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. During this time, I have also worked as a Clinical Nurse Educator, Organ Donor Coordinator, Team Leader and most recently as the acting Nursing Unit Manager of Neuroscience ICU. I have been fortunate enough expand my nursing career through teaching the nurses and doctors at Timor Leste National Hospital basic life support skills and management of the critically ill patient and have continued my professional development through completing a Master of Nursing (Advanced Practice) at the University of Technology, Sydney. Through completing my Master of Nursing, I hope to be able to make a valuable contribution to the Intensive Care Unit and not only be able to provide quality patient care, but support my colleagues with their own professional development pathways.
Sarah Webb
Sarah Webb is the Resuscitation Clinical Nurse Consultant at Royal North Shore Hospital. She has worked as an ICU nurse for ten years and has worked at RNSH ICU since 2007. During this time she has been encouraged to develop her clinical and professional skills through a number of professional opportunities including; Clinical Nurse Specialist, ICU Clinical Coordinator, ICU Quality Coordinator and ICU Educator as well as becoming a registered midwife and gaining some experience in aeromedical retrieval. In 2012, she became the first Resuscitation CNC at RNSH. The Northcare Foundation has been pivotal in Sarah’s professional development and expansion of knowledge and skill by providing scholarship funds that have contributed to the cost of her postgraduate studies. Sarah has completed a Master of Nursing (Intensive Care), a Graduate Diploma of Midwifery and is now completing a Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner). In the future, Sarah hopes to pursue a new career path for ICU nurses by becoming a nurse practitioner in the ICU. The scholarship provided by Northcare has significantly reduced the financial burden of postgraduate study that often prohibits nurses from pursuing professional careers in nursing.
Emily Fitzgerald
My name is Emily Fitzgerald and I am a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the ICU at Royal North Shore Hospital. I have worked in the ICU for the past 8 years in both the Neuroscience ICU and the General ICU. During this time I have completed a Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing, a Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management and a Master in Advanced Practice Nursing. These qualifications have allowed me to gain the knowledge and skills required to work as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the unit and to undertake a secondment as Clinical Coordinator of the Neuroscience ICU. I hope to use these qualifications to further my nursing career and explore my interests in management and research.
Marni Hawthorne
I became a registered nurse in 2011 following completion of my nursing degree at Charles Sturt University. It was at this time that I was successful in gaining a position in the new graduate program at Royal North Shore Hospital. Where I completed two 6 month rotations in medical and surgical wards. After which I successfully gained a position in the General Intensive Care Unit. I was then encouraged and supported by colleagues/senior staff to complete a postgraduate certificate in Critical Care, through the University of Technology Sydney. The support of the Northcare scholarship fund has made it possible for me to gain this postgraduate qualification. Allowing me to move forward in achieving my career goals in the area of critical care.
Sushila Khadka
My name is Sushila Khadka and i currently work in Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at Royal NorthShore Hospital. I am currently enrolled in Graduate Certificate of Critical Care Nursing and its overall focus is, extended practice that is underpinned by the ability to practice safely and competently, synthesize specialty knowledge, skills and expertise in order to enhance the quality of care for patients and their families. The relevance is immediately clear when considered in the light of my substantive position as an ICU nurse caring for critically ill patient where I continuously liaise with colleagues and medical team to provide optimal care.
Bronwyn McRae
My name is Bronwyn McRae and I am currently a Clinical Nurse Specialist in in the General Intensive Care Unit where I have worked since January 2009. In 2013, I undertook a Post Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management through the University of Technology Sydney. This qualification addressed issues in the Australian Health care system, epidemiology and population health, data management and manipulation and the areas of patient quality and safety. I believe that a nurse’s decision to undertake further study is greatly influenced by the financial implications of study; with the support nurses such as myself receive from Northcare seldom occurring in other organisations. Northcares support has encouraged and allowed me to continue with my professional development through lifting the financial burden of tertiary study. The undertaking of this qualification in 2013 has allowed me to develop a new skill set and knowledge base which I believe will benefit both the patients that I care for and their families in my future care.
Hailey Fenton
My name is Hailey Fenton and I am a Registered Nurse currently employed at Royal North Shore Hospital in the Intensive care Unit. I was accepted into the direct entry ICU new graduate program in 2010 and it was then that I developed a passion for caring for the critically ill patient. The post graduate degree in Critical Care Nursing has given me the opportunity to improve on my current nursing practice by expanding my previous knowledge through means of challenging, new and thought provoking assessment tasks and examinations. The Northcare scholarship has benefited me with ongoing support for continual education in the area critical care nursing for which I am extremely appreciative.
Christine Pfeiffer
My name is Christine Pfeiffer. I am a Registered Nurse currently working in the Intensive Care Unit at the Royal North Shore Hospital. This is my second year working in the ICU and I have also just completed the Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing at the University of Technology, Sydney.
Intensive Care/ Critical care nurses are amongst the most knowledgeable and skilled nurses. Therefore it is evident that ongoing professional development and education is essential to ensure patients receive the highest quality and safest care and hence why I chose to undertake this course.
Through studying and completing the Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing at the University of Technology Sydney, I believe that the knowledge, education and professional development gained has enhanced my skills within my current role and helps me to provide a greater quality of care to my patients and their families.
The Northcare Foundation has provided immense support to critical care nurses undertaking further postgraduate education, such as myself. Northcare’s support provides as extra incentive and motivation for nurses to seek further education and hence provide quality care and continue their professional development.