Whanganui prison nurse makes her mark

Marie Jarden Memorial Award winner Te Rina Lind (former WHS student, nee Wakefield) tries to educate Whanganui Prison inmates about proper personal health care.

Whanganui prison nurse Te Rina Lind has won the Marie Jarden Memorial Award for the most professional nursing graduate.

"I'm very proud to have achieved this award - not only for me but also for my whanau who have supported me in achieving the goals I set out to complete," she said.

The annual award recognises graduate performance for nurses during their first year of practice and was awarded in a Whanganui District health Board ceremony last week.

Ms Lind choose to join the Corrections Department soon after graduating from Whanganui UCOL in March.

She did her six-week placement in Whanganui prison during her last year of training and found the environment stimulating.

"I really enjoyed that, so when I was offered the job there was no hesitation at all I took it straight away."

She says working for Corrections stood out for her because no two days were ever the same.

"One day there could be some dressing that need changing, the next day we could have someone with diabetes who needs attention and then the next day we could be taking bloods.

"You won't find that in another health setting."

Many patients she sees come into custody in poor health, and often lacking basic knowledge of healthy habits. 

She said some inmates did not even do basic things like brush their teeth.

"We get a lot of dental problems - people coming in with toothaches and not understanding why."

Some have mental health conditions and her training in mental health helps her to recognise symptoms of mental illness.

Whanganui prison health centre manager Jenny Rangiwananga said Ms Lind used a model known as Te Whare Tapu Wha to assess not only a patient's medical needs but also their mental state.

She said it was obvious from the start that Ms Lind had a natural ability as a nurse.

"When she came here for her six-week placement we could tell she was really motivated, fitted into our team and had a caring and passionate nature that can't really be taught."

While some may think you'd have to be pretty resilient to cut it as a prison nurse, Mrs Rangiwananga said that was not necessarily the case.

"I don't think you have to be tough, you just have to be good nurse. We don't feel unsafe at any time."

Marie Jarden was the medical services nurse with the Whanganui health board for many years. Following her sudden death, her family gifted a vase as a memorial to be awarded annually to the most outstanding new graduate.

By James Baker
Wanganui Chronicle 31/1/17