Nancy Grimm-Tran

I was born and raised in Sydney as the daughter of Vietnamese refugees. My parents came to Australia with pretty much nothing and put everything they had into making sure my brother and I had every possible opportunity for a better future.

One of the things that many children of immigrants or refugees end up doing is handling paperwork and communication for their parents – our English is generally better than our parents, so it’s easier for us to communicate and translate for them. From this experience, I grew up quickly and learned a lot about the challenges that people face when dealing with systems where they’re not understood. My father had a few bouts of illness in recent years, and I feel fortunate that I have been able to help him with understanding and negotiating his care.

I ended up working in the university system for almost a decade, mainly with the education and training of doctors. I felt like I was getting closer to what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t quite there yet, and I really didn’t like working at a desk full time.

After working with medical students and doctors for many years, I felt very eager to become involved in healthcare myself. I knew that I wanted to be involved in caring for patients, and my experiences with Dad allowed me to see that nurses were the key people who got to know their patients well and helped them at very vulnerable points during their care.

I also appreciated that nursing is very flexible, in-demand and has many different career pathways. Nurses can work in one area for ages if that suits them, or they can move to different clinical specialties as well.

After having some deep and meaningful discussions with my partner, I decided there was no time like the present to make a change. After attending a Discover Nursing information session, I applied to UTS straight away.

Choosing UTS wasn’t even a question, really. Many of the healthcare workers I’d spoken to when thinking about my decision recommended UTS – they knew that nurse colleagues had studied at UTS and had entered the workforce ready to dive in. I had also seen UTS nursing students (the purple shirts are distinctive!) in so many different locations across Sydney and knowing that UTS had a vast network of clinical placement locations was a drawcard as well.

I had my first two placements at the end of my first year. I didn’t know what to expect, and COVID contributed a lot to feeling a bit uncertain about how I would go. When I came home from my first day of placement, my partner asked how things went. I had a big smile on my face, and I told him, “I loved every minute of it.”

As I’ve progressed and grown as a nursing student, I feel I’ve become more compassionate and patient. I think a lot about the most important aspects of being a good nurse, and I try to integrate them with my behaviour and thoughts all the time.

At the moment, I’m interested in exploring two very different areas – midwifery and palliative care. It also helps a lot that UTS offers postgraduate education in these two areas. I’d also like to become a Clinical Nurse Educator so that I can work in training and upskilling my peers.

During my past experiences with the healthcare system, I often saw that many patients were not fortunate enough to have family, friends or advocates assisting with their communication and care. This often resulted in adverse outcomes, as well as negative experiences for the patients.  So, I’m very passionate about culturally appropriate care for culturally diverse patients.

I started this degree in my early 30s, so I’m a little older than a lot of my peers. I would advise anybody in a similar situation to reach out at events for prospective nurses so that you can see the campus, talk to the teaching staff, and connect with the Student Ambassadors.

If you have friends or family that are nurses, talk to them as well. Going back to uni to study for a whole new degree is a huge commitment, but it is completely worthwhile if you know that your studies will take you where you want to be, regardless of your age.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”