SuniTAFE nursing student Claire Glasson first fell in love with the idea of becoming a nurse back in 2012 when she had her first child and saw the great work that nurses and midwives do daily.  

With her children a little older now, Claire decided that 2024 was the perfect time to take a chance and enrol in SuniTAFE’s Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121), and she has not looked back since.  

“So far the experience of studying at SuniTAFE has been fantastic,” she said.  

“I love the hands-on, practical side of nursing, and my teachers have been amazing, they’re so approachable and they want to see you grow and be successful.” 

Now that Claire is a year into her course, she reflects that her work placement has been the highlight of her studies so far, thriving in a real-world healthcare environment.  

“Our first placement was in aged care, and I really enjoyed working in that environment,” she said.  

“It isn’t my desired end goal to work in aged care, I’d love to work in midwifery or with children, but you never know where you’ll end up as a nurse so it was really valuable to have some experience in aged care early on.  

“Placement also taught me that everything we do in the classroom will be something we need to do on placement, so my work in the classroom has important real-world applications.” 

The accessibility of SuniTAFE’s courses were the deciding factor in Claire’s ability to turn this nursing dream into a reality.  

“I would not have been able to do this course without FREE TAFE,” she said.  

“I also feel grateful that I don’t need to travel away to become qualified.  

“I’m a local here in Mildura. I’m lucky to be studying here and I will be working here for my whole career. It’s great to be able to do all of that at home.” 
 

International Nurses Day  

International Nurses Day is observed on 12 May every year and presents the perfect opportunity to reflect upon the integral role of nurses in our society.  

“Without nurses, there would be a big gap in our healthcare systems,” Claire said.  

“It takes a huge team to look after our communities and nurses play a massive role in that team. I think if there were no nurses a lot of things would get missed.  

“It is a great feeling to contribute to that, and to fill that role in my local community is even more special.”  

Claire’s advice to anyone considering becoming a nurse is simple.  

“Don’t question yourself – just do it,” she said.  

“Just go for it, you’d be surprised by how well you take on new skills. It’s just like learning to drive a car. It’s just a new skillset.”  

Learn how to take care of people for a living with a health and community qualification from SuniTAFE. Click here to see the course on offer.