Doris discovers the sound of music
23 September 2008
Kangan Batman TAFE student Doris Siu Fong Kwok is a pioneer in her field.
After 25 successful years working in the business world, Doris altered course and started off on a new career path through the nursing studies courses offered at the Institute's Moreland campus.
Centre for Better Living manager Dianne Semmens says Doris is breaking new ground in the nursing industry, having recently completed assessments under the new national Advanced Diploma of Nursing.
"We believe Doris is the very first student in the state to achieve this qualification," Dianne says.
"To date, Kangan Batman TAFE is the only TAFE in Victoria which offers both the Diploma of Nursing (Enrolled/Division 2 Nursing) and the Advanced Diploma of Nursing (Enrolled/Division 2 Nursing) under the new assessment guidelines. Recent figures also show that Kangan Batman TAFE's Centre for Better Living department has trained 20 percent of all Victorian Division 2 nurses who have undertaken the current medication administration upgrade."
Doris has been a Registered Division 2 nurse since 2004, completing her endorsements in medication administration this year. She plans to develop her lifelong learning journey in the coming years.
"I hope to continue study to achieve a nursing degree in the near future," she says.
"I think it is important to keep studying to enhance practical skills and knowledge. The courses at Kangan Batman TAFE were flexible, affordable, and I found my learning facilitator Lindsay was very good and efficient in answering all the questions I had."
With a degree in business, Doris' career shift was significant from a world of spreadsheets and meetings to an industry of care. She says she gets immense enjoyment from her work by contributing to the quality of care for her patients.
"I am really enjoying my work as a nurse, assisting patients through a difficult time in their lives and sharing in their happiness when they recover and go home," she says.
"It's nice when families of patients bring in flowers and chocolates for the nurses to show their appreciation."
Along with her standard studies, Doris has also undertaken research into how music therapy can benefit dementia patients. While she was working with an elderly patient, she discovered that by introducing a familiar tune, the patient's health improved.
"My patient was suffering from dementia and had trouble remembering about going to the toilet. One day, her husband arrived while I was in the bathroom with her and he started singing 'do-ray-me-far-so' and she remembered," Doris says.
"I asked her husband what the magic of the song was. He told me that his wife had used this song to teach her children how to use the toilet when they were little.
"I shared my experiences to all the nurses in our team, and now we all sing 'do-ray-me-far-so' to her!
"I learnt from the experience and I believe that all dementia clients have a place deep in their minds that has never lost a strong sense of joy. Now I always try to find out what is the most joyful musical experience of my dementia patients' lives."
Outside of her nursing career, Doris is mother to two adult sons and grandmother to a three-year-old grandson. She lives with her husband who also works part-time, and when she's not studying or undertaking work-related research, enjoys gardening and cooking.
