Let’s hear it for the girls! The Royal hosts inspiring International Women’s Day panel

International Women’s Day was celebrated in style at the Royal Hospital for Women on Monday 9 March, 2020. Staff rallied together to hear from four of their outstanding colleagues at an all-female panel event steered by Helen McCarthy, Acting General Manager at the hospital.

The panellists – Dr Meredith Ward, Neonatologist; Chantelle Smith, Senior Pharmacist; Kim King, Clinical Nurse Educator and Natasha Culjak, Admissions and Inpatient Health Services Manager – delivered a candid dialogue of what it means to be a woman in 2020.

Instigating a stimulating discussion, questions directed to the panel were varied. They included: why would you recommend a career in health to the next female generation; name one of the most satisfying leadership roles you’ve held; is it possible to achieve a work/life balance and what advice would you give to your younger self. A few fun ones were thrown in the mix too – such as who is your dream dinner guest and what book or Netflix series are you currently binging on.  

Helen McCarthy said: “As the only hospital in the state dedicated to women’s health we wanted to take the opportunity to embrace the invaluable contribution of our female workforce – inspiring women who work around-the-clock to provide world-class care to our patients.”

In addition to the panel, in the lead up to the big day staff at the Royal Hospital for Women asked one another “what makes a woman great?” A beautifully lit tree shined bright in the hospital foyer and staff, patients and their families were invited to write a hand-written message to be hung on the tree for all to see.

Each for Equal: An equal world is an enabled world was this year's theme for International Women’s Day, visit internationalwomensday.com for more details.