To celebrate International Nurses Day, CPONN Sarah shares how her role as Lessons and Clinical Data Manager brings the best possible care to the frontlines.
Interviewer: Can you tell us about your current role and responsibilities within the military?
Sarah: I am a Chief Petty Officer Naval Nurse Sarah Hudson and I work within the Defence Medical Services Organisational Learning team as Lessons and Clinical Data Manager.
Interviewer: Can you share what you do in your role?
Sarah: My main role is clinical data management and within the team, we focus on lessons identified on operations and exercises.
The lessons from operations and exercises are invaluable for improving our preparedness for worst-case scenarios and ensuring the proper care and protection of our service personnel.
What I have found through my role, is that I can make a difference in using the lessons identified and learned to drive improvement in healthcare delivery, whether it be command, control, equipment, staffing and training.
Interviewer: How did you start in your career in the Navy?
Sarah: I originally joined the Reserves in 2009 because my husband was in the Navy, and I felt like I was missing out on all the fun things that he was doing.
Now, as a full-time Chief Petty Officer, I do lots of teaching because if you don't do it, you lose it. And the whole point of me being in the military is being in a deployable emergency nurse. So, those skills are maintained through my teaching.
Interviewer: What has been your experience as a nurse in the military?
Sarah: I've been really fortunate with my experiences as a nurse. It's an amazing place to be able to share knowledge and understanding.
Interviewer: As we celebrate International Nurses Day, can you share what advice you’d give to a younger Sarah as she embarks on her nursing career?
Sarah: I would advise Sarah in her thirties to get started in her twenties and tell younger Sarah join the military earlier.
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