March 2013 - Hunter New England Health - NSW Government

Volunteer profile
Alysha Gill,
Occupational
Therapy Volunteer
When Alysha Gill proudly graduated from the
University of Newcastle in 2012 with a Bachelor
of Occupational Therapy (Honours), she
graduated with experience most of her fellow
students did not have.
For the past eight months 23-year-old Alysha has
been a volunteer with the Occupational Therapy
Department at John Hunter Children’s Hospital.
The motivation to volunteer came about following
a three month placement at the children’s
hospital for her degree.
“I enjoyed the placement so much I enquired
about becoming a volunteer while completing my
degree,” Alysha said.
“I do not see volunteering as a commitment, but a
fulfilling experience. I know every time I leave the
hospital I have made a difference in some way,”
she said.
John Hunter Children’s Hospital Occupational
Therapist Rachael Fallon said having a volunteer
who was in the later stages of their degree also
assisted the Occupational Therapy Department
with handwriting sessions and the evaluation of
groups.
“As Alysha had already spent time with us as a
student she already knew how groups were run
and was great assistance with guiding the clients
during the group’s sessions,” Rachael said.
“Having Alysha as a volunteer has provided
therapists with additional time to run groups and
the OT assistant to attend to other client matters.
Alysha has seen her time to date as a way
of giving back to the community and gaining
valuable training.
“My university lecturer encouraged all students
to engage in paid or un-paid work that had
transferrable skills to occupational therapy,”
Alysha said.
“I thought this was excellent advice, which is why
I pursued volunteering following my placement.
“There are many opportunities to learn new skills
which are relevant to future career paths,” she
said.
Fresh faces welcomed
Every year HNE Health sees a changing of the
guard as we welcome a new intake of nursing
and midwifery graduates.
Nurses and midwives play a major role in
coordinating care, and they are vital in our goal
to deliver excellence, for every patient, every
time.
New grads can choose to work in a range
of clinical settings, from our largest facility
John Hunter Hospital, to some of our smallest
facilities such as Barraba Multipurpose Service.
New graduates can also choose to spend their
(L-R) Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton, Debbie Key, Susan Sargent,
Sherri Shannon, Jessica Martin, Melissa Nelson, Claire Horton and NSW
Minister for Mental Health The Hon. Kevin Humphries.
first year in our mental health facilities.
Six new midwives joined maternity units across
the New England region last month (February)
following their graduation from HNE Health's
Rural Midwifery Education Program.
After a challenging year of full-time study
and on-the-job training with dedicated senior
midwives at Armidale, Inverell, Moree, Narrabri
and Tamworth, Claire Horton, Melissa Nelson,
Debbie Key, Sherri Shannon, Susan Sargent
and Jessica Martin entered the workforce as
fully fledged midwives.
All six graduates plan to
continue working in the
New England region.
Claire and Melissa are
at Armidale, Debbie is
at Inverell, Sherri takes
up a post in Moree,
Susan is in Narrabri, and
Jessica is working in
Tamworth.
Now in its 20th year,
the program has trained
more than 95 midwives,
many of whom have
stayed within the region
providing care in local
maternity units.
Between the
Flags
The Clinical Excellence Commission will
next month (April) conduct a number of
site visits within HNE Health, to support
the progress of the Between the Flags
program.
Feedback will be sought from clinicians
and managers on the successes and
challenges of the program, with HNE
Health’s Clinical Governance team
coordinating the visit.
The Between the Flags program is
designed to establish a 'safety net' in all
NSW public hospitals and healthcare
facilities that reduces the risks of
patients deteriorating unnoticed and
ensures they receive appropriate care in
response if they do.
The program uses the analogy of Surf
Life Saving Australia's Lifeguards
and Life Savers who keep people
safe by ensuring they are under close
observation and rapidly rescue them,
should something go wrong. For more
go to: www.cec.health.nsw.gov.au/
programs/between-the-flags
hnehealth.nsw.gov.au 13