Carolyn Preston

Carolyn Preston, Associate Director of Nursing Surgical, based in Dunedin Hospital

A typical day

No day is ever the same.  I manage nursing staff in Perioperative and Intensive Care and these areas are always busy. Every day brings its challenges as we juggle beds, acute and elective surgery, and nursing staffing complexities.  I am involved in a number of decision making meetings each day to support these challenges.

Over the past year we have implemented new nursing leadership structures in Dunedin Theatres, Te puna wai ora (ICU) and PACU (post-anesthesia care unit).  These new support structures have helped improve the care delivered to patients in these areas and makes nursing more attractive as a career pathway with senior nursing roles available.

There are days where it feels like all I do is jump from one issue to another to sort out, but with this comes lots of opportunities for improvement and strategic planning. This involves a lot of meeting attendance and time working on documents to support the change.  I feel that I am often a facilitator and advocate to make things happen.

One way I’ve made a difference as a nurse

On a daily basis I feel that I make a difference for patients as I advocate for them requiring care, to ensure they are being supported in the right place.  I do a lot of advocating for nursing in my areas to ensure that their voice is heard and there is the right mix of nurses to deliver a high level of care.

What would you say to a person considering a career in nursing?

Nursing is a career that gives you limitless opportunities in so many different specialities and pathways, be it Clinical, Education, Leadership or Research anywhere in the world.  There are always work opportunities available and your day is always fulfilling and interesting.