Project role filled with variety
EVERY day is different for Bonita Jameson who is the project officer for stages 3 and 4 of the $150 million Dubbo Hospital Redevelopment.
“It’s a big reason why I enjoy the role,” she said.
As the liaison between the hospital and the project team responsible for planning, designing and constructing the new hospital services, Ms Jameson describes it as a job of multi-tasking, handling a range of tasks, stakeholders and projects at the same time.
“You need good time management skills, staff and people management experience, communication and relationship building skills. It also requires attention to detail, strong computer skills, and the willingness to give anything a go and stick with it until it’s completed.”
Ms Jameson has been in the role for five years and works from the builders’ site offices. Her daily tasks include meeting with hospital staff, following up on queries from staff and builders and co-ordinating communications to staff and patients.
She also needs to plan for any building disruptions, accompany hospital staff onto the building site, and regularly review building plans and layouts to ensure they reflect the needs of the hospital and patients.
“The most difficult part of the job is making sure we deliver the best outcome for the hospital and staff. We do everything we possibly can to get it right.”
Something which most people don’t know about this type of work is that the planning and design phase of a hospital redevelopment usually takes longer than the construction phase.
“This is because building hospitals is a very complex, and every detail needs to be researched, designed and reviewed carefully by a range of different stakeholders to make sure it meets the needs of the patients and the staff.”
While planning and design for this construction is complete, Ms Jameson said there are still workplace opportunities available.
“There is still a lot of construction to do, and this creates job opportunities in the community.”