What nursing means to me: Will Ockenden

I actually didn’t have the standard growing up wanting to be a nurse. I kind of fell into it.

After I finished Year 12, I was actually racing my bike in Europe representing Australia in cyclo-cross when I had to put my application in for university. I was deciding between a science degree or try something else. My mum suggested I try nursing. I enrolled in nursing and after studying first, second and third year found I didn’t mind it. I ended up becoming a nurse, and I’ve fallen into the job I love. 

ED was always something I was interested in. It’s fast paced, high acuity, you never know what’s going to walk through the door. It’s a dream come true working here. I love coming to work, and the people I work with. It’s an awesome team and environment. You rarely see the same patient twice. There is always a new puzzle to work out when a patient comes in. 

There are times when a patient will come in, is very unwell and is going to pass away. On those occasions, we try to get their family in, look after the patient really well, and get the patient as comfortable as possible. The patient might pass away, but the family  are still satisfied with the level of care provided and happy we explained to them what’s going on. They’re the ones for me which hit home. I’ve done my job well. I’ve looked after a patient well. The family are happy. And I think if that was my relative, I’d be happy too. 

As an ED nurse you get to be part of an awesome team. If there’s a traumatic arrest coming in, there’s a couple of doctors, couple of nurses and also pharmacists. As nurses, we’re in that team. We’re in that battlefield helping incubate patients, helping give blood, helping give medication. 

Registered Nurse, Emergency Department, The Alfred Will Ockenden: "I love that we can help save lives supporting people on their worst days. Being able to provide that support is amazing."

I love all my colleagues, especially nursing wise.  But we’re also a great team more broadly – doctors, pharmacists, allied health, porters,  orderlies, cleaners. There’s always someone you can take a moment with to lean on, and they’ll be there to support you. It’s not just with skills and looking after the patient, but later that day in the tearoom you can have a chat and decompress. There’s 300 or 400 nurses working here in ED. I’d say they’re all very good friends, and I could lean on them for a hug. 

I'm proud of the system we’re  working in. The fact that someone can have a car accident 300 kms away, be picked up by MICA flight paramedic, land on our helipad, come to our trauma bay, we give them blood, incubate them and get them to theatre - I still get chills, and pinch myself. The care our patients receive can have a real impact and get them better quicker. It can be pretty awesome.