Registered Nurse, Dave England spent the first decade of his working life cooking. But he wanted more, he wanted to care for the whole person, not just the belly.
As a Chef, Dave worked for Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Foundation which saw him mentor young apprentices from troubled backgrounds who were brought into the programme to provide career opportunities.
“It was satisfying being able to facliltate a safe and enjoyable learning environment where these young people could master their skills and grow their confidence.”
Dave worked in various other roles including a large-scale catering company that provided for the homeless in Melbourne. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, he saw it as a green light to come home and start a new chapter.
So, at 34 he enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing Degree.
“I’ve always been curious about how the human body works and I wanted a career that enabled me to advocate, facilitate self-empowerment, and give back in some form.
“After some research and endless questions to friends who were nurses, I felt nursing was the right road to take. As a nurse you can make a positive difference in what can be the scariest moment in someone’s life.”
Dave treated his studies at the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) like a new full-time job
which he says gave him a sense of readiness for when he started in the Post Anaesthetic Care Unit (PACU) at Hawke’s Bay Hospital in January.
“I absolutely adore working in PACU. It’s a good foundation for my future practice by learning to maintain an airway, and exposure to all ages and conditions, while exercising/developing my critical thinking skills.”
Dave was recently awarded the Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Hawke’s Bay Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Excellence Award in Undergraduate Nursing.
Each year Health NZ in Hawke’s Bay and the Eastern Institute of Technology collaborate to present two Excellence Awards in Undergraduate Nursing and Postgraduate Nursing Study. Recipients each receive access to $500 from the CNO nurse education budget for ongoing professional development.
Karyn Bousfield-Black, Chief Nursing Officer in Hawke’s Bay says it took courage for Dave to leave a successful career and return to study as a mature student. In the nomination for the academic award, it was noted that Dave immersed himself into his studies as well as supporting his peers throughout the programme.
“We are very lucky to have Dave with us now as a new graduate nurse in the perioperative service, he is a fabulous addition to the team.”
Dave welcomed the recognition and indicated he still had an appetite for progressing his studies to become a Nurse Prescriber in the coming years.
But for now, he is focussing on his new career.
“I want to master my clinical skills in order to provide the safest, quality care, with an interaction that is unique to all the different patients I will be privileged to meet in my career.”
Ends
Pictured is Dave England who received the Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Hawke’s Bay Chief Nursing Officer Award for Undergraduate Nursing with Annah Cherry who works at Totara Health Flaxmere. She received the Post-Graduate Nursing Study Award.
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