Caring: It’s in her DNA

AT the front line of the Gold Coast’s drug problem, nurse Alannah Ryan is like a light in what can often be a dark time for many.

A nurse unit manager at the addictions ward of the 35-bed Currumbin Clinic, Ms Ryan (pictured) and her team work to bring patietns back to health.

Mental health care has always been a passion for the Gold Coast mum.

“I always wanted to work in a preventive role, not just recovery,” Ms Ryan said.

“I have had family members with additions, so for me it is incredibly fulfilling work.

“There are not a lot of roles where you can see the recovery process from the start to the final outcome.”

Ms Ryan was nominated for the Gold Coast Woman of the Year awards for her ability to empower the nurses around her and her limitless empathy.

But for the humble nurse it is all part of the job.

“As nurses it is in our DNA to care,” she said.

“Having an amazing team is essential to working in this kind of environment and ensuring we don’t take our work home with us at the end of a shift.

“If you come into this place with an uneducated approach, you might be impatient but our role is to be there with empathy and acceptance.

“Often people haven’t ever felt like they have been heard.”

Ms Ryan said selfconfidence could often be one of the challenging parts of the role.

“In this job you need to be emotionally comfortable with yourself and your own issues, because if you’re not, that weakness will be spotted in an instant.”

The Gold Coast Bulletin’s inaugural Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year campaign celebrates the city’s leading females.