Seymour Health nurse unit manager, urgent care, Olivia Spitty and nurse practitioner Sarah Ridd have welcomed a baby axolotl to the local hospital.
Photo by
Billie Davern
A unique new addition has joined the nursing ranks at Seymour Health, offering a much-needed morale boost as the hospital continues to grow “at a crazy rate”.
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While the local hospital’s new pet, a baby axolotl, is yet to be named, the little creature is already making its mark.
For urgent care nurse unit manager Olivia Spitty, the welcoming of the pet was part of a wider commitment to spreading positivity during busy times at the hospital.
“We are absolutely just growing at a crazy rate,” Ms Spitty said.
“Our staff are working so hard to treat the number of patients that we’re treating. We had our record number of attendances last week with 45 for the day.
“With the busyness of the ward and how hard staff are working, we’re trying to put a lot of effort into morale and trying to build a positive culture for people to be really happy when they come here.”
Nurse practitioner Sarah Ridd, who herself had an axolotl when she was a child, said the pet was acquired from a business called Chase Axolotls, run by a 13-year-old from Bacchus Marsh.
The new axolotl acts as a morale booster for staff and patients.
Photo by
Billie Davern
“We were hunting around trying to work out costs and I approached this ad on Gumtree for Chase Axolotls,” Ms Ridd said.
“I was inquiring with them and told them the situation. When they heard it was for the hospital and the community, they said they’d just charge us the cost, not the setup.
“His parents drove him all the way from Bacchus Marsh here and set it all up for us. They were really helpful, they gave us food and everything.”
Ms Ridd said the axolotl’s arrival had not only been celebrated by staff members, but patients were also excited by the new pet.
“We even have ward patients coming in and sitting and watching the fish,” she said.
As we head into the warmer months, Seymour Health will need to fund the maintenance of the tank, and purchase a cooling filter to keep the axolotl comfortable.
The team is also hoping to make the pet a new mascot for the hospital, by purchasing things like plush toys to keep younger patients and visitors entertained.
“We do get a high number of kids in and it’s so difficult that we don’t have anything to help entertain them or brighten their mood,” Ms Spitty said.
“Having some little things (like toys) around would be really nice.”
The team is currently raising money through selling staff snacks and cans of soft drink, but it is hoping to get the community involved in the axolotl’s life at the hospital.
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