Nurse Educator Richa Virdi has received QEII Hospital’s International Nurses Day Nursing and Midwifery Quality Initiative of the Year Award for leading a nurse-driven project that demonstrated post-operative observation frequency for surgical patients could be safely reduced without increasing adverse events.
Richa said the project began with a simple question from a graduate nurse.
"They asked, 'What is considered major surgery and what is considered minor surgery?'" she said.
"At the time, post-operative observation frequency was guided by those terms, but there was no clear definition, which created confusion, particularly for novice nurses."
That practical question evolved into a comprehensive quality improvement project involving a review of current practice, benchmarking against other Queensland Health services, analysis of Medical Emergency Team (MET) call and clinical incident data, literature reviews and extensive consultation with nursing staff.
The project ultimately introduced a standardised approach of hourly post-operative observations for the first six hours after surgery, supported by QADDS escalation and clinical judgement.
"The project reduced unnecessary variation, improved clarity for staff, supported patient comfort and reduced avoidable nursing workload without increasing adverse events," Richa said.
While honoured to receive the award, Richa was quick to acknowledge the collaborative effort behind the initiative.
"Although I am very proud that the project has been recognised, it was absolutely a team effort," she said.
"My Clinical Facilitator team did a significant amount of the practical work, including staff awareness, education and data collection. I would especially like to acknowledge Anne-Marie Bennett, who supported this project from the very beginning. She was as invested and excited as I was to explore how we could safely standardise post-operative observations for our surgical patients."
Richa's own journey into nursing was unexpected. After moving from India to Australia at 18 to study nursing, she discovered a profession that offered countless opportunities to make a difference.
"It was through my nursing studies and clinical placements that I realised how much I genuinely enjoyed the profession," she said.
"Over time I discovered that my true passion was education and supporting others."
Today, as Nurse Educator, Richa supports staff across Ward 2A, Ward 2B, Specialist Outpatients, Urodynamics and the Elective Surgery Assessment Team. Her days range from bedside education and graduate support to competency assessments, education planning and implementing practice improvements.
She is particularly passionate about mentoring nurses to achieve their career goals.
"What motivates me most is seeing people grow," she said.
"I love helping staff build confidence, prepare for interviews, write applications and take the next step in their careers. Succession planning is something I am very passionate about, and I feel proud when I see nurses step into roles they once thought were out of reach."
Reflecting on the award, Richa said the recognition belongs to everyone involved.
"Winning the award was very unexpected. I felt proud, grateful and humbled, but also very aware that this initiative was not achieved by one person alone," she said.
"For me, the award represents the work of the surgical education team, the ward teams, the Clinical Facilitators, the Nurse Unit Managers and all the staff who engaged with the change. It was lovely to see a nurse-driven initiative recognised, particularly one that started from a bedside practice question and grew into a project that improved clarity, safety, comfort and workload."