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Patricia Jones
Griffith College
What an exciting and
interesting time it is to be
in nurse education in 2020;
the International Year of the
Nurse and Midwife.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 9 million more nurses and midwives are needed by 2030 to provide universal health care, and nurses have been at the forefront of caring for communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Recent media attention highlights possibilities for many who are considering nursing as a career choice.
It is essential that programs leading to a nursing qualification are available to students who are unable to access direct entry to university. The Diploma of Health Care is so important as a pathway to assist people achieve their dream of becoming a nurse. While some are straight out of school, and others have life experience shaping their desire to study nursing, they all need additional education to prepare for university. This is why I love leading and teaching into my Program.
My passion for sharing my nursing experience of 37 years led me into education, and an understanding that I needed to undertake more formal education myself, as I completed my original nursing certificate over 30 years ago. I worked through a cert 4, two grad certs and finally my Masters in Clinical Leadership. I came to Griffith College in 2013; as a course coordinator and I am now the Program Convenor for the Diploma of Health Care.
I aim to give a realistic picture of a nursing career via our team of nurse educators, all of whom have many years of clinical experience.
Students regularly tell me they love “real life” stories about nursing and patients. This goes hand in hand with our science teachers, bringing together the art of caring with the science of health.
A creative and supportive learning experience is vital for Diploma students; even more so now with the additional challenges of online learning for students who were expecting a face to face environment. We need to know our cohort, provide plenty of active learning activities, be available in real time and have a visible presence (albeit via Zoom). We need to find ways of supporting students because, as we direct them toward our partner university, we must also equip them to succeed.
I have only recently stopped my clinical nursing work to focus on the Program Convenor role, however; I am still involved with the nursing community. I am on a diabetes expert reference panel, developing a diabetes education framework and resources for nurses, and am connected clinically via a national organisation in mentorship and consultancy.