A Tennant Creek nurse has won a major category in the NT Health Professional of the Year Awards.
Tennant Creek Primary School Nurse Rebecca (Beck) Way was awarded Nurse of the Year for her efforts in preventative care and positive health messaging which have helped raise health literacy in the next generation around mental health, drugs and alcohol issues, sexual health and respectful relationships.
During school holidays, when she should have been on leave, Beck threw herself into Covid-19 response efforts, separating herself from her husband and children for the sake of the community.
Beck began her career in 2007 when she took the opportunity to complete a Bachelor of Nursing in Tennant Creek under a program to ease the nurse shortage in the region.
Starting as a personal carer at the local nursing home while studying, Beck has worked in emergency care, telehealth and general practice nursing, while managing to juggle being a mother of two daughters.
She started her school nurse role in 2017 and relishes the opportunity to work with students, families and organisations in town to provide health education.
“I feel very humble and honoured to receive this award and would like to thank Julie-Ann Spina and Fransina Norval for nominating me,” said Beck.
“And thank you to my beautiful family – my Mum, husband Jeff and daughters Grace and Elsie for supporting me through my career.”
The awards are run by the NT Primary Health Network (NT PHN) and recognise health professionals who share the organisation’s commitment and values and strive to customise their service and engage their patients and peers to improve health and wellbeing in the NT.
NT PHN CEO Gill Yearsley said we have an incredible community of hardworking health professionals in the Territory, particularly in our remote Indigenous communities, and these awards are a chance to celebrate those individuals.
“We received some amazing nominations across all sectors and regions of the Territory including dieticians, remote GPs, Aboriginal Health Professionals, nurses working in schools, midwives, occupational therapists, and primary health support workers,” he said.
“To hear how these people are changing the lives of everyday Territorians was inspiring to all.”
The winner of each category receives a $1,000 voucher to put towards professional development.
This article appeared in Tennant & District Times, 26 August 2022.
