When Jo Marshall reflects on nursing, she thinks first and foremost about people — families, neighbours and loved ones, and the community nurses care for every day.
Her own journey into the profession began during a deeply personal experience, when her father Maurice was unwell in hospital, and she witnessed the impact nurses had on patients and families.
“I looked around the room and realised how much nurses do for people,” she said.
That moment stayed with her and helped shape both her approach to nursing and her leadership style.
Today, as Executive Director of Clinical Care at Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (BRHS), Ms Marshall leads and supports teams across allied health, community and home-based services, Aboriginal health, maternity, quality and safety, aged care, and a large and diverse nursing workforce.
She said one of the strengths of nursing at BRHS is the breadth of experience across the organisation.
“We have a very diverse team across a huge number of areas, and I don’t think people always realise the number of areas people nurse across,” Ms Marshall said.
“Our nurses have such a wide range of skills. They are versatile, innovative and always thinking about how we can better care for our community.”
For many BRHS nurses, the people they care for are not strangers. “This community is our nurses’ community too,” Ms Marshall said.
“We care for each other’s families and loved ones. Our nurses are always thinking, “If this was my family, what would they need?”
As BRHS continues to strengthen nursing leadership across the service, Ms Marshall is working alongside a new team of operational directors to support nursing staff across hospital wards, emergency care, aged care, palliative care and services delivered closer to home.
“We want to deliver as much care as possible close to home,” she said.
“We are always looking for opportunities where patients and families don’t have to travel away for care. If we can do it here, we should do it here — and if we can support care in Orbost or Omeo, we will.”
Ms Marshall said the principle was simple: people want to be at home, and are often more comfortable recovering in familiar surroundings.
With close to 450 nurses employed across BRHS, the nursing workforce plays a central role in delivering safe, compassionate and connected care throughout the health service.
For Ms Marshall, nursing at BRHS is defined by care, skill, teamwork and community.
“Our nurses are here to make a difference,” she said. “They bring their heart to work every day.”
