Volunteers' hard work funds professional development opportunities for staff
Thanks to profits donated by the Rockingham Peel Group Auxiliary, Rockingham Peel Group (RkPG) staff can apply for scholarships to fund professional development opportunities.
The profits from the Elenora’s Café and the Rockingham General Hospital (RGH) gift shop, which are solely run by volunteers, were allocated to ten scholarships in 2023, allowing staff to upskill in their roles and contribute to the hospital’s increased outcomes.
RGH Auxiliary President, Denise Fisher, loves that her volunteer efforts are contributing to excellent patient care.
“I get a real buzz out of it,” Denise said.
“It’s great to know that the work we do is supporting staff to be the best they can be for RGH patients”.
Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Infection Control team at RGH, Sharon Deen was also funded to attend the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) Conference thanks to the RGH Auxiliary.
During the conference, Sharon was able to discuss all things infection control in hospitals and learn new strategies to continuously improve infection prevention across RkPG.
She was also able to hear from the World Health Organization about new guidelines for ethical issues during infectious disease outbreaks, to identify some of the issues, like patients dying on their own, that occurred during the pandemic.
“Having worked for in the WA Heath Infection Control team during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was great to hear about the new guidelines and hear how going forward we can have a more ethical perspective on how we manage outbreaks,” said Sharon.
“It totally changed the way I treat my patients now,” Lisa said.
“I am much more competent in accurately assessing and treating dizzy patients in our clinic.
“I find that from the training I am able to better educate my patients on their condition.”
National Volunteer Week runs from 20 – 26 May and this year’s theme is ‘Something for Everyone’. Across the week, we are showcasing and celebrating all our dedicated volunteers and their varied roles and passions.
