JUDY Flew is compassionate, caring and kind and her job is one she loves.
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Mrs Flew has been an assistant in nursing for many years, having realised at a young age it was a career she wanted to get into.
“I did a little bit of nursing at the age of 16 in a nursing home, but I was getting too upset,” she said.
“I worked other jobs over the years, but then my mother got really ill and she was hospitalised for over 10 years.
“So then when I came to Leeton 18 years ago, I got back into it.”
Mrs Flew started at Assumption Villa, as well as out in the field making home visits and with the Griffith nursing service before taking up a position at Carramar.
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She has undertaken a Certificate III in Nursing, but her training over the years has continued on the job.
“I have loved every bit of it all,” Mrs Flew said.
“I enjoy spending time with the residents and listening to their stories and how they lived back in their time.
“They do have compassion for you. Many times you end up being family to each other.
“Sometimes they don’t have much family and nurses may not have many family members around either, so it does go both ways.”
Mrs Flew is known by her colleagues as always trying to have a happy demeanor and a smile on her dial.
One of the harder parts of the job according to Mrs Flew is losing a resident.
“You always get told not to get attached, but it’s hard when you see these residents everyday and you’re caring for them,” she said. “Losing a resident is something you don’t get used to, so you have to work out a way to cope.
“The good thing here is we have a great team. So everyone is going through the same thing and we can all support each other.”
With Australia’s ageing population, more nurses than ever are needed, especially in rural and regional areas such as Leeton. Mrs Flew said younger people thinking about a career in the industry shouldn’t be put off by the long hours and shift work.
“You get so much out of it … it’s very rewarding,” she said.
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