From casual carer to running Phillip Island's surgery team
Kongwak-raised Kim Chetland started at Wonthaggi Hospital as a casual carer 16 years ago and now runs the peri-operative team at Cowes
A KONGWAK-raised nurse who started at Wonthaggi Hospital as a casual carer 16 years ago is now leading the peri-operative team at the Phillip Island Community Hospital.
Kim Chetland has been appointed nurse unit manager of the hospital’s peri-operative department at Cowes where she leads a team of 10.
She first joined Wonthaggi Hospital in 2010 as a casual personal care assistant on Armitage House, the 24-bed sub-acute ward that handles rehabilitation, palliative care and geriatric evaluation and management.
From there she moved to the 30-bed Kirrak House aged care home behind the hospital as a personal care assistant, studying a Bachelor of Nursing online while she worked.
Ms Chetland completed her graduate year at Wonthaggi with rotations through acute and theatre, and it was theatre she loved and chose to specialise in.
She went on to gain a post-graduate qualification in anaesthetics and recovery, became a clinical nurse specialist and then associate nurse unit manager of Wonthaggi’s peri-operative department.
Nurse leadership was the direction she wanted and a unit manager role was the next logical step.
“I’ve always been supported by my managers and the organisation to grow my skills and experience, and pursue any opportunity I wished to,” she said.
Ms Chetland grew up at Kongwak about 15 kilometres north-east of Wonthaggi and still lives locally with her three children playing sport in the district.
“Caring for my community is an amazing thing to be able to do, so more people can receive care close to home,” she said.
The Cowes hospital in Church Street runs a round-the-clock urgent care centre alongside day surgery and dialysis with dental and chemotherapy services to follow.
Bayside Health was formed on January 1 this year in a voluntary merger of Alfred Health, Peninsula Health and Kooweerup Regional Health Service, with Bass Coast Health and Gippsland Southern Health Service joining in February and the names of all hospitals and facilities staying unchanged.
“Health offers you a great career. There are so many opportunities to grow and you can go anywhere,” Ms Chetland said.
“Now that we’re part of Bayside Health, there are even more pathways to collaborate with our other sites, including The Alfred and Peninsula University Hospital, and learn from each other.”
Peninsula University Hospital is the renamed Frankston Hospital, which took patients into its $1.1 billion redevelopment in January.
Career opportunities across Bayside Health are listed at baysidehealth.org.au/careers.
