Nursing is so much more than a job for Glenyss Tronoff—it’s a calling that allows her to lead with compassion. “My aim is to create an environment where people want to come to work, that they get some joy out of their job, because it’s not easy work.”
It’s a goal that she’s carried with her throughout her 30 years as a pillar of the nursing community. Currently, Glenyss works as the Nurse Unit Manager for a mixed medical surgical ward at QEII Hospital, helping to inspire the next generation of nursing leaders.
A lot of her role involves staff management and risk management within the wards, as well as liaising with doctors to ensure care plans are on track. “I also focus on liaising with other nurse specialists to ensure we have the right education for the right care at the right time and trying to forward plan and future proof our models of care.
“There’s a lot of creative thinking we have to do in the space because we have talent shortages and missed opportunities,” she explains. “I am trying to meet with anyone who will listen, from business case managers to executives and see what we can do to attract new nursing students to come through, and retaining the talent we have.”
Glenyss came to Griffith University as a mature student to study a Bachelor of Nursing. She was initially hesitant to return to studying, but she says she felt a warmth from Griffith she hadn’t felt from any other university. “There was an inclusivity and a diversity to Griffith, that made me feel like, ‘OK, you’re not too old. You do belong here.’
“Griffith has such a strong reputation of being inclusive and supportive and doing their best to help you get to where you want—I really experienced that.”
Glenyss says the lecturers at Griffith were instrumental in guiding her career and supporting her to follow a path that really resonated with her. “They were really engaging and very encouraging,” she says. “I had the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with lecturers about my options and possibilities.”
After she graduated, she took up the opportunity not only to return to do her Masters in Acute Care, but also get involved in nursing education and curriculum development at Griffith. “My teachers asked me if I was interested in doing some lab work or any sort of teaching and helped me explore my interest in education and supporting up-and-coming talent.”
During her masters studies, Glenyss was also learning on the job, with diverse clinical experiences at the Princess Alexandra and Hervey Bay hospitals, as well as demonstrating her dedication to patient care at QEII.
“I am proud of the opportunities I’ve had to nurture and grow young people, to help them develop through the pathways,” she says. “I’ve got staff who I actually taught at university, who now work with me on my ward and have moved up into senior roles … For them to stay with me, be led by me and say that they like my leadership style and that I can help role model for them … that makes me feel good.”
Her love for her career is evident to everyone around her—including Glenyss’s own daughter Olivia, who has since begun her own journey towards a future in nursing. “I am so proud,” Glenyss says. “She’s going have a very long and successful nursing career and it won’t be too long until she’s going to be supporting younger ones coming through as well.”
Glenyss says one of the most important things to her is making sure all those in her care—both patients and colleagues—feel supported and empowered. “I want to nurture the young ones so they feel engaged, they feel like they belong, and they have a bit of ownership over the ward.
“I always try to educate them to be critical thinkers because a lot of the systems they use will change over time,” she explains. “I love watching the light go on in their eyes when everything clicks in, and they just get it.”
Overall, Glenyss measures her own success by the success of others in her orbit. “I’m not going to be working for much longer and to think that I’ve passed the baton to a really strong cohort of passionate, caring people who really want the best for their patients.”
