The Healthcare Australia Victoria team sat down with Angela Jones-Knowles, a Nurse Educator with HCA. Angela has had a passion to become a nurse since early childhood, and has since honed her education skills to enable nurses to provide high quality care, and to assist them with enhancing their skills.

HCA: What part of being a Nurse Educator appeals to you the most?

Angela:Education appeals to me as I want to enable nurses to provide good quality nursing care, and assist them in enhancing their skills.

HCA: Tell us about a typical working day.

Angela:Whether working in ED or in education, no day is typical, which is what I live about both roles! Each day provides new challenges and job satisfaction.

HCA: Who do you take care of? Tell us a little bit about your patients and the kinds of activities you are involved in.

Angela: In my education role with HCA, I mainly teach BLS and Manual Handling for staff ranging from PCA to AHC. I have also done the Introduction to ED course, and am a clinical educator for nursing students. I try to aim my sessions to my participant’s needs and skill set. In this role I feel I learn just as much as my participant in regards to the challenges they face and the areas they work in.

HCA: Do you enjoy the flexibility of picking and choose shifts to suit your family and/or lifestyle?

Angela:I have always enjoyed the flexibility of shift work, and find it has given me the ability to live a fuller life! I can organise my roster around my life style, which works out very nicely.

HCA: How do you feel HCA supports you in your role?

Angela:I enjoy working for HCA, the staff are friendly, my managers are supportive and the agency nurses are open to learning and completing their competencies. My direct manager is very supportive and is always available for discussing matters that concern me, as well as open to new teaching suggestions. The rest of the staff I interact with are also very supportive in both the city and Geelong offices.

HCA: What challeneges do you face on a daily basis and what is the most rewarding experience you have had in your career?

Angela:Tailoring my education sessions to my participants needs for each education session. This also extends into my facilitation of clinical placement students. The most rewarding experience is when I observe students developing into professional nurses as they go through their clinical placements!

HCA: Nurses demonstrate an admireable level of dedication and commitment to the health and wellbeing of thousands of patients every year. What drives you in this role?

Angela:To provide kind, caring, quality nursing care and enable other nurses and PCAs to do the same through quality education sessions.

HCA: What advice do you have for new nurses?

Angela:Nursing can be a very rewarding vocation and at HCA you will find that there is very supportive staff who will help you enhance and develop you career.

If you are considering working for Healthcare Australia,register your interest.To see what training opportunities are currently available, view our training and education page here.