Wednesday, May 8, 2024 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT Wairarapa Midweek
INTERNATIONAL
Nurses Day
Focus on Nurses at Whaiora International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated annually around the world on 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. Nightingale is known as the founder of modern nursing. She improved hygiene and living standards for soldiers needing care during the Crimean War in the 1850s, then went on to open the first secular nursing school in London, England. This year’s theme for IND is: Our Nurses. Our Future. The Economic Power of
Care. The International Council of Nurses says that “despite being the backbone of health care, nursing often faces financial constraints and societal undervaluation. IND 2024 aims to reshape perceptions, demonstrating how strategic investment in nursing can bring considerable economic and societal benefits.” Whaiora, established in Masterton in 2010, offers a range of primary care and community-based health and wellbeing services, all of which depend on teams of committed and highly trained registered nurses.
Celebrating our Wairarapa Midwives and Nurses
Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora Wairarapa want to sincerely thank all of our Wairarapa Nurses and Midwives for the professional, compassionate, high quality care they provide to our community each and every day. You have all displayed impressive tenacity in responding to significant challenges during a difficult year.
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Primary care practice nurses at Whaiora Practice Nurses are usually the first point of primary care contact for people seeking health services. They are highly trained, and work with General Practitioners (GPs) and others in practices like the medical centre at Whaiora. Aimee Chapman, team lead for Practice Nurses at Whaiora, is quick to point out that the “grass is not greener on the other side of the ditch.” She spent nine years working in private practice in Western Australia but is delighted to be home. At Whaiora, she says, the salary is better and she has the support of her whānau. “There are also lots of great nursing opportunities in New Zealand nursing in general and in Whaiora in particular,” she says. “Practice Nurses get to work autonomously, but within the supportive safety net of a team. In New
Zealand, we can also train to broaden our scope of practice, too, which is highly motivating and rewarding.” The medical centre at Whaiora is designated a ‘Very Low-Cost Access’ centre for whānau Māori, Pasifika peoples, and those who find it hard to access healthcare. At the moment, the medical centre has around 3,300 patients and is not able to accept any new patients. However, it is always keen to hear from nurses who might be looking for a new parttime or full-time role. Practice Nurses are the first port of call for patients of Whaiora, and this helps takes the pressure off the small number of GPs. Ngapere, with nine years of nursing under her belt, is a clinical coordinator with the medical centre. She focuses on working across Whaiora and Continued on page 22
Nuturing Understanding Reassuring Sympathetic Extraodinary
Thank you for all that you do! 5 May 2024 – International Day of the Midwife 12 May 2024 – International Nurses Day
For all enquiries please phone 06 378 7059 52/95 Cole Street, Masterton