Oakey Hospital East Wing Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) Michelle Crawford has spent almost 30 years caring for others in a career that she says is a lifelong passion.
When did you know you’d go into the nursing profession?
I have a photo of me as a four- year-old dressed in a nurse’s cap and uniform, so I think it’s just something that’s been in me from an early age. I like people, I like working with people and helping people, so it was something that I was always keen on.
What gets you out of bed and coming back every day?
The relationships with the consumers, the residents and patients, is what keeps me coming back. Working here at Oakey with aged-care residents is very special because you form long-term relationships with the residents and with their families as well.
It’s also the people I work with. We joke about it but really we’re a lot like a family. We may have our differences from time to time but when the chips are down we are there for each other. If someone in the team looks like they need a hand we we’re there to support them.
How long have you worked with Darling Downs Health?
I’ve been with the service for eight years and in that time I’ve had the opportunity to work in a number of different roles. I’ve been Acting Director of Nursing at Taroom, Millmerran, Oakey and Inglewood, which I really enjoyed. I’ve also done some A/patient safety officer work in the South Burnett, Western and Southern clusters. I worked as A/NUM in the Rehab Unit at Toowoomba hospital for 15 months and I’ve also had the opportunity to do A/Nursing Director Aged Care and Rural as well, so they’ve all been great learning experiences.a