40 YEARS AS A NURSE
JULIE Spry was born to be a nurse, taking the first steps towards her career at just 15 years old when she applied to be an assistant in nursing at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Brisbane.
Ms Spry got accepted to train at the Royal Women’s Hospital in March 1980, and this month celebrated 40 years of nursing.
Ms Spry now works as a clinical nurse/palliative care nurse at St Andrew’s Hospital in Toowoomba.
“I trained in Dalby as an enrolled nurse, and then I went around the South Burnett and made my way back to the Darling Downs to the Toowoomba Hospital. I came to St Andrew’s as an enrolled nurse,” Ms Spry said.
“Then I went onto CQ University to do my degree to become a registered nurse. I was an older graduate but I did that.
“Then I worked up to a clinical nurse, and there was a palliative care position here and I applied and got that.”
Ms Spry said she loved being a nurse, particularly
MY MUM WAS A NURSE, MY AUNTS WERE NURSES, MY TWIN SISTER IS A NURSE, AND ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS IS A NURSE. I THINK YOU’RE BORN NURSE.
JULIE SPRY
being a palliative care nurse, because it was so rewarding.
“We run a palliative support program here at St Andrew’s. We have about 30 patients in the community from Longreach to Boggabilla,” she said.
“What we do is phone support, we don’t visit their houses, but I find it really rewarding for the families. “They can ring us 24/7.” Ms Spry’s passion for nursing is in her genes, as she comes from a whole family of nurses.
“My mum was a nurse, my aunts were nurses, my twin sister is a nurse, and one of my daughters is a nurse.
“I think you’re born nurse.”