10 Sep 2025
Over the past year, SuniTAFE nursing student Gabrielle Davis has learned that healthcare is a career path packed with possibilities, opportunities, and rewards.
The Swan Hill-based student has had her heart set on a career in nursing since she was a child.
“I’ve always wanted to do nursing, ever since I was little I just loved the idea of being a nurse,” she said.
“My mum is a foster carer and, when she was caring for a medically complicated foster child, she changed her whole life for her and in doing that she became a really big inspiration for me wanting to spend my life helping people.
“She was in and out of hospitals often and after seeing all the different nurses, all the dynamics and avenues in the hospital, my career goal was definite after that.
“So, I always sort of knew that nursing was something I wanted to do but that was when it clicked for me.”
Now entering the second year of her course, Gabrielle has found her stride and is embracing her new career of caring for others.
“The highlight of my course so far has definitely been the placements and getting that clinical hands-on experience and meeting new people,” she said.
“I’ve definitely discovered a lot of new avenues in health that I didn’t know existed. I’ve also faced a lot of fears, mainly with going into new places, meeting new people, and having to be comfortable to overcome that.”
Gabrielle has completed several placements within the Swan Hill region, including in community nursing, district nursing, and aged care.
More recently, she travelled to Mildura to complete her placement at Mildura Base Public Hospital.
“The staff have been so welcoming, and they don’t make you feel like a student,” she said.
“Obviously in some ways they have to treat us like students, but mostly, as soon as you get in, they introduce you to everyone and they give you instructions on what to do. You’re immediately a part of the team.
“Everyone I’ve worked with has been really inviting and supportive and the education in the hospital is great.”
Gabrielle’s pathway into nursing has not always been clear. In secondary school, she found herself disheartened knowing that traditional schooling was not her strong suit, meaning a university degree might not be achievable for her.
“I didn’t feel like I was good enough or smart enough for university and that really put a big weight on my shoulders during year 12,” Gabrielle said.
“But then I discovered that I could do a nursing course at TAFE and what really appealed to me was that it wasn’t going to be a big university class because I need one on one support and I’m getting that.
“The learning is tailored, interactive, and it’s real.”
The existence of high-quality and accessible nursing programs in Mildura and Swan Hill means that vital skills demand can be met in these regional areas without young students needing to move away.
“I really liked that I didn’t have to move away and change my whole life just to do something I loved,” she said.
“The SuniTAFE nursing course is tuition free too which was massive because at that point I could not afford to do any sort of studying without the FREE TAFE program.”
Gabrielle has also benefitted from the assistance of scholarships made available by the Australian Government, SuniTAFE, and local organisations.
At the beginning of 2025, she was awarded a Chances for Children Tertiary Scholarship, created to ensure financial barriers do not prevent young people from pursuing further education.
More recently, Gabrielle was selected by SuniTAFE as the recipient of final round Destination Australia funding, an Australian Government scholarship designed to support students to study in regional Australia at quality tertiary education providers.
“These scholarships are what I live off,” she said.
“I live independently and it's difficult to find a job that provides enough money for me to live off whilst still allowing me enough time to commit to my studies.
“At one point, I was choosing between either fuel or groceries. But now with the scholarships, I can have both while still working towards my dream career.”
Gabrielle’s course work and placements have given her opportunities to try out different specialties in nursing which has made her excitedly uncertain of what her career will look like at the end of her course.
“The dream is constantly changing because I’m still learning so much, it could change, but I think I want to do something in regards to wound care, such as a wound care specialist,” she said.
“Either that or a job in district nursing would be great, that really interests me, the flexibility and the difference in what the job looks like from day to day.”
No matter the nursing pathway that Gabrielle chooses, she knows this will be a lifelong career for her and that she can make a difference in the lives of her patients.
“I don’t really see this as working, it’s kind of just me being myself taking of others with the reassurance that I know I’m actually helping someone,” she said.
“Without nurses our world wouldn’t work as well as it does, obviously we always need more nurses, but if we didn’t have them, life would be whole lot harder.”
Enrolments for the next intake of SuniTAFE’s Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121) will open soon, with the tuition fees for 100% of enrolments covered by the FREE TAFE program.
SuniTAFE Nursing Education Delivery Manager Jayne Hunt describes the Diploma of Nursing as the foundation of nursing education because it teaches a broad skillset that produces employable and workplace-ready graduates for a wide range of professional contexts.
It is also the quickest path a student can take to enter the workforce with a formal nursing qualification.
Interested applicants can visit the SuniTAFE website to read more about the Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121) and register their interest.