A renal nurse with 23 years’ renal experience, Lisa has been working in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District since 2019 and in Deniliquin for the past year.
Lisa, who holds a Postgraduate Degree in Renal Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing Education, has worked in rural and remote locations across Australia.
“I wanted a profession based in science but also to work with people, so that's why I went to nursing, it was a really good mixture of the two,” Lisa said.
“I fell into renal because I was working in rural Aboriginal communities on Thursday Island and the Mornington Island, then eventually Townsville.
“Many Aboriginal people have renal failure, so it was an important opportunity to learn more about healthcare in remote areas and specialise in that field.
“I find renal nursing enables you to develop long-term relationships with your patients, and they provide you with insight and a real understanding of their condition and how it impacts their lives. In some way they become the teacher. You are working with people and learning so much about them - their pets’ names, their families, their favourite sports and footy teams.
“Renal patients can become acutely unwell very quicky, so you have to be on your toes,” she said.
Lisa has also spent 11 years working in the United States, mostly in Phoenix, Arizona, in a renal transplant ward.
“I thought I would just go for a few months but ended up staying for 11 years! I was able to specialise in transplant, dialysis and plasma apheresis, but still under the renal umbrella,” Lisa said.
“It’s really important for people to know that a transplant is not necessarily a cure to kidney disease, it another treatment option, a life-changing one, but there are many risks associated with it.”
When Australia called Lisa home, she continued to work within health and eventually commenced a nurse education role with MLHD at Griffith but felt compelled to fill a position in Deniliquin. The renal service expanded to offer a chronic kidney disease nurse, Lisa applied and now works in both the dialysis unit and the chronic kidney disease roles.
“My passion has always been to work in more regional and remote communities, to effect meaningful change in that space. When MLHD expanded the renal services in Deniliquin, I just couldn’t ignore the opportunity to use my specialised knowledge and skills in kidney disease management. To help the people in our community and provide additional renal services locally,” she said.
“Deni reminds me of my hometown Colac. It is a small country town, everyone knows you, you wave to say hello in the street. Deni is close to home and to Melbourne, so it is never a drama to plan other social activities with family and friends.
“The community in Deniliquin are friendly and welcoming, and I have learned very quickly they are really into their sport, so I have had to pick a footy team to follow.”
Lisa encourages other nurses to consider a tree change and to relaunch their career in a more regional or remote community.
“Basically, you touch everything. You're not isolated to one particular area of nursing. You're not going to be just the surgical nurse, or the emergency nurse, but will gain amazing exposure across a variety of fields,” she said.
“You will gain great experience and knowledge of all the things that nurses do and can develop more meaningful relationships with your patients and team because you are part of the same smaller community.
“It is a nice balance of work and life, it is a more relaxed lifestyle, but you still have to be on your toes.”
A chronic kidney disease (CKD) nurse provides; education, care coordination and support to people to live well with kidney disease. CKD nurses work closely with the patient’s nephrologist and monitor the progression of kidney failure and develop plan of care based on the person’s stage of kidney disease.
People can lose 90 per cent of kidney function without any symptoms. Community is encouraged to ask their GP about a kidney health check at their next appointment. This is a simple as blood pressure check, blood and urine sample. The benefits of early detection of CKD in the community can slow disease progression, decrease in the need for treatment such as dialysis, improve quality of life and reduce overall economic burden.
Referral to the CKD nurse can be made through MLHD Community Care Intake Service (CCIS) on 1800 654 324 or MLHD-CCIS@health.nsw.gov.au.
