International Nurses Day, a time to celebrate at Mercy Place Mont Clare

International Nurses Day on 12 May was hailed as a time to celebrate kindness and care at Mercy Place Mont Clare, as both staff and residents took the time to thank the 10 nurses who care for seniors at the not-for-profit home.

The day of celebrations saw Mercy Place Mont Clare nurses and residents treated to a celebratory morning tea and, for the retired nurses at the home, a trip down memory lane as both current and retired nurses swapped stories from their careers.

The team of Registered and Enrolled Nurses at the home range in age from their early 20s to mid-50s, meaning they have countless decades of nursing experience between them – meaning the residents at the Claremont home are in particularly safe hands.

Among those who were part of the celebratory morning was Filipino-born Registered Nurse Dorothy Wijangco-Garcia, who is in her seventh year of working at Mercy Place Mont Clare, having qualified as a nurse back in her home country before moving to Australia 10 years ago and studying in Melbourne to become a qualified Australian nurse, specialising in aged care.

“I love living in Perth and am very settled here, particularly working at Mercy Place Mont Clare where we are all like a big family,” said Wijangco-Garcia, who lives with her husband and daughter in Kensington, and is expecting her second child later this year.

“Australian people are wonderful; I love the culture and the environment and I’ve made many friends here. And on top of that I love my job at Mercy Place Mont Clare, caring for the residents is a real privilege and I love that I have chosen nursing as a career.”

International Nurses’ Day is an annual celebration of nursing held across the globe on 12 May - Florence Nightingale’s birthday - which pays tribute to the nursing profession and the magnificent contribution of nurses worldwide.

Mercy Health General Manager, Jo Forrest, said International Nurses’ Day provided an important opportunity to celebrate nursing as a profession, and that residents were particularly keen to acknowledge the professionalism and care they received from nursing staff on the day itself.

 “The focus of nursing is first and foremost on care, and in our case resident’s health and wellbeing,  so it’s appropriate that on International Nurses’ Day we focus attention on our amazing nursing staff, recognise their achievements and also acknowledge the work they do,” said Ms Forrest.

“Mercy Health is very fortunate to have Dorothy and a dedicated team of nurses throughout our nursing homes, and Florence Nightingale’s birthday is the perfect time to reflect on and celebrate the valuable contribution they make to the residents who choose to live with us.”

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