2021 JRBM Scholarship's Awarded

Miriana Katene  

Tēnā Koutou katoa,

Ko Ngongotaha te maunga

Ko Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe te moana 

Ko Te Arawa te waka

Ko Te Arawa te iwi

Ko Miriana Katene ahau

My name is Miriana Katene and I am from Rotorua. I have been residing in the Far North for the last seven years and work as a healthcare assistant at Bay of Island (BOI) Hospital in Kawakawa.

I am currently studying for the Bachelor of Nursing Degree through NorthTec with the intention of returning as a registered nurse at BOI to help take care of the Far North community.

I am very privileged and honoured to have been a recipient of the JRBM scholarship. This Scholarship has covered part of my course tuition and allowed me to continue my study.

I want to thank Northland DHB for their support and generosity.

Ngā mihi mahana kia koutou katoa.

Miriana Katene.

Karen Croft  

I live in a rural area called Matawaia, where my husband and I own a 100-acre block with various animals such as beef cows, horses, pigs, dogs and cats. We have four children, aged 14, 12, 10 and 3 years old.

My idea of a great weekend is spending quality time with my whānau. Which is our time to catch up, reset and enjoy each other’s company before the start of another busy week. 

I work at Bay of Islands regional Hospital as a booking clerk/admin support. The bulk of my role encompasses booking clinic appointments for our Cardiology, Echocardiogram and Orthopaedic clinics. I also manage our Fleet Cars which includes car bookings, maintenance, reporting, etc.

Outside of work, I have recently taken on the treasurer role at my daughter’s Kōhanga Reo. I like to constantly challenge myself to learn new skills and expand my knowledge rather than sit stagnantly.

The course I intend to do this year is Introductory ICD-10-AM, ACHI and ACS Clinical Coding Course. It is designed for students who have no prior coding knowledge or have limited coding experience and begins with the basics of disease and procedure classification and coding from medical record information.

My husband manages our farm and cares for our children before and after school - this means we only have one regular income source. Applying for the Scholarship and being a successful candidate takes the financial pressure off us and allows me to focus on the task at hand.

If I successfully complete this course, I intend to do the ‘Advanced ICD-10-AM, ACHI and ACS Clinical Coding Course next, which will guarantee me securing a role as a Clinical Coder in the future. Becoming a Clinical Coder is a vocation I have aspired to since starting with Northland DHB. For me, it is the next progressive step towards furthering my career.

Robyn Cooper  

Kia ora koutou katoa

I live in the small town of Moerewa in the Bay of Islands and hail from a place called Waihaha, which is my ancestral home.  

I am absolutely passionate about people and have worked in the mental health field for 20 years as a community support worker. I currently work at Tukaha Sub Acute Unit in Kaikohe and have been there for just over eight years.

I have begun my journey studying to become a registered nurse at NorthTec in Whangarei. My choice to study was prompted by the need for more mental health nurses. Having many years of successful mental health experience, I feel it is time to step up and become even more helpful as a mental health nurse.

Back to the news