Meet Adi Adams; mother of two, grandmother to three and carer to thousands of Mackay residents each year.
The clinical nurse has a career spanning four decades – most of it spent at Mater Private Hospital Mackay.
And while it wasn’t what she initially set out to do, Adi wouldn’t change it for the world.
“Basically, when I finished grade 12, I wanted to join the police force, but I was too young,” Ms Adams said.
“A couple of my friends were going to do nursing because their older sisters had, so I joined them and didn’t look back – I just loved it.”
Adi is one of the 300-strong team of nurses who treat more than 15,000 patients each year at Mater Private Hospital Mackay.
This International Nurses Day she wants the region’s residents to stop and reflect on the role nurses play within the community.
“It’s important to share who we are, what we do and why we do it,” Ms Adams said.
“We look after all of these different people – people of different cultures, religious beliefs, sexual orientation – we tend to their needs, help them cope, and help each other cope.
“What people need to understand is it all comes under the banner of the Mater ethos – dignity, respect, trust – this is how we treat our patients and each other, and it’s why we should celebrate nurses, not just locally, but across the world.”
While Adi has spent most of her nursing career at Mater, she has enjoyed side stints in Victoria, Longreach, and the Central Queensland mines.
She says nursing has become more than just a career – it’s a lifelong passion.
“I think it’s the constant change, it’s the unknown – especially in the operating theatres – of what can happen, and I just love it,” Ms Adams said.
“And the rewards come in seeing patients go home safely and have no extended stay – that’s what makes each day worthwhile.”
Mater Private Hospital Mackay General Manager Beth Thomas says nurses like Adi make a significant difference in the lives of patients and their families.
“Providing exceptional care for our patients is at the heart of what our nurses do,” Mrs Thomas said.
“It is evident in all aspects of their role – the rewarding moments and the difficult moments – and we are so lucky to have such a compassionate and caring team dedicated to improving healthcare and outcomes here in our community.”