Wednesday February 21, 2024
Nurse Unit Manager Katie Kyrkou always wanted to be a nurse and went on to find her greater calling in mental health.
“I was doing my Bachelor of Nursing and I found it interesting, but once I had my mental health placements it opened up a whole new world. It’s so interesting to be involved in reducing the stigma around mental health and advocating for equality in health care,” Ms Kyrkou said.
This Mental Health Nurses Day (21 February), we acknowledge the work our nurses put in to create positive and impactful health outcomes for Eastern Health consumers.
“Often people come in quite fearful, scared and feeling quite hopeless about the future and worried about what their life will look like beyond hospital. Building trust and communication is a huge part of our role. It’s so rewarding watching them go home with a whole new ‘lease on life’ and a lot of positivity about their future.”
Work pressures are often at the forefront of conversations in the mental health space, however Ms Kyrkou has found that with a supportive team, she feels enabled and empowered to carry out her work.
“Although there are challenges and tough days, I think there’s a lot more positive days. It’s important to have a good team around you and debrief about experiences with them.
“Something I’ve learned from the job is the importance of connection and having social supports in the community. I think the resilience that people have is amazing. It’s important to be non-judgmental and make sure those social supports and connections are being set up.”