Meet Our Nurses
Our school nurses are wonderful! They provide significant support and care to our students during the busiest time of the day. We'd like to formally introduce you to Diana, Carolyn and Kaye!
Meet Diana
How long have you been nursing for?
I've been nursing for 25 years.
How long have you been at FPS?
I've been working at FPS coming up to 4 years.
Where else do you nurse?
I also nurse at the Austin Hospital.
What types of nursing have you done across your career?
Prior to studying nursing and throughout my university course I worked in aged care and was an active member with St John Ambulance. I then did my graduate program at the Austin Hospital and worked in many areas such as Orthopaedics, Spinal, Oncology, Haematology. I continued to further my Oncology/Haematology nursing and did a post graduate course through Peter MacCallum Cancer Hospital.
In three words how do you describe FPS patients?
Friendly, curious and caring.
What's the biggest challenge you have working at FPS?
My biggest challenge would be when all my little patients come in at the one time with their caring friends and I need to triage who needs my attention first.
What do you love most about nursing?
What I love most about nursing is the challenge and diversity in patients I care for and meeting new people. Going to hospital for many people can be a traumatic and overwhelming experience and I am there to make them feel comfortable and provide a professional and high level of nursing care with a smile.
What do you like most about your job at FPS?
What I really love about working at FPS is the patients that I care for. In most of my career I have nursed adults. To care for children is such a delight, their funny curious minds, their honest and sometimes cheeky mannerisms, their need to just come into sick bay and simply want to chat about their day. It brings me joy. Not to forget the wonderful staff who work at the school who are very helpful and approachable. It’s a happy environment which I love the most, the hustle and bustle of children coming in and out of sick bay, even if it's such to say hello.
Meet Carolyn
How long have I been nursing?
Ekkk 29 years! Time flies when you're having fun! When I finished school the only thing I really wanted to do was to travel. Nursing seemed to be a good way to see the world and luckily I also like helping people. So, I studied nursing, worked in Melbourne for a year and then headed off to work in London. I spent the next six years working in the UK (London and Edinburgh) and traveling through Europe, Africa and India.
How long have you been nursing at FPS?
This is my 5th year working at FPS.
What types of nursing have you done across your career?
Renal (kidney) nursing was my first passion – I worked with patients with chronic renal failure, kidney transplants and haemodialysis. One of my most rewarding jobs was when I was teaching patients to use a haemodialysis machine at home. This is a really complicated machine that works to replace the function of the kidney, by cleaning the blood and removing extra fluid. Patients normally need to come into a dialysis unit attached to a hospital three times a week for many hours to perform haemodialysis. Being able to do it at home greatly increases their quality of life. For variety I have also worked as a diabetes educator, a research nurse, and a health coach. A few years ago, I decided to try immunisation nursing and have worked delivering flu vaccinations in workplaces.
What do you like most about your job at FPS?
One of the reasons I love working at FPS is the community within the student group. If a younger student is in any type of distress, there will always be an offer to go and find an older sibling or their buddy to support them.
I also love watching students develop resilience and independence. A younger student may appear in extreme distress with the most minor of scratches and as they get older, they may walk in with half the skin on their knee hanging off and just ask patiently for a band aid.
Of course, I also enjoy seeing my own children if they pop in to see me in sick bay during a Thursday!
Where else do I nurse?
I also work at Ivanhoe East Primary School and the COVID vaccination clinic at the Austin Hospital.
Meet Kaye
How long have you been nursing for?
I've been nursing for 23 years.
How long have you been nursing at FPS?
I've been nursing here for seven years. I started when my son was in Year 5 at FPS... he's now in Year 11!
What types of nursing have you done across your career?
I originally started nursing patients with head and neck cancer and then moved into haematology, including working for support organisations that focussed on haematology. I have worked in nurse education and management and I am an endorsed nurse practitioner. Now, when I'm not in the fist aid room at FPS, I work as a palliative care nurse at the Austin Hospital. I also am a part of the Palliative Care Advisory Service, which was set up by the Department of Health.
What do you like most about your job at FPS?
Working at FPS is the 'ying' to my 'yang'. Providing patient support and nursing in palliative care can be challenging, so coming to school provides a real balance.
Also, the kids, administration staff and teachers are a phenomenal bunch! It's wonderful to work with a great group of people.
In three words how do you describe nursing at FPS?
Lots of variety!
Nursing at FPS is more than just putting band aids on grazed knees... although there is that too. Anything can come through the first aid door. Sometimes all that is needed is a little TLC, other times though, there are have been serious injuries. I know the school staff always appreciate a nurse on hand when children present with concussion, or if they have fractured a bone.
Also, I'm the person who changes and washes the first aid bedding. There's always crisp and clean sheets on the bed ready for whoever is about to walk through the door!