Katherine moved to Wagga Wagga from Canberra to study a Bachelor of Nursing at Charles Sturt University. Her early nursing career took her to Canberra, Perth and Sydney, until a desire to buy a home of their own saw Katherine and her husband make the move back to Wagga Wagga.
“We love Wagga’s sense of community,” said Katherine. “You don’t get that in Canberra or Sydney, it’s just not the same. It’s a great place to live and make friends."
“My husband has been able to start his own business, and we now have two children and a lovely home.”
Katherine joined MLHD in 2016 in the renal unit before moving across to Hospital in the Home as a Clinical Nurse Educator. A recent opportunity to work with the cancer care coordination team re-sparked her passion for oncology nursing and when the Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse role came up, she jumped at the opportunity.
“I think once you’re an oncology nurse you just keep coming back to it – I did my grad year in oncology, and it always draws me back.
“I am looking forward to the chance to focus on one type of cancer and see how I can improve the lives of men and their families while they are navigating their way through diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.”
Katherine provides information and psychological and emotional support to both the individual with a prostate cancer diagnosis and their support network and empowers them to take control of their health and healthcare decisions throughout their cancer journey.
This service is available to patients with a prostate cancer diagnosis within MLHD and is free of charge. Patients can self-refer or be referred on by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA), their GP or Urologist. Contact the Community Care Intake Service on 1800 654 324.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian men. If you’re over 50, or over 40 with a family history of prostate cancer, talk to your GP about testing for prostate cancer using a blood test as part of your regular health check.
MLHD’s Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse position is proudly supported by PCFA.
More information and resources about prostate cancer are available at the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia website.
