After graduating at the top of her class, Juniper Clinical Nurse Manager Anisha Shrestha has been recognised at Edith Cowan University’s Prize Giving award ceremony for her excellence in Care of the Ageing, which highlights the exceptional quality of care she provides to Juniper residents. 

Since graduating as a Registered Nurse in 2015, Anisha wanted to continually expand her skills and knowledge in aged care, which led her to enroll for a post-graduate Certificate in Care of the Ageing at Edith Cowan University. 

“I’ve always wanted to continue to grow my career. I wanted to do this course so that I could gain more confidence as a leader when it comes to delivering care to our residents and also educating families on their loved ones’ care needs,” Anisha said. 

Anisha burst out crying when she received the news of the award from ECU.  

“It was happy tears – it was very unexpected, and it was a nice feeling to get recognised because studying and working full-time for six months was very difficult.” 

This month Anisha received the award for Excellence in Care of the Ageing at the ECU’s Prize Giving awards ceremony, which recognises students for their efforts. 

“I was so happy to receive the award,” Anisha said. “It’s actually motivated me to want to do more. I think there is no limit when it comes to growing your career and learning in your field, and I’m now looking into doing more study so I can further develop my skills and knowledge.” 

While studying and working full-time for six months had its challenges, Anisha – who is also a mum to an energetic two-year-old – is thankful to have had full support from her team, particularly Juniper Trinity Residential Manager Trudie Lindsay. 

“They have really been amazing in supporting me when I was studying,” she said. “I am also very thankful to have a supportive husband who has stepped up to care for our daughter when I was studying and working.”

“We’re very proud to see Anisha gain such wonderful recognition for all her hard work and it’s a testament to the calibre of staff we have delivering care across Juniper,” Juniper Executive Director of Residential Dan Norgard said.  

“It is inspiring to see our Juniper nurses like Anisha show such great enthusiasm to expand on their knowledge and skills.” 

Starting out as a carer at Juniper Trinity Residential Aged Care Home close to a decade ago, Anisha has climbed the ranks over the years, having been promoted to Clinical Nurse Manager in 2019. 

What she finds most rewarding about her job is knowing she is making a difference to peoples’ lives each day as well as building strong connections with residents and their families. 

“I’ve always had a passion for working with older people and it’s rewarding knowing that I can make a difference in the lives of our residents,” Anisha said. 

“For me, working at Juniper Trinity is like my second home. It’s such a rewarding job.”