Indigenous Hospital Liaison Coordinator, Cassandra Tratt, is a local Ugarapul woman and works to connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members to achieve better health outcomes and to have more positive patient experiences with the health service.

What woman inspires you?

There is not just one person – there is a collective of women who inspire me. My family is matriarchal; we draw strength from the women in our families, they are the backbone of our community, and I come from a strong line of amazing women. My grandmother, mother, aunties, the female Elders of my community, inspire me each and every day. These women are my role-models – for both myself and my five daughters.

But it’s not just the women in my life that inspire me, it’s the men too. My Dad, my husband, the male Elders in our community – they support us, challenge us and enable us to be the women that we are, and to do what we do for our community. And we wouldn’t be the women we are without these men standing beside us.

What advice would you give your younger self?

You will get through it. Whatever the challenge is, you will get through it, and you will either have a lesson or a blessing. And these experiences will make you a stronger person.

Sometimes you don’t know until after the experience has occurred that it’s been a lesson, or a blessing, because you’re so caught up in the moment.

My Grandmother says: no matter what we are going through it is nothing compared to what our ancestors had to endure.

So, I draw strength from that and find the courage to keep moving forward.

How do you find balance?

I don’t really think of it as “balance”, I just do what I have to do. Those before me, my grandmother, my mother and aunties set the example and paved the way for me to balance work, family, study and community.

I learned that you make the sacrifices, you pull together during the hard times and you ask for help when you need it, that’s the strength of family and the resilience of our people.

The passion for my culture, community and people results in me achieving balance.

What has drawn you to working in health?

What initially drew me to West Moreton was the opportunity to work with and for my community to address the inequity of our people.

There’s no white lab coat, microscope or petri dish in sight in Rachelle Pitt’s office – instead West Moreton Health’s Acting Director of Research and Innovation surrounds herself with pictures her children have drawn and items that make her happy.

The critical-thinking mum of four boys under the age of seven juggles being a part of a team spearheading the development of the local health service’s growing research opportunities with a busy home life, drawing inspiration from women and clinicians around her and from unexpected moments.

As the Acting Director of Research and Innovation, a speech pathologist, a research supervisor with the University of Queensland School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, and with an adjunct appointment at UQ, the little things matter both in everyday life and in research. Dr Pitt says she now maintains the realistic attitude that she can’t always be everything to everyone.

“I have learnt to lower my expectations of myself and I find one thing every day that makes me happy and I write about it,” Dr Pitt said.

“I don’t get caught up in the stresses and challenges but look for the moments that make me happy.

“The value of my day is not in the whole but in those moments,” she said.

It’s a favourite saying that brought Dr Pitt to West Moreton Health where her passion for addressing health issues impacting the community, including mental health and chronic conditions such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes, is matched by the drive of clinical staff to carry out investigations that will improve health outcomes.

“There’s a quote that says, ‘you should always stay where there is the most opportunity’, and I think the most opportunity is here,” Dr Pitt said.

“Research matters in the public health service because the clinicians and researchers on the front line understand their patients and the conditions they are treating – they are focused on real needs and look at the whole person and how we can make sure the care we provide is of the highest quality.

“We’re really on the cusp of something great in West Moreton Health – there’s a real appetite from clinicians here to improve care and I’m always impressed by their passion,” Dr Pitt said.

And passion is one quality Dr Pitt admires in two women who inspire her professionally and personally.

“Associate Professor Nerina Scarinci is Head of Speech Pathology at UQ and she manages work and family really gracefully and she has succeeded in her field, and Rachel Phillips, the Director of the Allied Health and Research Division for West Moreton Health leads with passion and empathy,” Dr Pitt said.

“Both of these women have shown me that you can juggle your life and be successful while remaining true to yourself.

“I’ve learnt that being a mum doesn’t have to be a disadvantage in the workplace. I’ve learnt as a mum you bring a different perspective and compassion to work.

“Most importantly, Nerina and Rachel have helped me realise life is never in balance – juggling everything is a tough gig sometimes but they have shown me, and I believe, it’s possible to give a bit of yourself to all parts of your life.

“You just have to be kind to yourself along the way,” Dr Pitt said.

Liz Milroy is a Midwifery Navigator at Ipswich Hospital, supporting pregnant women with diabetes and high-risk births.


What stands out for you having worked alongside so many women?

I’ve been fortunate to have worked in regional and remote areas of Australia, as well as internationally, working with humanitarian medical aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières. Working abroad with Médecins Sans Frontières, I was constantly amazed at how resilient women are, how they support each other and how grateful they are. Women around the world are the same –  whenever they get together they laugh, open up and care for each other.


What might surprise people about your job?

There is an expectation in society that we do this nice, beautiful job to help people have their babies. We do, but we also have a difficult job. It can be a very traumatic job at times and that’s not always recognised. Ultimately you want a healthy mum and a healthy baby but that is not always the outcome you get, so it’s about supporting mothers to have the best journey, no matter what they’re faced with.

What woman inspires you?

My grandma was a district midwife in Warrington in England from the 40s to the 70s. She used to ride her bike in the freezing cold out to people’s home to birth their babies like they do in (TV show) Call the Midwife. She died when I was seven so my mum has been the link between us. I would have loved to have shared my midwifery journey with my grandma. She lived through a very different time. She wouldn’t have had the technology that we do now so it was about really trusting your examination and trusting your instinct – I think those skills still matter today.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I would say to myself follow your instinct, be brave and be kinder to yourself.


How do you find balance?

My balance improved when I met my partner Tim, as my focus shifted to not just being about work. We are each other’s greatest supports and I have found a work-life balance that I’d never had before. We’re just about to have our first child together. I’ve also recognised the importance of self-care. I love playing hockey – there’s a strong sense of comradery in the team, the strength of women is amazing.

From emergency care, coordinating and delivering nurse-led clinics, health promotion activities, conducting health assessments, and providing immunisations and chronic disease management, providing health care in the Correctional environment can be challenging.

It’s a challenge West Moreton Health nurses and other health care professionals take on every day across four adult prisons and one youth detention centre in South East Queensland.

West Moreton Health nurse and Service Development Manager, Cara Bradley said, “Prisons may not seem like a typical place to work as a nurse, but now that I’ve worked in prisons, I’d never work anywhere else.

“The job isn’t easy but it’s a rewarding challenge because prisons are one of the most complex and unique settings to provide care in.

“I see a person – not a criminal – a person who, for whatever reason, has ended up in front of me and needs help.

“Nursing in prisons is not for everyone,” Ms Bradley said. “You see the best and the worst of people, but I find it very satisfying and a privilege to work with these patients.”

Strong leadership and close connections support health professionals in the demanding environment, ensuring they don’t feel professionally or personally isolated.

West Moreton Health’s Director of Operations Prison Health Services, Marie Finley, said West Moreton Health’s expertise in providing prison health services is well regarded across Queensland, with part of the team’s success attributed to the strong support staff and management offer each other.

“It takes a fair bit of courage to work in this setting,” Marie said.

“You have to be brave and you have to build relationships – no one can operate on their own. We lean on each other, we provide support and encouragement, and we all appreciate the importance of the care we provide.”

With 164 staff, 120 of who are female, working as part of the West Moreton Health Prison Health Services team Marie said a positive outlook is key to delivering care. 

“You have to acknowledge that there will be days that will be hard, but every day is a new day and there’s always something to be grateful for,” Marie said.

“Before going home each day, I end my day with seven things I am grateful for – it helps me stay positive and keep perspective on what we are doing as a team and the opportunities we have to improve health outcomes for the people we’re caring for.”

Reinforcing the team’s dedication to supporting each other Cara highlighted that Marie leads by example.

“Marie genuinely cares about people – us and the people we care for,” Cara said.

“She leads by being visible and by bringing people together – making people feel supported, noticed, acknowledged and part of something bigger which is important in any workplace.”

Newly appointed Nurse Unit Manager for Ipswich Hospital Emergency Department, Kirsty Franklin, is on the frontline providing care to West Moreton community members when they need it the most.

What advice would you give your younger self?

To believe in yourself and to be open to life’s opportunities.

When I was a nurse graduate at Logan Hospital Emergency Department, if someone had asked me if I wanted to be a Nurse Unit Manager, I would have said no.

What I will always remember and be grateful for was the support and guidance I received from a registered nurse mentor. Her feedback, support and encouragement to step up into higher positions has gone a long way.

This type of influence so early in my career, in an environment as chaotic as an emergency department, ignited a fire in me that has inspired me to further progress my nursing career.

What woman inspires you?

Many women have inspired me during my nursing career.

Working in a number of hospitals during my career I have had the opportunity to receive mentorship and support from a variety of influential women.

I keep in regular contact with a mentor of mine Karlee Quin from Queensland Children’s Hospital. Karlee and I met whilst I was working at the Mater Children’s Hospital Emergency. Karlee was an inspiration to me as a registered nurse – guiding me to think outside the box and to challenge the boundaries to improve emergency patient outcomes.

In my current position, there are a number of influential women who inspire me, including women on the front line who provide exceptional care, through to the women in the Executive team guiding our health service.

It is definitely a challenge balancing being a mother, a wife, a leader, however having such influential women is inspiring and continues to motivate me to be better, work smarter and continue to set goals and achieve outcomes.

How do you find balance?

Achieving balance is difficult but when I am in one role, I commit myself to that role and that helps me find balance.

If I am driving into the garage after work and I see the kids, I am mum and nothing else. And I commit myself to being a mother to my children. If I am working in the Emergency Department, then I commit myself to being the Nurse Unit Manager. And when I am studying I switch to being a student.

This is easy in theory but at times it can be very challenging to sustain.
 

Do you consider yourself to be a strong woman?

I don’t consider myself to be strong, however I do consider myself to be brave, passionate and courageous. There are times where I do not feel brave or courageous and when I am feeling overwhelmed, I rely on my husband, peers, close friends and family to wrap around me and encourage me to keep driving the nurse within me and to keep challenging the status quo.