Nabella Earth-Reda MACN received the 2021 Australian College of Nursing (ACN) Foundation’s Patricia Slater Award which supports a recently graduated nurse working in health regional and rural Australia. Nabella has the opportunity to attend the National Nursing Forum as part of her scholarship and has written a reflection on how it has impacted her view of the nursing profession.
Nursing is known to be a malleable career that can open many doors. The 2021 National Nursing Forum (NNF) taught me that it has no boundaries or limits. The event brought together nurses from all paths of the profession to showcase their experiences and highlighted the intricacy of nursing within the community, its effect on patients and the levels of holistic care we can reach.
Briefly, my experience at the NNF this year was special.
The level of access provided into up to date research definitely exceeded my expectation of an online forum. This was clear from the auditorium, posters, exhibitions, interesting presentations by highly achieved nurses, and the typical showcasing of different nursing brands and specialties.
Furthermore, the quality of the events and the presentations were filled with everything I am passionate about within nursing. My favourite event was the live presentation and interaction I had with CRANAPlus which focused on the improvement of remote health and accessibility of rural patients to the health care system. The poster presentations also helped me identify up to date quality nursing research and the effect the current political and pandemic climate has had on the profession as a whole.
Attending the NNF has given me a sense of connection with nurses from all around Australia during these unprecedented times. It has reminded me of the importance of persevering with providing quality health care to our susceptible populations with the aim of the greater good and highlighted how nurses from all over the country are united in fighting this pandemic with education, stellar practice, and continuous learning.
By Nabella Earth-Reda MACN
