No. 300

International Nurses Day

Today marks the 192nd anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.

International Nurses Day is designed to celebrate the contribution nurses such as Box Hill Hospital’s Wendy Sansom make to society.

A stomal therapist clinical nurse consultant from Camberwell, Ms Sansom has been nursing at Box Hill Hospital for the past 30 years.

“I thought (nursing) would be an interesting career, very diverse and rewarding and it’s proven to be all those things,” she said.

“I think the community in general holds nurses in high esteem.”

“The majority of people recognise how hard we work.”

Ms Sansom has taken on many roles throughout her career including nurse unit manager, clinical educator and setting up a pre-admissions clinic - but it is her work with stoma patients that stands out.

“It’s a wonderful area to work in because you see people at a vulnerable time and you help and educate them and get them back to living a normal life,” she said.

An ageing population, faster patient turnover, increasingly complex surgeries and illnesses, and more technical demands on nurses means nursing has changed, but Ms Sansom believes the job is still a popular career option.

“Over the years, nursing has become a lot more diverse,” she said.

“There are a lot more specialties and there are a huge range of careers available.”

Read more |  Whitehorse Leader, 12.05.12

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