A quick chat with… a nurse navigator

What is your name, where are you based?

My name is Nikia Goldsmith from Metro North Hospital and Health Service in Brisbane’s north.

What hospital do you work at and what do you do there?

I work at Caboolture Hospital, 44 kilometres north of Brisbane CBD.

I am the nurse navigator for complex chronic disease. This nurse-led model of care supports patients through care-coordination, governance and education for sustainability of health and wellness.

I take the ‘wide-lens’ approach to patient care and travel with them on their health journey to assist in mitigating barriers, reduce fragmentation and empower patient decision-making.

What is your educational background?

Bachelor of Nursing

Advanced Nursing Practice core units

Clinical leadership

Manage for improvement

(Disclaimer: learning is a constant for me)

Why did you choose this career path?

Medical nursing and the vast variations of this discipline is where the foundation of my career began.

My current position as a nurse navigator is a combination of the roles that I have previously held all rolled into one – from the high level clinical assessment coupled with autonomy, leadership, complex decision-making and innovation thrown in for good measure.

What does a typical day on the job look like for you?

I’m unsure that I could articulate a ‘typical day' but I can categorise it with:

• clinical case reviews
• teaching and educating
• supporting
• coordinating
• planning
• reviewing
• collecting data
• innovating

(I am unsure where this would end)

What do you love about your job and what would you change?

I enjoy the complex decision-making, planning and thinking outside of the box to plan and coordinate care for those most in need.

What’s the best footwear for a day on your feet?!

I’m currently wearing Algeria professional range shoes and I love them.

What advice would you give to nurses entering the profession?

Slow down and take it all in. Build your skills and build your knowledge together; it’s easier to understand something new when you combine a practical skill with further learning. Build on your bank of communication skills.

What is the next step for you in your nursing career?

I have many professional interests! I would like to further my knowledge in policy, the economics of health, governance and innovation, and the next step I imagine will present itself.

What book/s are you reading at the moment?

Work related books including Nursing Research: Methods, Critical Appraisal and Utilisation and Leading and Managing Heath Services. I want to read Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

What are your favourite films?

Moulin Rouge

Slumdog Millionaire

What was your first concert? And what was your most recent?

Livid festival was my first and Frozen On Ice my most recent. Times have changed!

What’s the best holiday you’ve been on?

Fiji

What’s your ideal meal?

Tapas

What’s your ultimate day off activity?

Strong coffee in a mug, sun and open air, and interior designing and planning.

Do you have an idea for a story?
Email [email protected]