Topic: Practice nursing

Due to family commitments, Kerry Feighan divides her working week between Casula Mall Medical Practice (two days) and Newcastle/Lake Macquarie. She began her career as an Assistant in Nursing before completing a Bachelor of Nursing Degree in 2000. Kerry worked across the medical spectrum but decided 15 years ago she wanted a lifestyle change which would work for her young family. She discovered primary care nursing was where she “shined and thrived”. 

How long have you been a practice nurse and how long have you been working in the Liverpool LGA? 

I’ve been a registered nurse for more than 22 years now and a practice nurse in primary healthcare for 15 years.

I work in Lake Macquarie, Newcastle and more recently in Casula (Liverpool LGA). I commenced working as an Assistance in Nursing in 1994 and decided I wanted to do more in nursing, so I completed my Bachelor of Nursing Degree at the University of Newcastle in 2000.

I did my transitional program in the private section working at Warners Bay, Lingard and Christo Road Private hospitals in Newcastle. My placements were in orthopedics, general medical/surgical nursing and oncology. I worked for about five years in orthopedic nursing at Warners Bay Private.

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

I was after a change and something which would work well for me and my young family at the time. I found primary care nursing is where I shine and thrive.

Tell us about the role of nurses in primary care

My role as a primary healthcare nurse in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and South Western Sydney (Casula) is enjoyable, fulfilling and rewarding. My daily tasks range from care planning, health assessments, administering immunisations to all ages, wound care, patient education and blood collection.

The role of a practice nurse is to aid and assist the GP by performing various tasks which improve the clinical outcomes for the patient. For example, care plans are tools performed by the primary health nurse whereby the GP can monitor the patients’ health more closely and refer patients to allied health professionals for care, such as dietician for education on correct nutritional intake and podiatrist for foot assessment and foot care to prevent/minimise complications and aid in better patient outcomes.

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

Primary health nursing is newish to me at Casula. I find myself meeting new people from many different cultures. I help them to become the healthiest they can be even though they may have significant health issues. I thoroughly enjoy working with people of all ages and find Casula Mall Medical Centre a family friendly practice.

The husband and wife GPs, Dr Sudesh Uppal and Dr Surinder Uppal, are great to work for and the practice manager, Grace, and receptionist Patsy are lovely and so dedicated to their work. I feel honoured to be part of this amazing team working together to aid in providing the optimum level of care to our patients. Furthermore, this will enhance a positive outcome for our many patients.

Mandeep (Mandy) Dosanjh (pictured right) has been a practice nurse for just six months, but she is already dedicated to her role at Walker Street General Practice, Bowral. Her ideal day is when she can conjure a smile on the faces of her elderly and youngest patients. Mandeep was drawn to nursing after hearing stories about her great grandmother who served as a nurse in World War II.

How long have you been a practice nurse and how long have you been working in the Wingecarribee LGA? 

I have been a practice nurse for six months and have been working in nursing for almost five years.

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

I decided from school age, as I used to see how nurses care for people so gently. I did a Diploma of Nursing in my home country and then advanced with a Bachelor Degree at Western Sydney University.

Tell us about the role of nurses in primary care

Day-to-day: I check on the care of our regular patients and make sure they are keeping on track with their lifestyle. If changes are needed, then I encourage them; childhood vaccinations and adding reminders to the system so they don’t forget their next one; wound care, both acute and chronic; COVID-19 vaccines; BMI checks; flu vaxes.

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

I love everything about nursing. It starts with caring for old people when they need our care and respect. I just love taking care of their wounds and the ageing process, to help them where needed to feel more independent without them realising that’s what I’m doing.

Tell me about your ideal workday

For me each day is ideal, but I can be more fulfilled by making both my elderly patients and the little ones finish with a smile on their face. I remember one day my patient felt so good after talking about his wife whom he had lost a couple of years before. I just listened to him sharing his memories with me, without focusing on my care plan completion.

What do you like to do in your spare time? 

If at work, I love cleaning and stocking up to make it easy for all. If at home, I enjoy cleaning, listening to calm music and cooking.

Do you have any role models and why?

My great grandmother was a nurse and served in World War II. I used to hear stories from my mother, it created a picture of her and I started to like nursing. I wanted to be a good nurse like her.

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

Just to keep up the physical activities as much as they can tolerate, intake of good fibre and less sugar, listen to good news instead of negative, drink more water than sugary drinks, just keep moving and stay positive as much as possible.

With a passion for working with our older population, Jessie Beresford from The Practice at Bundanoon is a hard-working practice nurse and clinic owner/manager. Establishing an ongoing relationship with her patients, Jess looks forward to engaging with patients to promote better health outcomes.

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

I graduated in 2011 from a Bachelor of Nursing and have been working as a registered nurse ever since!  I am currently studying a Diploma in Practice Management. I have worked in the hospital system as well as radiology, aged care, practice nursing, disability and governance. I have been working in South Western Sydney as a practice nurse since purchasing The Practice Bundanoon with my business partner in May 2022.

Why did you decide to pursue a career in nursing/primary care?  

I had been working in management for over five years and I was ready for a new adventure and challenge. My business partner and I collaborated and decided we wanted to be able to extend our clinical knowledge and experience in our local community, hence why we purchased our own practice.

What is your day-to-day role and how do you contribute to improving clinical outcomes?

My day-to-day role is a combination of practice manager/business owner and practice nurse. The tasks at hand depend on the day. On Tuesday to Thursday most of my day involves face-to-face clinics. This includes home visits and visits for education to the local nursing home. Mondays and Fridays are business administration, including writing policies, protocols and education for our practice.

What do you love about your role as a practice nurse?

The main joy for me from my role in the practice is the therapeutic relationship you can achieve through a kind and informative clinical relationship. This enables and promotes trust and, in our experience, engages the patient to achieve a better health outcome, especially for chronic health management. It’s so great when we see patients achieving their health goals!

What is the biggest challenge of the role and how do you overcome this?

The biggest challenge is the lack of community support to assist aged care residents remain in the community or assist them into a residential aged care home or to remain in their own home with support. We live in a society where we have many older people who do not have the support network in their family unit due to many factors, including time restraints for relatives, family dynamics and not having children. This creates a gap for advocacy. In our practice we will go above and beyond to assist each patient access the assistance they need and/or entitled to, to enable them the quality of life they deserve.

Tell me about your ideal workday!

My ideal workday is going to our local café collecting a premade order of caffeine, a line-up of appointments and at the end of the day knowing you did the best you can to make a difference in that patient’s life in the moment they spent time with you.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My spare time is filled with the love of my family. I have an energetic two-year-old girl and a supportive husband who we married two months before we took over the practice. The other spare bits of time are filled with my beautiful horses, dogs and cat who are especially patient, and enable me to have the balanced life I dreamed of!