Celebrating the incredible contribution of our amazing nurses and hospital staff
To honour International Nurses Day and more generally, all staff at Sydney Adventist Hospital (the San), there was a week of celebrations to acknowledge the incredible contribution they make in caring for our community - something they have been doing for the last 120 years.
International Nurses Day coincides with staff week celebrations and saw a number of hilarious activities take place including our much-anticipated bedpan relay.
The International Nurses’ Day motto this year was ‘Our Nurses. Our Future’, with the call to learn from the pandemic and translate what we’ve learnt into actions for the future – to ensure nurses are protected, respected and valued.
“Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system. The pandemic highlighted their incredible resilience and selflessness,” said Clare Lumley, Chief Operations & Nursing Executive at the San. “As we look towards the future, it is imperative that we value our nurses. Let’s ensure we work together to create a brighter future for nursing, where our nurses are professionally fulfilled and empowered to provide the highest quality of care to our communities."
Caring for our community is what nurses and staff at the San have been doing since we opened in 1903. The hospital has also played an important role in training nurses since its inception, shaping the healthcare workforce in New South Wales for more than a century. Today, the San still trains nurses through its affiliation with Avondale University. The hospital also provides a range of nursing education and upskilling programs for nurses throughout their careers, recognising that continuing education is the cornerstone of a robust healthcare system.
Being the largest employer in the Ku ring gai area our week of celebrating acknowledges all our 1,200+ nursing team and more than 1,200 other wonderful staff at the San.
The International Day of the Midwife was also acknowledged during the week. “We celebrate the incredible contributions of our midwives who have been delivering 'San babies' for over a century,” said Clare Lumley. “Their unwavering commitment to maternal and newborn health has been instrumental in shaping the legacy of our hospital.”
Thrive Week recognises the importance of personal and professional growth, health, and resilience of our staff. Gestures of appreciation were held during the week to acknowledge nurses, midwives, and staff throughout the hospital, to thank them and highlight the great work they do.
One of the very special events of Thrive Week were the staff awards. This year 117 staff were presented with awards for Years of Service. 65 staff received an award for 10 years of service; 42 staff for 20 years; 7 staff for 30 years, and 3 for 40 years of service.
Nominees for the Mission Ambassador awards were also announced, recognising staff who exemplify the hospital’s mission to ‘care for the body, mind and spirit of patients, colleagues, community and ourselves’.
Townhall-style information sessions provided an opportunity to reflect on the remarkable achievements over the past few years – despite the tumult of Covid – and share exciting developments for the future.
Staff were treated to a special menu and live music in the San Café, and complimentary frozen yoghurts at the pop-up yoghurteria. Much laughter was heard at the selfie photo booth station, capturing fun moments with colleagues.
And in case you were wondering, the winners of the bedpan relay were ‘The Therobandits’, a team from our Allied Health departments.
