Walk down the halls of the children’s ward at the Launceston General Hospital and it is likely you will pass a pediatric nurse.
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They often stand out – wearing brightly coloured scrubs, sometimes adorned with popular cartoon characters.
For Nicole Barron, it is a Minion that gets her the best reaction from patients.
Mrs Barron has been a pediatric nurse at the LGH for 25 years, and was one of 30 health professionals from the state’s North recognised for the milestone late last year.
She said she knew she wanted to be a nurse from the age of five, inspired by her neighbor Helen Jack, who was a former LGH surgical nurse.
“We used to go over as young girls and play nurses and doctors all the time,” she said.
“I always knew that is what I wanted to do – to be able to help people. Fast forward however many years and here I am. She certainly was an inspiration to me.”
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Mrs Barron graduated from the-then Tasmanian State Institute of Technology with a degree of health science in 1991.
After completing a placement at the LGH children’s ward, Mrs Barron said she knew that was where she wanted to stay.
Now, 25 years on, she said one of the biggest draws for her was that every day on the job was different.
“It is an amazing career and it is a real privilege to be able to assist people in a really stressful time in their life,” she said.
“And we meet some fantastic people, whether that be patients or their parents.
“It is a family unit you are dealing with, not just the individuals, so you want to get it right.
“It adds another level of complexity.
“It’s an honor to be a part of or engage in a small snippet of someones life.
“To be involved or influence or help them make good health choices.
“That is the driving force for a nursing career for me.”
Caring for babies right through to young adults, Mrs Barron said one of the best parts of continual service was the relationships formed with her work colleagues.
Describing her fellow pediatric nurses as an “extended family”, she said it was wonderful to walk the halls of the hospital and see so many familiar faces.
“We work very much in a close unite,” she said.
“When we do go through situations that are very stressing, you lean on that emotional support.
“You do get a really close relationship with the people you work with.
“It is lovely to look around and see people that you trained with.
“The time just ticks over so quickly.”