This week, we celebrated Emergency Nurses Week, as a way to recognise all of our Emergency Nurses and the tremendous work they do to care for our patients and local community.

As part of this week, on Wednesday, 12 October, we celebrated International Emergency Nurses Day. Established by the Emergency Nurses Association in the 1970’s, and observed globally, Emergency Nurses Day is a day to say thank you, and recognise the extraordinary commitment, hard work, and tireless efforts our emergency nurses give each day.

Throughout the week, our emergency nurses have been celebrating together, with Stella Gibbons, Northern Health Volunteer, surprising the department with her famous cupcakes.

Jamie Lee Hamer, Clinical Nurse Unit Manager Emergency Department, said, “Celebrating ED nurses day is very important to me. It means we are able to truly recognise the continuous hard work every single nurse in the department puts in – day in and day out.”

Agnieska Kuciel, Acting Director, Operations – Emergency Services, also highlighted their efforts to plan lots of ways to show their appreciation to their staff, and make a positive difference in the workplace.

“I am very proud of all the nurses in the Emergency Department. They are an amazing team who always look out for each other, with genuine support and care, especially in times of high acuity. This week allows us to acknowledge their daily commitment to our department, our patients, and each other.”

Northern Health’s Emergency Department is the busiest in Victoria, with hundreds of patients triaged every day. This makes our nurses some of the hardest working in the state. Our nurses are professionally trained to handle difficult cases and to think quickly on their feet, providing the best possible care to our patients.

Tenielle Holland, Clinical Nurse Unit Manager, highlighted the importance of our nurses, saying, “Emergency Nurses are a unique group who are supportive, caring, determined, passionate and understanding. It means working in a team environment, sometimes stressful, always fast-paced which requires an advanced skill-set. Being an Emergency Nurse means caring for the most vulnerable, sickest people, and supporting them and their families.”

Among many other activities, including a visit from a therapy dog, afternoon tea and coffee cards, the nurses have still been extremely busy treating patients. Julia Beckman, ED Nurse Unit Manager, said, “Emergency nursing is a challenging, yet rewarding career – you are at the person’s side in their most vulnerable state, and offer support to families in a crisis situation. It is truly an honour to be able to offer that support, and you can proudly say you make a difference in peoples lives.”

As our population in the north grows, so do we. That’s why Northern Health is continually finding new and innovative ways to care for our community.

The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) was introduced earlier this year, where you can connect with our nurses and doctors to receive medical advice. Our sickest of patients are brought into our Emergency Department, and cared for by our nurses.

Lora Davies, Divisional Director Nursing, Emergency Services, said, “This week is about recognising the emergency nurse community’s remarkable strength, resilience, intelligence, and compassion. During the tough times Northern Health ED nurses have faced, they have continued to work as a team and deliver care to our community. They are a family, and pride themselves on working with our Northern Health values; safe, kind and together.”

Thank you to all our ED nurses. We hope you have enjoyed the activities this week as a way to recognise your ongoing dedication to our community.