Business-as-usual on top of COVID-19 proved to be quite a challenge in 2022 and it was the compassion, communication, and consistency of Ward 5B registered nurse Ramana Gadi that resulted in her being named QEII Hospital’s 2023 Nurse of the Year.

Nominated by both patients and family members for being a source of comfort during the distressing time of hospitalisation during a global pandemic, Ramana’s award represents the opinions of many celebrating her approach to nursing

“The hardest part for patients in the COVID ward is that they couldn’t see their families while they were in isolation, so I feel like I was able to provide a lifeline for them to help them in their distress,” she said.  

“I had so many calls from family who really needed empathy, compassion for the difficult situation and a lot of communication to explain how their loved one is going and understand any issues.”

She said looking after COVID patients is really challenging because care goes further than just treating them when they are very sick but also listening to them, explaining their broader situation to the team, providing timely care, and then the enormous task of educating them and their family about their many medications when they are going home.

“I love doing those things! I’m really pleased the families provided this feedback and could see that their own comfort at this difficult time was important to me as well.”

Ramana is currently acting as the NUM of Ward 5B after having an unexpected extension to her short acting role.

She is embracing the leadership opportunity of the NUM role for as long as the team needs her and is the first to point to the amazing support of the team in 5B.  They prove every day that they live the MSH iCARE2 values in celebrating each other for the valuable roles they play in providing excellent patient care.

Congratulations Ramana!