Amy Velho

Dynamic Neonatal Nurse Practitioner with extensive experience at Auckland Hospital, excelling in high-risk delivery management and neonatal assessment. Proven track record in multidisciplinary collaboration and quality improvement initiatives, enhancing health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Skilled in diagnostic interpretation and fostering effective communication with diverse families from different cultural backgrounds

• Lindsay, Mildenhall, Clinical Director, Middlemore NNU
• Adele, Sullivan, Nurse Practitioner, Hutt Valley NICU

• Active lifestyle with young family

• New Zealand Nurses Organisation. (2019). Code of ethics. Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Nurses Organisation.
• Nursing council of New Zealand. (2011). Guidelines for cultural safety, the treaty of Waitangi and Maori health in nursing education and practice. Wellington, New Zealand: Nursing Council of New Zealand.
• Pirret, A.M. (2009). Acute care nursing: A physiological approach to clinical assessment and patient care (2nd ed.) Auckland, New Zealand: Author.
• Women’s Health and Newborn Annual Report (2019-2019). (2019). Auckland, New Zealand: Counties Manakau District Health Board.
• Sheridan, N. F., Kenealy, T. W., Connolly, M. J., Mahony, F., Barber, P. A., Boyd, M. A., . . . Moffitt, A. (2011). Health equity in the New Zealand health care system: A national survey. International Journal for Equity in Health, 10(1), 45. doi:10.1186/1475-9276-10-45
• Patterson, R., Candy, A., Lilo, S., Mc Cowen, L., Naden, R., & O’ Brien, M. (2012). External review of maternity care in Counties Manukau District: Counties Manukau District Health Board. Retrieved from http://cmdhb.org.nz.

• Understanding, empathetic and relatable
• Proven professional judgment and accountability
• Emotionally and physically resilient
• Decisive and quick on my feet
• Precise, accurate, methodical and efficient
• Calming, reassuring and confident in tense situations

• My area of practice is within Neonatal Care at Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB). Along with my team, we provide care for infants within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Special Baby Care Unit (SBCU), working closely alongside other services including Birthing and Delivery suite, Maternity Ward, community postnatal settings, General Intensive Care Unit and the Emergency Department. These departments combined have a birthing rate of approximately 8,500 births per year with around 10% of those requiring specialised neonatal care. I love the population diversity that working at Counties Manukau brings. Counties Manukau is home to New Zealand’s second largest Māori population, accounting for 22% of mothers identifying as Māori, and the largest Pasifika population, accounting for around 34% of births (Woman’s Health and Newborn Annual Report, 2019). As per the NZDep 2018 measure, suburbs within Counties Manukau are home to some of the most socioeconomically deprived areas within our district. This often equates to our population experiencing relatively high rates of risk factors that negatively affect health outcomes. The follow-on effect from this is that it impacts women’s ability to access and receive antenatal care, potentially leading to negative health outcomes for the unborn baby and the condition in which they are born, thus increasing the demand for and requirement of neonatal services. (Patterson et al., 2012).
• When compared internationally, New Zealand ranks highly in areas such as human development, quality of life, life expectancy, political rights and public education – to name a few. Although early attempts to address health and social equity are evident in legislation, we still have an ongoing cultural responsibility to meet the needs of Māori and Pasifika peoples. (Sheridan et al, 2011). The health care system plays an important role in promoting health equity, and as a Nurse Practitioner working alongside other health professionals, I have a role to play in helping address this inequity by delivering high quality and safe neonatal care to newborn’s who are identified as high risk and in need our specialist neonatal services. This includes attending deliveries which have been identified as being at higher risk of complications at birth, be it from a difficult delivery, antenatal or antepartum fetal distress, prematurity or congenital anomalies. I have a passion to ensure that any child who requires any form of assistance at birth will get the highest standard of resuscitation, ensuring the best outcome possible. As a Nurse Practitioner in Neonatal Care at CMDHB I will provide leadership, liaison, consultancy between inpatient and outpatient neonates, and education to fellow health care professionals with the unifying goal to improve health outcomes for the neonatal population and their whanau. The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child recognizes the right of the child to the highest attainable standard of health, including the facilities for treatment and illness. No child must be deprived of their right to have access to such health care (United Nations Conventions on the Right of the Child, 1989). This is a fundamental value of my practice, and I feel a sense of privilege, but also weight of responsibility, in ensuring that the care and education I am able to deliver to the Tangata Whenua of New Zealand is one of the highest standard and acting in accordance with Tikanga.
• Throughout my career, my values have been my compass, guiding me in my relationships with patients, families and my colleagues. I care deeply about other people; I am compassionate, empathetic and respectful of the dignity and values of others. I conduct my practice with integrity and consistency – being accountable at all times. As a professional, my practice is significantly guided and underpinned by my personal values on which I live my life; the appreciation and utmost privilege I have to guide my own children and teach them the value and gift of life, theirs and those around them. I endeavour to, and do not underestimate the importance of taking a holistic approach in the care I deliver to families and whanau; building a partnership on their psychological, physiological, spiritual and cultural pillars, while respecting individual and cultural values, and generating an environment of support and care for the family. As a clinician, I aim to deliver fully evidenced and research-based practice. I build my skills and knowledge by attending courses and conferences which enable me to deliver the very best holistic outcomes whilst doing no harm, and better meet the needs that are within my community.
• When assessing a newborn baby I utilise Pirret’s (2009) nursing assessment framework. As outlined in my case studies this consists of undertaking a detailed maternal history, using my knowledge and experience to identify presenting and possible problems that a neonate may face. Strong teamwork is extremely important within my role. Although autonomous in many areas of my practice, I still work very closely within my team knowing my boundaries and limitations. Collaborating and coordinating care among the multidisciplinary team and knowing when to escalate and call for back up is a vital part of my role and helps achieve the best possible outcomes for my patients and their whanau. Medications that I prescribe are in accordance with the prescribing legislation, namely the Medications Act 1981 and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, including recent amendments to these acts, such as the Medicines Amendment act 2013 and Misuse of Drugs Amendment Regulations 2014. Ongoing education, quality improvement and my desire to achieve better health outcomes drives my practice. Should I become successful with my NP candidacy I would like to continue to endeavour to educate and share my knowledge with respect to the importance of timely and effective neonatal resuscitation, in the hope that I could reach health professionals outside the hospital domain and into more vulnerable and isolated communities.