Past Rural Nursing & Medical Scholarships Program

One of my main endeavours to continue being a rural nurse for my graduate position has come from working at Central Gippsland Health for the past 2.5 years.   Along with completing placements throughout my studies at hospitals such as Barinsdale Regional Hospital and Central Gippsland health, both have given me broad exposure into the variety of work that I can e involved in.

As a mature age student, I found my passion for nursing a little later in life.   I am a single mother of 2 teenager daughters who attend local catholic schools and participate in community sports.   Sale is my home, the community that I was raised in and where I am raising my daughters.  I want to enrich my girls with a sense of belonging and appreciation of their community by giving back and being part of building a better future of out town.

Living and working in a rural area offers a number of professional and personal benefits.   I believe the profession benefits of working in a rural area include greater autonomy and responsibility, a diverse patient mix and many opportunities to grow my clinical knowledge and skills.

My clinical placements in regional hospitals have provided me with a well rounded education and opportunities to learn, ask questions and practice procedures in a calm environment.

For me, rural and regional nursing means more than what I consciously realised. I was born and raised in the Gippsland area and have been lucky enough to undergo my clinical placements rurally at Bairnsdale Regional Health and Central Gippsland Health predominantly. During my third year of study at Federation University I was fortunate to gain a place as a Registered Undergraduate Student of Nursing (RUSON) in the Bairnsdale Emergency department where I witnessed the impact of rural and regional nursing firsthand.

Hindsight is a marvellous thing, looking back I know when I first respected those in the nursing profession. My great grandmother, had a stroke that left half of her body paralysed. With amazing staff and rehabilitation, the last stage of her life was filled with not only frustrations, but also joy. In and out of hospitals we became familiar with different hospital staff. Some nurses would come in and complete the tasks necessary. They would take the time to understand her jumbled speech and would make her laugh. I respected these nurses and am still to this day am so grateful for the happiness they brought great grandmother.

From a child of six or seven years old, I remember saying that I was always going to be a nurse. I completed my original nursing training as an Enrolled Nurse Endorsed in 2009 while we were living in the southwest Victorian town of Warrnambool. For the past eleven years, I have worked in rural and regional areas of Victoria as a nurse, most recently the Grampians and Gippsland regions. As a result of my nursing experience as an Enrolled Nurse, I have developed a strong passion for rural nursing. It comes with so many rewards and challenges – and I love a challenge!

The support of the Australian Rotary Health Scholarship would allow me to engage with my clinical studies and the community in Cooma to my greatest extent. Throughout my high school, undergraduate, and postgraduate studies, I have always supported myself without the financial aid of my parents/family. I have maintained some level of paid work along with Centrelink Youth Allowance throughout each stage, although the time commitments required for my clinical studies are likely to make this more difficult to sustain. Without the need to rely on high amounts of paid work, I would be better positioned to get involved with the local community.

In my rural week in 2021, I travelled to Young and spent several days there, including attending a Rotary Club dinner event, following a GP in clinical practice, and meeting emergency workers for dinner. I now have the privilege of returning to Young for the entirety of 2023. I am applying for this scholarship for several reasons, but especially because of the positive experience I had meeting the Rotarians of Young in this short visit. Frankly, I am already going to seek out these Rotary connections during my year in the town, but this scholarship would make this an easier task.  I have a history of volunteering for regional town organisations such as a community improvement group, St John Ambulance, and for a rural op-shop, and I will be attempting to volunteer with the Rotary Club in Young.

I have been privileged to be welcomed into a vast number of rural and remote communities – from mentoring programs across WA, attending (now running) the Yalata Indigenous Kidney Health Festival, and attending John Flynn in Kapunda.   I am beyond thrilled to participate in the highlight of my medical school journey, spending 5th year in Whyalla. This scholarship would reap a number of benefits, allowing me greater involvement and integration within the community. This scholarship would allow me to afford integration into the community through local sporting teams such as hockey, netball, tennis or footy. I love to remain active and believe that sports are a fundamental way of forming connections and growing bonds within rural towns.

I began my medical degree in 2020 when I moved from Western Australia to Canberra, leaving behind my family, friends and support network to pursue my career. I grew up in rural WA and have many fond memories. I also have sad memories of my family travelling 3 hours to Perth to access health care when my brother was diagnosed with epilepsy. This is something that has stuck with me and has influenced by decision to practice in a rural area when I graduate. I currently live in Goulburn and am relocating to Cooma next year to complete my third year of studies. I have enjoyed living in Goulburn so much and have built a support network of work colleagues and friends which I was severely lacking in Canberra.