Taking a flexible approach to nursing

By Craig Donaldson

It can sometimes be a hard road for mothers to get back into the workforce. One success story is Belinda Moroney, a nurse who took a 14-year break from her career to raise her family.

Belinda had a strong love of nursing and knew she wanted to return to it, and in 1998, with the opening of North Shore Private Hospital, she rejoined the workforce as a casual Registered Nurse.

Belinda says the hospital provided a very supportive and understanding environment to work in.

“It’s a very cohesive group of people to work with, from management down. It’s a lovely place to work and I really enjoy it.”

As her children grew older Belinda went full-time at the hospital and soon progressed to become a Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Then, in 2003, she took on the job of running one of the busiest wards in the hospital, as Nursing Unit Manager of Orthopaedic.

“It’s a very busy ward with a high turnover of patients, but it’s very satisfying seeing people get better in the ward,” says Belinda.

The Orthopaedic Unit provides a wide range of procedures, from spinal surgery, shoulder replacements and knee reconstructions, through to the repair of bunions, Achilles tendon injuries and the release of Dupytren’s contracture.

“The team is very stable and there’s a lot of experience here,” says Belinda of the unit, which also boasts some of Australia’s most talented orthopaedic surgeons.

“The hospital also provides very generous education. We want to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in nursing practice, so we’re given the opportunity to do that by our management, who are very supportive of this.”

North Shore Private Hospital supports the development of new staff through a “buddy system”, in which senior staff members are paired up with new staff members to assist with their development.

“This helps new staff understand how things are done here and helps bring them up to speed,” says Belinda.

“It’s important for new staff to have someone who can support them if they are having a difficult time learning the ropes.”

The hospital is equipped with the latest in medical technology. In the orthopaedic unit, for example, laser computer-supported operating methods are employed in processes such as aligning a new knee replacement.

“This helps give patients a better outcome, and if we require new equipment it’s quite a simple matter of putting a request in,” explains Belinda.

“The doctors are also at the forefront of medical thinking and a lot of them are involved in research programs, so the nurses receive exposure to these programs which helps keep knowledge and skills current.”

North Shore Private Hospital will be at Warringah Mall during the week of 7-14 June promoting new development and employment opportunities.

An Open Day will be held on 7 June in the hospital’s conference centre at 3 Westbourne Street, St Leonards. For further information please contact Sally Bartlett on 02 8425 3023.

CareerOne.com.au, May 17, 2010.