specialty focus how a treatment might benefit a patient , but they don ’ t often have a nurse at the table which is the one profession that probably spends the most time with patients answering questions , explaining how to use new treatments , how to manage their side effects or why they might not be able to access certain treatments . Anything we can do to acknowledge nurses as leaders is going to help shift this current way of thinking .
Due recognition
Aussie CEO makes WHO list of nurse and midwife leaders .
Catherine Holliday interviewed by Conor Burke
Four Australians have made the 2020 List of 100 + Outstanding Nursing and Midwifery leaders around the world .
The list was announced to mark last year ’ s International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and is a joint venture from the World Health Organization ( WHO ), United Nations Population Fund ( UNFPA ), Nursing Now , International Council of Nurses ( ICN ), International Confederation of Midwives ( ICM ), and Women in Global Health ( WGH ).
The list features the achievements of nurses and midwives from 43 countries and across six global regions , to recognise these women and the millions of nurses and midwives around the world .
Nursing Review caught up with one of the Aussie honourees , Catherine Holliday .
NR : How does it feel to have made such a huge list ? CH : I ’ m really honoured to have been recognised in this way but also know that there are thousands of nurses working just as hard and making an enormous impact every day . That ’ s the thing about being a nurse ; whether what you are doing impacts one person or one thousand people , you are going to have an impact . I think all the nurses that made this list probably feel the same way as well , that this list is really representative of all nurses across the world . Any of us could be on it .
I would imagine as a nurse and academic you ’ re not used to such recognition . You would be right . As a nurse , mixed methods researcher and a woman I guess in some circles I ’ m seen as a triple threat , and in others , a triple non-threat . What is great about this initiative that highlights so many women and nurses is that it recognises both in the context of leadership . It ’ s not easy for us to get a seat at the table and having nurses in particular at the decision-making table is incredibly important . There are so many decisions that can ’ t be properly informed if nurses aren ’ t at the table .
If we look at the way decisions are made in health technology assessment as an example , panels are usually filled with excellent clinicians and technical experts who are making recommendations on
It must be humbling to be recognised for a year where nurses have been so integral to our global health and the year of the nurse and midwife . How has the last year been for you professionally ? I work as a telehealth nurse alongside my colleagues in the Patient Pathways program and particularly when we first started to realise what the pandemic meant , I was taking so many patient calls and advocating to government for support so much that I ’ d lose my voice every day . Patients were being asked to navigate a completely new health system and there was a lot of anxiety and confusion that needed to be managed .
It was also worrying to think about people not seeking help , diagnosis or continuing with their normal care out of fear of infection . I think we ’ ll see the true impact of this over time . But given the year we ’ ve had and the many healthcare workers that have put themselves at risk , those that have been ill and those that have died , I feel like they are the ones that need to be on this list . Humbling doesn ’ t really even cover it .
Can you run us through your career so far ? I graduated from ACU in the late 90s and worked as a ward nurse for a number of years in Australia . I spent some time working in drug and alcohol nursing in the USA and that ’ s where I started to really get more interested and involved in community-based care . I then worked in the international setting with organisations like the Global Alliance for Vaccines and again , really started to see the value and need for more community-based health care .
In between all of that I also did two masters degrees , one in Health Promotion and another in Health Science , a grad diploma in nutrition and then a PhD
20 | nursingreview . com . au