Greetings to you all,
In response to a request regarding the origin of our Alumni, I include this brief outline taken from our webpage http://www.svhm.org.au/support-us/alumnis/st-vincents-nurses-alumni
‘In 1923, St Vincent’s nurse Ida O Dwyer laid the foundations for who we are today. She became the first president of St Vincents Graduate Nurses Association (now the Alumni) in response to the needs of disadvantaged nurses at the time. The Association:
1) Endowed a St Vincent’s Hospital Nurses bed
2) Established an annual scholarship ‘gold badge’ award to a selected graduate nurse for her excellence in nursing and also a textbook to encourage further learning.
3) Coordinated gatherings to bring nurses together in a social context. Many nurses were from the country and it was a wonderful opportunity for them to catch up with old friends to share life stories and SVH Memories.
Our Alumni continues to pursue this ideal today with the Ida O’Dwyer Award of $2,000 for nursing excellence awarded to a nurse on completion of their Graduate Nurse Program at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. The successful recipient exhibits the behaviours and patient care which mirror the ideals of Ida O’Dwyer. The Alumni also grants an additional ten $1,000 scholarships annually. Social events are organised and support is offered to disadvantaged colleagues where possible.’
I am pleased to report that our membership continues to gently flourish following a concerted recruitment drive by our committee. Introductory visits to most of St Vincent’s public hospital campuses and St Vincent’s Private hospital have been made and we were warmly welcomed on each occasion. Our committee invites you to play a part in recruitment by promoting the Alumni to any potential new member. The criteria covers all Div 1 and Div 2 nurses employed by St Vincent’s (past and present). There is no joining fee, but fund-raising, pledges and other donations are integral to achieving the Alumni’s objectives. The registration form for Alumni membership is on our website http://www.svhm.org.au/support-us/alumnis/st-vincents-nurses-alumni or on application to our email stvsnursesalumni@gmail.com
The Annual Mass to remember the lives of Members deceased during the past year and honoring our current members was celebrated on Saturday March 25th at the Australian Catholic University chapel. Click on the ‘EVENTS’ drop down box on our website http://www.svhm.org.au/support-us/alumnis/st-vincents-nurses-alumni for further information about this event.
Our annual luncheon at the Park Hyatt is being held on August 25th, a great opportunity to get together for those celebrating 50 years of either commencement or graduation. A ‘save the date’ email will be sent closer to booking time.
is anticipated that an SVNA Scholarship will be launched at an event later this year (watch this space!).
The focus of this SVNA scholarship is to offer support for SVH nurses across all specialties in order to broaden their professional knowledge through post graduate education in their particular area of practice.
Nurse education has changed dramatically over the past 40 years since the transition from apprentice style training to academic degrees. This shift in the realm of nursing education and move from hospital-based training has implications for recruitment of new members for our Alumni.
Secondly, the increasing complexity in technology and need for rapid application of new knowledge challenges your committee who aim to fulfil the Alumni’s economic and social expectations.
In addition, we acknowledge that the effect of the Covid pandemic on our nurses - the continuing anxiety; emotional input; workplace stress; understaffing and exhaustion won’t go away soon and our support is still needed.
We rely on you, our members, to support us in recruitment of new members, ideas for social activities and commitment to a strong, viable future for the Alumni.
’s time to sign off, but can I share this with you - your SVNA Committee continues to plan the Alumni’s future. We have an agreed understanding/definition of the Alumni. Who we are and what we want to achieve is reflected in our purpose, - it is mandatory to our success.
Your feedback is appreciated and encouraged.
Best wishes and stay well until our next chat.
Wishing you a joyous Easter,
Clare Dyer
President St Vincent's Nurses Alumni
Fancy a trip down memory lane? We all have stories that we can remember and share. If you would like to add your story or memories to this page, email stvsnursesalumni@gmail.com
An extract is below from the handbook given to all new arrivals at the historical Preliminary Training School.
A Nurse must be:
Punctual;
Obedient and loyal to all rules, as the foundation of her work;
Active, yet quiet;
Methodical, reliable, careful, clean and neat;
Observant, intelligent and economical;
Capable of self-control, persevering gentleness, tact, sympathy and common sense;
Careful to pay attention to professional etiquette, remembering what is due to those in authority;
Careful in manner and attention to Visitors or Patients’ friends, a duty Nurses in the pressure of their work are apt to overlook;
Careful to wear her uniform with spotless cleanliness, neatness, and simplicity; hair tidy, and general bearing that of military smartness;
Careful to be always guarded in her behaviour towards Doctors and Students.
Catch up with friends and former colleagues, share news, enjoy annual events and reunions, and keep up with what’s happening at the hospital. The St Vincent’s Nurses Alumni Committee invites you to become a member and help the Alumni achieve its goals.
Membership is open to:
- nursing graduates
- enrolled and registered nurse employees (current and past) from St Vincent’s Hospital (Melbourne)
- those invited by the St Vincent’s Nurses Alumni Committee to participate.
There is no joining fee.
To join, please email stvsnursesalumni@gmail.com:
Your name
Your email address
Mobile number
Year of graduation
Current or previous St Vincent’s employee
Any other information you wish to share