Join us as we meet some of our amazing aged care team members.
Colleen Ross can still remember the first day she put on a nurse's uniform. Young, full of excitement and a passion for caring for people, she never could have imagined that 50 years later she’d still be doing, and loving, this job.
From humble beginnings
Since Colleen started her nursing career in 1974, there have been many changes in nursing and health care.
Drawn to the profession because she wanted to care for people, those early days of training are etched in Colleen’s memory.
“On day one you just turned up to the hospital,” she laughed.
“We had these uniforms we were given and we had such a struggle trying to put them on. They’re all starched and white and we were all coming out looking hilarious.”
“Then you hit the hospital floor and you just did it. With help and training of course, but you were bedside from day one,” Colleen said.
The hands-on experience really drew Colleen into nursing, and being able to help and care for people has kept her in it for 50 years.
“In those early days we did a lot of real bedside nursing, and that was quite powerful for me,” she said.
“It was this instant pride I had in caring for my patients. Something I still have and hope I pass on to other people that I’ve worked with across my time.”
One job, a whole world of opportunities
After the initial training and spending time working in the WA health system, Colleen was offered an opportunity to work in the United Kingdom.
She jumped at the chance to experience what nursing was like in the bustling city of London.
“It was so exciting to, after learning so much here at home, be able to go to London and give that a go,” she said.
“I found myself planted at this really good hospital called Hammersmith in the city and that’s when the adventures really started.”
Being young, full of enthusiasm and ready to embrace a new city, Colleen was ready for anything. Even if things didn’t always go to plan.
“Ok, I have to tell you the story about the motorbike,” Colleen laughed.
“It was the easiest way to get around the city, and it wasn’t hard to get a license, so that’s how I got myself to work each day.”
It was on her way to night shift one evening that Colleen got into a little bit of a pickle on one of the big London roundabouts.
“I didn’t have the best bike; it was pretty powerless, so going around the roundabout you’re practically pedalling.”
“So, as I’m struggling to get around this roundabout I’m pulled over by a Bobby [police officer],” she said.
“Turns out I hadn’t put my light on and they were pulling me over to tell me that. The problem was, with this bike, I could only turn it on while the bike was going, but I couldn’t get it going again!”
“Before I knew it the Bobby is running beside me pushing the bike to try to get it started while I wobble about and fiddle with the light. It was quite the entertaining commute to work,” she said.
Same same, but different.
In a way that feels very Australian, there were always reminders of home when Colleen was living and working in the UK.
Familiar faces from hospitals in Perth would pop up in corridors and in the wards she was stationed in.
It was also with distance and a bit of comparison, that she could see the real strength of the Australian health system.
“There were things that were the same, but also a lot of differences,” she said.
“Our buildings were flasher because they weren’t so old, and that meant that sometimes in London things just had to be done differently. They didn’t have the purpose-built setups that we had in WA.”
And so, as her Visa was coming to an end, the call home was too strong, and Colleen jumped on a plane and headed back to Australia.
From hospitals to aged care
Colleen has been working with BaptistCare for seven of her 50 years of nursing, but she’s been in the aged care space for a lot longer.
“When I started having kids it changed work for me and I needed something that worked better around the family.”
“I started one day a week and found that I loved it. I loved being able to look after the same people each day,” she said.
“You’re having deep relationships with the residents here, where in a hospital setting people are coming and going all the time.”
After 50 years of nursing, the thought of ‘how much longer’ often crosses Colleen’s mind.
This milestone has been a time for reflection, for acknowledging all she’s done and what she has left to give.
“It’s pretty remarkable, really, the trust people put in you. People automatically trust you when you’re a nurse and that’s an amazing privilege.”
“So, when I think about ‘is it time’, I’m not sure I’m ready just yet. I look at what I do and I’m still teaching and still leading, and I still have the passion for this work,” Collen said.
“I’ve been so lucky and had so many great moments in my career. To work with great teams for nearly ten years with BaptistCare.
But what it really all comes down to is I still really enjoy being a nurse.”
