While she started out her career as a Registered Nurse, it was her passion for clinical education that eventually steered Louise Saunders into the role of Juniper Manager Learning and Development Services.
“My love for clinical education all came about because, when I was a nurse working in the Intensive Care Unit, I’d mentor student nurses,” she said.
“I always managed to adapt to the way people learn and because of this I was able to support them.
“I think it’s important that, when you teach someone a skill, you explain the rationale behind it. When you are teaching someone, you want to give them a purpose, and I’ve found that people remember the task better if they understand the purpose behind it.”
A third-generation nurse, Louise (pictured below) has always taken pride in providing high-quality care, a quality she developed while working on the frontline.
While she started her nursing career in a hospital setting, it wasn’t until she moved to Australia from the UK more than a decade ago that she began working in aged and community care.
“My goal has always been to provide quality and safe care, which you can achieve in many ways – you achieve it through governance, education, or a combination of both,” she said.
“For me, I get joy in watching others do the right thing – that’s what drives me in the work I do.”
Before joining Juniper in late 2022, Louise worked as a Staff Development Nurse, where she would mentor and coach a team of nurses and care workers.
Joining the aged care sector during a time the industry was undergoing major reforms meant an exciting step in her career.
“To be part of the reform in aged care is really exciting for me,” she said.
“One of the key things for me is that, historically, aged care has had a bad rap, but I want to demonstrate that it’s a privilege to work in aged care and with our customers, and I want our direct care workers to see that it’s a specialty, there’s so many exciting opportunities and lots of ways to develop and grow from the role that they’re currently in.”
Progressing within Juniper from the Governance and Quality Improvement team to become Manager Learning and Development Services, Louise will draw from her experience and knowledge in clinical care and education to oversee the capability building, education, onboarding and orientation of Juniper staff.
“One of the things I’ve learned very quickly is that if you want best practice, you have to enable the workforce to be able to do that, and a lot of that comes down to the education and capability development you can provide your staff,” she said.
“Learning is lifelong, so for me it’s about engaging with the workforce to continue providing that support through education and development programs.”
Learn more about a career with Juniper and view current opportunities here.
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