New Generation of Nurses Faculty profile: Belynda Abbott MRCNA

My name is Belynda Abbott and I am currently a Nurse Educator for the Surgery and Perioperative Services at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH).

My name is Belynda Abbott and I am currently a Nurse Educator for the Surgery and Perioperative Services at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH). Within this position my portfolio includes two 30-bed orthopaedic wards, an orthopaedic outpatients department and a 30-bed neurosurgical ward, as well as new graduate support. I am responsible for the coordination, development and delivery of educational services to address learning and developmental needs of nursing staff within the surgical division. I am also a member of the New Generation of Nurses Faculty and a committee member for the RCNA Queensland Chapter. 

I graduated from the Australian Catholic University Mitchelton Campus, Brisbane in 2001. I was destined to become a nurse, but this destiny was unknown to me while I was in high school. I had no idea what the profession of nursing entailed; however one thing I did know was that I loved working with people and I loved the complexities of the human body. Therefore my journey began in nursing and I was the first one in my family to graduate from university and enter the health profession.

I started my graduate year at the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH), Brisbane in neuroscience. It was within neuroscience that I began developing my holistic nursing skills, my critical thinking skills and my passion for teaching others. I took every opportunity I could to take a student under my wing and share my passion for nursing.

In 2004 I had an opportunity to travel to the Northern Territory and work at the Royal Darwin Hospital. I was there for three years and the experience broadened my knowledge and skill on infectious and tropical diseases, Indigenous health, hyperbaric medicine and education.

In 2007 I moved back to Brisbane and continued my journey at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH), my current place of employment and my place of birth. I followed my heart and went back into neurosurgery. In 2008 I completed my Graduate Diploma in Clinical Education through Flinders University, and continued to pursue my passion for education and nursing. In 2009 I developed a nurse educator and nurse unit manager collaborative model that I presented at a conference in Sydney; the model aimed to achieve a high standard of service delivery, enhance workforce culture, optimise patient safety and build capacity.

I believe that I am a future leader in nursing; some may say this is a broad statement for a young nurse, though through my determination and passion I want to develop our nurses of tomorrow into compassionate, critical thinkers who care and are committed to the profession of nursing. I am excited to be a part of the New Generation of Nurses Faculty and it is through this faculty that we can reach out to our future nurses and nursing leaders of tomorrow to assist us with moulding and developing our unique and proud profession.

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