New Year, New Faces – Catelyn

Catelyn, who has always advocated for improving health access for all people, grew up on the North East Coast of Tasmania, in Bridport where she now resides.

“Though the ‘rural and remote’ lifestyle brings with it many riches, rurality often places barriers to service implementation across the state. Small towns are often cut off from main hubs, and all too often forgotten or overlooked in policy making. As such, neighbourly security is often what drives and protects community members,” explains Catelyn.

It’s this notion that drove her to start working for the ANMF as an organiser, where she can now dedicate her time to building partnerships with members in the North to foster unity and connectedness across the healthcare workforce.

Catelyn’s community-minded attitude and commitment to volunteering saw her living and working with AusAid in the Solomon Islands, and shortlisted as a finalist in the Tasmanian Southern Cross Young Achiever awards in 2011 for her contribution to community development. During her Bachelor of Nursing at Monash University, Catelyn was also recognised in the Ancora Imparo Vice Chancellor’s leadership program.

Catelyn later went on to undertake her graduate nursing year at the Royal Children’s Hospital where she worked for four years and completed her Immunisation for Health Professionals training. During this time, she also contributed to research with Monash University’s Chronic Wound research group. Catelyn and her colleagues worked relentlessly to research strategies for optimising healing outcomes in people with chronic wounds. Her research focus was in the area of primary care management of Venous Leg Ulcers and translating evidence into practice. As a result of this research, Catelyn has a deep appreciation for considering the patient’s voice in driving health promotion.

Catelyn plans to use her experience in primary care health research to guide her understanding of the challenges faced by nurses and care staff in providing this level of care.

Throughout her nursing career, Catelyn has continued to volunteer with the Climate and Health Alliance; a by-product of her deep love and respect for the beautiful Tasmania wilderness. She is a keen bushwalker and will seek out any opportunity to escape to nature. Catelyn has also remained a dedicated volunteer with the Australian College of Nursing in various supportive roles.

At her core, Catelyn believes in delivering quality care for all. It is this passion that fuels her work as the newest Northern Organiser with the ANMF.