Gruesome accidents, life-threatening illness, drug overdoses – the pressure rarely eases in the region’s busiest emergency department. But it’s all in a day’s work for the frontline staff at Barwon Health’s University Hospital Geelong. EMILY IANNELLO meets three ED members who accept the challenge for a rich reward in job satisfaction.
Pictures: Reg Ryan
MARY KANELLOS
MARY Kanellos was a shy 20-year-old when she commenced her career at Barwon Health.
Now she’s the first face that sick and injured patients often see when they arrive in the emergency department at University Hospital Geelong.
“I register everybody that comes through the emergency department or through the front doors of the ambulance bay. My main role is to collect data and to make sure it’s all correct.
“Once all the information is collected it’s transferred to the computer and we print paper work, give the patients an arm band and contact their relatives.”
It’s a busy job, with up to 170 emergency patients arriving daily.
“One of the challenges is to keep up with the daily workload – it can be so hectic. Sometimes you really have to stretch to the limit,” Mary says.
“It’s rewarding when you can get the work done as quickly as you can and you’re able to reduce patient wait time.”
Without medical knowledge before beginning in the role, Mary admits the job initially “freaked me out”.
The record heat of the Ash Wednesday bushfires weekend highlighted just how much she had to learn.
Catch up with the other two medics from this feature story in the Geelong Coast Magazine – out now.
