Nurses that share more than just a profession

Two nurses walk alongside each other down a main corridor chatting about the day ahead at Southland Hospital. 

They step in synch and without realising it their heads tilt towards each other as the conversation flows.  

The camaraderie is more than just the nursing profession they share. They are mother and daughter. 

Sandy Buzzard is an Associate Charge Nurse Manager / CNS in the Emergency Department, while her daughter Gemma Buzzard works in the theatre department. 

Growing up Gemma remembers her mum working a lot and now that she is also a nurse, she understands. 

Sandy, who has been an RN for 45 years (of which 22 years have been in Southland), says she likes problem solving and the fast pace of working in the emergency department.  

What she loves most about her career is the ability to help others.  

At one point, Sandy’s other daughter Stephanie, who is a pharmacist, also worked at the hospital, so she had both her daughters with her. 

Sandy and Gemma both say International Nurses Day acknowledges that nurses worldwide face similar concerns and pressures.  

“It’s nice to know we’re not alone in some of the challenges we face,” Sandy says.  

For Gemma, if there is one thing she would like the public to know, it is the breadth and depth of knowledge and qualifications nurses have and the responsibilities they hold.  

On International Nurses Day, Bronwyn Dawson wants everyone to know that nursing is very hard work mentally, physically and emotionally.  

“In order to achieve the best outcome for our patients we don’t just treat them, we educate and advocate for them,” she says.  

Bronwyn and her mum June Evans, also a nurse, both shared an interest in holistic health and would often have conversations about what each other was learning.  

“It was a common belief in being alongside people to assist and support in a holistic way. We both felt this started with looking after ourselves, our families, our friends, our work colleagues, and our patients.”  

They both worked at Southland Hospital between 1983 to 1984. June worked in the maternity unit and neonatal before working for Southland Hospice and then retiring to Marlborough in 2002.  

When returning to work for the then Southern Health after having her children, Bronwyn has worked for the same employer since 1988.  

She says it’s been a challenging but rewarding career for both her and her mother. 

“One of my favourite memories is learning that Mum was on duty when I was giving birth to my daughter, but she waited outside the door after her shift finished and didn’t let the staff know until the consultant caring for me left.  

“I was upset to think she could have been included in that special event, but it wasn’t thought of back then.”  

Today, Bronwyn has a nephew working as a RN in the medical ward and her daughter is an exercise rehab specialist in Dunedin.  

Sharleen Frewen, left, with her daughter Natasha Schuck.

Paediatric Outreach Nurse RN Sharleen Frewen sits in the middle of a special generational triangle.  

She worked with her mother, Marie Plank, who was also a nurse, for about 10 years when their careers overlapped at the hospital.  

Now, Sharleen is working alongside her daughter, RN Natasha Schuck, in the Children’s Ward at Southland Hospital.  

“We have a pretty good relationship outside of work that makes it easy to work together,” the pair say.  

While they are both in the Children's ward, Natasha works on the ward itself, while Sharleen is one of the three Paediatric Outreach Nurses.  

Natasha has recently rejoined the hospital staff. The first time around she worked as a healthcare assistant before doing her training.  

She then spent five years with the Queenstown Medical Centre before coming back south.  

Neither of them can imagine having any other career than nursing.  

“I think if you’ve got a medical profession in a family then it’s likely that it features as a career for others to consider because it’s what they’ve been exposed to growing up,” Sharleen says.  

As International Nurses Day rolls around the biggest message Sharleen and Natasha want to share is that nursing is a caring profession.  

“We are a profession that gives 100% of ourselves to our children and families. We are a caring profession, and we want our patients to improve as well, and as quickly as they can.”   

Jerico Esquerra with his wife Clarise, on the left, and Pauz Diaz with his wife Claire. 

If someone were to fall ill in the Esguerra and Diaz household, there will be three nurses on hand to take care of them.  

Jerico Esquerra and his wife Clarise, together with Pauz Diaz and his wife Claire are truly international nurses having trained and worked in the Philippines, as well as the Middle East before the four of them started at Southland Hospital in July 2023. 

International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12 annually to mark the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, often regarded as the founder of modern nursing. 

They all came together, because twin sisters Clarise and Claire jokingly say they do not want to be separated from one another. 

At the hospital, the registered nurses all work on the medical ward, apart from Pauz, who is an RN in the Critical Care Unit. 

Sharing a nursing career connects them all as they understand the challenges, successes, and sometimes harder days that nurses face. 

As nurses worldwide come together on International Nurses Day, the new “Southlanders” say nursing defines what professionalism means. 

“During a time of crisis nurses always show up and continue to look after their patients,” Jerico says. 

“It’s not an easy job to be a nurse but we always make sure that we wear our uniform with pride and full of compassion to cater to our patients’ needs during some of the hardest times of their life,” Pauz says.