Donna Smith

Donna Smith (Mental Health Addiction & Intellectual Disability Services, Southland Hospital)

A typical day

A typical day begins with organizing planned appointments, responding to emails, phone calls, text messages, collating information, liaising with fellow team members, responding to enquiries from within community mental health teams and the community, and preparing future appointments.

My role within the Specialist Addiction Service team is to provide case-management for people who are seeking support, and treatment options for substance use disorders. This involves applying specialist addiction knowledge, completing comprehensive assessments, discussing pharmacological and non-pharmacological pathways and utilising talking therapies.

One way I’ve made a difference as a nurse   

I have a passion for learning and applying the knowledge within my nursing practice. 

What would you say to a person considering a career in nursing

Nursing is varied with numerous areas of specialty and expertise.  I am passionate about mental health nursing and supporting people to navigate various life challenges, identify their own goals for wellness, and facilitate the change process.   Effective communication skills are essential when working in mental health.   Throughout my nursing career I have enjoyed the value of, and continued to pursue study opportunities.  The benefits of which are integrated into my practice, and translate to improve service delivery to the people and their families accessing mental health and addiction services.   I appreciate working in the hospital setting due to the accessibility to other health professionals, and the ability to draw on collegial support, knowledge and expertise.