THEY may no longer hold lamps while tending to the wounded, but Jeanette Cox is an example of the hard work and dedication shown by the people who give their lives to the nursing profession.
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This month the registered nurse (RN), who has since risen to the ranks of Calvary Hospital night manager, will mark 50 years working at both hospitals and healthcare service providers in the city.
"It's a lot different to when I first started," Ms Cox said, who underwent four years of training at Wagga Base Hospital.
"The doctor no longer comes in and gives orders which the nurses follow it's a collaborative approach which ensures the best outcome for the patient.
Starting her career in April 1964, Ms Cox has moved between Calvary Hospital, Sheldons (now Wagga Medical Imaging), Wagga Base Hospital and Kapooka Army Recruit Training Centre in her five decades of working.
"Healthcare in the city has come leaps and bounds," Ms Cox said, who has spent 30 years of her career as an Emergency Department (ED) nurse.
"When I first started we didn't even have paramedics who would stabilise patients they would only act as transporters," Ms Cox said.
"We didn't have a focus on preventative healthcare now when a patient has chest pains we can give them an angiogram and stents (mesh tube to correct weak arteries) before a heart attack even happens."
Ahead of International Nurses Day on May 12, Ms Cox advised it was important for newcomers to the profession ensure they spend enough time in a clinical setting before entering the workforce.
"University degrees have been marvellous but clinical work is a lot different," Ms Cox said.
"It still takes a good listener, a better communicator and an empathic person to work the wards of a hospital that's what makes the difference."
