REMYA’S SPECIAL RYMAN JOURNEY
When Remya first began working for Ryman Healthcare back in 2011 she had a feeling that it was the start of something special.
Now, more than 10 years later, most of them spent at Bob Owens Retirement Village, Remya knows for sure it was a great move.
“Since I’ve been in New Zealand, everything has happened with Ryman,” says the former Keralabased ICU nurse.
“It was my first job in New Zealand, I got my scholarship through Ryman, it was my first job as a Registered Nurse… Ryman has actually walked me through my career and my life! It’s been a big journey!”
Remya started out as a caregiver at Palmerston North’s Julia Wallace village and worked there for a year before shifting to Bob Owens village, where she joined the team one month after the village first opened.
Right from the outset, the standard of care that Ryman instilled impressed her.
“I knew I was working in a good place.
“Ryman really looks after residents and they look for a high quality in their staff, those are the best things that I’ve noticed.
“I only have good things to say about my employer!”
Remya worked in the hospital unit for five years and then moved across to the special care unit for three and a half years, working the afternoon shift all that time.
Then, an opportunity arose to do something a little different which the village’s Clinical Manager Tracey Dunn strongly encouraged her to go for.
The role was Wound Care Champion, where Remya would focus solely on that aspect of care for residents.
Says Tracey: “It gave Remya a real boost to be able to give feedback to her peers as the nurse with the extra knowledge and insight into wound care and to gain that respect from the Registered Nurse team.
“In that role she was no longer their peer, they were going to her and asking her advice and following instructions about what needed to change so it was a bit of additional responsibility.”
As well as the boost to her professional confidence, Remya found a great deal of job satisfaction too.
“With wound care you get the satisfaction from seeing the wound when it has healed and you see a positive outcome for what you’re doing,” says Remya.
It also provided the perfect stepping stone to her latest role where she leads the special care unit.
A key part of caring for residents with cognitive challenges is taking the time to know them well, says Remya.
“It’s important to understand the situation of each resident and how they perceive their surroundings.
“We have a wonderful group of residents and families in our special care unit.”
With the threat of Covid lockdowns everpresent, as shown by the latest Delta outbreak, ensuring the best of care is delivered at all times becomes more important than ever, a challenge that Remya says the whole Bob Owens team takes seriously.
“It is busy, and ever changing and challenging especially in Covid times.
“But it is the relief that the families have when they know their Mum and Dad are safe and comfortable when they are here that makes me feel happy and satisfied.”