IN THIS week’s profile of a Leeton District Hospital nurse, The Irrigator caught up with Teagan Townsend.
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Mrs Townsend is one of many young nurses at the hospital and it’s a role she doesn’t take lightly.
Currently an endorsed enrolled nurse (EEN), she is taking on further study to become a registered nurse.
“I did my EEN through Griffith TAFE and I’m currently undertaking my registered nursing through CSU in Bathurst,” Mrs Townsend said.
“It is a little bit had trying to juggle work and study, but I’m slowly getting through it.”
Mrs Townsend has worked at the hospital for two years now with a career in nursing something she dreamed about from a young age.
“Ever since I was a kid I knew I wanted to help people,” she said.
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“I always wanted to be a carer for older people, so it’s great to be in a job like this.
“I’m the first nurse of my immediate family.
“I do have a couple of aunties who are nurses though.”
Like any career, nursing throws up many challenges, but Mrs Townsend knows it was the right choice for her.
She said there were many ups and downs to the job, but the positives were what she focuses on.
“The best of the job is the relationships I think – with the patients, their families and the staff,” Mrs Townsend said.
“It’s really good for morale working with people who you enjoy working with.
“Making a difference in people’s lives is also really nice.”
Something Mrs Townsend said she would never get used to is losing a patient.
“Being from here I do know a lot of the people who come in or who think we’re related,” she said.
“So it’s definitely hard when they are sick, but losing a patient, even if you don’t know them, is really hard.”
Shift work and staffing shortages are also among some of the other down sides to nursing.
However, it is a career Mrs Townsend recommended to other young people.
“It is a hard job, but if you’re keen, I would definitely recommend it,” she said.
“You do get a lot out of it.”
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