Learning about your colleagues may provide insight into the various roles we undertake but also the role of a nurse specialist.

This month, I got to interview Susie Lester from new Zealand. Susie has kindly provided a photo with the beautiful Coromandel in the back drop.

Here is what i learnt:

• What is your role?    Paediatric Immunology and Allergy Nurse Specialist
• Where do you work?   Starship Child Health, based at Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand
• Describe an average day.     I work 4 days per week.  My day involves many aspects of caring for children and their families with either PID or allergies.  This may include patient and family education, provision of support to immune deficient children who need home or in hospital infusion (SCIg & IVIg). I also run my own nurse led persistent allergy clinics twice per month. It is my role to do food & drug challenges two days per week and also  venom immunotherapy (RUSH protocol) plus some environmental immunotherapy initiation. Most days I feel that i need two of me!!

• How may of your patients receive SCIg therapy and please tell us a little about that  I care for 17 children who have home SCIg therapy. 11 children use rapid push method for their infusions  and 6 children give  SCIg via pump ( NIKI T34). The children love using the push method.
• Do you have many patients that go onto transplant ?    Yes, if appropriate for condition, as early as possible. We undertake transplants here at the Auckland City Hospital.
• Is there anything else you think INGID members might find interesting about your work in New Zealand ? We will commence newborn screening for SCID in July here in NZ. This will mean that we will detect more infants with PIDs, earlier.  New Zealand has a small population of only 4 million  people so PIDs are quite rare. 
• Why did you join INGID ?  To stay connected and up to date, as I am quite isolated in my position. I last attended the ESID/INGID meeting in 2010 and would love to come again but it is expensive to travel from New Zealand.

Thanks so much Susie for sharing your information with INGID members.