Just Better Care is proud to employ many amazing nurses who care for our customers every day. We recently spoke to just one of these nurses to find out what it’s like to work at Just Better Care.
Sharee Rayner is one of Just Better Care Melbourne Mornington’s valued and highly
qualified nurses. With over 20 years of nursing and medical experience, Sharee holds a certificate as a Registered Nurse Division Two, a Degree in Nursing from the University of New England, a Post-Graduate Degree in Skin Cancer Surgery and Medicine, and a Degree in Applied Sciences in Psychology and Intellectual Studies from RMIT.
Sharee sat down with us to talk about her passion for working in the aged care and disability sectors, and her experience in advocating for person-centred care.
Why did you want to become a nurse?
I love to work in the disability sector; when I first started, the sector was still in the early stages of developing case management as a profession. Being part of that process meant I saw how changes in legislation could help me to establish relationships with clients. I feel the recent changes in the industry, such as Consumer Directed Care, have helped my customers become more independent.
I’m very passionate about customer advocacy and person-centred care. These practices were my two biggest motivations for becoming a nurse. Mainly, I wanted to focus on critical care, by working in the community and assisting people who are vulnerable. I want to help them advocate for themselves and assist them in making informed choices about their quality of care.
What drew you towards a nursing career with Just Better Care?
I needed flexible working hours but I wanted to ensure l still had the opportunity to work in the acute care sector. I also wanted to work in an area I’m passionate about and Just Better Care offered me all of that and more.
Working with Just Better Care means I am able to help people live comfortably and independently in their own home. I hate to see people give up their homes if they don’t want to. Recently, it came to my attention that there was a lack of care planning and following through, which was leading to more hospital admissions. I realised that I wanted to work in an area, and with a company, that was actively doing something to solve this.
One of my main goals in community care nursing is to ensure that the cycle of care and disease management is at the forefront of what we do and that we, as nurses in the community, can manage chronic disease appropriately in the person’s home. By providing more in-home support, people don’t need to go to hospital as often. This can take pressure off the health system, while also providing more comfortable management to people.
Another aspect that drew me to Just Better Care is their commitment to ensure customers have as many social opportunities as possible. I love the idea of giving people the opportunity to go on day trips, do their own shopping, or continue having hobbies.
Why do you enjoy being a nurse in the aged care and disability sector?
As a nurse you see people come into the world and a lot of people go out; being able to support customers and their families on that journey makes me want to do this job. We help keep families together and keep them functioning.
It is important to me to see families happy and staying together. It makes the whole experience as a nurse worth it.
What unique challenges do you experience in your job as a nurse in the aged care and disability sectors?
The biggest challenge is ensuring there is community access and mobility for customers. Keeping elderly people active in the community despite their circumstances proves tough, but we work with occupational therapists and physiotherapists to make sure the community is accessible for our customers. We also have to consider obstacles like stairs, rails and lifts and this applies to everybody, from paediatric customers, to young adults with disabilities.
What highlights do you experience in your job as a nurse in the aged care and disability sector?
I had one customer who had acquired a brain injury and was having constant seizures, but he really wanted to see the Harbour Bridge in Sydney. Of course, there are a lot of risks with a trip like that. So, as a team we sat down with him and made his wish a reality and a positive experience. We always try to go all out to make things possible, so our customers get the best out of our services.
What does International Nurses Day mean to you?
I associate International Nurses Day with an opportunity to thank my colleagues and peers that I value, love, have grown with, and learnt from; we get so busy that we forget to do this sometimes. These people have enabled me to do my job better.
Being a nurse is such a team-focused area of work; none of us can do this job independently, so I feel very fortunate to work with people who help and push me. Even if we have different clinical perspectives, it makes us a better team in the end.
Sharee plans to have a get together and drinks with her fellow nurses, and make time to put her feet up today.