Feature Story 11 May 2023
Sister Wilma Sebby: An emergency nurse who serves with her heart
Sr. Sebby happily sharing her story on how she uses Kumul Helt Skul to refresh her emergency care skills.
“Taking care of patients and seeing them recover makes me feel good and that’s what inspires me to continue serving and to do more to the best of my ability. I love my job. That is why I continue to do what I do as an emergency nurse and as a team leader in the emergency department. Even when I am off duty and resting, my brain is still thinking ‘emergency, emergency,” says Sister Wilma Sebby.
Sister Sebby, Nurse Manager of Emergency Department (ED) at the ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital, has spent the last 17 years working at the emergency department. She is motivated by her love for the job, and for people.
Working in the Emergency Department can be very stressful, and sometimes challenging but as a team leader, Sister Sebby is there to support her fellow nurses and colleagues. Even on a quiet day at ED, she is in ‘preparation mode’ getting the equipment and items for emergencies ready. This desire to continue serving to the best of her ability led her to complete a Bachelor of Clinical Nursing-Critical Care (Emergency Nursing) in 2007 and in 2017 she graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing Management & Education from the School of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea.
For the past 3 years, Sister Sebby gained further knowledge and skills from training facilitated by staff from the Australian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) delivered as part of ANGAU Hospital Redevelopment Project.
Sister Sebby also used the online Kumul Health Skul training, which consists of 10 modules on contemporary models of care and management. As a nurse manager, she mentors and empowers her colleagues and has encouraged them to upskill and refresh their knowledge on emergency care, procedures, and response.
The training has benefited Sister Sebby and her ED team to implement the Interagency Integrated Triage Tool (IITT), a Triage Process - whereby they can now recognise and categorise patients based on the severity of their injuries or illnesses and attend to them within a given timeframe.
Sr. Sebby doing some inhouse training for student trainees at ED.
The ANGAU Hospital Redevelopment is an example of a successful partnership in action. It has created direct and sustainable relationship between technical specialists from Australia and Papua New Guinea. The project is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to redevelop and strengthen healthcare in PNG through the PNG-Australia Partnership.
“I am so grateful to the people and Government of Australia for investing in ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital by not just giving us new buildings, but also providing trainings and upskilling us with new knowledge and skills to improve health care in Morobe and PNG as a whole,” said Sister Sebby.
Nursing leadership is needed at all levels and across all settings to provide effective and relevant health services for patients and their families, individuals and communities.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100