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The Victorian nursing sector is set to lose a nurse with 50 years’ experience, with industry stalwart Patricia Byrne preparing to retire in March. 

Patricia has been a fixture of the Victorian system since 1960, training at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital before specialising in midwifery. She has worked at the Boort District Hospital for much of her career. 

Patricia, a division one Associated Charge Nurse, says it’s time for her to retire. “Nursing is such a great career and we’ve got some great young nurses coming through the system these days, but I’m well and truly ready to hang up the boots.” 

Patricia was born in the tiny Victorian township of Ouyen. Her father was the local general practitioner and members of her family were nurses, so following in their footsteps seemed like a natural progression, she says. 

So she packed up and left Ouyen at the tender age of 17 and relocated to Melbourne where she studied nursing at St Vincents Hospital. She was quickly drawn to midwifery, which she loved. “Those early days of nursing are very special to me. All the nurses were very close. There was always someone to talk to when you came off shift and you were traumatised by something you’d had to deal with, or you were elated by the progress of one of your patients. You really bonded with your fellow nurses back in my day. However with confidentiality issues these days, you’re not able to discuss your day in the same way as you could back then.” 

Patricia remembers exactly what her first few pay packets looked like – she took home six pounds and fifteen pence – and a return trip to Ouyen cost her six pounds and eight pence. “All our lodging, board and meals were covered in those days.” 

Patricia relocated back to Boort in 1969, returning to the workforce part-time after having each of her seven children. The Boort District Hospital is a 19-bed facility located 252 km north-west of Melbourne in the Mallee region. “Our hospital lost its midwifery services about 12 years ago which was a great shame.” 

Patricia says nursing is a completely different kettle of fish to what it was when she started in the industry, with modern-day nurses saddled with huge quantities of paperwork and additional systems and structure than in her early days. “I understand where this is all coming from, but there is a lot of additional pressure on nurses to fill out copious amounts of paperwork while also caring for patients. There’s also so much more technology available to help nurses do their job. It’s a lot to keep up with.” 

Patricia, who has completed training courses along the way to keep her abreast of industry changes, says nursing is a fantastic profession that offers flexibility and job satisfaction. “You’ve got to be a very caring person to put your patient’s needs first, have good communication skills and an understanding of technology.” 

Patricia says she has relished the challenges nursing presents her with, but admits some of those challenges have been stymied as complex patient cases are increasingly referred to larger hospitals. “The Boort Hospital has been leaning more toward aged care to meet the needs of the community and anything complex is referred to Bendigo, which is a shame. I understand that needs to occur, but it does take some of the challenge out of the job for nurses. Although you never really know what will appear at the front of the hospital door on any given day, which does keep things interesting.” 

Staff shortages are also a constant issue for rural hospitals like Boort, with constant marketing campaigns not enough to attract nurses to the area, Patricia says. 

There are also challenges associated with working in a small community hospital, she says.“You know everyone in your community and their full medical history, although many patients seem to appreciate that.” 

Patricia catches up with the original women she trained with 50 years ago for lunches in Melbourne every couple of months, which she loves. “I’ll miss my fellow nurses and their companionship, but I know this is the right time to leave.”

By Nina Hendy

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