Irene Luu

Before starting at UTS, I wasn’t the brightest student in the class through primary and high school.  As the middle child, I had siblings who achieved better grades than me, but I began working hard and studying for my grades in Year 11.  My parents never pressured me to do something unrealistic, which allowed me to find my own passion: nursing.

I wanted to study nursing because I had a strong interest in PDHPE and biology class at school.  Both subjects were stepping stones for learning about the human body, its processes and the ways it changes.   I’ve always loved talking to people, so my interest in human interaction was what made me think about a career in health.

I chose UTS because I loved how the bachelor was run at UTS where the focus was on the practical side of nursing.  I also loved how there were very supportive networks for students such as UPASS and the library workshops for assignments.

Students are prepared for the workplace, beginning their clinical placements in their very first semester of the degree. The first clinical placement allows students to observe the role of the nurse in a health setting. The following placements allows student nurses to play a key role in the care of the patients under supervision of a registered nurse. The state-of-the-art UTS labs are replicas of the hospital wards, which allow students to have the experience of being a nurse in a safe environment.

I've definitely changed during my studies.  A nursing career opens your eyes to events and situations that aren’t seen by many people going about their everyday lives.

The assessments in the Bachelor of Nursing vary from group presentations to online weekly quizzes and end of semester exams.  The lecturers and tutors are supportive throughout the entire semester, especially close to due dates.

Finding support is easy at UTS.  I utilised many study support services such as the library assignment writing workshops, UPASS and the HELPS program. 

I am currently employed as a Registered Nurse at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown, where I work as a geriatric and colorectal trained nurse.  I am also employed as a Health SPROUT member to give promotional talks and advice for future students, high school teachers and parents.

For the future, I plan to return back to UTS to study a postgraduate masters degree in nursing.  From this, I would like to become a nurse educator in both the clinical and non-clinical setting.

My advice for future students: Nursing is not an easy career but the hardships you experience will be worth it in the end. Nursing is a career that allows you to expand into many areas of the health sector. Opportunities include health promotion, national immunisation, nurse education and nurse unit management. In the end though, try your work should feel like a hobby, not like a chore that you dread every day.