Grow your own

EXCITING things are happening at Gippsland Southern Health Service (GSHS).

A new spirited and sprightful management team have stepped up and are taking services into the future.

“It’s exciting,” Director of Nursing, Kylie Ashton smiled.

“It’s hard to keep a lid on the excitement – the future is really bright. We’ve got really young emerging leaders, succession planning, pathways for leadership opportunities, we are taking part in projects through Safer Care Victoria, partnering with the Alfred… Lots of really great things.

“Values are the backbones of the organisation and are the core of who we are.”

And whilst Kylie may have only stepped into her role, her determination, knowledge and cascade of experience is cause for celebration – she embodies the mantra of growing your own, and not least because her formative adult years were had in Gippsland.

“I grew as a baby nurse (at GSHS). I studied my EN locally at the TAFE and did a graduate year here. I went on to study a Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery at Monash, came back for my graduate year and continued to work for a couple of years before I went west.”

Expanding her experience in the remote wilderness of Western Australia for seven years, Kylie returned home with her young family and hasn’t looked back.

“It was really eye opening. It changed my thoughts around a lot of things including recruitment and retention. People coming from different areas bring with them a wealth of experience and different opinions and that’s welcomed here. We want to grow, and the best way to grow is to listen to outside experts and adapt our practice.

“I’ve worked my way very quickly into the executive space because I have a vision and I think we can drive this place into the future quite positively.”

A great place to work, Kylie is excited about the emerging fields at the hospital and new exciting opportunities for upcoming talent.

“We’ve taken two maternity students (postgraduates) this year. We also have one still halfway through a course from last year. We’re filling from the ground up rather than hoping that all these highly skilled midwives are going to come out of the woodwork, and similarly in aged care. We’ve got a big recruitment strategy and I touch base with the TAFE to capture new emerging students.

“Equally, we’ve commenced recruitment for Registered undergraduate students of Nursing Midwifery (RUSON’s/RUSOM’s) now – we haven’t really travelled down that pathway before. We’ve got a huge number of applicants at the moment, so it’s exciting for us to really grow local people, local jobs.

“Exposing them to what’s available in their own community before they go off, means we are increasing our opportunity to retain because they’re familiar here.

“Our nurses are also not typecast – you work on the ward, in post op, urgent care. We are the cardiac corridor to the community; as a nurse in a rural hospital you see a variety of complex things walk through our door, and participate in the management of this at every level, this enhances your critical assessment skills and develops well rounded generalist nurses with robust skills meaning they are employable anywhere. Big hospitals may get bigger cases, but you can often end up in one area.

“We’ve seen some big emergencies through these doors over the last 12 months and the team have managed them in an expert way.”

Having traditionally employed registered nurses/midwives the team have since expanded with direct entry midwifery as a way of protecting the maternity unit and ensuring it remains resourced.

“(GSHS is) an evolving space with lots of people heading towards retirement in the coming decade – we are growing the next generation ready for when people want to step out the door.

“We have positions across all sectors – EN’s, RN’s, RM’s, RUSOM’s, RUSON’s, Allied Health, Aged Care, Education, Community, Clerical and Kitchen, Hotel Services…”

Keep an eye on their jobs board (online) as new positions are (often) available weekly.

Kylie is also a very proud South Gippslander delighting in the fact you are only an hour and a half from the city one way, mountains the other and 20 minutes from the ocean, surrounded by beautiful countryside with resources at your fingertips.

“I like to think we are close enough to touch (the city), but not close enough to smell it,” Kylie laughed.

“(GSHS) is a great place to work. But it’s a really exciting time now.”