"Other side of the fence"

Like most people who work in health, we often see our colleagues doing a great job but not until we become a patient did we really respect the work they do. Recently I was admitted for a dog bite infection and medication reaction to Fitzroy Valley Health Service. Their professionalism and duty of care was amazing, especially the nurses in ED who talked me through things and made me smile even though I was in pain and concerned due to my history of allergies. A special thank you to Alisha for her quick response on my arrival.

This duty of care followed over into my ward admission and the nursing staff on each shift again were amazing, not only to me as a staff member, but to each patient. They demonstrated the same high level of care, compassion and attention to detail with each individual they were seeing too.

Other areas that I feel often get neglected are the patient support crew. As a patient, each person who came to my shared room to perform their role were fantastic and professional. Their customer service was of a very high standard and their smiles brightened the day. From the orderlies to the kitchen staff, each person was a pleasure to interact with. A big thank you also to Lily and Carol the food was amazing.

I would love to name all the nurses who saw to me individually, as each one should be recognised. They are a true team, no matter what shift of nurses were on duty the level of patient care did not alter.

But I especially want to thank the grad nurse Molly who attended to me daily. She was such a pleasure and really listened to me regarding my wound, how I felt and explained everything step by step. 

The skills she has learnt from the wonderful nursing team can be seen in her duty of care, her attention to detail and follow through. In my opinion, Molly demonstrated that she is a true asset to this profession.

Overall I have come away from this experience with a sense of great pride that I work with a fantastic team and as one of the admin front line workers, I can now say with confidence to the public that they will receive the best care of the highest standard by staff who are true professionals.

Thank you to all the staff for helping me through my patient journey and onto the road of recovery.