A fresh group of faces is working the wards at Goulburn Valley Base Hospital.
For the next 12 months the 15 new nurses will complete their graduate nursing program with support and supervision from the hospital's clinical area educators. During the year the group will rotate across the hospital's wards, which will aid them in choosing their area of preference.
Two of the enthusiastic group geared up to care for our sick and vulnerable spoke to SN Weekly about their progression thus far.
Larry Thomson, 46, is not new to nursing. For the past 20 years he has worked mainly in mental health as a division 2 nurse, but as his children were becoming independent he decided to further his nursing skills and give himself some new work challenges.
``I needed a change for myself and was restricted with the level of being a division 2,'' Larry said.
For Larry to get to this stage hasn't been easy _ for the past three years he did his Division 1 Nursing degree by correspondence through University of South Australia, and with three sons aged 25, 22 and 20, and a wife to support, he still had to work full-time.
``I was restricted with studying until the boys had all finished school,'' Larry said.
``I've had to be very self-motivated. At the start I found it stressful developing computer skills. I struggled sometimes to stay motivated. But, the further I got into it, the easier it became.''
That's not to say he's sorry it's behind him now.
``It is nice to now walk into home and not go straight to the computer,'' Larry said.
``I am keen now to get on with it and open up a few doors.''
Shepparton-born Megan Pratt, 22, is eager to experience different wards to find her passion.
``At this stage I am keeping an open mind and my options open, to get as much experience as I can in different areas,'' Megan said.
Megan studied for her Bachelor of Nursing at La Trobe, Shepparton.
Choosing a career in nursing came naturally _ with a family history of nurses, mainly in aged care, Megan said by the time she reached VCE level at school she was sure of her career path.
The three years of study wasn't easy though, and Megan worked part-time in aged-care facilities on weekends.
``I really liked it, but it was hard,'' she said.
While Larry is content to pack up the books, Megan still has more study in mind and plans eventually to undertake post-graduate study.
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