Registered Nurse Sally Smith, from The Tweed Hospital was honoured with the Excellence in Nursing Graduate Award at the seventh annual Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards in Sydney on October 1.
Ms Smith was one of 13 nurses and midwives acknowledged for their outstanding contribution to the New South Wales health system.
Sally was nominated by her colleagues for her strong team and work ethic, her excellent ability to build positive rapport with patients, and for being a role model on the wards. ‘I was honoured to be named as a finalist and to have been announced as the winner was very unexpected and thrilling at the same time,’ she said.
Sally praised the unwavering support from everyone at The Tweed Hospital, especially the team on the Surgical 1 ward. ‘Graduate nursing is a challenging yet rewarding experience, and to have my efforts recognised at this level by my peers and senior management is a little overwhelming,’ said Sally.
‘I am looking forward to a long and rewarding career with NSW Health and am excited to see what the future holds.’
The winners were chosen from among 43 finalists, including nine from regional and rural NSW, across 12 categories ranging from excellence in practice, to clinical leadership and innovation in research.
Minister for Health Brad Hazzard presented the awards to the 2019 winners at the ceremony in Sydney.
‘These nurses and midwives go above and beyond to provide excellent care to patients and help make our NSW public health system what it is today – world-class,’ said Mr Hazzard.
‘Some have devoted lifelong careers to healthcare, others are launching their careers – and all of the 2019 award winners have made an outstanding contribution to the busiest public health system in Australia.’
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
