Sakshi’s story:

Building a caring career through
the Opal HealthCare Academy

Delivering the highest standard of care is essential to supporting Australia’s ageing population. That’s why we launched the Opal HealthCare Academy in 2021 to help us develop our current and future team with rewarding career pathways. And Sakshi’s career journey proves it’s working.

Just seven years after getting her start as a personal care worker at Waverley Valley Care Community in Melbourne, Sakshi was promoted to a care manager role, through our Registered Nurse to Care Manager (RN2CM) program.

After qualifying as a registered nurse, Sakshi challenged herself to become a certified nurse educator. After she achieved that goal, Sakshi proved her leadership qualities by successfully mentoring another registered nurse in her journey to certified nurse educator. From there, Sakshi took on the role of clinical care coordinator, supporting residents living with dementia in Waverley Valley’s memory care neighbourhood under the guidance of Opal HealthCare’s dementia care leaders.

Help is at the heart of Sakshi’s career journey

This experience inspired Sakshi to begin our RN2CM program, with the aim of helping even more residents and team members.

“I’m so grateful to Opal HealthCare’s RN2CM program for the enriching opportunity it provided me,” says Sakshi. “As a new care manager, this program has significantly aided my journey. Interacting with care managers from other Care Communities enabled us to share valuable experiences, knowledge, and information.”

“The program takes a fun approach, which made the learning experience truly enjoyable. And I’m so grateful to the Waverley Valley Care Community residents and team for their support.”

When graduation day arrived, there were few prouder than residents Judy and Heidi. In a poignant moment for Sakshi, fellow team members, and her supporters, Judy said “If I don’t get a hug from Sakshi in the morning, the day hasn’t started.”