CQU graduate a leader in American intensive care nursing
Published on 15 August, 2007
CQU graduate Raina O'Connor is hoping to become the first ICU Nursing director to lead 2 teams to win the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).
Her Idaho ICU gained the award in 2006 and her current Florida ICU is hoping to receive the 2008 award. Only 10 ICUs gain this prestigious award each year throughout the USA.
Raina O'Connor (right) with her clinical team leader and charge nurses at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Florida
Originally a Queenslander, whose parents live in Beenleigh, Ms O'Connor trained as a nurse in New Zealand at Auckland Hospital in the early 1970s and quickly found her niche in the ICU.
She went on to work in London for 10 years in various ICU settings and then in Australia from 1987 at the Gold Coast Hospital ICU and later in the Australian Army as a Registered Nurse in the mobile ICU based in Sydney.
Meanwhile, Ms O'Connor continued to upgrade her qualifications to include a Bachelor of Science Nursing and Masters of Business Administration.
Most recently, she has graduated with a Masters of Nursing from CQU (earlier this year), thanks to the flexibility of distance education.
"I began my studies in Australia, then completed the last 2 years on-line from the USA, where I moved 3 times due to work," she said.
"I loved my studies and though it was hard to meet deadlines with work pressure, time changes and currency problems (to pay fees), I finally passed. I can't thank enough all the staff that helped me, from the teaching staff to the computer folks and the admissions personnel. I could not have done it without them."
Outside work, Ms O'Connor still finds time for stamp-collecting, gardening and relaxing at the beach.
She has worked up to the level of Director of Critical Care Services, at Florida's Bethesda Memorial Hospital, managing a 30-bed medical/surgical critical care service, with 4 clinical team leaders, a business manager, an educator and 95 staff.
"I am also consulting for the new Open Heart Program due to open in 2008," she said.