Eve Farley
Eve is a clinical nurse specialist in the Sandringham Hospital emergency department. She feels the sense of community keenly, and she’s committed to supporting her colleagues through thick or thin. It’s part of the reason she became an HSR and the ANMF Job Rep for the department, though she feels like she ‘fell into’ both roles.
‘Sandringham is a small ED, but it’s a busy ED with a lot of heart,’ says Eve Farley. ‘It feels very much like a community hospital. Everyone knows each other, everyone hangs out outside of work. It’s a very close-knit community, with a family vibe.’
She became an HSR first. She heard staff talking about some things that needed to change, including an issue with ‘trying to get very heavy hospital beds up the short stay ramp’. Eve sent an email to management asking for the cost-benefit analysis of getting rid of the problem compared to compensation for workplace injuries. In response, she was asked: ‘have you thought about becoming an HSR?’
It was the first she’d heard of the role. As she was working nights, she jokes that what sold her was learning the role came with Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five training – food included – but really it was the opportunity to help to make the department safer.
During the initial five-day training course provided by ANMF, Eve realised how significant an opportunity this was. ‘The thing that really appealed to me is that you have these powers but no responsibilities,’ she says, referring to the role’s protections under OHS laws as well as to the fact that HSRs are not expected to solve problems so much as to flag them with those who can solve them.
By way of example, she says that if someone alerted her to a light switch falling into a wall socket, she would say: ‘Okay, we’ll put a sticker on it, then we’ll do a RiskMan and get maintenance to come and have a look at it; we’ll also inform the nurse in charge – and that’s how we get the light switch fixed.’
About a year ago, she also ‘fell into’ the Job Rep role. ‘Our ANMF Organiser was one of the contributing factors. I heard him speak at a meeting and felt empowered to help other nurses. I also realised that there was a deficit in my knowledge around EBAs and rights for nurses, and I wanted to learn more. I feel, at times, that misinformation can spread so knowing what is fact from fiction is helpful.’
Juggling the two roles in addition to her day-to-day job as a CNS doesn’t bother Eve. ‘I enjoy helping my colleagues,’ she explains.
‘I am enthusiastic about being an HSR and a Job Rep, because we do have the ability to implement change.’
The roles themselves can change day to day. ‘On the whole, it’s informal,’ Eve notes, ‘until there is an issue.’
As a Job Rep, she might get a few questions from staff, or sometimes a colleague will tell her about their circumstances and ask if it’s acceptable in terms of the EBA.
‘Sometimes I can answer the question and other times we find out together, or I refer the matter to ANMF.’ Mostly, she says, she is just ‘the person that other nurses can come to if they need help with something’.
As an HSR, it’s similar. Colleagues might mention a concern to her, and she will respond by helping them fill out a RiskMan, or flagging it with the nurse in charge. She also follows up later to make sure the staff member is okay, or to see if they need extra help or to contact the EAP.
The best thing about being an HSR and an ANMF Job Rep, Eve says, is helping and supporting her colleagues. ‘The feeling of helping your team is phenomenal. The ANMF really support you, particularly when you need to put your “grown-up pants” on. Learning another side of
nursing is also helpful and empowers you to stand up for yourself and others.’
To any colleagues thinking about taking on either, or both, roles, Eve is emphatic: ‘Absolutely do it! It expands your knowledge base, increases your confidence, decreases your vulnerability, and you help your colleagues out. Knowledge is power.’
She adds: ‘The more of us that are out there, the better the outcomes for our staff and our patients.
‘And the education comes with food!’
