Profile Archives | Page 8 of 10 | South Western Sydney PHN

03 August 2021

For Dr Bilal Karime from Narellan Town Medical Centre, continuity of care is essential to improving the health outcomes of his patients. This approach has had positive results for patients who attend the diabetes clinic he established at his practice last year.

How long have you been a GP and how long have you been practicing in Narellan?

After being lucky enough to work for several years at Liverpool Hospital, I left the hospital and started family medicine in 2014 (Australian General Practice Training – AGPT – Program). I was fortunate to start as a GP in the Southern Highlands. I started at the Southern Medical Centre in Moss Vale where my learning curve spiked every day. My best time was during the six years I worked in Moss Vale /Bundanoon where I learnt how to treat diabetes, palliative care, skin surgery, geriatrics and caring for nursing home residents. I learnt how to make decisions and be responsible for them. I obtained great confidence and pride from being a country GP.

The number of skills achieved during the above time was great. I had a great mentor, Dr Vincent Roche, who gave me a lot of confidence, pride, education and skills. His fingerprints will always stay in my work.

I moved to Narellan in 2019, initially starting as a part-timer, later on becoming a full time GP – six days a week. I am now the principal family physician and I’m slowly transferring all the skills I learnt in the country to here – a work still in progress…

Why did you decide to become a GP?

During my time at Liverpool Hospital, one rotation affected me significantly – the Medical Assessment Unit with Dr Colin Macarthur (geriatrician and director of medical services) – a great clinician. I wanted to be a caring doctor like him and to cover all aspects of medicine. He supported my vision to be a comprehensive clinician, I was impressed and influenced by his work. I learnt about continuity of care and the importance of family doctors as Dr Macarthur used to call the patients’ GP himself or asked me to do so before discharging the patient to hand over to his regular GP.

Another reason – choosing a balance between work and family. I experienced working very long hours in the hospital, starting between 7am and 8am and finishing late, sometimes 11pm on the weekends. I became a stranger to my family as I was not able to see them much.

What do you love most about being a GP? What gives you the most satisfaction?

I’m satisfied when I practice evidence-based medicine, when I see a patient following up with an evidence-based treatment. I feel we are the cornerstone of medical care as I always see in hospital discharge letters or other clinician’s letters “follow up with GP”, “GP please chase”, “GP to monitor”. I feel most satisfied when calling the ED admitting officer and notifying him of a patient coming to emergency, doing a proper handover and exploring my reasoning for urgent care. I feel satisfied when I come to an agreement with a patient that he has a “substance use disorder” and we agree on a treatment plan to treat it, not just prescribing. Satisfaction comes when I see the diabetic cycle of care completed with all markers down. I feel satisfied when changing our practice protocol to ensure we are a quality practice not just a medical centre – a work still in progress…

I feel satisfied when I spread the fact that the family physician is not a referring service only, we are involved to the bone of medical care.

What do you think the most important thing you and your practice contributes to the community?

We establish very good patient-doctor relationships with this community – in other words, I’m taking the country style of doctor to the city. I always encourage continuity of care and promote a culture of sticking to your doctor and sticking to your medical centre because they know you, even if it means I loose patients sometimes. This is number one. Number two is the diabetic clinic I established last year. We are a member of the National Association of Diabetes Centres. We serve the community, particularly people with metabolic features and diabetes, by helping patients understand what things like vascular disease and diabetes are, and providing good follow up care as per the RACGP guidelines. This prevents or reduces serious outcomes like strokes and ischemia heart disease (IHD) and end organ damage. I also have pregnant patients with gestational diabetes and we help them through pregnancy and even after delivery with their children.

One of the important things we offer to community is the input of the senior diabetic educator Jill Snow who is assisting the diabetic patients even on the weekends. She is one of the assets of our medical care. While knowing our limitations and when to refer to the endocrinologist team, we are reducing pressure on the health system by being able to screen, detect and manage diabetes relying on our diabetic clinic team and referring when appropriate.

What do you do in your spare time?

I enjoy spending the rest of my time with my three children and my wife – I mean it. I have a background in martial arts and now my kids do martial arts and dancing. My son who is 14 years old has a 1st dan black belt in Taekwondo and now he’s training me in my free time, and he is looking after my fitness. My daughter is studying speech pathology and I spend time with her exploring her subjects and helping if needed. My wife and I spend time to offer them personal development. It’s all about family.

Tell me about your ideal work day …

My ideal work day is doing a diabetes review and seeing several patients with the markers of diabetes getting better, giving a vaccination to a young person, treating a pregnant woman and guiding her in the protocol of antenatal shared care, helping someone with mental health concerns – we see everybody. The ideal day is when I feel my patients are safe and I offer the best evidence-based medical treatment. I also like to make sure everybody is happy and comfortable in the practice, including the receptionist and the nurse. My best day is when I spend the day as one of the team. When I started I told them ‘don’t call me doctor, call me Bilal’. I don’t like the hierarchy and the title in teamwork, because if you work as a team, and you maintain care, professionalism and mutual respect, everyone feels comfortable and the patients will get greater benefits.

What do you love most about this area?

This area has plenty of young families, where we can follow up with them stage by stage. It’s a nice and straightforward population – they don’t have time to get sick and stay home, so we are on standby for them.

I really became attached to working in the country. When I decided to move, I decided to move to a place which was a bit similar. Extended family of my Southern Highlands patients live in the Camden area. The most important thing though, is that it is close to my house – about 15 minutes away. I used to stay in the country for a couple of days but my daughter is a university student now, so I wanted to be closer to home to support my wife and kids.

Also, it is handy to work in Narellan Town Medical Centre, given my wife use to send me a message at 7.30pm to get bread or groceries and guess what? Coles is 10 steps from my room!

What advice do you give to your patients about maintaining good health?

I tell them continuity of care is very important – don’t move between doctors. Number two – make sure you’re receiving the best evidence-based medical practice. Number three – be involved in your own care, be a partner, don’t just have a test without asking the question “is this going to change the management of my care?” It’s mostly about educating people about the above.

27 July 2021

Practice nurse Kimberley Moutia loves her work in Aboriginal health, and is passionate about the community in which she works and supporting her patients to improve their health.

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

I have been a practice nurse for almost two years, working at Gandangara Health Services in Liverpool.

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

I decided straight out of high school I wanted to pursue a nursing career, as I have always been interested in the human body and learning about the complex processes involved in the things we take for granted (ie breathing, eating, fighting infection, walking etc). I found myself falling into a primary care career after spending time working in hospitals where I found the fast turn-around of patients impacted the ability to develop a valuable therapeutic relationship. I found the way we completely lost touch with our patients as they left the service off-putting and really wished I could follow up with them to find out how they were travelling after leaving hospital. I worked in clinical trials for about 18 months and enjoyed being able to see the patients through over months and years. From that I found myself in a role in primary health at an Aboriginal Medical Centre, which felt immediately more aligned with my passions. This, and my longing to follow clients through their holistic health journey, as well as the added submersion into Aboriginal culture, focusing on the health benefits of reconnecting to culture and spirit.

Tell us about the role of nurses in primary care

In Aboriginal primary health the role of the RN is wide and varied. It includes anything from your basic observations, immunisations, wounds, injections, chronic disease management plans, health education, to Aboriginal Health Assessments, venipuncture, assisting with procedures (removal of lesions, insertion/removal of contraceptive devices, ear syringing etc), sitting on community health committees, and participating in the planning and delivery of community events and networking.

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

I love helping people to understand what is going on with their bodies and solving problems they may not have realised could have been solved. I also love being with people on their health journey, and seeing how much their health can improve with the right intervention and support.

What is your biggest challenge as a PN and how do you overcome this?

The biggest challenge I have faced is adjusting to working in Aboriginal health. I didn’t realise before working in Aboriginal health how different it was to mainstream GP practices. The community becomes your family, and you become so passionate about following up, learning about their family and community groups, attending community events … it’s a whole other world and I absolutely love it but it was a complete flip of what I’d learned so far.

Tell me about your ideal work day…

I’m lucky enough to work with an amazing team who feel like family to me, so every day feels kind of ideal. Specifically, I love attending community events and running health promotion programs, so an ideal day would be me and my team going out in the community and delivering health promotion to everyone over a lovely BBQ.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I have two children under the age of five, so in my spare time I’m always playing games with them, taking them out to enjoy nature, doing arts and crafts, and just having fun. Being a practice nurse means I can manage a good work-life balance most of the time.

Do you have any role models and why?

I work with a whole list of people who I consider role models. Of note, my senior PN Emma has been an amazing mentor for me in adjusting to working as a PN. She sets the example of the kind of nurse that I strive to be. She is passionate, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring for all the patients and staff.

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

I lead by example but also provide an understanding ear to listen and gently guide them on their journey. The 715 Aboriginal Health Assessment has been a great asset in assessing and then educating clients on all aspects of health (physical, mental, spiritual, social), so we do this frequently in clinic.

06 July 2021

Dr Randa Al-Hajali of Campbelltown Medical and Dental Centre is continually learning and improving her skills through study and webinars, including currently studying for a Double Diploma in Skin Cancer Medicine and Surgery. Get to know Dr Al-Hajali through this month’s GP Profile.

How long have you been a GP and how long have you been practising in the Campbelltown LGA?

I have been a GP since 1998, starting as a part-time Locum, then full-time. I have been practising in Campbelltown since 2001.

When/why did you decide you wanted to become a GP?

I decided to become a GP in 1998 during my Locum work, when I was a senior Resident Medical Officer at St Vincent’s Hospital and planning for specialist training. I like how a GP is involved in patient care and is the first station patients turn up to.

What do you love most about being a GP/what part of the job gives you the most satisfaction?

I love the journey I share with my patients and their families during the course of their illness, providing them with medical and emotional support. I also love the relationship we build with our patients when we become the trusted figures and listening ears in their lives.

What is the most important thing you/your practice contributes to this community?

Apart from the GP services, the most important thing my practice contributes is affordable healthcare for the community. We are fully bulk billed for all allied health and most specialist services. I also provide a skin cancer service (medical and surgical) and antenatal shared care.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My spare time is the weekend and I usually spend it with my son or friends going out to different places in Sydney and surroundings, or shopping.

Tell me about your ideal work day…

After work I catch up with my study or webinars. At present I’m completing my Double Diploma in Skin Cancer Medicine and Surgery.

What do you love most about the Campbelltown LGA?

I love how Campbelltown is growing fast and has a united multicultural community.

What advice do you give your patients about maintaining good health?

I advise my patients to eat healthy food, exercise regularly, look after their mental wellbeing and stay in high spirits.

30 June 2021

Practice nurse Sharni Xuereb from Our Medical Home Gregory Hills says she was always meant to be a nurse – a role she loves. She says the most fulfilling part of her job is knowing ‘I have helped an individual whether it be something minor or major’.

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

I began my practice nursing career at Our Medical Home Gregory Hills in January 2021.

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

When I finished high school in 2013, I was unsure what career path I wanted to take. For as long as I can remember my mum kept telling me “you should be a nurse Sharni, one day you will realise it and become a nurse” and I brushed her off about it for years.

Then, one day a light bulb went off in my head and I decided I would do a TAFE course and see how I went. I started out by doing my Certificate II in Health Services Assistant and I loved it and decided to study an Enrolled Nursing Diploma. I was enjoying the course but was still unsure.

Unfortunately, my grandmother received news – she had pancreatic and lung cancer. My heart broke. I was fortunate enough to help my family take care of her. I took my grandmother to all her chemotherapy appointments and would help take care of her. As time went on eventually my grandmother needed to go into a palliative care ward. I would be with her every day and that is when I knew being a nurse was the only career I wanted. I was meant to be a nurse. When my grandmother passed away, I headed to university to complete my RN degree. I am still studying, and working in a primary care environment has given me the opportunity to learn new skills and apply everything I have learnt in the clinical environment.

Tell us about the role of nurses in primary care

I work in a very busy medical centre. Altogether I work alongside 16 doctors. No two of my days are the same. I see a variety of patients for different reasons every day. Working directly with GPs I am able to assist them to have things organised and prepped ready to ensure their day runs smoothly. Some patients I see daily, this can take a lot of the pressure off the hospital system as I am able to build a strong rapport with the individuals on a daily basis.

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

I love being a nurse. The most fulfilling part of my job is knowing I have helped an individual whether it be something minor or major. Being a nurse, I see some people in their most vulnerable times in life and being able to talk to them and build a relationship with them makes me love being a nurse even more.

What is your biggest challenge as a PN and how do you overcome this?

My biggest challenge would have to be not knowing what’s about to come through my treatment room door. I see a variety of medical things such as vaccinations, asthma attacks, chest pain, chronic wounds, lacerations and so much more. Being ready and prepared would have to be my biggest challenge because I need to be ready and focused to assist in any medical case I may see.

Tell me about your ideal work day

My ideal workday would have to be a day that runs smoothly. Sometimes medical emergencies can come in at the same time. Being able to adjust myself and be organised to triage all of them appropriately, and ensuring a smoothly run day, is definitely my ideal workday.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I currently am studying my RN degree at university. While I spend a lot of time on my degree, I enjoy spending quality time with my parents. They are so proud of me and I love how close I am with them and can tell them about what I do at work. I speak to my Mum every day and am grateful I am able to do that.

Do you have any role models and why?

One of my biggest role models would have to be my treatment room team leader Kelly Andronicus. The support she has given me is incredible. I talk to Kelly about everything, what I might have seen within my shift or what’s been happening at university and Kelly has always given me words of wisdom and encouraged me to continue my path as a nurse.

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

When it comes to educating my patients about a healthy lifestyle, I always reflect on what I do too. I would never ask my patients to do anything that I don’t believe I could do myself. I feel as though patients asking for advice would want to know what I do myself to also maintain a healthy lifestyle.

08 June 2021

Narellan Town Medical Centre’s Dr Esther Amarasingham was initially attracted to the diversity of general practice. As a new mother, she is now also appreciating the good work-life balance the specialty offers.

How long have you been a GP and how long have you been practising in Narellan?

I completed my training in London in 2016 and worked as a GP over there before migrating to Australia in 2017. I have been working in Narellan since then.

When/why did you decide you wanted to become a GP?

I decided to become a GP during my intern years. Having completed rotations in various specialities, I must say that the diversity I saw within the general practice was one of the main driving forces for choosing this specialty. I enjoyed the challenge of seeing patients of all ages who present with a variety of concerns. Now as a mother, it is also helping me to maintain a good work-life balance.

What do you love most about being a GP/what part of the job gives you the most satisfaction?

For me what I love about being a GP is the continuity of care that I am able to provide to my patients. I feel most satisfied when my patients leave the consult room feeling satisfied with the consult and of course seeing them recover and returning back to their day-to-day life.

What is the most important thing you/your practice contributes to this community?

We place a lot of emphasis on preventative medicine. As a team we identify and remind our patients when they are due for their routine health checks and screening tests. As well as that we focus on patient education and empowerment to enable them to able to identify red flag symptoms, manage their conditions and make informed decisions about their care.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

As a new mother to a beautiful one-year-old girl most of my spare time is now taken up caring for her and keeping her entertained. As a family, we do spend a lot of time outdoors exploring zoos, parks and play areas.

Tell me about your ideal work day…

I don’t have an ideal work day, as I have mentioned every day is different and I have the opportunity to assess and support patients with a wide range of concerns.

What do you love most about Narellan?

Transitioning from working in London to Narellan seemed quite effortless due to our lovely patient base and the support and guidance from South Western Sydney PHN.

What advice do you give your patients about maintaining good health?

I always emphasise to my patients that for overall good health one must always take care of their mental wellbeing as well as focusing on a healthy diet and exercise.

31 May 2021

Mandy Pilottos from Camden Central Family Practice has been caring for the Camden community for 16 years as a practice nurse. Mandy is a “lifelong learner” who shares her knowledge with patients with the aim of improving their health outcomes.

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

I began my new career as a practice nurse in June 2005 at Camden Central Family Practice, so in total I am coming up to 16 years in the Camden Local Government Area.

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

My decision to become a nurse was primarily influenced by my grandmother, mother and sister being Registered Nurses. My father was a radiographer, so our mealtime conversations were sometimes frank and uninhibited. When I left school the options seemed limited – nursing or teaching were the only things that interested me.

My paternal grandmother died when I was 16 years of age of a brain tumour. I didn’t cope with her death well. At my preliminary interview at Liverpool Hospital (I was the second last group to go through the hospital system) my answer to why I wanted to be a nurse was: “I wanted to know how to cope with death’’.

I was involved in community nursing a few years prior to becoming a practice nurse.

I worked for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) looking after clients in their home for an agency, and when the agency dissolved I became a sole provider for DVA to complete my commitment to the veterans I cared for until they no longer required care in the community. I entered primary care mainly because a former nursing colleague asked me to come work for her agency –the work hours suited my family commitments and allowed me to have some work/life balance. In 2004 I did a Registered Nurse refresher course because I was feeling a bit discouraged working in a nursing home after working in the community and needed some confidence to try elsewhere. The hospital system at the time was disappointing and I knew I didn’t wish to return there. My husband encouraged me to try practice nursing because the part-time hours at the time suited our family.

Tell us about the role of nurses in primary care …

The role of practice nurses is varied and interesting. I have never learnt as much as what I have in practice nursing – health is forever changing and you have to constantly keep up with the changes.

I see the role as providing a safe environment for our staff and patients, administering First Aid when necessary and keeping patients out of hospital and in their homes. My day-to-day role involves mainly cold chain management of vaccines, cleaning, sterilising instruments, assisting with procedures, wound management, administrative stuff like recalls, maintaining the treatment room, ordering of stock, liaising with GPs, health assessments, medicals, ECGs, audiograms, spirometry in pre-COVID times and care planning. I do lots of care planning and chronic disease management and health promotion and screening. As a practice nurse we work as a team with the GPs, hopefully lowering their workload marginally, and assisting in the efficient running of the practice and improving clinical outcomes for a patient. I see us as a valuable resource in keeping the economic burden out of the hospitals and maintaining a healthy community.

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

I love the relationships I have formed over the years with the patients and their families. I love knowing that a long-term patient is not well as soon as they walk in the door – the “knowing” you have after many years of a relationship. I love seeing a wound reach complete healing and being able to assess what improvements have happened or need to happen with their wound care. I love educating patients in making better health choices and giving them options.

What is your biggest challenge as a PN and how do you overcome this?

Time management is my biggest challenge. Keeping things running smoothly so the patients are keeping to their appointment times, especially when you are catering to maximum of four GPs to one nurse most of the time. It’s the domino effect – one person running behind impacts another. It’s the walk-ins on the day that come in for a “BP check” but they actually have chest pain and have to be sorted, or the appointment bookings have not been appropriately allocated, a lot of times because the patient hasn’t disclosed they need more time.

Tell me about your ideal workday …

My ideal workday – that statement makes me laugh – everything runs smoothly and to plan, has a variety of tasks and I leave work on time.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My spare time is very much about relationships. Spending time with family and friends I love. My passion is pastoral care, in particular supporting women. I am involved in my local Anglican church and am involved in leadership with running a Thursday women’s church. I also run a separation and divorce ministry which I have been involved in since 2001. I support single mums in particular.

Do you have any role models and why?

My role models are women that have endured hardship and adversity and grown, but I am guessing you mean role models in nursing.

For practice nursing, my role model would have had to be RN Sue Donohoe. When I started practice nursing I knew nothing about practice nursing at all. I just seemed to do First Aid, immunisation and general management of treatment room and recalls. The Macarthur Division of General Practice had Sue in charge of practice nurse education. We had lots of regular in-service for nurses. I learnt so much about what I should be doing from Sue and the other nurses who attended the in-services. I am very thankful for the opportunities that were provided for scholarships to become an authorised immuniser – fully funded – and to be involved in other pilot programs for health under the direction of our local universities. Another role model was a fellow nurse who I have worked with for 15 years, RN Sonya Mackay, who was very good in the administrative side of practice nursing as well as being a loving and caring nurse.

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

I help patients be educated about maintaining good health firstly by educating myself. Ensuring I am “a lifelong learner’’. I try to take every opportunity available to provide some health coaching/health promotion. I have found that this is possible by using their care plan as a talking point for discussing aspects of their health using the SNAP assessment and encouraging them to follow up with their CST, breast and bowel screening.

I also encourage patients to utilise their 10997 RN support item numbers to discuss their health further or help them be accountable for their health goals.

Opportunistic times when the patient is seeing you and waiting for the GP are also great times to discuss some lifestyle issues or health goals.

04 May 2021

After starting his career in emergency medicine, Dr Roy Abi-Hanna, a GP at Harrington Park Medical Practice for the past 14 years, has found making a difference to patients’ lives and being able to track that difference over years, to be very rewarding.

How long have you been a GP and how long have you been practising in the Camden LGA?

I started working in general practice in 2007. I’ve been practising medicine in this area since 1998.

After graduating from Sydney University medical school in 97, I started working in 98, completing my internship at Bankstown and Campbelltown hospitals. From 2001 onwards I worked in various emergency departments, but mainly at Campbelltown and Camden Hospitals, until 2009.

I’ve been at this practice at Harrington Park for the past 14 years.

When/why did you decide you wanted to become a GP?

My initial interest and love were for emergency medicine. I decided to complete GP training as something to fall back onto in the future, as I was planning to start a family and the lifestyle in emergency medicine wasn’t very suitable, with all the shift work, nightshifts and weekend work.

For the first couple of years though as a GP, I continued to work in both, the local emergency departments and general practice, overlapping for a little while just because I enjoyed the emergency work, and I’d developed the skills needed to manage acute emergencies well and with competence.

However, once my first boy was born, it became more difficult to do both, and it’s been general practice since.

What do you love most about being a GP/what part of the job gives you the most satisfaction?

Initially, I thought general practice was going to be a boring career choice, after the daily adrenalin rush of working in emergency departments, but surprisingly it’s been very rewarding. It’s never quiet, just like emergency!

I’m most satisfied making positive differences to my patients’ lives and being able to see and track that change over years. It’s rewarding to see patients coming back for ongoing care, trusting in the knowledge and shared decision-making that’s provided to them.

What is the most important thing you/your practice contribute to this community?

I don’t believe we are any different from any other practices in this area. We all have the same goals and mission, to improve people’s health and wellbeing, and be there for the hard times.

We are a group of six doctors working at Harrington Park Medical Practice. Most of us have been around for about 14 to 15 years, a couple for four or five years. Our receptionists and nurses have been here for many years also. This has led a continuity of care for our patients, which is important, as we have developed lifetime relationships with people in the area.

I find our practice to have a good working environment. All the doctors here have similar mentalities, and a proactive approach, to the high level of care that we want to deliver. Our supporting staff are lovely, dedicated and caring. Having that stability in personnel, and pride in our work ethics is probably one of our greatest strengths and something that our community sees and benefits from.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I have very little spare time.

Apart from general practice, I do a bit of football/sports work as well. Over the past eight years, I’ve been working in the NRL, with the Bulldogs and the Dragons, and in the A-League with the Western Sydney Wanderers and most recently the local Macarthur Bulls FC. That’s my spare time fun work, outside of my four office walls, Monday to Friday work.

When I do have some free time otherwise, the rest of the weekends are usually taken out by my two boys sports or scouts’ activities.

The rest of the time is family time. I do love just sitting back, enjoying a drink and barbecue by the river or doing a bit of fishing and boating.

School holidays are all about travelling, mostly international. Before COVID-19 hit we were doing a lot of overseas trips. My boys are still young, only nine and 12, but they’ve clocked over two dozen overseas trips already, thanks to my wife. We’ve all got that addictive love of travelling.

Tell me about your ideal work day…

Getting enough time in the morning for a coffee is great!

I don’t know if there is an ideal work day. There are certain things that you don’t want or like in your day – you don’t like being an hour behind and having patients wait, and you don’t like missing conditions or making the wrong diagnoses, or feeling that you could have managed something better.

I do like to take something positive out of every day at work though. I’m ideally satisfied by getting one or two patients in a day, where I feel that I’ve made a significant difference to their lives, even if in a minor way.

What do you love most about Camden LGA?

Travelling against traffic! And I’m a westy.

I grew up in Greenacre and started working at Bankstown Hospital with secondments to Campbelltown Hospital. I was happy working in the smaller hospitals, where my knowledge and skills developed quickly. I was often the only doctor on at nights, in the early days, when I was working in the local emergency departments. There’s a lot of pathology here, a lot of medicine to be practised, and a need for the service that we provide.

What advice do you give your patients about maintaining good health?

Most of the time patients know what they have to do about maintaining good health. Everybody is always talking about it and it’s there in the media and online. My message generally isn’t any different to what they hear. A lot of the advice that I provide to my patients is about preventative health, and it’s part of most consults. I generally suggest little lifestyle changes at a time. Provide ongoing encouragement, support and education. When patients start on the journey of being a little bit healthier, I try and develop their understanding about it not being just a two-week thing. Benefits will eventually come, often after a generally prolonged period of time, and that gains are always made, even when the outcomes and goals aren’t fully reached. It’s all about educating them that the changes they make, even in small increments over time, will all add up. I get them to work on the basics of healthy living, whether it’s a low sugar or low fat diet, smoking cessation, drinking in moderation, exercise, work and family balance, health relationships. It’s advice we all hear all the time and I work on reinforcing that advice. I also traumatise them but telling them that my children are averaging a visit to McDonald’s, only two to three times in year, for at treat!

27 April 2021

Aysu Kaya started her nursing career at Liverpool Hospital before moving to primary care, currently working at Doctors @ Liverpool. She has a Bachelor of Nursing and plans to do her Masters of Clinical Education next year. She is an authorised nurse immuniser and is trained in blood collection and ear syringing to name a few.

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

I’ve been a nurse for about nine years, and a practice nurse approximately five or six years. I realised there was a lot of care needed for the people in the Liverpool LGA that are not aware they have health concerns, or even health issues, they can speak about. I feel that because I grew up in South Western Sydney, I know the people and how to approach them, hence why I choose to stay within this community.

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

I decided to become a practice nurse because, more so than with hospital nursing, you get to know your patients a lot more and you are exposed to a lot more elements within a medical centre. As a hospital nurse, you typically just specialise in one field only and that is because you are generally assigned to one ward.

I wanted to pursue my career in primary care nursing because I wanted to do more for a patient. I love knowing I can take that extra step to help impact a patient’s life in a positive way and hopefully prevent them from going to hospital. Ultimately, general practice is there to prevent hospitals from being overburdened with preventable diseases, so if there was a way to help with that, I wanted to be a part of it.

Tell us about the role of nurses in primary care …

Well, this is a hard question to answer, what I do each day is so different. Working in a medical centre has now become instinctual for me that defining the role of a nurse in primary care is hard. It could mean managing someone’s chronic wounds, educating a patient about their health, completing health assessments that require you to sit down and listen, and then handling an emergency that has come through. And this is just to point out a few of the things, it is always a different day.

As a practice nurse, I see myself as part of a team in someone’s health care. So, I like to think that working alongside the GP can help support and assist them when they are trying to get a patient to self-manage their own health. That could mean educating myself and my colleagues with health updates, such as immunisation changes or simply learning about health programs that can be available for patients. I feel that if a doctor misses a health issue or concern, they also have confidence in me to see an opportunity to jump in and provide education or to simply update the patient’s health record.

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

Knowing I’ve made an impact on someone’s life. That’s the most fulfilling part of my role. I love that I can be giving reassurance to parents about immunisations and its benefits, or simply providing guidance to a diabetic patient on their dietary needs or leg care. I like knowing I have made a patient think coming to a medical centre is not something to be dreaded and can be helpful.

What is your biggest challenge as a PN and how do you overcome this?

I think that would mostly be language barriers. Liverpool has such a wide variety of languages. So, trying to discuss strategies or getting a patient to understand ways to prevent health issues can be difficult. Thankfully with the team we have here, we cover a whole bunch of languages between us which sometimes can help with finding health information to provide to patients.

I think another big challenge is some patients just don’t see the need for nurses in medical centres. Patients that have only been cared for by just a doctor, to then getting introduced to a nurse seems to upset them or think that the doctor doesn’t care anymore. This is a challenge I am slowly seeing, especially with patients that are elderly or traditional in thinking that the doctor is the only one that can discuss health with them.

Tell me about your ideal work day…

If I could do a bit of everything, I would be happy. I’m a simple nurse, but also, I love wounds! I know that can sound really odd, but there it is. So, if I can have patients coming to the centre looking for help with managing their wounds regardless of it being chronic or acute, I would love it. There is something about knowing that each wound has different characteristics and it can require different methods of managing to see a healed wound makes it so worth being a nurse.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I read a lot and I mean a LOT. I’m a bookworm and I love fantasy and the occasional romance. I also like spending time with my family and friends especially with my niece and nephews. So having time to wind down and relax is needed.

Do you have any role models and why?

My mother, she was a care worker who helped care for patients with disabilities and aged care patients. I strive to be like her and she is someone that takes patient care seriously and because I practiced on her constantly with everything, I’ve learnt to always see through a patient’s perspective. For example, with immunisations, when I was learning and tried various techniques she would say “That’s going to hurt the patient, don’t do it that way”. And I would change it to make sure what she told me would help make the experience positive for a patient. I also had a second year facilitator at Campbelltown Hospital who made a positive impression of the type of nurse I wanted to be.

06 April 2021

Dr Allison Thorn has been working at Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service in Campbelltown, for five years.

How long have you been a GP & how long have you been practising in the Campbelltown LGA at Tharawal?

I gained my fellowship in 2017 and have been working at Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service for the past five years.

When/why did you decide you wanted to become a GP?

When I was a medical student, I had some amazing placements in South Western Sydney as well as remote areas, and they left me in awe at the change a GP could make at an individual level but also at a community level. I am a bit of a sticky beak and I love getting to know my patients so I knew GP was right up my alley.

What do you love most about being a GP/what part of the job gives you the most satisfaction?

Being an advocate for my patients. And also cuddles with fresh babies!

What is the most important thing you/your practice contributes to this community?

Tharawal is an amazing place to work because it is made up of a huge team of people who are extremely motivated to care for people who need it the most. It is truly a one-stop shop for our local community and I feel honoured to be a part of the team that the community trusts so much.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Watch RuPaul’s drag race and hang out with my family.

Tell me about your ideal work day.

A morning of our “Mums and bubs” clinic, plenty of health checks on young people, a few of my regular patients coming back to report they’ve achieved some of their health goals and a procedure thrown in there somewhere. Plus all the coffee.

What do you love most about working in Campbelltown?

I grew up in Campbelltown and was fortunate enough to get into WSU medical school in it’s first year. I feel a strong sense of pride working in an area that has given me so much and where there is a real need for high quality healthcare.

What advice do you give your patients about maintaining good health?

I prefer to tailor my advice to each individual. I ask my patients what their health goals are and then try my very best to help them get there.

23 March 2021

Kyle Gibbs is Director of Clinical Services at Sydney Dermatology Group and MyDoctors Ltd.

He has a Bachelor of Nursing (Honours), Bachelor’s degree, Registered Nursing and a Master’s degree in Management.

Two years ago, he gave a presentation at the Practice Nurses Association conference and has also spoken at the Australian College of Nursing.

Kyle has just completed his thesis on the barriers and facilitators of graduate nurses entering primary health care.

This year he is starting his PhD.

Learn more about Kyle.

How long have you been a practice nurse?

I’ve worked in primary care for approximately 11 years.

What got you into being a practice nurse, particularly in public health?

Originally, I thought it would be an easier way for me to study while doing my Masters; to work and study at the same time. When I completed my Masters, I was offered a job in management and have been managing medical centres ever since.

I love being a practice nurse because I get to look after all facets of life, birth, death and everything in between. I love the fact that I can prevent a lot of people from going to hospital or getting medical chronic conditions.

Working in South Western Sydney, particularly here in Macquarie Fields, can be very rewarding, there’s a lot of need within the area identifying and managing chronic illness. There’s a lot of patients who are asymptomatic, walking around, not knowing they have a condition. They need help to be educated on identifying the tests they need and to get those treatments and become healthy.

Give me a typical example of your workday

A lot of my day involves training new nurses in primary healthcare. It’s not uncommon for me to be teaching a nurse who has worked in a hospital for 30 or 40 years of their career and introducing them to general practice. I cover immunisations and culture, pain management, sterilisation, care planning, health assessments and other aspects that wouldn’t normally be undertaken in a hospital.

Primary care is a lot more involved than just completing a template on Best Practice or MedicalDirector. It is actually about knowing what questions to ask, listening carefully and finding preventative strategies to improve that patient’s health.

My role also includes boring stuff like business planning, writing policies and procedures, project management, going to meetings. We’ve just been through the EOI for the COVID-19 vaccine. We have to purchase more equipment and hire more staff, that usually falls to me as well. This morning I conducted a construction inspection for a new medical centre in Burwood.

Tell us about the role of primary care, how does your role complement the role of GPs and how you contribute to improving clinical outcomes.

I see my role as a nurse when I’m with patients. A lot of it is educating patients around navigating the health system and advising when they are eligible for free services or knowing that, because of their conditions, they should have certain tests or assessments yearly, three-monthly or six-monthly.

I often check the files doctors have put together of patients, ensuring there’s no gaps in their treatment, and then educating the patient about the gap and working with the doctor to fulfill that need.

I make sure my level of knowledge and understanding of medical conditions follows best practice guidelines, and then educate my colleagues, the GPs, about those guidelines to have the best outcomes for patients.

What is your biggest challenge as a PN and how do you work on this?

Nursing is growing quite rapidly in the primary healthcare setting. Even so, there are some nurses and GPs who are still somewhat traditional in the way they work and perceive their roles. Some nurses are hesitant to start learning and doing more as this area evolves, and some GPs are hesitant to let go of some tasks they’ve historically done. There are many tasks a nurse can do, leaving the doctor to handle more complex situations. I advocate for nurses to do more and to speak up more about the growing scope of their role within primary healthcare.

In nursing generally, general practice nurses may think of their role in a primary care setting is lower than being a nurse in a hospital setting; I would argue that’s not the case. In a hospital setting, a nurse will get very specialised in one facet of nursing. In contrast, a general practice nurse’s role may cover orthopaedic, renal, geriatric, and paediatric conditions, we have to have a generalised knowledge of a wide range of conditions. For example, knowing when a 30 and 40-year-old keeps breaking their bones, getting sprained ankles, or starts to have chest pains, they probably have high cholesterol. And if we get rid of that high cholesterol, they won’t end up as a 60-year-old who needs to be on beta blockers and have hypertension medication treatment, because we treated it early.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I live on a small farm with lots of animals. I have cows, geese, dogs, fish and birds. This weekend I’m building a waterfall, last weekend I built a garden. I also play soccer and I’m studying to do my PhD. I’m a person that doesn’t like to be still. I think it’s is a nursing thing, a lot of nurses I know are about time management, doing the next thing and always planning.

Who are your role models in the industry?

Oh, I’ve got a few role models in the industry. Firstly, my mum who is a nurse. She became a nurse later in life. She decided to become a nurse after I finished my Bachelor degree and heard how much I loved it. She now works in drug and alcohol and mental health.

Another role model is Carrie Cordrey, who encouraged me to become a nurse manager. Carrie is now retired. Other nurses in my career who have pushed and inspired me are Julie Baker and Nicole Tibideau.