› Long serving nurse retires

28 February 2022

Registered Nurse Veera Deo retires from nursing on Friday, a career she started 40 years ago in Fiji. The past 25 of those years have been spent working at The Princess Margaret Hospital and more recently at Burwood Hospital. Within Canterbury DHB Veera has nursed in a variety of roles from Medical and Surgical nursing, through to Gerontology. The most rewarding aspect of her nursing career has been patient contact and socialising with people from different cultural back grounds, says Veera. “I enjoyed my nursing at TPMH, working alongside the most inspiring nurses, and five different managers who created healthy work environments that boosted my confidence and improved my communication skills. “I am so thankful to all my workmates who have shown me respect, support and acknowledged my work. I will miss them all,” she says. Veera has built a reputation as a hardworking, passionate and considerate nurse who cares deeply about her profession, says Charge Nurse Manager, Ward B1, Burwood Hospital Andrew Henderson. “Her colleagues know her as a dependable, capable, resilient and fun-loving team member with a wicked sense of humour.”

From left, Enrolled Nurses Wendy Winter and Maureen Harrison and Registered Nurses Robyn Brian and Veera Deo Among Veera’s roles on the ward she has been the IV Link nurse for many years, and has been a great resource for wound care, especially with challenging vascular wounds and post-surgical abdominal wounds. Veera was awarded the Gerontology Nurse of the Year Trophy in 2017. “As a ward we wish Veera all the very best in retirement and want to thank her for all her many years of service, especially to the Older Persons’ Health Service,” Andrew says.