New Midwife For Bowen

The magic of childbirth is not lost on Bowen hospital registered midwife Aleisha Johnson.

Her hard work and dedication is clear in everything she does, and she was nominated for the International Nurses Day Clinical Excellence Award in May.

Aleisha has been a registered nurse, midwife and diabetes educator for 26 years, living in four states, but has called Bowen home for 14 years.

“I like to share in that joyous bit of life,” Aleisha said.

“Especially being able to do antenatal care with someone the whole way through.

“It’s important and special to be able to have that rapport with people.

“I guess also being in a small town, we get to know our mothers quite well.”

Aleisha leads a team of three midwives in the women’s health clinic, providing antenatal and postnatal care.

“We do clinic every day and also have a doctor’s obstetrics and gynaecology clinic one day a week.”

Her team also performs at home postnatal check-ups as Bowen Hospital is not a birthing hospital.

‘We do everything here except births, though we do have a few unplanned births each year here.”

Aleisha decided to pursue education into gestational diabetes when she noticed a need for healthcare in the Bowen area.

“All the women that we had come to the clinic who had gestational diabetes were having to go to Proserpine to see a diabetes educator,” she said.

She enrolled in post graduate study through James Cook University in Cairns and became qualified to educate women.

“It’s one of the areas where we’ve been able to build up the care we can offer in Bowen,” she explains.

“For the women who have gestational diabetes, it’s really cut down their travel, the stress for them, and inconvenience because it meant taking days off work just to go to Proserpine, Mackay, or Townsville for a 15-mintue appointment.”

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Aleisha Johnson upskilled herself to address growing need in Bowen. Photo Supplied