It was the call for ‘kindness and empathy’ in the job ad that stood out to Ashleigh Griffiths and encouraged her to apply for the role of clinical manager at Edmund Hillary Retirement Village.
Having been a nurse for seven years, combining both managerial and clinical roles, Ashleigh was ready for the next career challenge and was immediately captured when she read what was required.
“Those attributes are really important to me when looking for a job and I like to think they are qualities I possess too,” she says.
“This job encompasses everything I have been working towards – I have got a sound clinical background now and some management experience so I feel comfortable in the role but there are still plenty of challenges and a lot to grow towards.”
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Ashleigh’s career began at North Shore Hospital after graduating from AUT and it was there that she discovered how much she enjoyed one particular aspect of the work.
“I found I build a really quick rapport with older people and I love that they really value you and want to know about you.
“I feel very comfortable around older people,” she adds.
She went on to work as a cardiothoracic nurse in cardiothoracic surgery before becoming a breast cancer nurse specialist.
She then split her time between the breast cancer role and as a trend care coordinator for the Waitemata DHB, a role which manages the patient acuity system, working out how much time is involved in caring for a patient versus the nursing hours.
Now, being able to build relationships with residents and their relatives is something she really appreciates.
“This is their home so it’s really nice being able to get to know them and learn about their backgrounds.
“It’s also important to understand that for any family it can be quite stressful when dealing with the health of a loved one so I always try to think if this was my family member what would I want and what support should we be giving them.”
Ashleigh started the job in July, weeks after the first lockdown ended. But a month into it Auckland went into a second lockdown and she got to see firsthand how Ryman responded.
“It sounds like the village did a fantastic job of keeping everything settled and delivering food and so on and it’s the same approach this second time around.”
