Registered Nurse and Midwife Susan Smith has a talent and a passion for talking with new parents about childhood immunisations. We caught up with Susan to discuss her current research, how COVID-19 has changed her field and how an unlikely collaborator has helped with her research.
What is your role and what does your work focus on?
I’m a casual academic and full-time PhD candidate at the College of Nursing and Health Science, and I’ve worked in both the Midwifery program and in Nursing for the post graduate Child and Family Health course.
What journey brought you to this point in your career?
I’m a Registered Nurse/Midwife with more than 20 years’ experience working as a Maternal Child Health Nurse for Child and Family Health, where my role includes post-natal health checks, immunisation, breastfeeding and care of both child and mother, as well as the family in general. My current research is focused on vaccine hesitancy in parents and pregnant women.
I’m in the final year of my PhD and nearing project completion. This has been a passion project, as I’ve struggled as a practitioner to meet the needs of vaccine-hesitant parents. It’s my hope that the work I’m doing will help other immunisers to better meet the needs of this small group of people.
What is something you love most about your work?
I love the flexibility of my research project which has allowed me to pursue my passion. I’m working with wonderful supervisors who are supportive and allow me the independence to pursue this research.
What is something you would like people to know about your role?
Until COVID-19, immunisation was a barely understood area of health. Few people were interested in the complexities of it. Now everyone seems to understand vaccines and PPE – but we still need to teach it in our undergraduate degrees. There is evidence that some Australian midwifery degrees offer less than one hour focussed on immunisation in a three-year undergraduate degree.
Immunisation is not simply sticking a needle in an arm. It’s a complex and vitally important area of health, and one which has often been ignored until now. Thankfully, Flinders University is on the front foot and has been increasing content in this field over recent years.
What is something you’re most proud of?
I’m proud of my work in immunisation, and particularly proud of my publications in vaccine hesitancy.
What does a typical day look like?
Because I’m a full-time PhD candidate, my typical day is spent at my computer, either at home or in the PhD room on level 3 at Sturt Campus. One disadvantages of this is that I don’t get an opportunity to meet many staff members. However, I do venture out from time to time and would love to meet more staff members in due course.
How do you like to relax or spend your spare time?
Like most PhD candidates, my time is not really my own. Add to that a very full house of adult children, very small grandchildren and dogs, and you’ll see that I get a very limited opportunities to relax. I live in the Adelaide Hills on a small property, so my sheep have developed the ability to nod and chew wisely when I talk through issues with my research. I also like to go to the gym, so I can climb the many stairs at Sturt without expiring.