I left school early with no real career goal in mind. I have always wanted to challenge myself by working hard and becoming as independent as possible. I started by leaving school at 15, moving in with my current partner, and getting a full-time retail job, all within one month. After working in retail for 3 years, I moved to the city and worked 9 different jobs within a space of one year. I gained a lot of life experience in that short time. Living in the city made me appreciate the country, so I moved back home to Lakes Entrance, where I was offered to do my aged care training. It turned out I enjoyed aged care and worked as a personal carer for 4 years. I then needed a challenge, so I completed my diploma in nursing; since that time, I have worked as an enrolled nurse in aged care and decided to push myself further. I decided to enrol in university as a mature-aged student and had 2 beautiful babies.

As a recent Bachelor of Nursing graduate from Federation University, I am eager to consolidate my skills and knowledge in practice and prove myself above expectations. I have been offered a position in the East Gippsland Collaborative graduate nurse program. I am due to commence in January 2022. The opportunity to practice and care within my local community would be both rewarding and a perfect fit for myself and my family.

Rural nursing is a specialty and a challenge in itself. I find that a lot of the patients that we care for in the rural setting are more vulnerable than those living in metropolitan areas and require a more in-depth kind of care. Rural nurses’ are often faced with challenges such as having poor access to resources, services, and specialists. By becoming a rural nurse, I believe I will gain extensive experience in providing diverse care and developing autonomy. I will be able to apply the life skills that I have gained so far, which will help me become a more effective and caring nurse.

My last clinical placement was made up of 5 weeks at Bairnsdale Regional Health Service. I was allocated 2 weeks in the Emergency department and 3 weeks in the High Dependency Unit. I was terrified on my first day in the emergency department as it was very fast-paced, and I had no idea what to expect. Although I learned a lot, I felt that 2 weeks was just not enough time because I was just beginning to find my feet. I found that I was really able to consolidate all of my skills in the 3 weeks I spent in the high dependency unit. The nurses were all very experienced and supportive, so I was able to thrive and put theory into practice.

I found that it was a huge challenge to complete 5 weeks of placement. It was physically and mentally draining with the added stress of juggling a huge study load and my young children.

I felt proud and had a sense of accomplishment getting through my final placement and graduating. I was lucky enough to land a graduate position at Bairnsdale Regional Health service. Bairnsdale is close to my hometown of Lakes Entrance, so I was very excited when I got the offer. I was allocated Medical Imaging for my first rotation. I had no idea what I was walking into when I started and felt nervous and excited. It has been really interesting starting at the hospital in the middle of a code brown and theCOVID pandemic. I am now about to begin my 3rd week, and It feels amazing to finally be practicing as a Registered Nurse. My self-confidence and resilience are building every day, and I am excited for the experiences to be had going forward in 2022.

On January 22^nd of 2023 I completed the Graduate Nurse program at BRHS. My final rotation was completed on Tambo ward which is a medical and surgical ward. It was a challenge at the start because it is a very busy ward. The mixture of medical and surgical patients provided me with lots of exposure and I was able to learn a lot and gain new skills to help me in my career going forward.

It is now early February, and I am currently in my third week of the Transition Nurse program at BRHS. The Transition program is similar to the graduate nurse program; made up of another 2 x 6month rotations within the hospital with support from clinical nurse educators. This program is also another great opportunity go gain exposure to different clinical areas and is an ongoing contract which is amazing. My first rotation is in the Emergency department which was my preference as I plan to pursue emergency nursing. So far it has been an amazing experience, the staff are supportive and it’s a completely different environment to ward nursing. Every shift is nerve racking but exciting, I never know what to expect and am always learning something new every day. The transition program unlike the graduate nurse program is only 3 days a week. This works a lot better for me and my family and I feel my work life balance is working well. I am not as run down as I was last year and am able to enjoy my experience more.

My next rotation will be on the rehabilitation ward at BRHS. I’m not sure what to expect but I’m going to make the most of the learning experience before returning to the Emergency department for ongoing work.   I feel I am progressing well in my career and am lucky to have found the area that I want to stay in. Looking forward to what the future holds.