PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

As I continue my professional journey, I like to think of my career as one big learning experience that continuously grows.. With a dedication to functionality and a curiosity for what’s ahead of the curve, I keep my work practical, relevant and creative.

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As a healthcare professional, continuous professional development is integral to my development as a leader and is supported by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia through its registration requirements and competency standards (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016). I believe that everyone has a contribution that they can make from the patient to the CEO. It is my role to encourage healthcare teams and organisations to do so, sharing knowledge across all stakeholders with the ultimate goal of improved health outcomes for all.

I want to help make things better. I want to know that everyone, anywhere in Australia, has access to quality health care. I want to ensure that services are accessible and affordable. I want to know that cultural safety and awareness are given due consideration at all levels of health care. I want patients to be able to navigate healthcare services with ease.

I believe in a no wrong door policy. Healthcare services should be working collaboratively together to ensure that patients get the right care at the right time. Services should be advocating for each other, providing referrals and signposting where necessary. Services should be accessible so that families can access them close to home, lessening the financial and emotional burden of travelling long distances and being separated from each other.

My personal experiences have undoubtably influenced my professional direction. Previously I have been apprehensive about sharing my experiences. I considered them weaknesses and thought they would be viewed as such. Only by reflecting on these experiences in a kinder more compassionate way have I been able to see the positives that lie within them. It is essential to reflect on experiences with a curious mind, to question their meaning, to understand them from different perspectives (Ellis, 2019). Only by doing so are we able to extract the great learning experiences contained within them.

There was a time when I would have been content to deliver clinical services, a noble profession, however now I have a desire to see change at all levels. To not only provide a service but also to develop and improve them. I intend to increase my knowledge and abilities in health care development and improvement. To be a leader that develops innovative solutions that have a direct impact on the way healthcare is thought about and delivered in rural and remote communities. To implement continuous quality improvement initiatives. I am committed to identifying gaps in mental health services and working closely with communities and government to develop pragmatic solutions to mental health, including suicide.

To achieve my goals, reflective practice and ongoing professional development will be a lifelong path. I acknowledge this wholeheartedly and look forward to the challenges and new insights this will bring.