Chris Murphy

Alumna Chris Murphy is a Project Leader at Hospice New Zealand.

Project Leader, Hospice New Zealand

Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing, 2003

Master of Arts (Applied), 2007

An experience of childhood illness and hearing her Mum talk about her work as a nurse inspired Chris Murphy to want to be a nurse from an early age.

After completing her training in Bristol, she had several roles in the emergency and trauma setting before moving into the community. It was in the community roles that Chris realized her interest in working with older people and palliative care.

“Even early in my career I could tell that things could be better in terms of symptom management at the end of life,” she says.

“The concept of ‘being’ with patients was strong, and I started to realise the importance and growth of caring for people in the community.”

Chris went on to qualify as a district nurse and became a trainer and assessor for district nursing at a local polytechnic and university. Education has been a constant feature in her nursing career. She completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Palliative Care and a Master’s in Applied Nursing in 2006 and says that the higher education experience helped her appreciate how important it is for nurses to be informed and use evidence to back up their practice.

“I have found myself to be continually learning, both formally and informally, and my qualifications have opened up opportunities in my career,” she says.

“I also see it as my professional responsibility to share my knowledge and support students to be confident and competent in their practice. I believe the way we are with people is the essential ingredient to our interactions and practice.”

Chris wants to see improvements to the funding and access to quality palliative and end-of-life care in New Zealand. Her current role at Hospice New Zealand involves supporting education and quality improvement at the hospices and with other health care partners.

“My goal and vision are to role model and advocate for nurses working across all settings that provide palliative and end-of-life care,” says Chris.

“People deserve excellent care, and those providing care deserve excellent support, resources, and training to provide that care.”