Olympian Nurse

Olympian nurse is on the ball

Fresh from the Tokyo Olympics, Hockeyroo goalkeeper and Olympian for Life, Rachael Lynch, talks about how she balances her nursing work with her hockey career.

Rachael Lynch may be one of the only people in the world who enjoys quarantine. “I actually love it,” she says. “It’s the ultimate gift to have that time to reflect.” This may be because it’s the only time in her action-packed life that she slows down. When she’s not representing Australia as the Hockeyroos goalkeeper, Lynch is also a registered nurse, mental health ambassador and hockey coach. “I like to be busy,” she says. “I wake up in the morning and think, ‘How many things can I fit into my day?’ I’m not very good at sitting still.” And she’s certainly been busy. Lynch has just returned from Tokyo, where her team, ranked second in the world, had a shock quarter-final loss to India. “It was very frustrating but I’ve moved on from that with the knowledge that the girls played so well,” she says. “The group was really united. We’ve had a pretty horrible 12 months, so to see the progress as a group and to see the girls so happy was just wonderful.” While she says it was certainly a very different Olympics from her previous one in Rio in 2016, she says all the extra testing and precautions around COVID-19 just became part of the routine. “We’re used to wearing masks all the time. The saliva test every day was a challenge for some people, but it was just part of the day.” She says her team chose to have many of their meals in their rooms and avoided some of the teams who weren’t as diligent about wearing masks. She says there was still a good atmosphere and the lack of crowds actually helped the team. “It reduced a lot of the pressure for everyone.”

Lynch says being a nurse gives her valuable perspective on her sporting career. “The perspective I gain from my nursing work allows me to think about other people and the real world. Sport is not a real world sometimes. Winning and losing can feel like the end of the world but it’s definitely not.” In July, Lynch was one of only five international athletes to be inducted as an Olympian for Life for her outstanding contribution to society. “The award is really special to me because I was acknowledged for what I do off the field and my contribution to the community,” she says. “I’m very proud of my career as a Hockeyroo and an athlete but the thing I really hang my hat on is the fact that I’m a nurse and I can really help to make people’s lives better. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning.” She says she hopes the award will also help to “shine some light on the health sector and nurses and all the fabulous work they do”. Lynch previously worked on the neuro-rehab ward at Perth’s Fiona Stanley Hospital and last year she moved to a management role, running the COVID-19 testing program for a large mining company. “It’s a huge project,” she says. “We ran a private testing program for our staff and some other mining companies all of last year. I think we did well over 100,000 swabs and it allowed us and other companies to ensure their staff were getting to and from the mine safely in the middle of a pandemic and we could keep the industry open. It’s a huge industry that really contributes to Australia’s, and especially WA’s, economy.

“Part of the challenge with COVID-19 is that people feel really helpless, whereas for all nurses and frontline workers, you can actually get out there and do something about it, so I feel really privileged to be in that position,” she says.

Lynch says one of the things she loves about nursing is the relationships she builds with people. “You can make a difference in someone’s life, not just through the physical care but through the mental side, and that’s why I really enjoyed rehab nursing. It’s a bit like my sport – the harder the patients work, the quicker they can get out, and to be able to help with the highs and lows and the motivation was something I really enjoyed.” Mental health is something that’s very important to Lynch. She has been an ambassador for RU OK? Day for about nine years and Lifeline for about two years. “It ties in nicely with my nursing. RU OK’s messaging is about prevention and general day-to-day care for yourself and others and it’s inspired me to implement it in my hockey environment, in my work environment and with my family and friends, to create a culture where people feel comfortable to check in on each other and to be honest when they’re not doing well.” She says juggling her nursing with her athletic career can be a challenge. “I’ve had coaches who have questioned my commitment to hockey because I wanted to work. But nursing helps me to be more balanced as a person.” When to comes to her nursing career, she says, “I’ve had to be really organised and have good communication. I’ve been fortunate to have had amazing bosses along the way who have supported me. It’s the support of my colleagues and bosses that makes it doable. When I’m at work, I really try to give it everything.”

When she’s not working as a nurse or playing hockey, Lynch runs a coaching business for goalkeepers and also enjoys cycling, reading and cooking. “I also really prioritise my relationships with my family and friends,” she says. “I ring my mum in Melbourne every single day.” She adds: “I’m very fortunate to have wonderful friends, family and supporters around me and I feel blessed to be able to do all the things I do.” She says while it may seem as though she has little time to relax, “I get so much joy out of all the things I do, for me, that is a form of relaxation.” 