When caring is a lifelong passion

Registered nurse (RN) Linda Van Zyl’s interest in caring for others started at a young age and has continued well into adulthood.

“In primary school my favourite game was making ’medicines’ and ‘creams’ and I always loved making sure that any sick family member had the best care possible,” said Linda, who has always strived to give the best care and be the best advocate.

A registered nurse at Brightwater’s residential aged care home in Mandurah, Linda recently bagged the coveted Excellence in Residential Care Award for 2022 at the WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards.

With over 30 years of nursing experience, she has taken on the role of acting Clinical Nurse Manager when required and carried out the role with a level head and patience. In an official statement following the awards ceremony, Chief Executive Officer Catherine Stoddart said the award was a tremendous achievement and a testament to Linda’s dedication and commitment to providing outstanding care to residents.

“Linda’s passion for her work is inspiring, and we are grateful to have her as an integral member of our team,” Catherine said.

Linda said her day starts as soon as she is in her work attire. “I carefully pick what colourful scrub top I will wear as this can often be a conversation starter for many residents. I like to present myself neat and tidy, showing respect and consideration to our residents, while still having fun. You will occasionally find me wearing sneakers with bright pink laces and other fun attire. On special celebrations I try to wear something resembling the day, such as green on Saint Patrick’s Day.”

“At the commencement of my shift, I receive handover from the previous shift. As a registered nurse I check and manage the staff allocations for the day. I check the communication book, diary, bowel charts and address any immediate concerns. I meet and greet with all the multiskilled care workers on my shift, and we formulate a plan of action together.

“I typically do the 08:00 medication round and that gives me a golden opportunity to visualise all the residents in my care. During this time the clients can raise any concerns or needs that they would like me to follow up.

“Mealtime management is a big priority as many of our residents need physical assistance. I ensure they receive the correct meal and are assisted to the level of their assessed needs. After breakfast I focus on clinical care by prioritising residents that are unwell or need palliative care. I clinically assess residents for pain and wound management and tend to them. Nursing monitoring is done as required; this includes residents of the day assessments, annual assessments and other ad hoc assessments.

“By 10:00 all the clinical staff get together with the clinical nurse managers, and we have a quick meeting discussing any resident concerns and any changes or new expectations. We usually have a short tea break after our meeting before returning to the allocated work area.

“During my shift I also do a fair amount of documentation, assessments, admissions and referrals. I support the staff, the resident and their families as required. The responding and reporting of incidents as they happen is also an important part of my role. Communication with families is imperative for an authentic care model. Being busy the whole shift is not unusual and before you know it, it is time to finish off your tasks and hand over to the next shift.”

In her nominee application for the WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards, Linda noted a pivotal moment in her career. “The moment my mind shifted from a fixed mindset to a growing mindset is when I started achieving great things,” she said.

“Suddenly I had the desire to learn more, to teach more to help make others successful. I became stronger and learned how to persist in the face of setbacks.”

Linda has seen the aged care industry evolve over three decades. “Not only do we have so much more resources available, but people also live longer. The way we care for the elderly has changed for the better, with residents more involved in their own care goals and choices. Years ago, it was a much uniformed approach rather than individualised,” she said. Linda likes to learn from her mistakes and finds it motivating to be a role model to others.

Besides work, Linda enjoys reading, gardening, cooking and family time — while she loves being a registered nurse, she also likes to maintain a good work-life balance.

Image: Supplied