Werribee Mercy Hospital critical care nurse Christine Srikala’s path to nursing began on a family day at the beach in her home country Singapore.
A seven-year-old girl had been pulled from the sea, and Christine was the first to reach her. She performed CPR, but tragically the young girl did not survive.
“That moment stayed with me and I decided to expand on building life-saving skills,” says Christine, who is also an ED Clinical Nurse Specialist.
At the time, Christine was a civil servant in Singapore. About two years later she migrated to Australia, and she has now called the country home for more than 19 years.
Since, she has completed multiple postgraduate studies and became a critical care registered nurse.
Her career has taken her from remote, rural, regional and metropolitan hospitals. She has worked with Indigenous communities in Port Augusta, Palm Island, Hughenden off Townsville, Cairns and the Northern Territory.
“Working in Indigenous communities allowed me to understand what the community was going through and their access to health,” Christine says. “In remote and rural communities, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, we were a one-stop health shop.”
The work demanded quick thinking and confidence. “Sometimes there is no doctor coverage after 6pm, and you have to rely on your critical care skills,” she says. “It allowed me to widen my scope, learn new skills and build my decision-making.”
“You learn to nurse with fewer resources and at more of an advanced scope.”
In 2023, Christine moved from Queensland to Tarneit to be closer to her parents, and joined Werribee Mercy Hospital.
“The good thing is the people are wonderful. I have a great team in the ED,” she says. “In our catchment we have a multicultural clientele. You’re exposed to people from all walks of life.”
That diversity shapes how she nurses. “You have to give culturally appropriate care to our patients,” she says. “I like this ED. It’s wonderful, and we have a lot of nurses from interstate and overseas.”
Now she is counting down to the opening of Werribee Mercy Hospital’s new Emergency Department. She has already completed two orientation sessions in the new building.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am for the new ED,” she says. “There’s nothing lovelier than going into a brand-new building. It’s so good for the patients: new equipment, new beds.”
She sees the move as a fresh start for the whole team. “It’s a good opportunity to bring in new policies and new staff. We deserve it.”
“It’s also going to be wonderful welcoming in new nurses.”