OTA Executive November 2005

She completed her training in 1991 and after completing her post graduate year she began working the Operating Theatre at the John Hunter Hospital. While completing a graduate certificate in Perioperative Nursing in 1995 she became a Clinical Nurse Specialist. While at the John Hunter she specialise in ENT, Laser, Vascular/Transplant surgery. She also spent much of her time relieving much of her time relieving in the various Nurse Unit Managers roles.

Allanah held the position of Theatre Manager at Toronto Private Hospital for four years. Allanah is a past president of the NSW OTA Zone 1 (Hunter/central coast) a position she held for 7 years and has been a member of the OTA since 1996. She is currently completing a Masters in health Service Management. Allanah holds membership in GENCA and the Australian Day Surgery Nurses Association.

Secretary, ACORN Director & ACORN Secretary Tracy Kerle

Tracy is the Nurse Manager of the Operating Suite at Gosford Hospital.

ACORN Representative & NSW OTA Past President, Kerry Rodgers

Kerry is the Nurse Unit Manager of the Operating Suite at Nepean Hospital.

Treasurer, Jed Duff

My clinical experience is primarily in the areas of critical care and perioperative nursing and I have held various positions within these specialties including clinical nurse specialist, clinical nurse educator and practice development facilitator.

I currently work between St Vincent’s Private Hospital and the University of Notre Dame where I coordinator the undergraduate perioperative nursing unit. I have a graduate diploma in critical care nursing from the University of Sydney and a masters in nursing leadership from the University of Western Sydney.

Assistant Treasurer, Jane Waldron

Jane completed her Registered Nurse hospital training at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in the UK and also completed her Operating Theatre Certificate before moving to Australia in 1989. Jane embarked on tertiary education gaining a Diploma in Nursing Management, Graduate Diploma in Nursing Management before completing her Masters in Professional Studies majoring in Management, at the University of Technology of Sydney in 2004.

Jane commenced work at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital in August 2005 as the Nurse Manager of Perioperative Services and in May 2007 became the Divisional Manager for the Division of Anaesthetics and Surgery. Jane has been a member of the NSWOTA Executive for several years her first role was Public Relations officer before going on to be the ACORN Representative and then ACORN Director. Jane enjoys spending her free time gardening, shopping and taking her dogs out on long walks.

Project Officer, Jenny Cubitt

I am originally from South Australia and did my nursing training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH). I was looking forward to my theatre placement and was not disappointed with my experience. I knew then where my future lay. I completed my Perioperative course at the RAH and stayed on to consolidate my skills. I then moved into the management stream and left the RAH 15yrs later.

I have been in NSW since 1994 and have worked in both the private and public sector in a management role. I completed my Masters in Health Administration at the University of NSW. I have always been a member of the state theatre group as I believe there are many benefits and I would recommend anyone to join and, if you find you have time to be part of the executive. I have bee on various working committees.

My interests outside of nursing include AFL, lead lighting, cross-stitch and gardening.

Minutes secretary, Sally Duncan

Sally became a Registered Nurse in 1982 in Scotland and then qualified as a midwife in 1985 in the UK.

She arrived in Australia in 1986 and worked at Royal North Shore Hospital as a perioperative nurse and Nurse Unit Manager for the following 20 years, during that time completing an Operating Room Nursing Certificate.

After children she moved into the Logistics area and it was during that time that her interest in information technology grew and led her to the electronic medical record (eMR) project in 2006 and the role as a Business Analyst for the clinical informatics department. Her current secondment is implementing SurgiNet throughout Central Coast and Northern Sydney Local Health Networks. This involves working day to day with perioperative managers, educators, consultants and clinicians to organise how eMR will coordinate with their present processes and implementing it in their perioperative workplace.

Information Technology Officer, Lilian Blair

I trained in the hospital based system in Tamworth to become a registered nurse and then gained my Perioperative Certificate qualification at St Vincent’s Public Hospital, Sydney. I returned to Tamworth where I participated in clinical & education roles and as the nursing unit manager in a Private Hospital. In 2003 my family & I moved to the Central Coast and I am now employed as the Perioperative Clinical Nurse Consultant for Central Coast Health, covering the specialities of scrub, scout, anaesthetics, recovery & endoscopy.

I have always been an active OTA member and have held executive positions in Zone 3 in the past and have been a committee member for Zone One. I presently hold the position of NSW OTA Information Technology Officer and I am the person who looks after your web site for you!!! I am also the owner of the email list ORNursesDownUnder which provides a network for Australian perioperative nurses.

I was proud to receive a NSW OTA Certificate of Appreciation Award in 2005 and I regularly present at local and state conferences, and also presented at the ACORN National conference in 2010.

In my “spare” time my husband & I show, breed, & do obedience with our Dalmatians and spend time with our 9 year old son.

Assistant Information Technology Officer, Brian Julien

Brian is a CNE at Westmead Hospital in the realms of Anaesthetic, Instrument, Circulating, and Recovery Nursing, having previously held the roles of RN/CNS. He completed a Grad Cert in Perioperative Nursing, and has been actively involved in updating, implementing, and initiating practices and policies, and staff education/training, and has a keen interest in Health Legislation and Policy Directives.

Career work has included Perioperative Lectures to Nursing and Multidisciplinary Teams and Students, a Team Member for ACORN Guideline review, and working in the Northern Territory for the Australian Government Intervention.

A member of the NSW OTA since 2004, he was the recipient of the 2008 NSW OTA Excellence Award, and a member of the NSW OTA Executive Committee in 2010.

Education Officer, Deborah Carter

I completed my training at the Prince Henry and Prince of Wales Hospitals, and developed a passion for the Operating theatre from which I have not deviated. I moved to Green Oaks Private to work in the Operating theatres returning to POW and PHH to complete a Perioperative course. After consolidating what I had learnt at Prince Henry I moved to a second in Charge position at Balmain Hospital.

Marriage and children changed my focus and I spent the next few years as a full time mother. I returned to work and spent the next 13 years at Poplars Hospital in Epping.

From there I took on a full time Managerial role at an Ophthalmic Day Surgery and from there moved to the Sydney Adventist Hospital as Perioperative NUM where I have been for the past two years.

Assistant Education Officer, Maryanne Renshaw

Public Relations Officer , Karen Hay

Karen is an Enrolled Nurse who works in Nepean Operating theatres.

Zone Coordinator, Hayley McIntosh

Assistant Zone Coordinator, Sarah Luff

Sarah is from Prince of Wales Hospital.

Archival officer, Debbie Dobbs-Higgins

I qualified as an RN at Concord Repatriation General Hospital in the ‘70’s and then as a Midwife at Nepean Public Hospital in 1980.

In 1995 I received a certificate in Operating Theatre Management having studied through the College of Nursing.

I am UK registered & a member of the AFPP (Association For Perioperative Nurses)

I have spent 25 years working & gaining knowledge, experience & expertise in Operating Theatres – through those years working through Anaesthetics/Recovery, Scrub & Scout roles. Working through most specialties except Cardiac& specialising in Orthopaedics’ & Trauma.

I spent 5 years in the private sector as Theatre Manager.

I have been employed by Nepean Hospital for a total of 17 years. Some would say too long, however, it’s never boring for over those years Nepean has grown from 2 theatres to 4 theatres in 1983, to 8 theatres in1993. Specialties have grown from small district cottage hospital surgery to include all specialties except Cardiac including level 3 Trauma.

I have been an active member of the OTA for approximately 17 years. I have been the Zone Co-ordinator for 5 years and have now taken on the role of Archival officer in 2011.

NSW OTA Secretariat & Administration Assistant, Michelle Berarducci

Michelle is an integral part of our team, being the conduit for our OTA information and correspondence. Her role includes answering calls, emails, maintaining our membership database and accounts and she plays an important role in the organization of our seminar days and annual conference.