BATHURST BRILLIANCE: Graduate Nurse of the Year Brenden Stapleton recommends people nominate nurses for this year’s HESTA Australian Nursing Awards. Brenden is pictured accepting his prize from ME Bank’s Anita Sharma, HESTA’s Mark Ashby and Bathurst nursing manager Gwenda Entwisle. Photo: Phill Murray. 052512pbrenden
Nominations are now open for the seventh annual 2013 Health Employees Superannuation Trust Australia (HESTA) Australian Nursing Awards.
HESTA chief executive officer Anne-Marie Corboy said the awards were an opportunity to thank and recognise outstanding nurses for the tireless dedication and care they provide every day.
The awards call for nominations from patients, carers and colleagues and are divided into three categories – Nurse of the Year, Team Innovation and Outstanding Graduate.
Winners in the Nurse of the Year and Outstanding Graduate categories receive a $5000 Members Equity (ME) Bank account and $5000 toward further education. The Team Innovation winners receive a $10000 development grant to further implement their program or initiative.
Bathurst nurse Brenden Stapleton, who took out the Outstanding Graduate category in last year’s awards, said he was absolutely “blown away” by the nomination and the win.
“I didn’t even know two of my colleagues had secretly nominated me and when I received the call to say I was a finalist I thought it was some mates having a lend of me.”
Mr Stapleton was flown to Melbourne for the industry awards night and could not believe it when he was announced the winner.
“It was a very big surprise and such an honour. The graduate award usually goes to someone from a major metropolitan teaching hospital so for a boy from a bush hospital to win shows we are just as dedicated to furthering our profession and putting in the extra effort, mostly without the big resources of larger hospitals,” he said.
Mr Stapleton said the recognition the award brings has been fantastic.
“It gives you the realisation that people do appreciate what you do on a daily basis and that you go above and beyond your normal working hours for your profession.”
He used his award to fund a double masters in chronic care and nursing education.
Nominations close on February 28 at www.hestanursingawards.com.