From the moment she joined Pennant Hills Day Surgery, Registered Nurse Jessie has made a meaningful impact on both her patients and her team. In fact, just months after joining us in August 2025, Jessie received one of our most important accolades: the Patient Focus Values Award. While she gives so much to her patients, Jessie says she feels just as supported and valued by everyone around her.
Where healthcare is always personal
When Jessie was a girl, she couldn’t wait for the odd days her dad would announce, ‘It’s time to go pick up your mum.’ Her mother worked as a nurse at a busy Sydney hospital, and Jessie would dance with excitement as they waited in the lobby for the elevator.
“We’d get to go up into the ward to greet her. I loved seeing all her nursing friends and the doctors,” she says. “I just always wanted to care for people, too.”
Now a Registered Nurse herself, Jessie has found a workplace that truly empowers her to provide that next-level patient care.
“Not long ago, we had a patient with learning and communication difficulties come in for a procedure,” Jessie recalls. “They were quite upset as their mum wasn’t able to be there right away. So, when the patient mentioned their favourite band, we played some of their music. When their mum came, they were so grateful that we’d thought to do that to help calm her child. It was a really nice moment.”
It’s exactly this kind of clinical excellence that earned Jessie the Nexus Patient Focus Values Award, although she sees it simply as part of the job.
Trading shiftwork for true balance
Before joining Nexus, Jessie spent just over a year in ward and community nursing, navigating the challenging shiftwork the profession is infamous for. Like many nurses, she worried she couldn’t sustain a long-term career on such a demanding schedule.
Moving to Nexus in 2025 provided the predictable schedule Jessie was searching for.
“I know there are a lot of people who still do the shift work, the night shifts and weekends. But now, working Monday to Friday, I feel like I have balance back in my life. I can plan things and catch up with people. Before, my friends would organise things, and I’d always have to say, ‘Well, I’m actually working that weekend.’ Whereas now, I’m free.”
For Jessie, it’s clear that Nexus is a workplace built for humans – where her time and work-life balance are genuinely valued and supported.
The space and support to grow
Nearly in the third year of her nursing career, Jessie is still a developing RN. At Nexus, she is embracing the opportunities to grow her clinical skills, with a manager who genuinely cares about her future.
“Working here, there are a lot of different avenues I can go down. Even now, while I’m relatively new, my boss wants me to learn triaging to build my confidence and make me a stronger clinician. You’re gaining really good skills that help guide you to where you want to go.”
Coming from much larger hospital environments, Jessie appreciates that the Nexus blend of national scale and local heart means she is valued as an individual.
“In a bigger hospital space, it’s harder to get that recognition because there are so many staff members. At a smaller unit, they actually see your strengths and notice where you need to develop. They help you work on those goals, which is exactly what my boss has been doing for me.”
So, what advice does Jessie have for nurses thinking about making the switch to Nexus?
“Just do it and do what makes you happy. I’ve been really happy here, so I would highly recommend it. Life’s too short to sit on the fence!”
