Shannan Ryan: Alice Springs Hospital’s ICU management consultant wins leadership award

“Inclusive, innovative, and influential”: The boss of Australia’s, and the world’s, most remote intensive care unit, located in Alice Springs, has been lauded for his leadership of the 40-strong team.

Shannan Ryan, Alice Springs Hospital's nurse management consultant ICU and winner of the Charles Darwin University's Excellence in Leadership Award at the 2024 Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards. Picture: NT Health

The long-serving boss of Alice Springs Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) says you need to treat your workforce like a fleet of Ferrari’s to succeed in the Red Centre.

Shannan Ryan, the nurse management consultant who claimed the Charles Darwin University Excellence in Leadership Award at Saturday’s 20th annual Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards, said he is proud to manage the “most remote ICU in the world”.

The 10-bed unit, which sees approximately 700 patients a year, is manned by a vanguard of 40 nurses and support workers – without whom the ward would wither on the vine.

“I’m a big believer in recruiting for attitude and teach the skills later,” Mr Ryan said.

“It’s like what Richard Branson says, look after your staff and they’ll look after your customers.”

In the absence of a large, local university feeding health professionals into the system, those travelling clinicians who do find themselves drawn to Alice Springs need to be treated like thoroughbreds.

“We don’t have a lot of homegrown staff, we rely on people who are travelling, and they have an end date unless you find a local partner and get married,” Mr Ryan said.

“I try to look at really flexible arrangements for staff.

“We do have mums who work around school hours, or travellers who love night shift.

“I have a guy who flies up for two-week contracts from Adelaide every six to eight weeks.

“He has a wealth of skills, he fills a hole for us.”

Another key strategy to inflate the numbers is to ensure young nurses who are in the early stages of their careers are afforded opportunities to upskill.

“If they do programs, they are here for two to three years,” Mr Ryan said.

One such program he has implemented is introducing mentor groups on the ward, pairing senior nurses with less experienced staff to foster growth and knowledge sharing.

Award judges said Mr Ryan’s leadership of the ward is “inclusive, innovative, and influential”.

“Shannan is a role model known for mentoring and supporting junior staff and empowering them to take on new roles and drive quality improvement projects,” they said.

“Shannan’s commitment to staff development and flexible work arrangements not only attracts and retains talent but also promotes a positive workplace culture that resonates beyond the hospital walls.

“He is highly regarded by his colleagues and line managers for prioritising patient safety, elevating standards of care and making a positive impact on the health of the community.”