Local Lightning Ridge nurse Katja Jackman has won the Far West Area Health Service Upper Western Sector Nurse of the Year.
Ms Jackman won the award for demonstrating all the best qualities within her profession, for possessing superb organisational skills and always making the time to do the little things for her patients.
Ms Jackman's initial practice of nursing was at Walgett Health Service in 1985 while a student participating in the work experience program. In March 1999 she commenced her training as an Enrolled Nurse at the Walgett Health Service attending the Dubbo TAFE Campus for the tutorial section.
On completion of her training Ms Jackman worked in the positions of casual, part time and full Enrolled Nurse at Walgett until her transfer to Lightning Ridge in May 2003.
"Katja is nursing professionalism personified, a rare and exemplary person, she has made nursing a core life experience and is totally dedicated to any in her care," Walgett Health Service manager Colleen Edgar said. The announcement was made as part of International Nurses' Day celebrations last Wednesday. Ms Jackman was one of five nurses recognised across the Far West region for excellence in their nursing careers.
"An example of Katja's professional expertise was evident during the pilot of the Mobile Surgical Services Unit, a time when Lightning Ridge was basically an outpost triage centre and about to embark on change to a multi-purpose facility," Ms Edgar said.
"Katja was part of the team to recognise and plan the day-to-day requirements to equip Lightning Ridge for inpatients. She was one of the few nurses on site at Lightning Ridge who had experience of working in a facility with inpatient beds.
"She networked and improvised to implement a workable pre-admission, post surgery recovery service and set about sharing her knowledge and skills with others. Her skill to organise included securing appropriate paperwork for monitoring pre- and post-operative patients, relevant documentation for all aspects of patient care, appointments and follow-up, management of patient IDs, equipment provision, patient reminders, transport and ensuring the provision of basic needs like pillows, bed linen for the immediate recovery stage.
"To her credit, all her duties were performed in a preceptor/ mentorship manner," Ms Edgar said.
"Perhaps her greatest asset at that time was her constancy and reliability remembering Lightning Ridge was undergoing a changing focus. Midway through the pilot, the move to a new facility was further testament of her many skills. She is up to date, decisive, always the patient advocate and a credit to the profession of nursing," Ms Edgar said.
FWAHS Director of Nursing Ms Michele Pitt said Ms Jackman's professionalism was symbolic of all the qualities that the judges looked for in a Nurse of the Year. The criteria for judging included fairness, respect, integrity, learning and creativity, effectiveness and overall contribution in improving nursing services and better health outcomes for the community.
Ms Pitt also thanked the community for supporting the awards and acknowledged the important role that nurses play in providing health services to people in the Far West.
"I would personally like to thank the nurses in the FWAHS for their professionalism and dedication to nursing. I am very proud of the way in which these nurses provide services to their patients and to the people living in their communities, and I am honoured to represent the nurses working in the Far West Area Health Service as their Director," she said.
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