Practice Nurse Profile – Sahar Hakimzadeh

For Smithfield Medical and Dental Centre practice nurse, Sahar Hakimzadeh, every day is a chance to make someone smile. A passionate advocate for the elderly, she is committed to making sure they get the best care at all times.

 

How long have you been a practice nurse and how long have you been working in the South Western Sydney region?

I graduated in 2018 and I have been working in a medical practice for six years.

I’ve done different roles. I was an assistant in nursing and I used to work in aged care. My passion is working with elderly patients.

I am an immunisation nurse as well and I did that before getting into the medical practice.

 

When/why did you decide to pursue a career in nursing and specifically in primary care?

I mainly chose the medical centre because I have a young family. I gave birth around the time I graduated nursing and shift work at the hospital didn’t suit my lifestyle.

It’s more flexible working at the medical centre and easier to manage when you have a family. I have two children now.

I did a year at Prestons Medical Centre and after that I went to a medical centre at Gladesville for two years and did extra training for nursing because I have a lot of passion for my job.

 

Tell me about your ideal work day…

A typical day involves working with whatever is in the bookings, whether it’s immunisation, checking the fridge stock or doing health assessments which I love, especially with the 75-plus patients because I enjoy talking to older people. I love to hear their stories about how their lives were before and how it has changed.

I really love to help them, whether it’s a home medication review or some other aspect of their healthcare. Many of them are on a lot of medication so I can look at that. Also, if they need help at home or an aged care referral, I do what I can to help them with that.

Then I might spend some time doing recalls, checking on stock for the treatment room, things like that.

 

What do you love about nursing/what do you find most fulfilling about your role?

I believe it’s important to be fully engaged with the patients and I really enjoy it as well.

No matter what is happening in my life when I am at the practice I am always smiling, and the patients always ask me why I am so happy. The answer is pretty simple. I just love what I do, and I am always trying to make it a happy place for them.

It’s a wonderful job because you get a lot from your patients, and you learn a lot as well.

I used to work in aged care facilities as a nurse and now I am in general practice I feel so happy when I can do something for them, even if it’s something small, to make their day better.

 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love going to the gym. I go every single day, and I never miss it. And that’s a thing I encourage in all my patients. Physical activity is so important. Even to my patients who are on a walking frame I say just do five minutes of walking and it will make a difference.

So many younger adults say they don’t have time to exercise but if I can do it with a full-time job and two kids then so can they.

I also love listening to music and spending time with my large family.

 

How do you help educate your patients about maintaining good health?

I am constantly educating my patients. I encourage them to do their home medication review and recalls are very important. I find if I call them on the phone personally and ask them to come in then they are usually happy to do so.

I talk to them about exercise and their diet and aim to educate them about the risks of drinking or smoking and provide them with information which might help them to quit those habits which are not good for their health.