A two-week stint providing holiday relief in the Clinical Measurements Department in 2006 ultimately changed Carolin Healion’s life.
The Senior Neurophysiology Scientist is retiring this month after 36 years of service to Queensland Health.
Carolin originally trained as an enrolled nurse at Royal Brisbane in 1985 and came to Mackay Base Hospital in 1988 as the last cohort of hospital-trained registered nurses.
While working in the casual RN pool in various wards, she was asked by Barry Kotchevatkin to work for two weeks in the Clinical Measurement department to cover staff holidays. It was here her career trajectory changed.
“I had three young kids and was doing some school fundraising so was incredibly busy. I remember thinking at the time ‘as long as it’s just only two weeks’,” she said.
While initially performing cardiac testing in the clinical measurements unit, her passion for problem solving, practical testing procedures and the early detection of neurological conditions was sparked. That fortnight of work turned into a very long and satisfying healthcare career which Carolin feels has made a real difference to patients’ lives.
Neurophysiology scientists investigated disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system using a number of standardised testing protocols, she said. These tests assisted in the early detection of and diagnosis of disease, the management of disease and also measured the effects of therapeutic interventions. Carolin worked closely with patients suffering seizures, dealing with epilepsy, stroke, encephalopathies, MS and with brain injuries or abnormal development, as well as those with pain and with issues related to damage to nerves.
She continued her studies while working and completed a Graduate Certificate in Neurophysiology in 2010.
“Neurological conditions are complex and can reveal themselves in unusual ways,” Carolin said.
“As scientists we undertake varied testing including electroencephalography (EEG), nerve conduction studies and EMGs which are used to diagnose and monitor nerve and muscle dysfunction,” she said.
“Neurophysiological testing is an important part of the treatment and diagnosis process. EEGs can detect epilepsy or other brain issues by studying the electrical impulses in the brain to check for abnormal patterns. Nerve conduction studies pass electrical currents from one spot to another across nerve pathways to measure how healthy they are and EMGs measure the electrical activity of the muscle that helps find the location and severity of the nerve injury,” she said.
“We conduct the tests and interpret the results for a neurologist who then prepares a formal report and the official diagnosis.”
Carolin said the testing she performed provided patients with a sense of hope they were getting closer to an answer for their symptoms.
Sadly, some diagnosis like epilepsy or Motor Neurone Disease were lifechanging for patients.
“I’m aways amazed by the people who have major long-term medical issues, and they are still smiling and they’re still upbeat and chatty,” she said.
“Their life can be a really hard slog, but they stay positive. It breaks your heart to see what some people go through, but then again, you also see some really good outcomes and know that there’s treatment options available to help.”
Her role as a Neurophysiology Scientist had diversified and grown since she started, as had the clinical measurements team. Demand for testing had also increased significantly due to the rise in awareness of neurological conditions.
“The conferences, professional development and learning opportunities I’ve attended certainly makes me confident our processes here are as good as what is being done down south. We are definitely on par with metros given we don’t have a Neurologist specialising in Neurophysiology on site and rely on one coming from Townsville once a month.”
“It’s been a very rewarding career and amazing to see how the unit and the hospital has developed and changed over the years,” Carolin said. “There’s always been a new challenge which has been very important to me.”
So far, retirement has been “fabulous but busy” and filled with family weddings, a trip to Bali, a cruise, art lessons, music festivals and birthday parties.
“I came from Brisbane in 1986 to Mackay and thought I’d stay for year or two. I’m still here more than 38 years later – I’ve loved it here and I’ve loved my work.”
Huge congratulations on your retirement Carolin and thank you for your more than three decades of dedication and commitment to this community and Mackay HHS.