Monica Lawrence, Nurse
Monica Lawrence
Before she became a nurse, Monica Lawrence had never known an Aboriginal person. Now they are – virtually – her life.
Working as a ward nurse, she found that listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients’ rich stories about their country “ignited a passion” in her – a passion that has helped shape her career ever since.
Understanding and documenting the experiences of Aboriginal people in the health care system became the basis of her Master of Nursing research. “I found that if we are going to be serious about improving Aboriginal health outcomes, then we need to strongly consider culture in care and properly engage Aboriginal communities in all facets of health care decisions,” Monica says.
“I would say to anyone thinking about working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health – get involved and be prepared for a sense of engagement that you’ve never experienced before. Learning about Aboriginal culture – the connection to land, spirituality, language and family – has been such a rich and rewarding experience for me. It’s been a priceless experience that has made me not only a better health practitioner, but a better person.”
Working at Adelaide’s Flinders Medical Centre, her research into the experiences of Aboriginal people in the health care system has resulted in positive changes to the way in which cardiac patients are cared for in Adelaide. In her current role as Principle Advisor of Clinical Services Development in Aboriginal Health for the Southern Local Health Network, Monica is responsible for ensuring that cultural considerations are included in clinical practice.
“English is often the fourth or fifth language for many Aboriginal people, making the informed consent process very difficult. We get patients who have been in hospital to talk to others in their community about what it’s like to come into town, to sleep in a bed and to have an operation.
“Aboriginal people who need specialist cardiac care travel vast distances to Adelaide, and it’s often the first time they have left their family or community, the first time in a plane, the first time in a city, the first time in a big teaching hospital. During a six month period in 2006, we had 21 out of 48 no shows.
“Flexibility and understanding are also really important. I had one patient who came in for heart surgery and said he had a funeral, some sorry business. We rescheduled his surgery because we knew he wasn’t mentally prepared for it.
“It’s really important to behave respectfully and advocate for patients. It’s my duty of care as a nurse. It would have been easier for me if I didn’t care, but I do. It’s who I am as a person.
“I think the biggest reward for me is that I’m still getting phone calls from people I cared for 10 years ago,” she says. “They are calling me and passing the phone to their family members!”
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