Last week, we featured our 11 new Stage One Emerging Nurse Leaders (ENLs). Today, we are delighted to introduce you to the 12 driven individuals selected for Stage Two of the highly-regarded program. We congratulate all participants on their selection into our prestigious award program. We hope you enjoy reading about their ambitions for the future and how they anticipate the ENL program will support them on their leadership journeys.
Lauren Baker MACN
Lauren is currently a third-year Bachelor of Nursing student at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and is looking forward to commencing her new graduate year in 2020. She is passionate about person-centred care, patient advocacy and preventative education.
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Through working as an aged carer, psychology administrator and an assistant in nursing Lauren has had a wide variety of exposure to the health care industry. She also works for UTS as a student nurse ambassador and achieved the Platinum Accomplish Award in 2018. Lauren is passionate about becoming the best nurse she can be and is excited to enhance her leadership skills through participation in the ENL program.
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Joshua Contaoi MACN
Joshua is a 2020 ENL program recipient graduating from a Bachelor of Nursing at Victoria University. He is the first in his family to complete a health care degree at an undergraduate level.
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Joshua’s family nurtured him to be a humble, caring, knowledgeable, and practical leader and he chose nursing because it incorporates all these values. He entered university with little knowledge about health care yet overcame challenges in adjusting to the field with the support of his university and cohort. Additionally, he has been a Bachelor of Nursing student representative throughout his degree and is passionate about learning, being involved in the community, and experiencing other professional roles. He has undertaken volunteering, community service, social entrepreneurism, cultural society, and leadership activities at university. He is very excited for the ENL program and eager to take his nursing leadership to the next level.
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Jay Court MACN
Jay is a final year Master of Nursing student who is passionate about addressing the stigmas associated with mental ill-health. She comes to mental health nursing after a career as a documentary producer in Australia and East Africa.
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Jay believes in elevating the nursing profession and advocating for nurse-led solutions to Australia’s changing health care needs. Her goal is to become a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and to establish her own practice that addresses the mental health of communities in need.
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Elissa Dabkowski MACN
After working as an allied health professional for 14 years, Elissa decided to change careers to become a registered nurse after the birth of her twin boys. Elissa completed her nursing degree at Federation University in Gippsland where she was awarded the University Medal for Academic Excellence.
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Elissa is currently completing her graduate year at Latrobe Regional Hospital with rotations in surgical/medical, paediatrics and emergency. On top of her graduate year, Elissa is completing her Bachelor of Nursing (Honours), in which she is hoping to have finished her thesis in December 2019. Elissa is proud to be a member of the nursing profession and she is looking forward to the opportunity to develop her leadership skills through ACN’s ENL program.
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Melinda Goode MACN
Melinda is excited to participate in Stage 2 of the ENL program. Melinda has come into nursing later in life after working as a Coastal Planner for several years. After starting her own family, she decided to take a leap of faith and change careers into nursing and hasn’t looked back.
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In 2020 Melinda will have graduated with a Masters in Nursing from Edith Cowan University and will commence her graduate year at King Edward Memorial Hospital Perth; with rotations in the Neonatal Unit and Woman’s Health. Melinda was very fortunate to have an active role in the 2019 National Nursing Forum; participating in panel discussions on ‘reducing the carbon footprint in healthcare’ and ‘encouraging the involvement of next gen nurses in policy development’. Melinda has thoroughly enjoyed connecting with like-minded and inspirational people and is excited to see where the ENL journey takes her next.
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Alexandra Hawthorn MACN
With a background in Biomedical Science, Alexandra has worked with nurse research group Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research and as a result, has a strong passion for making vascular access complications history. Furthermore, Alexandra has an interest in emergency medicine and hopes to continue her interest during her graduate year.
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In 2018, Alexandra was awarded a Westpac Future Leaders scholarship and she is proud to be continuing her leadership journey through the Emerging Nurse Leader program.
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Nick Hayward MACN
Nick arrived at nursing after years of experience leading teams as a retail manager with a passion for maintaining team morale and meeting and engaging with local communities. Nick co-founded a nursing student society on campus after identifying a gap in service delivery and enjoys supporting and advocating for his student cohort.
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Now in his final year of nursing studies and working as an acute care assistant in nursing, Nick is looking forward to pursuing an honours year and continuing to engage with consumers and colleagues in support of quality care and safe working environments. Nick is excited to be a part of the ENL program and hopes to contribute to ACN’s goal of advancing the nursing profession by championing the core leadership elements of promoting morale and team cohesion.
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Amy Humme MACN
Amy is a final year Bachelor of Nursing student at Swinburne University of Technology and will graduate in December 2019. She is currently working as an endorsed enrolled nurse in aged care and is eager to commence her career as a graduate registered nurse in 2020.
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Amy’s past experience in scouting has strongly influenced her passion for leadership and she is keen to broaden this into nursing. Participation in a nursing study tour to Vietnam in July 2019 strengthened her interest in global health and emergency nursing. Amy is excited to begin Stage 2 of the ENL program and is looking forward to challenging herself both personally and professionally.
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Madeline Lam MACN
Madeline is a newly graduated registered nurse with a Bachelor of Nursing from the Australian Catholic University. Originally on a path to neuroscience research, she was inspired by the hard-working and professional nurses who cared for her grandfather after a stroke and decided to make the career switch to nursing. This will be Madeline’s second year in the Emerging Nurse Leader program.
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Madeline has recently discovered an interest in shaping health care environments to culturally diverse populations, particularly in the palliative care setting, nursing policy and research. Her future career goals include becoming a Nurse Practitioner and working in academia. In her spare time, Madeline plays softball with the Melbourne University Softball Club and enjoys knitting. She is currently working at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in the Cardiology Department and has recently been offered a position in the St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne Graduate Nursing Program for 2020.
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Erin Mercieca MACN
Erin will be completing her graduate year at the Royal Women’s Hospital in 2020 following the completion of a Master of Nursing Science at the University of Melbourne in 2019. She is passionate about advocating for patients and has a particular interest in women’s and neonatal health.
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Erin is also interested in improving health systems through nursing research and is currently conducting research on secondary lymphoedema through the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. She has been involved in voluntary work outside of her studies as Nursing Coordinator for the Teddy Bear Hospital, a not-for-profit organisation that raises funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital. This role has allowed her to improve health literacy of children, reduce fears of hospital systems, and engage with multidisciplinary teams. Erin looks forward to the leadership opportunities and the knowledge that she will gain from Stage 2 of the ENL program.
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Jake Muller MACN
Jake is a 4th year dual nursing and paramedicine student at the Australian Catholic University, graduating in December. Jake grew up in regional Queensland before making the move to Brisbane in 2016 to commence study. Throughout his studies, Jake has developed a passion for emergency and cardiac nursing and hopes and is seeking a graduate program in one of these areas next year.
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Jake has participated in a variety of leadership activities including the Vice President of the Nursing Society, piloting the Nursing Mentor Program, and he currently sits on the Faculty of Health Sciences National Board. Jake is also employed in the aged care sector and as an event emergency medic providing medical care to a variety of events ranging from school sport to large music festivals. In the future Jake hopes to return to university with a focus on nursing from a socio-political perspective.
In his spare time Jake enjoys drinking coffee, playing board games and travelling having recently returned from a clinical placement in Denmark. He is looking forward to developing his leadership skills while transitioning into the registered nurse role over the next year.
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Jessica Parsell MACN
Jessica is an enrolled nursing student with TAFE Queensland. A busy mum with four young kids, Jess was looking for a career change, so she looked into the health sector.
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After completing a Cert III in Pathology Collection and working as a Phlebotomist with Australia’s largest pathology company, Jess realised that health care was where she was meant to be and began her Diploma of Nursing studies online. She is due to complete her studies at the end of 2019 and is currently applying for graduate roles, with hopes of working in an acute perioperative environment. When she’s not studying or working, Jess loves hanging out at the beach with her family and going to trivia nights.
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