Urology Nurse Practitioner, Margaret Mlinaric, is supporting continuity of care for patients through QEII's growing nurse-led clinic model.
Known to colleagues and patients as Maggie, she also recently won a well-deserved Partnering with Consumers Values Award.
Since joining QEII in 2022, Maggie has seen the service expand to include a full-time Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Consultant and Administration Officer.
The clinic is also temporarily expanding to help manage ongoing demand from the urology service.
"We focus on holistic care and tailoring the patient's treatment plan to their priorities and goals," Maggie said.
"We work very closely with the urology team to provide greater continuity of care."
Maggie provides education and treatment for continence, sexual health and cancer surveillance.
Most of her work centres on prostate cancer care and supporting patients before, during and after radical prostatectomy surgery.
The nurse-led clinic provides centralised care for patients, reducing the need for multiple appointments with different clinicians across different locations.
"For patients, seeing a different specialist each time can be challenging," she said.
"The nurse led clinic means we can build relationships with patients and support their care throughout their journey."
Maggie often meets patients before surgery to provide education and discuss what to expect, follows up with them on the ward where possible, and continues supporting them after their procedure.
The service takes direct referrals from the continence clinic as well as internal referrals from specialities across Metro South.
Patients are engaging well with the service which has seen an increase in attendance and positive patient feedback.
"I really like building rapport with the patients and feeling that I've made a difference to their quality of life," she said
"You can get wrapped up in the clinical aspects of their care, but sitting down and supporting patients on a human level is so rewarding for me."