Sue is a Registered Nurse and Midwife at Tieri Family Unit and Child Health Centre, where she has worked as a child health nurse, a midwife and an immunisation nurse for the past 22 years.
Sue is a sole practitioner in a rural and remote setting and covers an area of approximately 100km.
She provides antenatal, postnatal child health, immunisation, hearing, vision, speech assessments, “positive parenting program”, and home visits. As part of her role, Sue accompanies women in labour in an ambulance to the nearest hospital, located 100km away, and has had to deliver babies on more than one occasion in the ambulance.
Sue is the only immunisation preceptor covering a 350km area. As part of her role, Sue mentors nursing students while they undergo IPN training and afterwards when they are running their immunisation clinic.
As a QNMU member of 45 years, Sue believes the only way to improve the health system is to be a united front. She strongly advocates for a collaborative working environment where staff are encouraged to learn and constantly improve their skills for their communities.
"I love being a part of these parents’ journeys. You see them before they have the bubby, then they have the bubby and then they’re all nervous and happy. Then they’ve got these toddlers and you see these children grow into beautiful little things. Often a child will say to me in the street, “Hello, nurse Sue! Hello, how are you going?” and it’s just wonderful."
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