Team spirit

With more than 1000 patient cases performed each week Mater Private Hospital is one of the busiest private peri-operative services in Queensland.

At the forefront of medical technology, Mater Private Hospital theatres are staffed by more than 140 people, all with a vital role to play to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the theatres.

“There is one word that has become synonymous with working in Mater Private Hospital peri-operative services and that is teamwork,” said nurse manager, Frances Hishon.

“Of course we respect individuality, but you have to function as part of a multidisciplinary team, where staff can rely on each other to complete their designated tasks.

“For example, sometimes there can be a number of surgical instruments required for one procedure and if one of those instruments is missing, it can affect the whole day.

“It is so important that everyone pitches in and works together so that the day runs smoothly and at Mater Private we pride ourselves on making sure this happens,” Frances said.

According to Theatre Resource Manager Hilary Tillett, who works alongside Frances, working in theatres can be very demanding but rewarding.

“Sometimes it involves working long hours as well as dealing with high pressure situations but ultimately, it is the challenging environment that attracts staff to work within our peri-operative services.

“Every day is a balancing act. We work hard to maintain this balance but sometimes it is unavoidable such as when an emergency theatre case arrives and we all have to be ready to respond,” she said.

“This is where you can see the team spirit in action, as there is no time to waste.

“You can honestly say working in theatres is never boring, there is constant change,” Hilary said.