RN Ivy Hodges (pictured right) can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to be a nurse.
“Given that I come from big families, it was a foundation to want to look after one another,” she says, “So I decided on a nursing career.”
She also always wanted her nursing career to be in rural and remote areas. “When I was growing up, I didn’t see many First Nation nurses. I wanted to be that nurse, to be that role model for others, for kids and people of all ages in the community,” she says.
“I wanted my work to be part of Closing the Gap, to provide health care to my own people.
“My father’s family are from the Torres Strait while my mother’s family are from Yarrabah, I was born and raised in Cairns. After studying at James Cook University in Cairns, it was only natural for me to come to Thursday Island as a graduate student.”
What Ivy didn’t expect was this move into education. After becoming a permanent Registered Nurse at Thursday Island Hospital, mainly in the General ward and Emergency, Ivy was appointed as the first clinical facilitator for the student nurses and graduate students.
“It’s wonderful to have this position created, giving the student nurses and grad students someone who can devote their time to them,” says Ivy. “We are now a full education team, which also includes Kirstie Rushmore: Nurse Educator – Thursday Island Hospital and the Primary Health Care Centre, Gemma Bills: Nurse Educator – Outer Islands and Bamaga and Georgina Caldwell: Midwifery Educator for TI, Weipa and Cooktown.
“The opportunities that come from nursing is an open door,” says Ivy. “You can go anywhere with nursing, but I know I will always want to have my work touching First Nations peoples. I pay my respects not only to the health service but to many First Nation clinicians like Uncle Sam and Aunty Yoko who have fought to have positions like mine created.”
“The education area is a great pathway to gain experience and a way to be exposed to new ideas.”
“For example, I have learned more about myself in regards to accommodating learning processes of other people. With teaching, you must have patience and passion.
“What I like most is being able to help the graduate nurses, working beside my colleagues on the floor and providing a safe space for them to transition from a student mind frame and establishing the foundation of becoming a Registered Nurse. I have gone through the graduate programme, so I can relate how
our graduate nurses feel and what they are experiencing.
“A massive area to consider is not only clinical practices but also cultural awareness and safety, making sure we culturally recognise each individual. Learning about culture and who we are as people, acknowledging Australia’s true history, and living within the community to understand. At the end of the day, it’s all about respecting each other and making changes to improve the health outcomes for First Nations people.
“The biggest achievement is seeing my graduates thrive, not only as nurses but within themselves, being good people, so that one day they can return the favour to others.”
