A desire to linger longer at the bedside of patients, hear their concerns and ease their pain led Dr Shanan Molloy to choose palliative care as her speciality.
“I decided when I was working as a GP training in Beaudesert hospital,” Dr Molloy said.
“There was a palliative specialist who came down once a week to do a round and see all the palliative patients.
“I did a number of rounds there, and I just really connected with the way that specialist practiced, she said.
“It was so patient-centred, and he was able to spend a lot more time with patients and address their concerns so thoroughly.
“You could make quite a difference for people at the end of their life.”
Happily for Mackay, Dr Molloy who has two children under the age of four, also chose to return home to be closer to family last year. In November she was appointed as the Mackay Base Hospital’s first specialist palliative care physician.
“We’d been travelling around for some time doing training,” Dr Molloy said.
“We decided to come back to Mackay to be near my family and set up base.”
Dr Molloy is working part-time at this stage and only seeing in-patients, but she also works closely with SPaRTa – the Specialist Palliative and Rural Telehealth service – which provides palliative care outpatient services.
She is also involved in the early stages of planning to increase the Mackay HHS palliative care workforce, as part of Queensland Health’s Specialist Palliative Care Workforce Plan.
Dr Molloy admits palliative care can be a difficult field to work in.
“It can be really challenging work, but it’s also really rewarding,” she said.
Dr Shanan Molloy was appointed as Mackay Base Hospital’s first specialist palliative care physician. Photo supplied: Mackay Hospital and Health Service
Publishers Indemnity. Any individual or entity that places advertising, supplies copy material, or submits editorial content to Core Life Publishing agrees and undertakes to ensure that all such material:- Does not infringe upon any copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights;- Is free from any content that could be considered defamatory, libelous, or slanderous;- Does not infringe upon any rights related to privacy or breach of confidence;- Contains no obscene, indecent, or otherwise unlawful material;- Complies fully with the Trade Practices Act and all other applicable laws, regulations, or statutes.Furthermore, by submitting or placing such material, these individuals or entities agree to indemnify and hold harmless the publisher, Core Publishing and Events Pty Ltd, and/or its agents from and against any and all investigations, claims, demands, liabilities, damages, costs, or judgments arising out of or in connection with the material provided. All material is believed to be accurate at the time of printing and remains the copyright of Core Publishing and Events Pty Ltd.
© 2024 Mackay and Whitsunday Life Pty Ltd.
