Our Refugee Health team helps create new chapters of hope and care in clients’ lives every day. Maria Loupetis is one of the members of this team.
Maria has a double degree in Nursing and Applied Science Health Promotion and working in both fields when a former colleague reached out to dangle a carrot.
“They’d moved to EACH and said, ‘look, you’ve got to come here, it’s great, it’s bigger, there’s a lot of different programs, I think we could do some great things.’”.
Maria joined EACH in 2008 in a Senior Health Promotion role and continued clinical nursing alongside her new position.
Later, when an opportunity arose in the Refugee Health team it seemed the perfect fit. A mix of the public health work and the more clinical work she had been doing, the role not only offered variety, but also allowed her to move on from nursing in a hospital to nursing in the community. “I’ve never looked back,” shared Maria.
Since 2008, Maria has been refining her skills to deliver quality care.
Maria is now a Registered Nurse Clinical Lead, Maria has continued to evolve her skillset. From completing a Nurse Immuniser course and moving into Sexual and Reproductive Health courses, to being a cervical screening provider and working within two programs. Maria doesn’t shy away from opportunity or challenge.
And her next mission is already well underway: a Masters of Nurse Practitioner that’s set for completion in 2024. This will grant Maria an expanded scope of practice with the ability to diagnose and treat patients as well as provide referrals prescriptions and tests – a game changer in community health, especially with GP shortages.
Maria’s drive is palpable but so too is her humility and utter appreciation of her colleagues. She gushes over the support and opportunities she has been given in being able to study and work closely alongside her team, time-generous GPs and Refugee Health Program Coordinator, Nurse Practitioner, and mentor to Maria, Merilyn Spratling.
Their encouragement has been key in Maria’s journey “I’ve got great mentors, having Merilyn and the GPs for support is why I thought I could complete the course”.
When reflecting on her work with EACH, Maria again cites her team and the vital role they play, not just in the community but with one another: “I think it’s important that we’ve got a great supportive team because being able to debrief after hearing experiences of past trauma is really important.”
Maria and the team work hard and are often people’s first experience of health care in Australia. Challenges of working with missing medical histories and long-untreated (or misunderstood) mental or physical health conditions, teamed with the barriers created by not having Medicare and other essentials are an every-day event.
Passion fires Maria through it all, a notion beautifully proven when she shares the highlight of her work: “It’s the people that you meet. Their stories, their courage, the way that they’ve been able to get to Australia. It’s pretty amazing and I feel privileged to hear them and to help them.”
Our Refugee Health Program supports newly arrived refugees or asylum seekers with a thorough assessment of their current health and treatment or preventative interventions to ensure existing or at risk conditions are managed appropriately.