Dr Janet Josephine Lawrence
FACN
Janet is a proud Registered Nurse of 40 years. From a very young age she was interested in nursing. She also discovered an equally passionate vocation for teaching.
She has been able to fulfill both roles in her own right, and with the assistance of some very special people in her life. They include her immediate family, her late husband Clarence, and supportive children Carolyn, Francis and David, as well as people from the past such as the Loreto Sisters Kolkata, and the Medical Missionary Sisters, Bihar, India.
Her objective in life is to encourage as many people of diverse cultural backgrounds and genders to enter nursing, aged care, health and community services, mental health and disability.
Janet's nursing experience provided her with opportunities to observe first hand the standards of aged care that prevailed in Residential Aged Care Services (RACS). It was her considered opinion that there was significant room for improvement and it was this conviction that ignited her passion to assume a leading role in the delivery of quality aged care services.
It led to her becoming a Director of Nursing and Clinical Teacher, as well as an Aged Care Consultant - a role that she is still currently engaged in - and, of fundamental importance, it launched her into her current role as a CEO/Director of a registered training college. These spheres of activity, along with a focus on quality management, have been the cornerstones of her mission to raise the standards of aged care in the RACs and the community. The Australasian Lawrence Aged Care College, now known as ALACC, is a corollary of her passion for ensuring that future generations of nurses and aged care and allied health care workers receive the training they need to provide exemplary standards of care.
Janet’s great passion and interest in aged care is to be commended.
Janet’s past and present experience in education, management and quality in the aged care industry is a testament to her commitment to ensuring the ongoing provision of quality aged care services. This commitment is facilitated through her Aged Care Consultancy work and as a CEO/Director of Studies of her own Aged Care College, which commenced in 2007. Her aim is to ensure the provision of quality training in order to prepare graduates to work in aged care and in the community.
Janet has been teaching aged care since 1996. She prides herself, along with her dedicated team of staff at the ALACC Health College Australia, on preparing future graduates in nursing and aged care to provide quality care. ALACC Health College Australia provides graduates with the knowledge and skills they need to impact positively on the quality of life of the elderly in residential aged care services, community and health services.
Janet is currently undertaking studies for a professional doctorate in the area of Aged Care Education and Practice.
She has been a Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing (formerly known as the Royal College of Nursing) for over 28 years. In the past 40 years she has gained both national and international experience in nursing and has obtained further qualifications in her field of expertise - aged care and education.
In August 2009 she commenced a Doctorate of Philosophy but withdrew in November 2012 due to the loss of her husband. Subsequently, in July 2013, she commenced Doctorate of Education at Victoria University.
Through her commitment to training and assessment she encourages independent decision-making, ongoing professional development and a confident approach to life and work.