ABOUT ME
Hello!
Welcome to my site. Thank you for taking the time to stop by.
I'd like to tell you a little a bit about myself before you delve into my healthcare portfolio.
Much of the evidence within this portfolio is of a reflective nature however, I am not rnaturally reflective. I suppose that I have come to be this way for a few particular reasons. Life is not always kind. We all have considerable and differing personal experiences and we must do with them what we will. Some of these experiences may cause emotional even physical pain to think about, and so we avoid doing so. However, much like an overfull kitchen bin, rubbish will eventually tumble out onto a kitchen floor that was moments ago spotless, a reminder that a facade cannot be kept up forever.
Reflection for me has come from necessity rather than a desire to pick apart past experiences. A need to understand me, my actions and my feelings better. The personal journey that I have taken for me to truly see the value in this has been quite educational and often confronting. A trained mental health nurse, I believe in the power of understanding my values and beliefs. As time has gone on and as such life, I have come to know why I hold the views that I do so much more. I see the strength now in letting go of some ideas that I previously thought important. I won’t let go completely, but I may loosen my grasp just a little. I have many roles in my life. Too many probably. I preform the never-ending juggling act of single divorced working mother to two little boys, both of whom have medical and behavioural issues. Our family unit is over familiar with places that children should not be over familiar with such as hospitals and surgical rooms. We travel considerable distances to access appropriate care. We count medical specialists and pharmacists as part of our family, and I would go as far as to say my most significant supports. The teachers at my son's school are part of my artillery, my work colleagues are my confidents and often counsellors, our paediatrician hugs me and the hospital staff know how I drink my coffee. This was not the way I thought life was going to be. This is not the way life should be, is it? Yet, it is. And so, I have had to put my beliefs into perspective, adjust them, realign them with this new way of being a family, a mother, a nurse, a team player, a leader. But these experiences although challenging, have given me the most exceptional opportunity to consider healthcare from many different perspectives not just the nurse but also the patient, the carer, the next of kin.
I believe that people are inherently good and that everyone deserves to feel safe. Healthcare should be available to all no matter what their social status, income or where they live and that everyone should be treated as equals. These beliefs are in part due to my personal experiences that now overlap and influence my professional life in every way. The harder lessons to learn have been to be kind to myself as well, to expect more than the minimum, that I’m not a failure for struggling but a goddamn hero! Someone once said to me “you’re only given as much as you can handle”. Well, let’s hope so, but whoever is dealing the hand I’d appreciate an Ace next time.