Congratulations to RFDS Western Australia senior flight nurse Jeannette Spark who has been named a finalist in the 2020 Year of the Midwife and Nursing Awards ‘Excellence in Education and Research’ category.
The award nomination recognises Jeannette’s dedication to recruiting, inducting and training the future flight nurse workforce of the Flying Doctor in WA.
In particular, Jeannette played an instrumental role coordinating the orientation of flight nurses and doctors to operate in the world-first for aeromedical service Rio Tinto LifeFlight PC-24 jet.
The RFDS in Western Australia integrated two PC-24 jets into its fleet in February 2019 and became the first to use the jet for aeromedical retrieval work anywhere in the world.
When a new RFDS aircraft arrives, it undergoes an aeromedical fit-out with the latest in medical, aviation and communications technology. Every aircraft in the RFDS fleet must have exactly the same medical set-up so our retrieval doctors and flight nurses know where everything is in an emergency.
RFDS Western Australia Head of Nursing Paul Ingram said Jeannette worked tirelessly to understand, test and share the functionality of the aeromedical jet with her colleagues and is highly deserving of the award.
“Jeannette designed and wrote the orientation package, conducted training sessions, developed checklists and even treasure hunts for our flight nurses and retrieval doctors so we could introduce the jets into service as quickly as possible,” Paul said.
“Her experience caring for patients on the frontline of our 24-hour emergency service has also enabled her to develop and create clinical scenarios which are used to assess the competency and skills of all RFDS clinicians.
“She is a highly switched-on individual who often goes above and beyond in her duties to support her colleagues with patient care at the center of everything she does.”
The winner will be announced on Saturday 15 May at Crown Perth.
We wish Jeannette the very best of luck!
