What nursing means to me: Ellen Haywood

My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer when I was 12 years old. I went to hospital with him when he received his treatment. He said that oncology nurses were very special people which planted the seed that I wanted to be an oncology nurse. In my graduate year, I was very fortunate to do a couple of rotations in oncology and palliative care, and I knew that was the specialty for me. 

I’m the Ambulatory Cancer Services Manager. It’s quite an expansive and extensive portfolio, but it’s great with lots of diversity. The biggest piece of work at present is being part of the Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre build, and being part of the team that will help operationalise it. 

In my role as a manager, it’s all about the patient experience. That means recruiting the best nurses who are able to provide the best care and deliver in high performing teams.  

The highlight of my work is getting nurses to where they want to be in their careers. For me, I’ve always been fortunate to have inspiring managers who have afforded me different opportunities. I hope I can impart that on my nursing staff as well, and play a part in shaping their careers. 

There are many different pathways for nurses, which I think is one of the best things about nursing. You can stay purely clinical, you can go down the education or managerial path, you can work in the community, in the ward, in ambulatory centres – the diversity of what nursing offers is amazing. 

Whatever specialty you work in you’re also not limited to that speciality. Skills can be transferable to all different areas of nursing. There’s lots of exciting roles coming up too with things such as the digital era and the evolution of EMR. 

Ambulatory Cancer Services Manager, Alfred Cancer Ellen Heywood: "It’s cliched, but what makes me proud to be a nurse is helping people. "

One of the most important things as a manager is keeping in touch with the patients. You may not be providing direct patient care, but you are still connecting with patients, asking them how their experience is, and what can we do better. It’s also so patients and families know who the manager is if an issue needs to be escalated.

In addition, it's important as a manager to have oversight on how nursing care is being delivered. You should never lose touch – even if you’re in a non-clinical position, you should always reach out to your patients and staff to understand what their experience is. 

It’s cliched, but what makes me proud to be a nurse is helping people. Whether that’s helping families or helping my staff, I wouldn’t do anything else. COVID highlighted how nurses are always there. As nurses, we help each other, and we’re a team. I just love it.