Jessica Boutzos, a midwife at Calvary Public Hospital, and Kirsty Cummin, a team leader at the Weston Creek nurse walk-in centre have both been recognised in the 2021 Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards.
Ms Boutzos, who is expecting a baby in August, was named the midwife of the year; while Ms Cummin was the honoured as the nurse of the year.
The team of the year was Ward 11B, Aged Care, Canberra Health Services.
The winners were humbled and shocked by the recognition.
"Anyone who knows me, knows I am rarely speechless," Ms Boutzos said, with a laugh.
Ms Boutzos has been working with the emergency department at Calvary to help patients who present there cope with early pregnancy loss. She said being a midwife was a unique privilege.
"I love my job. I honestly don't feel like I'm working," she said. "Not only do I have incredible patients and their families to look after, I work with the most incredible bunch of women at Calvary."
Ms Cummin helped to open the Weston Creek walk-in centre in late 2019 and then re-fashion it as a COVID-19 testing centre during the pandemic just a few months later. She also worked in hotel quarantine and airport testing.
"So for the last 18 months, we've just evolved and evolved and I've been surrounded by amazing people," she said. "It was an amazing feat for nursing and showed how resilient we are.I think it's challenged us and changed us."
Ms Cummin said she regarded her award as recognition for her team.
"We see people at their most vulnerable and it's such a privilege sometimes to help those people navigate that journey," she said.
"It's beautiful to work with people who are like-minded as well."
Other award winners from the celebrations on Thursday night at the arboretum included:
- Excellence in Management Practice - Nicole Slater, Emergency Department, Canberra Health Services
- Excellence in Leadership Practice - Wendy Beckingham, Infection Prevention and Control, Canberra Health Services
- Excellence in Clinical Practice - Nicole Shiels, Tuggeranong Community Nursing Team, Canberra Health Services
- Excellence in Quality Improvement or Research Practice - Stephanie Parry, Justice Health, Canberra Health Services
- Excellence in Educational Practice - Jodie Murray, Learning and Development, Calvary Bruce Private Hospital
- Outstanding contribution to aged care clinical practice and leadership: Ryan Armstrong, registered nurse, Kangara Waters IRT for clinical excellence and Kathleen Pollard, registered nurse, St Andrews Village for clinical leadership.
