What do you get when you combine a nursing degree with special skills in data coding?
At PA Hospital, the answer is coded in the mind and work of Trauma Data Manager Clair James.
Since joining PAH twelve years ago, Clair has worked her way through several administrative roles, from relief pool to ten years in the ED, where she assisted in the go-live of the ieMR across Metro South Health facilities and even as far as Mackay Base Hospital, and it wasn’t long before Clair discovered her passion for data.
“I was doing my nursing degree and working as the ED Data Manager when I realised I really enjoyed data analysis and thought this is something I want to pursue whilst remaining in healthcare.”
Two years since moving into her new role with the Trauma Service, Clair says there is never a dull day in her world, with days made up of meticulously coding every trauma patient’s injuries, demographic data and treatment journey from ED to discharge.
“Thanks to an increase in data support over the last two years, we’ve been able to provide PAH data towards the Australian Trauma Registry’s annual report. That’s exciting because we get to see a snapshot of all our day-to-day data and how we benchmark against other trauma centres across Australasia, which is valuable,” she said.
“Our multidisciplinary team does a lot of work in the background, so I’m excited for the visibility that reporting will give us into the future.”
When she’s not busy managing Australasia’s fourth-biggest trauma centre’s data, Clair is leveling up her skillset with a double degree in Law and Data Analytics.
“I love my role because there’s still so much to learn and problems need to be solved every day. I love working with data, and I want to progress in that space even further.”
Bringing the best of her data skills and nursing intel to the team, Clair is thriving in her niche role, and says the unique balance of each team member’s specialised skillset is key to their success as a unit.
“I love that I can use my nursing degree in this role, because I’m reading CT reports and clinical documentation all day, every day.
“The team is very small but we have a lot of reach across ICU, ED and all the wards our trauma patients move into, and the team does an excellent job delivering patient-centred care across the whole hospital.”
Looking forward to coding new milestones into her daily work, Clair says it is the humans behind the data that truly make her job special.
“The best part of my day is seeing the amazing outcomes patients have after often tragic incidents, because of the high-quality trauma care the hospital provides.”
It’s great minds like Clair’s that keep PAH at the top of its data game. Thanks for all your hard work, Clair. You are an asset to the PAH community.