Janice O’Connor began work at Narrabri Hospital on October 3, 1969, embarking on what became a nursing career she has loved and which has yielded life long friendships.
Janice – who long ago became Janice Anderson – has now celebrated 50 years in the nursing profession, decades which have seen her care for generations of Narrabri district patients, work with many doctors and play a significant role in the lives of many families through her work.
Janice loves her job and values the friendships formed but reserves special praise and appreciation for her mentor from the early days and into her career, Matron Daphne Barrett.
“I can never speak highly enough about Matron Barrett’s valuable influence on our lives as nurses and on the Narrabri Hospital and patients,” she said.
“Matron Barrett trained us well, set very high standards and represented that era of ‘old school’ nursing.”
Janice recalled that she was not old enough to start as a nurse, but began her career as an Assistant in Nursing.
Janice’s training at Narrabri Hospital under the legendary Matron Barrett took her through her state examinations with a Credit pass in 1971, she said.
“Matron even tutored us for our examinations.
“She was all about hands-on training and across every detail of the hospital, the staff and the patients. Matron Barrett ran the whole hospital.
“Matron would do her rounds every day, talk to every patient – and they had to be properly presented, covered, in bed.
“The beds had to be immaculate – even the castor wheels on the beds had to be in alignment.
“Everything was done well, all procedures were closely followed.
“All the little things, which count, were attended to. I am proud to be one of those she taught those principles to. I will always have the utmost respect for her.”
Janice said her early years were truly a different era in nursing. Nurses were expected to undertake the complete range of patient care even down to cutting the hair of male patients.
She attended to every kind of ailment from kids’ abrasions to theatre work, and worked alongside many doctors, ranging through Ted Buckley, Bob Cameron, Bob Anderson, Kerry Moroney, Andrew Paas, Dr Verma, Will Debelak, Kathy Zeleny and Karen Ramsay and others.
“And we had a Hospital Board in those days, with John Burt as manager.”
However, her enduring memories are of the friendships made.
“The friends I have made in my nursing career are lifelong friends,” she said.
But Janice’s nursing career is not ending any time soon.
“You still learn something every day and you have the capability to pass that on to new nurses.
“I love it. I am not sure how long I will be in nursing but I certainly have no plans to leave.”
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