In this role I progressed to a Team Leader role when working within the Mercure COVID Vaccination Clinic Ballarat where I demonstrated leadership, organisation, coordinated breaks for my fellow team members and dealt with patients’ concerns and queries with an efficient and friendly attitude.I still enjoy working as an Entrance Screener across multiple Ballarat Health Service/ Grampians Health facilities including the Queen Elizabeth Centre, Inpatient Rehabilitation and the Ballarat Base Hospital.Through working in this role throughout the many phases of COVID I have felt proud and lucky to have been integrated into Ballarat’s response to COVID-19, contributing to my community’s wellbeing through providing assistance and kindness.

Worked in ICU

I enjoy this role at Ballarat Health Services because, being a part of the COVID-19 Surge Workforce, it assists with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As an old collegian who used to attend the school and was highly involved in the rowing program offered at Ballarat Clarendon College, I returned to assist in coaching the Junior Girls' crews from Year 9. To be able to collaborate with some of the coaches who used to coach me was a fantastic way to fulfil my passion for rowing and community engagement. This position also enabled me to serve the same program which provided me with so many positive, fond memories when I was at school.

During the Stage 4 lockdown of the severe Melbourne COVID outbreaks, I attended my mental health placement at the St John of God Pinelodge Clinic located within Dandenong North. This placement differed to the previous few I had experienced as it projected the impacts of COVID on people's lives, more specifically, how behavioural issues and mental health issues had peaked during such a crisis.Throughout this placement I thrived when connecting to patients, helping them to relax through employing mindfulness strategies and "grounding" techniques which I had not yet practiced in the clinical field. I also saw this placement as a fantastic opportunity to practice my motivational interviewing and patient- centred practice, ensuring that patients' care was catered to their individual and cultural preferences and needs.

Throughout my clinical placement on the Urology / Surgical ward, my first placement in my second year of studying as a nursing student, I was able to practice utilising my clinical knowledge of catheter management, showering patients, applying the aseptic technique and patient- centred care to my delivery of patient care. This placement being in a fast-paced environment with a high patient turnover enabled me to develop my rapport with patients and adjust to the fast- paced nature of hospital wards.

I completed my first ever placement of clinical experience on the Rehabilitation Ward at the St John of God Hospital in Ballarat. On this placement I was able to consolidate the foundations of clinical skills learnt from my first year of studying as a nursing student. These skills included developing my progress note- taking, showering and feeding of patients, conversing with patients and providing medications and patient- centred care efficiently, while also implementing therapeutic communication when engaging with individuals.

I was able to develop my experience with teamwork in a fast-paced environment including skills like collaboration, communication and problem- solving to provide efficient and friendly customer service.