When nurse Sam Quarmby started her career than 20 years ago, she probably never imagined the places the job would take her and the range of roles she would assume.
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After completing her training at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, one thing Ms Quarmby knew for sure was that she didn't want to stay nursing in the city.
"I grew up in Gulgong, didn't like the city so went out to Broken Hill and did my new graduate program out there which was a combination of nursing like we do here in Dubbo and remote nursing as well," she said.
Following her stint in Broken Hill, Ms Quarmby spent four years working in the Dubbo Hospital emergency department before she relocated to Armidale for 15 years.
"I worked in emergency, I also spent four years in disaster management and emergency preparedness, I was an after hours facility manager and I also did my midwifery so I'm a qualified midwife as well," Ms Quarmby told Australian Community Media.
A new role as paediatric and neonatal care nurse unit manager at Dubbo Hospital led Ms Quarmby and her family back to the region she grew up in.
Her time in the role was short lived because in recognition of her experience, positive attitude and work ethic, Ms Quarmby was promoted and became Dubbo Hospital's deputy director of nursing.
That role was short lived too and now after former nursing director Jenny Johnson retired, Ms Quarmby is the new director of nursing and midwifery.
"My job is to ensure the way we are currently doing things is best practice and that it complies with all the legislation and policies, but also to look forward and think about the way that we might need to amend our models of care, look for new opportunities to provide care close to home for patients, listen to what our patients and communities are telling us and find ways to deliver care that they're seeking," Ms Quarmby explained.
Finding, hiring and keeping nurses working at Dubbo Hospital are top priorities for Ms Quarmby, who predicted Dubbo Hospital "will become a hub of health care for the Central West" once its long awaited redevelopment is finished.
"I'm a big believer that rural patients deserve the same quality of nursing care that they would receive anywhere in the state so we are really trying to attract staff that want to live in the country, that want to look after our patients and become part of our community."
According to Ms Quarmby, the more than 400 nurses who work at Dubbo Hospital come to work every day because "the people we care for are incredible".
