Despite the assumptions made about the profession, nurses are a critical presence in all areas of society. They are on the front line providing acute care, leading preventative care for our community, providing support for all Australians, and behind the scenes working to ensure we have the latest best practice care.
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN), in partnership with the ACN Foundation, is proud to support the development of nurses in all areas to advance the profession. The Policy Fellows program is the first nursing-specific health policy fellowship in Australia and provides the next generation of nurses with opportunities to develop their skills in nursing policy and implementation.
Participating nurses are supported by mentors who are experts in nursing policy. The one-year program exposes participants to a range of thought leaders within nursing and opportunities to network and develop skills. By the end of the program the nurses will have a deeper understanding of the connection between health outcomes and policy, and will be prepared and skilled to lead nursing policy into the future.
ACN is proud to introduce the 2023 Policy Fellows. Announced at the ACN Policy Summit in March, these nurses will be developing and refining their skills throughout 2023 to launch their passions in policy and advance the health of Australians and the nursing profession.
Sheldon Omwamba MACN
Clinical Care Manager- RSL Lifecare Limited
About Sheldon
Sheldon Omwamba MACN is passionate about aged care, person-centred care, dementia care, palliative care, policy development, and nursing leadership. He has been a motivated and devoted registered nurse with compassion for healthy ageing and chronic and complex health care.
Through his involvement in the ACN Emerging Nurse Leader (ENL) program, he was acknowledged with the 2022 ENL Higher Achiever Award certificate.
He was actively involved with the End-of-Life Care Policy Chapter in 2021 and the Chronic Disease Policy Chapter in 2022. He participated in developing ACN’s policy statement on Nurse-led innovations in response to COVID-19 for adults living with chronic disease and multimorbidity.
What do you hope to get from the 2023 Policy Fellows program?
“As a nurse, I have always been interested in the challenges and opportunities that come with caring for aging adults and those with chronic diseases. I have devoted much of my career to exploring ways to improve patient outcomes through education and innovative healthcare delivery models.
Through the involvement in the ACN Policy Fellows program, I will have the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in policy development, healthcare reform, and policy advocacy. This knowledge will enable me to become an effective advocate for the aging population. This will enhance my leadership skills, expand professional networks, and contribute to career advancement in the aged care sector.”
Simone Fitzgerald MACN
Clinical Trial Coordinator/Research Nurse- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Centre, Austin Hospital
About Simone: Simone Fitzgerald MACN has been a registered nurse for 15 years. She is currently working in research in managing oncology trials in Melbourne and has taken a leadership role in the construction of new policy in her working area. She previously has experience working in paediatrics, intensive care, and rural settings. A dedicated researcher, Simone has two graduate certificates, a Master of Nursing, and is completing her Master of Public Health, majoring in biostatistics and epidemiology.
What do you hope to get from the 2023 Policy Fellows program?
“I’m very excited to have been accepted into this program! I’ve been previously involved in policy formulation at my own workplaces and I’m looking forward to taking that a step further and learning how to influence policy decisions at a higher level than that of the individual health service. I’m also looking forward to gaining new skills through this program, networking with other likeminded people and gaining new perspectives on the issues affecting nursing in Australia and globally.”
Siobhan Hooper MACN
Associate Clinical Educator- University of the Sunshine Coast
About Siobhan: Siobhan Hooper MACN has exceptional career experience that demonstrates a commitment to advancing nursing policy and advocacy with professional achievements in a clinical, education, policy, and academic setting. She has successfully developed and implemented an innovative midwifery antenatal and postnatal program for Indigenous women, ensuring equitable rights, and created a new policy for Indigenous midwifery care. She has also advocated for the mental health of women during the antenatal period. She has also aided in developing various advocacy campaigns for prominent health issues.
During COVID-19, her role was at the forefront of policy change with the implementation of a new policy as a clinical coordinator ensuring that it was adhered to by the respective group.
What do you hope to get from the 2023 Policy Fellows program?
“Undertaking the Policy Fellows program is an opportunity to explore how to change my current clinical lens to incorporate a policy focus. This experience will enable me to identify and address issues currently faced within the nursing profession, bringing it to the forefront of policy development.
I inspire to be a positive change maker who successfully turns stumbling blocks into stepping stones.”
Madeleine Secco MACN
Registered Nurse/ Nursing Officer- Australian Defence Force
About Madeleine: Madeleine Secco MACN has fulfilled several clinical and managerial roles serving the Australian Defence Force since 2011. She has commendable experience as a Senior Nurse of a multi-national medical team within the Role Two Health Facility Kabul, Afghanistan, and Career Advisor Health while managing and developing the Army Nursing Force. She strives to advocate and make a difference in her roles at the operational level and to support health officers and nursing officers to succeed.
She has been awarded a Silver Commendation by the Chief of Army for her contribution to co-creating EMERGE, a multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral, and multi-regional junior health officer peer support network.
What do you hope to get from the 2023 Policy Fellows program?
“I am extremely humbled to be selected as one of the participants of the 2023 Policy Fellows program. I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn from the expertise and experience of the ACN Policy Team, other ACN members and my fellow 2023 Policy Fellows participants. I am looking forward to working with passionate Nurses and the ACN team to contribute to the nursing profession and its advancement. Policy is a powerful vehicle to advocate for change and I hope to gain the experience and tools to support and contribute in utilising this effective mechanism to make a positive impact for patients, their families and the nursing profession.”
Louise Lommerse MACN
Registered Nurse- Mater Hospital Rockhampton, ACN Deputy Chair, Disaster Nursing Faculty
About Louise: Louise Lommerse MACN is a registered nurse based in Central Queensland. Louise works in both private and public emergency departments and has worked as a sessional academic. She has previously worked in rural nursing, infection control, and COVID response. Louise has an interest in disaster nursing, strengthening the role of nurses through policy development and education, and supporting undergraduate and early career nurses. Louise has undertaken studies in politics, criminology, paramedicine, disaster health care, and healthcare leadership. She is a regular contributor to ACN’s NurseClick blog.
Louise is currently the Deputy Chair of the ACN Disaster Nursing Faculty, is a Policy Fellow with the ACN Foundation and has participated in the Emerging Nurse Leader program.
What do you hope to get from the 2023 Policy Fellows program?
“Nursing is the largest group in the healthcare profession and nurses are underrepresented when it comes to decision making at all levels. This is something I want to be part of and be part of the change that results in more nurses being involved in health decision making at local, state, and federal levels.
As a nurse I experience policy and politics in health care daily in the form of clinical pathways, national standards, and evidence-based practice, health equity and literacy, and education but these are policy and politics that have been decided for me. As a nurse I want to be the one who has a voice and advocates for change within the nursing profession, workplaces, and within government and non-government organisations.
I want to use this opportunity as an Australian College of Nursing Policy Fellow to utilise the knowledge from mentors to learn how policy is made, work with policy advisors, inform others about health policy, and be involved in the development of policies that are related to nursing.
I hope to learn from those who have experience in this area and from my fellow participants to further my knowledge and skills in this area over the next year.”
Congratulations to the 2023 Policy Fellows! Stay tuned throughout the year to see how these nurses will be displaying their newly developed skills. Learn more about the Policy Fellows program on our website.
