Six Mackay Base Hospital nurses have wrapped up another career milestone by attending their long-awaited Master of Clinical Nursing graduation ceremony on 11 May.
Nurse educators Judy Struik, Sue Meredith and Lisa Byrne along with clinical nurses Sheena Sabastian, Christie Nicolai and Dragana Lalic finalised their studies in September 2019 but like many other graduates around the country, had their graduation ceremony delayed due to COVID-19.
Judy said the group was excited to finally don their graduation regalia and receive their official masters degree.
“It’s been a long time in the making. It took us two years to complete the course and 18 months to graduate so it was great to finally enjoy that moment,” Judy said.
The day was made even more special with Christie flying in from Melbourne, where she now lives, to attend the ceremony in Mackay.
The course is aimed at enhancing clinical, professional and leadership skills to further support patient care. Participants were supported by Mackay Institute of Research and Innovation (MIRI) and library staff to complete research projects.
The group were the first Mackay HHS nurses to complete the course which was originally developed to be undertaken in the post-graduate year.
“The course is an extension of the existing Mackay HHS nurse post-graduate program and offers advanced education in the field of medical and surgical nursing,” she said.
“It enables nurses to complete the first year with a post-graduate certificate, the option to continue to a post-graduate diploma in the second year and culminating in a masters during the third year.”
Judy was able to draw on 40 years of nursing experience to complete the course.
“Contemporary nurses face ever changing work practices and advancements in technology. That’s why it’s important to expand our knowledge and skillsets to further develop and lead nursing teams in clinical practice,” she said.
“Delivering patient centred care is always at the forefront of nursing and this was a great opportunity to build on our capacity to lead and support clinical outcomes responsive to a patient’s condition.”
She said the course encourages nurses to explore international and national evidence-based theoretical and practical applications of care within a specialised area of practice while applying research skills to undertake a specific research project.
“We supported and motivated each other through the challenges of study and I would definitely recommend other nurses to consider completing advanced education.
“This study has significantly broadened my understanding of research terminology and methodology and enhanced my ability to critique literature.”
