Qualifications 

Freedom from Chronic Pain                               2024

Practitioner Training

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Masters of Philosophy                                        2019 

University of Notre Dame                              deferred

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Paul Harris Fellow Award  x 2                 2016 & 2019

                                                                            

Intermediate Life Support Certificate                  2013

#13/607/0127                              

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Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education          2004

University of Notre Dame, Western Australia              

                           

Diploma of Herbal Medicine                                2000

Australian Institute of Holistic Medicine

Western Australia             

 

Graduate Diploma of Clinical Acupuncture         1999

Australian Institute of Holistic Medicine

Western Australia        (AHPRA registered)

 

Diploma of Natural Medicine                               1999

Australian Institute of Holistic Medicine

Western Australia             

 

Infection Control Certificate                                 1995

Waiariki Polytechnic, New Zealand                               

 

Registered General & Obstetric Nurse                1984

Ashburton Hospital, New Zealand            

 

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Work Experience

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I have my own business, providing education to various healthcare facilities in Perth and train at Health Care Australia.  I also run a private clinic in Baldivis as a naturopath and acupuncturist.

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In 2014, I was invited by the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital in Cambodia to teach a nursing team how to safely perform total hip surgery. This initiative has resulted in a successful ongoing programme equal to western standards.  Whilst there, the Director implored me to return which I did in 2015/16 volunteering for eight months.  During this time, I consulted and taught on a variety of healthcare issues, from infection control needs, educational development, building, funding and management.   

 

This included teaching: 

• a national infection control course to 67 senior nurses throughout the country,

• a local operating theatre course to 37 nurses, and 

• initiating and developing a Nurse Leadership Team whom I mentored in their roles from writing job descriptions, detailing duty plans, teaching them how to write policy and procedures, initiate change through the quality improvement cycle, how to hold meetings, audit hand hygiene to strategic leadership until they became relatively independent. 

 

Training was also given at other hospitals including:

• a full day class to 100 nurses at Calmette Hospital on compassion, comfort, caring and communication with patients at the request of their Director; 

• disinfection and sterilisation at Takeo Referral Hospital;  

• care of laparoscopic instrumentation at National Paediatric Hospital, and  

• a review of Kossamak Hospital improvement strategies. 

 

This has dramatically decreased their postoperative death and infection rate and significantly improved patient outcomes. 

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Subsequently, I have returned to Cambodia a number of times to teach and implement strategies such as hand hygiene stations, basic life support, wound dressings and laundry improvements. Various volunteers including Rotary and private benefactors have assisted me in setting up infrastructure such as hand hygiene stations, cleaning facilities, laundry facilities, emergency management, wound dressing kits to name but a few initiatives.  This has led to the KSFH being recognised by the government as the model hospital for the country.   In 2020, I taught a Covid 19 hospital readiness course, over 9 lessons via Zoom to doctors and nurses.  This included working with WHO, GIZ, MSF and international agencies to advise their Ministry of Health.   I am  immensely proud of those I have worked with and the achievements  made despite being told that I would not be able to change methods there.   A good understanding, patience and tenacity to assist improvements has led to a substantial decrease in untoward events.  

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Prior to this, I worked as a Consultant Nurse Educator for various institutions in Perth.  This included managing the Hill Surgical Workshop at the University of Western Australia - a surgical training facility, where I facilitated the pioneering use of fresh frozen cadavers for surgical training.  I also worked for nine years in the operating suite at St John of God, Murdoch as the Staff Development Nurse and managed a Peri-operative Course for St John's that had staff from other hospitals in Western Australia feeding into it for their training.  Whilst in this position I also undertook fulltime studies in naturopathy, herbal medicine and acupuncture.  

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Before moving to Australia, I worked in New Zealand as an Operating Theatre nurse assisting setting up the theatres in a new day surgery department at Dunedin Public Hospital.  After this I worked in the operating theatres at Mercy hospital and was the Infection Control Nurse guiding them successfully through there first accreditation.  Prior to that I worked as a community health nurse on a new initiative to provide a screening programme in a culturally sensitive manner for the Maori and Pakeha people of Central Otago.  This has evolved into a mobile surgical clinic.  

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I had always wanted to be a nurse and perhaps inspired by reading Heidi, I presented at the University Hospital of Zurich in 1986 and was offered a position in the neurosurgical departments operating suite.  I worked alongside Professor Yarsagil, a pioneer of aneurysm surgery.  Perhaps it was under his tutelage that I further enhanced my perfectionist attitude.  It was something he said that led me on my journey in integrative medicine.  During a discussion he said:

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                                        "The brain has the ability to heal us but we just don't know how to utilise it yet."                          

                                                                                                                                             Prof. Yarsagil

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My nursing journey also led me to work in England and Florida, United States of America before returning to New Zealand.  

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I completed my registered nurse and obstetric training at Ashburton Hospital, in the South Island of New Zealand.  During this time I loved the fast paced area of the operating suite and obtained a further year of  training in this specialty in Whangarei in the North Island.

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