Happy International Nurses Day! 💜

We are so grateful to have such an incredible nursing workforce who work around the clock to provide compassionate, safe, and person-centred care to our patients and our community.

Nonie Rickard, Acting Chief Nursing Officer, shares, “On International Nurses Day, we pause to reflect on the profound impact nurses have on the health and well-being of individuals and communities across the globe. Your unwavering dedication, compassion, and expertise are the cornerstone of quality healthcare.”

“This year's theme, ‘Our Nurses. Our Future.’ highlights the vital role you play not only in patient care but also in the broader health system. Thank you for your tireless commitment, your kindness, and your leadership. You make a difference every day, and today, we celebrate you.”

To celebrate the day at Austin Health, we held a hybrid event where we recognised our 2025 International Nurses Day award recipients and nominees, followed by an afternoon tea at all our campuses.

We caught up with Lauren Green, Clinical Nurse Educator and one of the award winners this year, to find out more about her work and what motivated her to become a nurse.

How long have you been at Austin Health? Can you tell us a bit about your role?

I have been a nurse at Austin Health since my graduate year in 2010. My first rotation was on 5 East in the cardiothoracic ward, and I was very lucky to find the area of nursing which I am passionate about so early on in my career. I worked in the role of Clinical Support Nurse within the Surgical and Procedural Medicine (SAPM) wards for several years. I learnt and continue to learn so much from the SAPM education team. I was inspired by the education team who supported my development as an early career nurse, and this influenced me to aim to become a nurse educator.

At the beginning of 2024, I commenced in the role of Clinical Nurse Educator on 5 East and 5 North. This was my dream role for a long time, and I was incredibly excited to commence a new challenge. Much of 2024 was spent establishing myself in the role and broadening my own professional development.

I work with a wonderful team (Veronica, Min and Leah) and we support graduate nurses, transition to speciality practice nurses and nurses completing their postgraduate studies in cardiac nursing. We also support the broader group of nurses on these wards through bedside teaching and professional development opportunities.

What inspired you to become a nurse?

Honestly, I used to watch All Saints as a kid, and I wanted to be a part of that team! I loved how much the nurses cared about their patients and the patients were always so interesting. I have always been intrigued about what happens in hospitals and I think that fascination also played a role in my choice of career.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy supporting learners to gain understanding of concepts and observing when they can apply that knowledge to practice. Seeing that 'ah hah!' moment is so satisfying because you know that you have helped the individual to develop and grow.

It is so great to see early career nurses develop their confidence. Recently, a nurse was telling me about how her increased knowledge and confidence had allowed her to advocate for a patient. She felt she could speak up during a Medical Emergency Team call and contribute to the management of the patient. This is integral to the care we provide at Austin Health and promotes patient-centred care.

What does winning the International Nurses Day award mean to you?

During 2024, I spent a lot of time and effort on my own professional development and establishing myself in the CNE role. Having this recognised by previous students is so special because I can reflect and see that the hard work was worth it. I am overwhelmed and grateful to be recognised as I know there were so many incredible and deserving nominees.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone training to become a nurse?

Nursing is a career with many challenges and because of this, I think being passionate about your role is really important. My advice would be to find the area of nursing that is important to you. You might find it early on, like I did, or you may need to move around to different areas to find it. That is one of the best aspects of nursing, and nursing at Austin Health - there are so many different speciality areas of nursing.

In nursing education, we are guided by the Best Practice Clinical Learning Environment Framework, which includes creating safe and positive environments for learning. To me this means being approachable and kind whilst also promoting self-directed learning and accountability – this is also reflected in how I teach.

You never stop learning in nursing. Find mentors and role models and learn from them. I continue to do this and I'm lucky to have so many nurses whom I look up to.