Humans of the hospital - International Womens Day 2018
March 2018
HUMANS OF THE HOSPITAL
“Hornsby Emergency Department is rare in that we have more female medicine consultants than male. We are leading the nation in terms of diversity and inclusivity in our team, which I am really proud of. Roughly 18 per cent of emergency directors in Australia and New Zealand are female. It’s a very busy job, but it’s also very interesting and that makes up for it. I basically have a management job but the great thing about this role is I still have direct patient care and that gives me a real sense of purpose. One of my favourite responsibilities is educating and mentoring junior medical officers and helping them build their careers. It’s lovely to support them during their stay in ED and beyond and it’s a real privilege to be a part of their lives. I hope I can remember how it felt to start out as a junior medical officer and I keep a little bit of that memory in me all the time when I am mentoring. I think being female absolutely colours my role in that I take the emotional, supportive and nurturing side of my role very seriously. I am always on the lookout for people who need a little bit of mentoring and support to be able to be themselves and perform at their best. To me it’s important to just to have a sense of humanity and humility. That was something I felt lacking when I was a junior doctor. I think it is important to show that we are all human, decisions can be hard and I want to be the real person in the system anyone can approach and ask for help and support. There is no such thing as a silly question and no one ever wastes my time.” - Clare Skinner, director emergency medicine, Hornsby Hospital
