The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is delighted to announce that Dr Carey Mather MACN, Paul Gardner MACN, Dr Gillian Ray-Barruel MACN and Janette Webster MACN have been selected as the recipients of our Nursing Study Tour Scholarships. These nurse leaders will receive $5,000 towards attending the Jon Baines Nursing Study Tour to South Africa in June 2020. You can learn about the background of our winners and their expectations for the tour below.
Dr Carey Mather MACN
Dr Carey Mather MACN is a registered nurse with an interest in learning and teaching to advance nursing practice in health care environments. Carey is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Tasmania. By undertaking the tour, she would like to gain a broader understanding of the context of nursing at an international level. Carey is looking forward to being immersed in nursing education and nursing practice within a range of health care and service delivery settings. She is also keen to discuss and reflect on the activities with fellow peers and colleagues on the tour.
Dr Gillian Ray-Barruel MACN
Dr Gillian Ray-Barruel MACN holds a joint appointment as a Senior Research Fellow at QEII Jubilee Hospital and Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. A member of the Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research, Gillian has extensive experience in vascular access devices research, critical care nursing, and patient assessment. Her research focuses on improving assessment and decision-making by bedside clinicians to prevent patient complications and improve healthcare outcomes. During this Study Tour, Gillian will share the I-DECIDED device assessment and decision tool, and she hopes to build connections and research partnerships with nursing colleagues in South Africa.
Janette Webster MACN
The enjoyment and satisfaction derived from nurturing, helping and supporting others is what drives Janette Webster MACN. This ethos underpins all of her decisions and actions. She has enjoyed a 33 year career in health care, predominantly in emergency department and management roles. Janette is extraordinarily proud to be a nurse.
Janette views this as the beginning of her journey of awareness. An incredible chance to spread her professional wings, an experiential learning opportunity of healthcare from a global perspective, all whilst being immersed in South African culture. She feels privileged to be able to spend the study tour with like-minded nurses and to meet our South African counterparts.
Paul Gardner MACN
Having completed a Master of Nursing (Gerontic) from Monash University, Paul Gardner MACN works in residential aged care. His particular interest is in end of life care and pain management of residents with cognitive impairment. He loves the autonomy and challenges of caring for vulnerable people with complex needs. Paul works in regional Victoria, where the health sector relies on staff from many different backgrounds, many recently arrived in Australia. He loves to explore their concepts and experience of health and wellness and nursing. Paul hopes to explore how people in South Africa conceptualise aging and care around aging.
Congratulations to Carey, Gillian, Janette and Paul on your achievements, we can’t wait to hear about your trip to South Africa! If you would like to join them on the Jon Baines Nursing Study Tour you can visit our website for more information.
