Celebrating International Nurses Day 2026

On this International Nurses Day (12 May), we’re celebrating the nurses across our team, who put patients at the centre of everything they do. Today, we’re proud to spotlight some of the people behind that care.

Jane Eltherington

Clinical Nurse Specialist – Breast – Canterbury Breastcare, Pacific Radiology

Jane has been part of the Canterbury Breastcare team since 2010. After a brief break between 2014 and 2017.

Her desire to work in healthcare began early. “From a young age, I wanted to be involved in health care,” she says. That ambition took her overseas, where she spent five years working in Africa between 1997 and 2002. The experience reinforced what continues to motivate her today: being able to make a meaningful difference in someone’s life. “That motivation carries through everything I do- not just nursing,” she says.

When asked to reflect on moments that remind her why nursing matters, Jane says it’s hard to narrow down. “There are so many,” she says. “Sometimes it’s simply being able to make a single moment better for someone, whether through a word or deed, when they are at their most vulnerable.”

No two days are ever the same at Canterbury BreastCare. Jane supports patients and their whānau as they move through the service - whether they are attending imaging, undergoing biopsies, receiving a cancer diagnosis or planning treatment. The team receives a high volume of referrals for imaging, and Jane is involved in triaging those referrals, assessing patients’ suitability for imaging and biopsy.

She also plays a key role in supporting women recalled after breast screening mammograms for further tests or investigations. Nurses contact patients to explain the process, arrange appointments and provide support to patients, their whānau and clinical teams during clinic days. Alongside this, Jane helps coordinate care pathways for patients receiving treatment and liaises closely with a wide range of clinical and non‑clinical teams

Jane believes nursing within an imaging‑based service comes with unique challenges. Canterbury BreastCare is both an imaging and diagnostic service and a treatment centre, placing nurses in a privileged position. “We’re often there right from the start, when a client is diagnosed, and for many we can remain involved throughout their treatment journey,” she says.

While that continuity of care is deeply rewarding, it can also bring emotional and physical demands. “We stand alongside clients and their families through the good and the bad,” Jane reflects. Would she change anything? “Nope,” she says. “Nursing is a great job, and I work with a great team in an exceptional department.”

Sofia Sloss

Clinical Nurse Specialist – Breast – Canterbury Breastcare, Pacific Radiology

Sofia (pictured left) has been part of the Canterbury Breastcare team for 10 years, a role she describes as a privilege. Working within oncology throughout her career, she has supported patients with blood cancers such as leukaemia, as well as those with head and neck and breast cancers -many of which require intensive, long‑term treatment.

Her path into nursing was shaped early by personal experience. When Sofia was eight years old, her grandmother became unwell and, alongside her mother, Sofia helped care for her so she could remain at home until the end of her life. “I visited her every day and loved being able to comfort her and bring a little joy to her day,” she says.

A few years later, Sofia’s brother was diagnosed with severe mental health illness and required ongoing support from the health system throughout his life. Seeing the care he received had a lasting impact. “I saw firsthand the vital role nurses play and the profound difference they can make to someone’s healthcare experience,” she says - experiences that ultimately inspired her to pursue nursing.

A reminder of that impact came years after caring for a patient undergoing cancer treatment. “I received an email from a patient I had cared for five years earlier,” she recalls. “He and his wife wanted to let me know his five‑year post‑treatment CT scan was all clear.” The message meant a great deal to her, being remembered for years later - albeit by a nickname. “He didn’t call me Sofia.” “He called me ‘IKEA’, thanks to my Swedish heritage.” For Sofia, it was a reminder of the lasting connections formed through nursing.

Today, Sofia’s work remains busy and varied: supporting patients through diagnosis and treatment, coordinating care with the wider multidisciplinary team, answering questions, providing education, and being a consistent point of contact. While often challenging, the work is always meaningful.

If there’s one thing Sofia hopes people better understand, it’s the emotional labour involved in nursing. “Nurses are advocates, listeners, educators, coordinators and caregivers - often all at once,” she says. The work extends far beyond clinical tasks, requiring compassion, resilience and constant emotional presence. “Even on difficult days, we’re expected to put our own emotions aside and be fully present for others - and that’s a significant, often unseen part of the role.”

Pru Wood

Clinical Nurse Specialist – Breast – Canterbury Breastcare, Pacific Radiology

Pru has supported patients at Canterbury Breastcare for 27 years, starting in April 1999 and continuing through the organisation’s evolution to RHCNZ. During that time, she’s helped countless women and men navigate diagnosis, treatment decisions and the realities of breast cancer care.

When asked what inspired her to become a nurse, Pru says it started early: “As a child, I always felt empathy for anyone who was hurt, including my dolls who would often be bandaged.” What motivates her today is helping make a difficult situation as manageable as possible for every patient “helping to relieve some of the burden of decision making by educating and guiding them to the decision that is best for them.”

Today, Pru supports patients at diagnosis, answers questions after consultations, and helps them understand the next steps - from treatment options to practical matters like insurance and sharing news with family. She works closely with surgeons, radiologists, oncologists and other clinicians, coordinating referrals, follow-ups and multidisciplinary team meetings across the breastcare journey.

One moment that’s stayed with her came on an oncology ward, sitting with a patient who was nearing the end of their life while their family was still on the way. “Having them know that someone was holding their hand and they were not alone was very special,” she says - both for the patient and for their family.

If there’s one thing Pru hopes people better understand, it’s that breastcare nursing is deeply holistic and rarely task-oriented. Supporting patients and their whānau often continues for years after diagnosis.

“We often follow people for at least five years, and the time spent with them and their whānau can make a real difference in how they navigate treatment. It’s not just appointments and paperwork.”

These nurses featured here are part of the Canterbury Breastcare nursing team at Pacific Radiology. Alongside Sofia, Jane and Pru, the team also includes, Robina Rudd, Angela Ritchie and Fiona Glover, whose contributions across imaging, diagnosis, treatment and ongoing support are deeply valued.