Becoming a nurse was always Cathy's dream, after studying nursing at the University of Technology Sydney she worked as an emergency nurse for most of her career. After accumulating too much leave, Cathy took eight weeks off and found herself looking for a new challenge, which landed her in a locum position working as a nurse in remote communities.
"I fell in love with remote nursing, so I found a position in Pipalyatjara, where I lived and worked for five years. This led me to a career in eye health, upon returning to emergency nursing, the pull to go remote again was strong and I stumbled across an eye health nurse position in the APY Lands, which I started in February 2017," Cathy said.
"Once I got the job I realised there is a lot to learn about eyes and then the study started... and it hasn't really finished!
"I have completed the graduate certificate in ophthalmic nursing through Sydney Eye Hospital and The University of Notre Dame, I then completed the Nurse Practitioner course, to have some credibility so I could get some specialist training. Now I am undertaking a public health course because I want to do some research."
With the constant desire to upskill and the needs of the community at the centre of everything she does, the Eye Health Nurse continues to visit ophthalmologists to learn the skills to continue implementing effective eye health screening and treatment of eye related issues, between the ophthalmology and optometry visits in the community, which was imperative during COVID-19.
During the pandemic, Cathy prompted the development of a telehealth service in conjunction with a South Australia based optometrist, and she is now using telehealth to provide prescription glasses for patients and is working to develop and define a telehealth consulting model.
It's the challenges like these that keep Cathy going and there is no reward greater than seeing a patient's face when they have their sight restored, she says.
"When you work with someone that cannot see, to get the cataract fixed or to help them with diabetic eye disease, there is a direct outcome – that’s what keeps me going and it feels great," Cathy explains.
"It's challenging, really challenging, trying to get some people to go to appointments and working with patients beyond their biomedical health needs to ensure they can navigate centrelink and welfare payments to get the care they require – there is a lot involved in eye care.
"It is so complex knowing all those different bits, but centering the patients means you don't just help them with their eyes."
Cathy goes above and beyond for her patients even cooking a group who underwent cataract surgery recently a feast of Kangaroo tails after their operations. She truly represents this years' International Nurses Day theme Nurses: A Voice to Lead - A vision for future healthcare - that looks at the challenges nursing faces and how the profession will transform the next stage of healthcare, which Cathy is set to take a huge role in within the eye health sector.
The Fred Hollows Foundation is proud to support nurses through our partnerships and work within Australia and around the world. With International Nurses Day a reminder to celebrate the wonderful work of all nurses, we want to shine the light on one dedicated eye health nurse, Cathy who lives and works in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands) in South Australia.
Under a partnership agreement between The Fred Hollows Foundation and the Nganampa Health Council, Cathy provides eye health services to seven clinics across one fifth of the entire South Australian state.
COVER PHOTO: Michael Amendolia