We are less than 29 days before our Electronic Medical Record (EMR) go live! With training and practice, you are only one step away from being fully prepared for go live.
From 21 August, the team will be running Favourites Fair across sites. This is an opportunity to meet the EMR team to personalise your EMR and to have a better understanding of how to use the system. During Favourites Fair, you will be able to set up your patient lists, favourite orders, documentation types, and more to help you increase efficiencies at go live.
This will benefit you by alleviating the stress of setting up your EMR account on the day of go live. In addition to checking and validating your EMR access so you will be ready to go from day one, it also enhances your familiarity with EMR functionalities like Dynamic Documentation, AutoText, Orders, and OrderSets, as well as clinical workflows.
While medical staff will find the most value, we welcome all staff to drop into the main sessions located at Epping, Broadmeadows, and Bundoora.
Northern Hospital Epping – Main Foyer
21 August 11 am – 1 pm
24 August 11 am – 1 pm
28 August 11 am – 1 pm
31 August 11 am – 1 pm
4 September 11 am – 1 pm
5 September 11 am – 1 pm
Broadmeadows Hospital – Meeting Room 1 and 2
30 August 11 am – 1 pm
Bundoora Centre (Bundoora Demountable)
22 August 1 pm – 3pm
23 August 11 am – 1pm
If you have around 10-15 minutes to spare, we encourage you to stop by the Favourites Fair to give yourself a head start for go live!
Meet Stefania Zen, Transcultural and Language Services (TALS) and Narrun Wilip-Giin Aboriginal Support Unit (ASU) Education and Engagement Manager.
Q: Tell me about your new role as the TALS and ASU Education and Engagement Manager – what does it entail?
A: My new role focuses on supporting both TALS and Narrun Wilip-Giin with planning and delivering training for staff on cultural competence and Aboriginal cultural safety. This training is very important given the catchment area we work in, and I am always looking at ways to support Northern Health staff in providing the best possible culturally safe and appropriate care.
At the same time, the role entails reaching out to local community groups and collaborating with other departments at Northern Health in providing education/information to the community about the various services we offer at Northern Health.
I also look after all requests for written translation, liaise with RMIT and Monash University to organise the interpreting students placement with TALS, organise professional development opportunities for interpreters, and assist TALS and ASU in the development, implementation and assessment of plans, and in particular the Cultural Responsiveness Plan and the Reconciliation Action Plan.
It is only a part time role, I work Monday to Wednesday, but it can get very busy.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you?
A: Every day is different. I may be busy planning or delivering training for staff, or sorting through translation requests, or providing advice to someone on culturally appropriate approach, or working towards the next community engagement event.
Q: If you weren’t in your current role, what would you do?
A: I would probably be interpreting. I speak Italian and Spanish, and I have always found interpreting, especially in medical settings, very rewarding. To see that sense of relief in patients when you walk in and you can speak their language, it is very special.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?
A: What is spare time? I like to keep myself busy all the time. When I do stop, I like to cook something wholesome from scratch, spending time with my family or go for a swim.
Q: What might people be most surprised to know about you?
A: I used to be a professional ballerina and tried that career in London before becoming an interpreter and translator and moving to Australia.
Last Friday, 28 July, Northern Health held the Nursing and Midwifery Graduation ceremony for the 2022 programs, marking the first face-to-face event since 2019.
The event was held at the NCHER Lecture Theatre, and was a celebration of the following programs: Enrolled Nurse Graduate program, Graduate Nurse Midwifery program, Supported Transition to Excellence in Practice program (STEP), Postgraduate programs and Preceptor award.
The ceremony marking the students’ graduation was not just a culmination of years of hard work and dedication, but also a celebration of their commitment to caring for others. Surrounded by friends, family, and mentors, the graduates stepped into a future that promises to be both challenging and rewarding.
The graduation ceremony commenced with an Acknowledgement of Country by Karen Bryant, Senior Aboriginal Liaison Officer, followed by welcome messages from Lisa Cox, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, and Anthony McGillion, Divisional Director Education.
“Graduates have worked hard to complete their programs supported by staff and nursing midwifery education, as well as the executive. It takes a community to support our learners and the graduation is an accumulation of their fantastic result,” said Annabel Milonas, Director Education, Nursing and Midwifery.
“We congratulate all 2022 award winners and graduates and wish them well in their future nursing and midwifery careers.”
During the ceremony, four graduate and postgraduate students and one preceptor were presented with awards by Lisa Cox for outstanding performance.
“The Nursing and Midwifery Graduation ceremony is a special time to acknowledge the achievements of not only all graduates through Northern Health but recognise and reward some exceptional graduates of various programs,” said Lisa.
“From Graduate EN’s, RN’s, through to specialty transition and post-graduate, this demonstrates the vast amount of education and professional development opportunities available at Northern Health.”
“Thank you to every nurse and midwife who go out of their way to support and teach our graduates of all courses, and a very special thanks to our Nursing and Midwifery Education Team, who are amazing.”
Dion Zaverdinos was awarded Enrolled Nurse Graduate of the Year 2022 for demonstrating a strong commitment to delivering quality, holistic patient care and for going above and beyond to ensure the comfort of those in his care.
“Dion has been recognised by both his peers and family members for the compassionate care that he provides to his patients,” said Rae-Chal Burgess, Enrolled Nurse Clinical Nurse Educator, when presenting the award.
Tayla McDonald was the recipient of the Mari Stewart Graduate Nurse Midwife of the Year 2022.
“A caring and compassionate nurse showing diligence in her work and lives the Northern health values of safe, kind and together in her everyday practice. During her time as a GNP, she was able to work well in the spirt of camaraderie with the multidisciplinary team, and has found a passion for ED nursing,” said Kate Duggan, Graduate Nurse Midwifery Program (GNMP) Coordinator.
The Postgraduate of the Year 2022 Award went to Kaytlin Wills, who was awarded the Aboriginal Postgraduate Nursing Scholarship to support her studies. Kaytlin was praised for being dependable and working hard to successfully complete her studies, resulting in an above average GPA and outstanding academic result.
“A warm, cheerful attitude to our patients and staff, she is a team member who always tries to lift the spirits of those around her, reflecting Northern Health values, and a dedicated staff member who provides the highest quality of care to her patients,” said Nicole Psaila, Postgraduate Program Coordinator.
The Nicole Browne Preceptor of the Year 2022 was awarded to Ashly Varghese for demonstrating a passion for mentoring the junior staff, and always striving to assist these staff in furthering their skill and knowledge base.
“Ashley projects a warm, cheerful attitude towards our patients and staff and displays impeccable attention to detail for our undergraduate students and graduates,” said Katia Forbes, GNMP Coordinator.
Lastly, the Danielle Waddell Supported Transition to Excellence in Practice (STEP) Student of the Year 2022 Award went to Tara Hardy for demonstrating strong work ethic and professionalism and brilliant communication with staff, patients and family members.
“Tara puts a smile on everyone’s face as a team player and has always demonstrated the Northern Health values of safe, kind, together,” said Annabel Milonas.
Congratulations to the nursing and midwifery graduates as they embark on a journey of compassion and care, transforming lives with their dedication and expertise.
Pictured in featured image (L-R); Kaytlin Wills, Dion Zaverdinos, Lisa Cox, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Tayla McDonald and Tara Hardy.
This year, NAIDOC Week paid tribute to our Elders who have been mentors, teachers, and role models, passing on their wisdom and cultural knowledge for generations.
It was fitting that the week ended with a visit by the Narrun Wilip-giin, Aboriginal Support Unit to the Wandarra Elders Group, a local Aboriginal community organisation in Broadmeadows.
Aboriginal Liaison Officers Toni Gabelish, Stephanie Thompson, and Lindsay Holmes together with Consumer Participation Coordinator Sherrilyn Ballard handed out dilly bags to the elders to thank them for paving the way of our future.
Our Narrun Wilip-giin, Aboriginal Support Unit had displays at each site, showcasing the stories of inspirational Elders. The displays featured artwork by the children from Streeton Primary School in Yallambie.
A popular event this year was the basket weaving workshop in the Aboriginal Cultural Space. Tya Fry, Occupational Therapist and organiser said, “We ended up with more participants than expected which was fabulous!”
Basket Weaving Workshop
“The NAIDOC Week Quiz again proved very popular, with many participants getting all the answers right,” says Stefania Zen, Acting Director, Transcultural & Language Services (TALS)/Narrun Wilip-Giin Aboriginal Support Unit.
The winners are:
1st Amanda Muller – Acute Community Co-ordinator
2nd Erica Hateley – Senior Librarian
3rd Maria Soo – Director of Workforce Planning
Thank you to all who participated.
Narrun Wilip-Giin, Aboriginal Support Unit thank all staff for joining in celebrating NAIDOC Week 2023.
This morning, Northern Health virtually hosted the third Quarterly Staff Recognition Awards for 2023 to celebrate and acknowledge the amazing work of our dedicated staff.
We once again had an outstanding response from our staff, with a number of nominations received across seven different categories.
Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive, opened the ceremony by acknowledging the incredible work of our staff across the health service.
“Among our award winners today are staff who exemplify a strong and positive workplace culture, staying true to Northern Health’s values of “Safe Kind Together”, and who continue to show a genuine commitment to their patients,” he said.
“The number and standard of nominations for these awards were very high. I would like to acknowledge and congratulate all staff who received a nomination, along with those who took the time to nominate their peers and colleagues. “
Michelle Fenwick, Executive Director, People and Culture, presented the awards and she said it was an honour to help recognise and award staff who demonstrate excellence in the work they do each and every day.
“I am extremely proud to work in an organisation where staff are passionate and kind and turn up to work every day to provide outstanding care to our patients and community. We thank you all for your hard work and dedication.”
The Orthoptist team won the Innovation Award, for remodelling aspects of the model of care and making additional slots and revising access points for equipment to optimise patient flow and efficiency. This has resulted in an impressive increase in the last reporting quarter of 163 per cent.
The Patient Experience Award went to Michelle McNith, Imaging Bookings Clerk, for her exceptional patient focused interaction with clinicians and for her significant contribution to the seamless running of the Radiology department.
Dr Carol Chong, Intern Supervisor of Training, was nominated ten times, across two categories, and won the Education category for going above and beyond to provide the best education and support possible to all of the Interns at Northern Health.
Ward 9 nurses were the recipients of the Clinical Excellence Award for their remarkable work and determination to make a positive difference during the pandemic and for demonstrating unwavering commitment to the hospital and the community.
The Excellence in Safety Award went to our Drive Safe Program, for promoting safe driving among young, adult and older adult consumers living with a mental health condition. The Drive Safe Program has successfully provided services, capacity-built staff and supported embedding consumer driving in systems and processes across Northern Health Mental Health Division and North-Western Mental Health.
Dr Grace Yuan, Medical Intern, was the recipient of the Rising Star award for showing true commitment and passion in the provision of holistic care for patients. She was commended on her listening skills and showing compassion for patients, as well as being an exceptional team member and a great first responder.
Lastly, the Above and Beyond Award was presented to the Northern Health Foundation. The team was recognised for their incredible efforts of raising over $800,000, which has assisted in the purchase of state-of-the-art medical equipment and technology to enhance patient care and providing PhD scholarships to support ground-breaking medical research.
Big congratulations to all award winners today.
The Quarterly Staff Recognition Awards are proudly sponsored by BankVic and Northern Health Foundation.
Located near the Fit Testing Centre and Lecture Theatre at Northern Hospital Epping, the Northern Health Library connects staff and students with high-quality, evidence-based information that supports their work as healthcare professionals. This connection can be via education sessions, use of library services such as expert literature search or provision of databases, eBooks or journal articles.
The current team is comprised of Natasha Bradley, Director Library and Information Literacy Services, Erica Hateley, Senior Librarian, Jade Howell, Librarian and Kelly Chan, Library Technician.
“As a team, we bring individual strengths which support library users. Jade is a wonderful advocate for the education teams and the library and brings our learning communities together. Erica is a literature search expert who regularly supports staff and students in finding the best quality results in medical databases. Kelly unfailingly delivers articles to staff to support their clinical knowledge and I focus on strategic initiatives that deliver best practice library services and resources to all Northern Health staff and students,” says Natasha.
Earlier this year, the team focused on redeveloping and expanding their online resources and capabilities via the eLibrary. Recently, the library has launched a single search capability that enables staff and students to search all evidence-based resources available at the library via a simple search. Try it out here.
“To help promote Northern Health’s collection better to staff, we have also installed additional display shelving to showcase specialty resources for medical, nursing and allied health professionals,” she added.
During the early stages of the pandemic, the library operated in a fully online mode for a number of months. This enabled the team to continue to deliver critical evidence-based information and literature search services to staff, and the library also continued to loan out books through a click and collect-style service.
“However, we very much missed the ability to interact with library users face-to-face,” said Natasha.
In 2023 the library team is excited to announced that it will be extending their services to all Northern Health sites, by visiting each site on a regular basis. The team will be working hard to accommodate for best dates and times for each site. They’ll be kicking this off this week, with Library and Information Week 2023 and visits to each site between 11.30 am and 2.30 pm, based on the schedule below:
Monday, 31 July – Bundoora Centre
Tuesday, 1 August – Craigieburn Centre
Wednesday, 2 August – Broadmeadows Hospital
Thursday, 3 August – Northern Hospital Epping
All Northern Health staff and students can become library members, which enables access to a range of resources and access to the Northern Health library anywhere, anytime. For more information and to sign up, please click here. Staff can access the library 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via their staff swipe card. The library has a small meeting room, a study room and twelve computers. Online, the library can be found via the eLibrary.
Thank you to our library team for all your hard work and dedication.
Featured image (L-R); Natasha Bradley, Director Library and Information Literacy Services, Jade Howell, Librarian, Erica Hately, Senior Librarian and Kelly Chan, Library Technician.
Meet Julius Quiring, Nurse Unit Manager, Palliative Care Unit, Northern Hospital Epping.
Q: What is your coffee order?
A: I have recently discovered the benefits of taking mini breaks for my internal recovery. I head to Henry’s Cafe and order my daily large caramel latte. Such a treat!
Q: Who do you most admire in your life?
A: As a young man my parents were my inspiration. My late mother was a generous and caring person who loved her family. She put herself last to ensure all our needs were met. My father was equally supportive. Although less emotional, he was an excellent role model and worked so hard for the family generally.
These days my admiration is for my wife. She is my rock who supports and encourages me at every turn and is always there for me. Her patience and love for our beautiful children is admirable, and this provides great peace for me.
Q: What is the one thing you have enjoyed about your job recently?
A: Our Gratitude Board provides much joy for me presently, where a display of cards from family/friends of loved ones expressing their appreciation of the Palliative Care Unit (PCU) and its staff. These genuine words provide great motivation for all of us.
My team has weathered the storm through the different changes/challenges we’ve faced recently. However, despite this, the all-embracing care has never altered. I feel very honoured to lead such a resilient team that sticks together and supports each other.
Q: What is something you are looking forward to in the future (professionally)?
A: I continue to look forward to opportunities to grow and develop my leadership skills. And hopefully expand our resources to potentially serve more of our community. An important goal at some stage would be that our PCU be recognised as one of the best units of its nature in Australia!
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in the Philippines where I learned the value of family, respect, generosity, positivity and humour. I consider myself a very lucky man!
This week is DonateLife Week – an annual event dedicated to raising awareness about the critical importance of organ and tissue donation.
This year’s campaign message is ‘Donate a Minute. Donate a Lifetime.’ It aims to encourage more Australians to register their wishes and promote the importance of telling family and friends should they wish to become organ donors.
As part of DonateLife week, today we introduce the Northern Donation Specialist Team, which comprises a Medical Donation Specialist, Dr David Crosbie, and a Nurse Donation Specialist, Bridget Walters. They both work closely with DonateLife Victoria.
The Donation Specialist Team support and offer families of Northern Health patients the possibility of organ and tissue donation within the Intensive Care Unit at Northern Health.
“Organ and Tissue Donation would not be able to occur without the commitment, teamwork and compassionate nature that is in place to support our team, patients and their families through organ and tissue donation across the organization, in particular the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and Theatre,” said Dr Crosbie.
The Donation Specialist team also collaborate with the Medical Designated Officers, Northern Pathology, Radiology, Echocardiology and Interventional Cardiology, who are all very accommodating of the needs of the donor patients, often over short timeframes.
“The allied health teams, through their social work team, and the Transcultural and Language Services (TALS) team of interpreters and translators, play a pivotal role during donor conversations and are always empathetic towards families during this difficult time,” said Ms Walters.
At Northern Health last year, three families said ‘yes’ to organ donation. These donations saved and transformed the lives of nine very grateful recipients. Seven families said ‘yes’ to eye and tissue donation, restoring the sight and changing the lives of 14 recipients.
“We thank all organ and tissue donors and their families for their generosity,” said the Donation Specialist team.
Over the last 12 months, eleven organ and tissue donation clinical nurse champions across the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and Theatre have worked closely with the Donation Specialist team to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation, provide education, attend and participate in study days and most importantly, be an integral resource for their colleagues in their respective areas.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff who are involved in facilitating the wishes of donor patients and their families at Northern Health and look forward to continuing to work with them in the future,” said Ms Walters.
This important week gives hope to 1,800 Australians waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, inclusive of 70 people waiting for a life-saving heart transplant and thousands more on dialysis or in need of an eye or tissue transplant.
Could you donate 1 minute to give someone a lifetime?
If you are interested in registering, please visit donatelife.gov.au
Alternatively, you can register with three taps in your Medicare App.
Thank you to the Donation Specialist team for all that you do.
Pictured in featured image (L-R): Bridget Walters and Dr David Crosbie.
