Port Macquarie Base Hospital’s Jason Laird, Sandra Eadie and Debbie Deasey have been recognised for distinguished service in the field of nursing and midwifery.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The trio received awards as part of local International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day celebrations, on May 12, and Jason Laird said it was a humbling moment for him.
“To be recognised by your peers is something that is very special,” Jason said.
“And to be recognised as Community Nurse of the Year along with Debbie as Nurse of the Year and Sandra as Midwife of the Year was a great moment.
“Winning the award was very unexpected.
“But for me the award means a lot because it shows that my colleagues see the vital work community nurses do – and in particular in my area of aged care.”
Jason, having moved into a more administrative role in recent times, said it is fantastic to be able to support his colleagues in assisting our ageing population stay in their homes for longer.
“As a community aged care nurse there are so many different things we can assist with to ensure people can stay in their home for longer,” he said.
“And now my role is about supporting community nurses to do this.
“I now deal a lot with service providers and the family members of clients which has also been rewarding.
“I think winning this award means I must be doing something right which is lovely – and while I won the award I see it as a win for my entire team as we all work so closely together.”
For him, Jason said International Nurses Day means the profession getting recognition for a job he loves so much.
“I think it is a real privilege to be able to go into someone’s home.
“When we come to a home, they welcome us in and that is such a special and personal thing.
“I love being able to see what people can do when we allow and support them in staying in their own homes for longer.”
He also said, that having recognition as a community nurse is a great thing, because there is a real difference in what hospital nurses do and what community nurses do.
“When people think of nurses they generally think about what nurses do in a hospital setting – which is understandable – but in reality community nurses also play an important role in giving care to people outside a hospital and having a separate award for us is a great thing.
“I hope I can raise the profile of the great work all our community nurses do.”
Hastings Macleay Mid North Coast Local Health District, 2018 Nurse of the Year was won by Dr Debbie Deasey, Midwife of the Year was won by Sandra Eadie and Community Nurse of the Year was won by Jason Laird.