Katherine Seiboth’s desire to become a Nurse and Midwife was constant throughout her childhood, however she wasn’t prepared for how incredibly diverse and rewarding her career would be.
‘Working in a country hospital I’m fortunate to perform roles in the Operating Room, Emergency Department, Acute General ward, Infection Prevention and Control Liaison Officer for Acute and Residential Aged Care, and as an Adult and Neonatal Advanced Life Support instructor,’ says Katherine (BNg(PreReg) ‘12, BMid(Postreg)(RegNurse) ’18).
Katherine achieved her nursing degree in a country setting at Flinders University’s Riverland campus which she says provided her with the best of all worlds – an ability to undertake study for her dream career whilst still being able to support her family and be close to friends.
‘Commencing tertiary study can be daunting, especially for rural students who are often required to move away from home. Being able to undertake my Nursing degree in Renmark allowed me to remain close to friends and family while my husband worked on the family farm and we welcomed our first child into our family.’
‘I felt fortunate that I didn’t have to compromise on the study experience – I was able to develop a rapport with my tutors and fellow students and gained valuable experience and clinical skills.’
Katherine says lecturer Leeanne Pront was instrumental in igniting her drive to extend her knowledge and passion for learning. ‘Simply by asking “but why?” during tutorials – this question became the cornerstone to highlighting the importance of rationale and problem solving in clinical practice that I endeavour to use on a daily basis.’
‘My studies not only developed my clinical knowledge in preparation for practice, but also taught key skills in leadership, teamwork and communication. The comprehensive and broad course content at Flinders meant that I was equipped with the skills to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams to achieve optimum outcomes.
‘Flinders also highlighted the importance of integrating evidence-based practice and rationale into holistic care and to keep the focus on the experience and outcome for the people I support. These are important principles that I incorporate into my role, and it also given me confidence to influence peers to take this approach.’
In 2019 Katherine was awarded the Country Health SA Young Achiever Award.
‘I feel very lucky to be working in a profession that I am so incredibly passionate about, you learn something every day, whether it be from a colleague, or a birthing woman, or casualty patient; you are continuously expanding your knowledge in order to deliver safe and quality care.’
Katherine is passionate about empowering women with knowledge and choices during their maternity journey and she would like to expand her knowledge and skills in the area of lactation and use this role to support women and their families during breastfeeding.
‘Studying at Flinders ignited a passion for lifelong learning, and I hope to continue to improve my knowledge and skills to offer a safe and quality service with positive outcomes for women and their families.’