Karen works at both the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) Emergency Department (ED) and Metro South Health CAREPACT Service. Together with her nursing and other health colleagues, Karen has developed a shared vision for the future of emergency health care. The vision has clear goals that drive continuous improvement and innovation, and has challenged the team to benchmark internationally in emergency nursing performance indicators.
As a result, Karen’s team was awarded the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) Lantern Award accreditation 2020-23 in recognition of an ED that demonstrates exceptional and innovative performance in leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research. The team was also awarded the College of Emergency Nurses Association (CENA) Australasian ED of the Year 2020.
As a result of their work, the CAREPACT Service was expanded to a seven-day service to better meet the needs of the community. To enhance the leadership capacity and capability within their nursing team, Karen and her colleagues developed a Leadership Capability Framework designed to articulate and guide staff at all levels through their leadership development pathway.
Thanks to Karen and her team’s work, the Metro South ED Nurses Network and the Queensland Emergency Department Strategic Advisory Panel Nursing Leaders Committee have been implemented to increase nursing influence and provide a voice for ED nurses.
"One of the lightbulb moments for me was when I was approached by a stranger who recognised me as a nurse at PA ED. He said he remembered me being really calming and reassuring, and I just thought, wow, to be recognised or approached after several years… I think we forget what a difference we can make in an individual’s life on a day-to-day basis in nursing."