As we take time to celebrate our professions during International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day, ANMF (Vic Branch) asked members to reflect on the art and joy of nursing and midwifery.
Maegen Kendall
Endorsed midwife, Dhelkaya Health Maternity
My favourite thing about being a midwife is that I get to walk alongside women, birthing people, and their families throughout their pregnancy, labour and during the postnatal period as a caseload midwife working in a midwifery group practice. There truly is no greater joy for me than being able to provide care as a known midwife for my women. Working within a midwifery group practice model means I can build real relationships, provide genuinely woman-centred care, and practice autonomously and to my full scope.
I’ve just been lucky enough to spend a week in PNG working with incredible midwives there to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and improve care for families. This partnership helps me feel connected on a global scale making the International Midwifery Confederation’s (IMC) global push for ‘1 million more midwives’ feel more tangible and highlights to me that this work matters on a huge scale.
Endorsed midwife Maegen Kendall (right) with midwife Welyn Nawe in PNG. Photo shared with permission.
Terry Swanson
Nurse practitioner, private practice
I graduated in 1984, and I’m more passionate about nursing now than I was then. While running a nurse-led wound-management clinic, I had the opportunity to diagnose patients, play detective to uncover why wounds aren’t healing, perform minor procedures, order diagnostics, and – most importantly – take the time to listen to patients’ needs, fears, and hopes. Patients often told me they felt heard or seen for the first time. They may not remember my name, but they remember the kindness and the time I gave them. And that matters.
Last year, I had the opportunity to teach both nationally and internationally. Seeing young clinicians become excited about the science and evidence behind wound healing was incredibly rewarding. It gave me hope that the ‘art of nursing’ is still alive: advocating for a patient and seeing them receive the treatment they deserve, managing someone’s pain effectively, or simply being there.
Terry Swanson
Jo Mapes
Deputy Executive Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Western Health
What I love most about being a nurse is the humanity of it – the privilege of being invited into people’s lives at moments that truly matter. Knowing that my work helps someone feel safer, more supported, or more seen – that fills my cup. Seeing our future nursing leaders growing into capable and confident practitioners is also a great source of pride and passion of mine.
Nursing is a career that changes you in the best possible ways. It’s challenging, yes – but it’s also deeply meaningful. It opens doors to so many paths – leadership, education, research, advanced practice – but at its core, it’s about making a real difference in someone’s life.
Jo Mapes. Photo: Christopher Hopkins
Trish O’Hara
Registered nurse, private practice
Nursing is an art and a science. My favourite element of my nursing practice is the blend of the highest level of scientific knowledge and technical skill competencies with the art of individualised patient-centred care that includes the patient’s family or significant other.
Nursing is not a vocation; it is a profession. A unique profession that not only includes elements of social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and pharmacy, it allows you to follow a career pathway into many different areas or specialist fields across the country, or the world. But fundamentally, nursing is about providing care – to the individual patient and to the community.
Trish O’Hara. Photograph by Chris Hopkins
