Operating Theatre Nurses transforming lives with overseas volunteer work
Two Monash Health Operating Theatre Nurses have taken their skills international as volunteers, assisting in lifesaving and life-changing surgeries in communities where access to health care is limited.
In September, Casey Hospital Operating Theatre Nurse Dionne Smithwick spent three weeks in Madagascar volunteering with Mercy Ships.
It was her third time volunteering with the international development organisation in Africa.
On previous assignments she travelled to Senegal and Sierra Leone.
Performing the roles of Scrub Nurse and Circulation Nurse in the operating theatre, she has assisted in a variety of surgeries, including paediatrics orthopaedics, ophthalmology, and plastic and reconstructive surgery.
‘It is just so rewarding,’ said Dionne.
‘The organisation helps people who have absolutely nothing and no other means of health care, and [the patients] are just so grateful. You learn so much and you are able to give so much back.’
Meanwhile, Indra Jolayemi, an Operating Theatre Nurse at Casey Hospital and the Victorian Heart Hospital, travelled to Tonga for the twelfth time in 11-years as a volunteer, to assist in surgeries for mainly urological conditions.
As well as carrying out surgeries, the team of volunteers helps upskill local staff, making care more sustainable.
‘Volunteering is amazing,’ said Indra.
‘You go out of your comfort zone, you become very innovative. You bring that creativeness back. You juggle and think wider.’
Monash Health is immensely proud of its staff who volunteer their skills overseas.
‘Their dedication to providing much needed surgeries in communities with restricted healthcare is truly commendable,’ said Annie Sherry, Acting General Manager of Casey Hospital.
‘Volunteering abroad not only enriches the lives of the people they help. It fosters innovation in the volunteers and gives them a broader perspective, which enhances our ability to deliver exceptional care to our patients.’
‘We are grateful for their commitment and the positive impact they make both globally and locally.’
