Past Rural Nursing & Medical Scholarships Program

Growing up in the rural community Hawkesdale in the Western District of Victoria, in a farming community, I came to learn quite early on the importance of rural and remote nursing.   Sometimes there are no doctors so the nurses are the first people on site to help when its needed.   Ever since I was a young child I always remember going to my Nan who was a midwife to attend to the local community.   Whether it be for midwifery duties or general nursing care.

I have always been interested in working within the rural nursing field.   As a high school student, studying in Melbourne, I knew that I wanted to live in a rural area and work within the health care industry.   As a third year nursing student, nearing the end of my studies, working and living in a rural area still appeals to me tremendously.   The diversity I am sure to experience, the opportunities for autonomy whilst working within a supportive community and the focus on patient education are all aspects that led me to pursue a career in rural nursing.

Growing up a a child in a rural area gave me a sense of community belonging, from school to sporting clubs to community gatherings, all of which has left me with some very fond memories.  After leaving high school I moved to East Gippsland to begin my adult life, it is here that I have worked and am now raising my own family in the hope that my children will also be able to look back with fond memories of growing up in a rural community.

Having  grown  up in Mirboo  North,  I understand the important role that rural hospitals play within  the community.   From providing health education to the public,  ensuring quality  care within  the community  and  providing  amazing  hospital  care  locally,  rural hospital enable  rural residents  to stay local and receive  the health care they  require.  The opportunity that has allowed me to be employed at a rural hospital  and  provide health  care  to a rural community such  as one  I grew up in is a great  privilege.

I was born and bred in Sale and now live in the lively little community of Stratford.  I have lived overseas and have lived and worked in Melbourne but could not pick a better area to live and raise a family than Gippsland.

Although nursing was not my first career choice when I finished high school, I became drawn to the profession when my father passed away over 10 years ago in our family home, and I was in awe of the palliative care nursing staff that looked after both my father and my family at such an emotional time.

I wish to be a rural nurse because I have lived in the country all my life and would like to help all the hard working men and women that do not often go to their doctor or the hospital when they become sick.   You find that people that live on farms and out away from a town have a ‘she be right’ attitude which sometimes get them into trouble.   I love the team work that you develop in a small country hospital and the relationship that comes with that.

Rural nursing to me, is challenging and I personally love a challenge. I believe I strive in high stress situations, and I have a broad knowledge base that I cannot wait to improve on in my nursing graduate year at Central Gippsland Health Service (CGHS).I feel during my graduate year at CGHSI will encounter many different patients all requiring something different. Being a rural nurse, you would never know what you are going to encounter each day when you get to work, and that excites me. On any particular day, I could be allocated an adult patient that had been injured on a local farm, an elderly patient with an exacerbation of a medical condition, a patient battling cancer and also a patient that has been made palliative. Whilst all these patients will require the same basic nursing care from me, they will also require additional care very different to each other. These patients would also be allocated to different wards in a city hospital, whereas in a rural hospital they could be in a ward together. Having to provide highly individualised nursing care to these patients would keep my day and nursing career varied, and prevent me from getting tired of nursing the same patients every day.

I have always wanted to practice in an environment that is challenging, interesting, rewarding and makes a difference in an individuals life on a daily basis, therefore, I want to pursue my  nursing carer in a rural community from birth, I am aware of the limited resources available.   I have a good understanding of the health and social issues within my rural community and want to intervene and make a difference.   I am aware of the distance people need to travel to attend appointments in metropolitan areas to manage their acute and chronic conditions.  I really want to support these people within the rural community to lessen the need to make these trips.

I already define myself as a rural nurse as I have grown up in Latrobe Valley, studied my double degree in Churchill and undertaken my clinical practice in rural hospitals. In order to better understand who I am, I feel this question needs to be tweaked to Why do I want to continue as a rural nurse and midwife?

I have grown up living in Maffra, all my life.   Maffra is a small rural community and I strive to provide good healthcare to my community and surrounding rural communities.  Central Gippsland Health is an amazing rural hospital that I have been lucky enough to accept my graduate year position at in 2019.

Throughout my studies, I have been successful in undertaking majority of my clinical placements in rural hospitals.   I have been lucky enough to get both of my third year clinical placements at Central Gippland Health, and have had the opportunity to get to know the learning services staff and educators well.   The hospital has great support services available and I cannot wait to be a graduate nurse there next year.