Jen Gow

Jen Gow (Charge Nurse Manager, Releasing Time to Care)

I am part of the wider Quality Improvement (QI) team but work directly with two colleagues, one in Dunedin, and one in Invercargill. I have a district role so although based in Dunedin, I work with clinical teams at Southland and Lakes hospitals.

A typical day
My days aren’t typical with a set routine but it will always include meetings, computer work and ward visits. My role is about Quality Improvement at ward level, some work is specific to one area or team, other work requires organisational change so a lot more coordination is required.  It includes safer medication administration, moving office nursing handover to the bedside, criteria led discharge, standardising storage, and improving how data is collected and reviewed.

Ward nurses are given time to work on a Quality Improvement initiative in their area so I will spend time with them when they have been allocated time. Inevitably I spend considerable time on emails as the teams I work with are in 24 wards/units across three sites (Dunedin, Southland and Lakes District Hospitals), and they also do shift work so this is the way most effective way to communicate. Other computer work includes preparing teaching presentations, writing or reviewing guidelines or policy documents - there is also a lot of reading required. Meetings include organisationally patient safety, workforce planning, QI and then locally with individual ward managers or teams. Teaching can be to nurses, doctors and allied health, new staff or to student nurses at the polytechnic. I also coordinate and deliver a rolling education programme around Releasing Time to Care principles.

One way I’ve made a difference as a nurse
Before I started this role I had always been ward based, either clinically or management based, but now I have an organisation wide focus on best practice and improving the hospital experience. I would like to think that my role enables me to continue this by working with the ward teams, improving what we do, and spreading some of my enthusiasm.

What would you say to a person considering a career in nursing?
Nursing is so varied now where historically it was very much hands on caring for patients and their family. Diverse roles now include clinical nurse specialist, management, research, teaching and QI. It will always necessitate good communication, caring, compassion and advocacy whether for patients, whanau or colleagues but also endless opportunities which can be put in to practice anywhere in the world.