The ACT’s Nurse of the Year received further recognition on the night, with James Slade announced as the winner of the Alumni Excellence Award for Health.
Mr Slade works as an advanced practice nurse in the haemophilia treatment centre at Canberra Hospital. He also works as part of the haematology team, treating children and adults with lifelong haemophilia-related illnesses along with other haematological malignancies and related conditions.
Earlier this year, he was awarded the 2017 ACT Nurse of the Year award after being nominated by a young patient he helped lead through a new treatment regime. But it isn’t just at work that Mr Slade goes over and above. He is active in the community, attending family camps and social events to act as a link between patients and the services his team provides at Canberra Hospital. He also contributes to the work of the Haemophilia Foundation ACT, the Haemophilia Foundation of Australia and the global haemophilia community.
Mr Slade is also committed to training the next generation of nurses. He has worked as an educator at Canberra Hospital in cancer services and now as a tutor at the University of Canberra, where he obtained a Bachelor of Nursing in 2006.
“What I loved about studying at the University of Canberra was the platform it provided students,” Mr Slade said. “A lot of it is self-directed but that's what you need in tertiary education. You need to be able to be given the foundations for learning, not just spoon-fed the information. UC gives you a solid platform and the tools you need to be able to start teaching and learning yourself, which really does set you right up for whatever else you need to do for the rest of your life.”
