OUR PEOPLE | Gay Corbett
Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse at Ballarat Health Services
Grampians Region Victoria
Gay has been part of PCFA’s Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing program since 2014.
After seeing that there was a major need to provide support and encouragement to men in the Grampians region and to improve their health seeking behaviours, Gay decided to be a Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse and help remedy this deficit. This job provided the opportunity to marry together her skills of education and urology.
The work at Ballarat Health Services is rewarding and meaningful for Gay.
"Through my day to day job I help men and their families 'unpack' the impact of prostate cancer for them. I spend time with them, answer their questions and reduce the uncertainty about the unknown disease progression. It’s all about making their experience less stressful," Gay said.
The job has also its own challenges, as Gay is responsible for attending to the needs of many men diagnosed with prostate cancer within the region. She covers a large area and usually finds a continually increasing workload.
One of the most significant accomplishments of Gay's career has been the establishment of a nurse led group intervention named ‘When prostate cancer joins you in the bedroom' – a program to inform and support men and their partners to manage their erectile dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction is considered a large unmet need for men and a source of distress.
"The aim of this program is to assist men and their partners to restore sexual wellbeing after prostate cancer treatment," Gay said.
For those nurses who are planning to follow a similar career path Gay simply says "Go for it."
This role has been her dream job and the impact of her job on men's health in the Grampians region has been significant.
Gay has noticed that thanks to continued education, men are becoming more informed, instigating discussions with their GP's and testing their PSA along with their other annual health checks.
"This means men will live longer and be around to love their families for longer. Despite what people say men do like to talk if they are given the opportunity and the time," Gay said.
Did you know?
Gay is currently learning to ride a "Postie" motorbike as she plans to join a prostate cancer fundraising ride along the Great Ocean Road in October this year.
Good luck Gay and stay safe on the busy roads!
