Celebrating our nurses: Celeste Coleman
International Year of the Nurse & Midwife celebrates the invaluable contribution that nurses and midwifes make to global healthcare. At CAHS, we're profiling the diversity of roles and people that make up our nursing services.
Meet Celeste Coleman. Celeste is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in our Gender Diversity Service, at Perth Children's Hospital.
Tell us about your background and how you became a nurse
I started my nurse training in 1993 at Curtin University. Funnily enough I was told I didn’t have a 'nursing personality'.
But here I am 27 years later, and still loving it. I always wanted to be a nurse, never anything else and I wouldn’t change a thing!
I have worked in medical, surgical, nursing education and psychiatric from neonates to adults in just about every aspect of the job both here and overseas.
What made you want to be in a leadership role?
I got into the Gender Diversity Service by taking a gamble. I was very happy on Ward 5A - Mental Health, but was just so interested in the field of gender diversity. After my program manager did a presentation about the Gender Diversity Service, I was hooked. She just happened to mention that they needed a Clinical Nurse Specialist, so I applied and here I am.
Which one of your personality traits has been the most useful in your work?
My personality trait most useful is talking to people. I love it!
I am so fascinated by people, how they see the world, how they feel, what they think, how they overcome adversity, their struggles, their joys and their achievements. As nurses we are so privileged to be let into their worlds, especially childrens.
What’s a typical day for you?
My typical day starts at 7.30 am.
I have never been able to get out of that start early shift work thing. I like the peace of the office and getting started for the day. I go through my emails, work out what is needed to be done for the day, grab a coffee and then I’m into it.
I finish at about 4:30 pm then home to the rabble of three young boys for my next shift.
What do you want to achieve in the next year?
Continue to enjoy my job, learn more and be a better person but most importantly, help more young people be their best selves, whatever that looks like!