Stacey Rondan
I can take this knowledge into the real world and make a difference in someone’s life.
Ever since I was little, a trip to the hospital, whether it was for me or a family member, was the most exciting experience – the beeping of machines, the chaos, names being thrown about on the loud speaker. It all made the place surreal. One of the first people you met in the Emergency Department was the triage nurse. I used to think about how incredible these people were, knowing exactly how to help someone, and just doing it!
My Year 10 careers adviser kick-started my nursing journey by landing me a week of work experience at Hornsby Hospital. This led to my assistant-in-nursing course at TAFE, where I got my first nursing experience. Although I could do the bare minimum as a high school student at the time, to simply help someone put socks on or to check blood pressure, was incredible for me. I haven’t stopped learning since.
Before I came to UTS, I was actually a year away from completing my nursing degree at another university, but knew in my heart that I wasn’t quite ready to finish. For me, UTS offers a realm of opportunities and I’ve jumped at them – in my double degree, I’m learning French ahead of my year abroad in 2020, I participated in the first Health Drishtee Immersion program and I’ve also been lucky to go on rural clinical placement.
During my time here, I’ve been taught to look beyond the obvious and challenge myself – not only in a theoretical capacity, but a physical one. I have had passionate teachers to help foster and nurture my learning, and I’ve found a sense of determination to learn and grow within my discipline, so I can take this knowledge into the real world and make a difference in someone’s life.
I am deeply passionate about care for vulnerable communities, such as Indigenous, elderly and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. I believe that we should do our best and keep giving our maximum efforts to ensure the safety and care for these populations, however big or small our footprint may be. It’s important to remember that people are not statistics and data, but they have individual needs. As a nurse, we can do our best to meet these needs by rediscovering our humanity and compassion for others.
After I finish my degree, I’d like to work in the emergency department to really build up my skills and grow as a nurse. Ultimately, I would love to work with Médecins Sans Frontières, but that’s a dream for now – there are so many pathways that nursing has to offer!
To future students, I would say just go for it! The journey that you will undertake here will be full of opportunities to learn and grow within your discipline, and perhaps spark interest in other paths as well. The teaching team here are experienced and so invested in their students’ learning, making it hard to lose motivation. There’s always someone to give a helping hand!
