News and articles
Back to News & ArticlesAlfred Health Nursing Scholarship
Scholarships change lives. They often, if not always have an impact locally, nationally and globally.
Two extraordinary nurses, empowered by scholarships supported by Bank First, are revolutionising healthcare. And the impact doesn’t end with them. It ripples through communities, impacting lives and sparking innovation.
This month we caught up with two nurses from Alfred Health who received funding assistance from Bank First.
What we learnt was that a nursing scholarship doesn’t only benefit the individual, the ripple effect is real, and our scholarship recipients are making a difference.
When you think of financial scholarships – it's a big cheque and photo opportunity. But what happens next?
At Bank First, we’re not just about funding scholarships; we’re about investing in the future of nursing and healthcare.
One nurse, one issue at a time. It makes a difference.
That’s why, when Alfred Health invited us to hear from two nurse clinicians, we were proud to support with scholarships, we jumped at the chance to hear about their work. Their stories inspire us, their impact moves us, and their dedication fuels our commitment to nursing excellence.
What timeframe is, and isn’t acceptable for a hospital-acquired pressure injury?
A question Kathy has asked herself and her colleagues repeatedly during her 30-year nursing career. Fueled by her passion for nursing and with the support of the Bank First scholarship, Kathy set out to find some answers.
In a world where nurses often find themselves under intense pressure and facing burn out, Kathy’s story inspires.
The scholarship funds gave Kathy the space to take time off from her busy clinical work to really focus on one issue:
To identify the timeframes used internationally to report hospital-acquired pressure injuries and to obtain expert consensus to on what time frame defines a hospital-acquired pressure injury.
Kathy’s research involved the collation of information from 43 individuals (42 of those are nurses) from 11 countries based around hospital acquired pressure injury timeframes.
The results?
Currently, hospital-acquired pressure injury timeframes, as defined by individual hospitals around the world, range from 0 hours to 96 hours from admission to hospital.
Using Kathy’s research, a panel of experts from around the world, agreed on an international definition which will form a benchmark for further improvements in this area of nursing.
An International Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury is now to be defined as occurring over eight hours and up to 24 hours following admission.
Kathy’s research isn’t just a statistical triumph; it’s a testament to the power of support and recognition in nursing. In a world where nurses are often overlooked, Kathy’s journey serves as a reminder of the impact one individual can make with the right resources, support and determination.
Not only has Kathy’s research set a benchmark from which all data is now measured, she's now sharing her results. After our meeting in early February 2024, Kathy was scheduled to travel to the States to present her findings to an international audience and is close to formally publishing her results.
Across continents, Cassie Abbott’s journey in revolutionising cancer care means that Alfred Health is one of only two hospitals in Victoria and one of six in Australia to offer CAR-T, a groundbreaking cancer treatment offering hope for seriously ill cancer patients.
With the support of a Bank First scholarship, Cassie embarked on a learning adventure to the United States where she gained valuable insights into this relatively new cancer treatment.
CAR-T has been used as a cancer therapy for less than 10 years globally and less than four years in Australia, and there are only two centres, including Alfred Health, which offer the treatment in Victoria.
With a first intake of 18 patients at Alfred Health, Cassie was keen to understand how the CAR-T program is run in large hospitals with increased patient numbers.
Her trip included visits to major hospitals in UCSF San Francisco, Stanford Health and Mass General Hospital in Boston, where Cassie shadowed her international colleagues and gained as much information as possible to grow the program back home in Melbourne.
Cassie returned armed with information which has already benefited Alfred Health’s nursing and medical team and importantly, the patients who qualify for the treatment.
These patients have an aggressive form of cancer, and the eligibility criteria to receive CAR-T is for the disease to have come back at least three times.
At Alfred Health, the first intake of CAR-T clinical trial patients are all in remission today.
It’s groundbreaking and it’s exciting.
‘I am super proud of us as a team, and I am very proud to work at The Alfred.’
From her trip to the States, Cassie has contributed to the national CAR-T nursing group by presenting her learnings at an educational dinner and breakfast at BLOOD2023 conference.
Cassie created aCAR-T Champions Program to help support Alfred Health nursing staff care for CAR-T patients and also support the patients and their families through the journey.
Cassie’s journey goes beyond borders, reshaping the landscape of cancer care and instilling hope in those who need it most.
Her story reminds us that with the right support, one person can truly make a difference.
Latest news and articles
Find more latest Bank First news and articles including community news, self-service banking and tools and tips to banking safely online.