At the beginning of 2022, Karen Turanga, Ngāi Tahu, recipient of the Braemar Charitable Trust’s Bachelor of Health scholarships in partnership with the University of Waikato, began a work placement at Braemar Hospital as part of her scholarship package.
The placement had Karen working alongside the Quality and Risk Manager at the Hospital, focusing on a range of health, safety, and wellbeing initiatives that could be implemented for the benefit of both staff and patients. Karen has spent her time assisting the team at Braemar, researching, and gathering information and resources to provide weight to potential new initiatives.
Some specific projects that Karen has been working on include improving worker engagement through heightening community participation in events like Pink Shirt Day or Mental Health Awareness Week. She has also reviewed and investigated the health and safety applications and initiatives to assess their suitability in a hospital setting.
Overall, Karen wanted to experience working in a hospital setting, and as Braemar is a hospital and owned by a Charitable Trust, she couldn’t have asked for more. Karen has found the experience to be welcoming and incredibly valuable to her working life and education.
