Nurse Spotlight: Srijana Paudel
Srijana Paudel knew that she wanted to work in the medical field from the 8th grade at school and that seeing a doctor, or a nurse used to give her a good feeling. She says that her close family members used to say that she had the qualities of being a nurse. “My motto was to be in this novel profession where you can feel true satisfaction being there with those who are in need,” she says.
Srijana is now a Registered Nurse at Gill Waminda Aged Care Centre in Goulburn and she was one of the recipients of The Salvation Army Aged Care’s 2020 Year of the Nurse Award. According to the Award judges, Srijana uses a person-centred approach to all her care and she is a motivated and strong leader. They also said that, “Srijana is a caring, compassionate and effective communicator with residents, families and her colleagues,” and that she, “has formed good collegial relationships with General Practitioners and Allied Health professionals who visit the facility.”
The selection criteria for The Salvation Army Aged Care’s 2020 Year of the Nurse Award fell under three headings: High Standards of Care, Leadership and Emotional Intelligence and Srijana’s work is highly regarded in all three. In term of Standards of Care, she consistently provides care to residents based on best practice whilst working across the centre. She also has a strong background in dementia care.
Srijana studied her Bachelor of Nursing in Bangalore in India before doing a bridging course in Australia which qualified her as a Registered Nurse. She enjoys listening to residents and being with them when they are at their low points; she likes all the responsibilities that come with being a nurse including providing comfort to residents. “Being a nurse, every day will be your biggest challenge,” Srijana says. There are unseen circumstances that need to be faced daily that nurses must try to overcome which Srijana says is the biggest test. “To choose this profession, it should come from heart, not by force,” she says. To her, working in aged care is like working together in a family.
Srijana says that to be nominated for the Award illustrates that one is dedicated to their profession and that a selfless attitude in giving complete care to residents has been considered. “I became immensely proud and happy being a nominee,” she says. “And this will energize me to work harder every day; the feeling of doing the best that I can.”
