Laura Proctor
Laura Proctor, Child and Family Health Nurse, Cowra
Laura Proctor grew up in Cowra. Like many young people, she left Cowra after high school. However, it didn’t take long for her to realise the benefits of living in a regional community, so she returned to work in her home town as a Registered Nurse/Midwife. She now works as a Child and Family Health Nurse, employed by the Western NSW Local Health District on a permanent part-time basis, working 40 hours a fortnight, from 8:30am to 3:40pm. “Perfect school hours!” she says. Laura is married with four daughters.
“I followed my heart and returned to Cowra in 1997. I loved working in the hospital, however I didn’t really enjoy the shift work, so I took a position as a Community Nurse. During that time, I shared an office with Child and Family Health Nurses and I decided that was where I wanted to be – working with mothers and babies.”
“I love everything about my Job. I love the work, the people, the families and the family friendly hours!”
As Child and Family Health Nurses we provide health care and promotional services to families with children aged 0-5. Our role involves providing assessment, support and education around infant development, feeding, sleep and settling, Immunisation, behaviour, toilet training and the list goes on.
I really enjoy providing this service to the community and I feel privileged to be involved in such a special time in people’s lives.
I also work with a great team of health professionals who we can refer to when needed, including Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Social Workers and Dieticians. I work with a fantastic fulltime Child and Family Health Nurse – she is a wealth of Knowledge and experience and has been a wonderful “partner in crime”!
Cowra has a fantastic range of health services, government and non-government. We have a great hospital and dedicated, skilled doctors and nurses. I love that mothers can receive all of their antenatal care, deliver their babies and have postnatal care in their home town, surrounded by family and friends. If required, specialty services are only an hour away at Orange and Bathurst.
We have a great lifestyle in the country. Perhaps being born and bred here helps a little as everything is so familiar. My husband and I time in the city and are very happy to be rasing our family in a country town. We are very lucky with the huge variety of activities the girls can be involved in and everything is so close, so you can literally have 5 different things on in an afternoon and can make it to all of them! We have encouraged the girls to be involved in and have a go at whatever opportunities they are given. It certainly has lead to a hectic life but we all love it.
Despite this craziness, I think that we have a better work/life balance in the country.
We also have a wonderful network of family and friends who are not only a great support to our family but are also great role models to our children. Some people may not like that your life is a little more public, but I really enjoy walking down the street or into Woolworths and seeing familiar faces.
