Have you ever considered a career as a nurse (aka one of our healthcare heroes!), but you weren’t too sure where to start, or if it’s the right career for you? We’ve asked student nurse Shyla Lockhart about her experience and any tips she has for those who are keen to pursue a career in the nursing industry.

1.     Why did you want to study nursing?

I have been a ward clerk for 11 years - mostly in Canada where I am from. I have always loved helping others.

I worked in areas such as emergency, maternity, paediatric ENT, cardiology, renal/cardiothoracic transplant (both adult and children), and absolutely loved every part of it!

Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity in Canada to study nursing. When I started living in Australia, I was given the opportunity to study. I always wanted to be more than a ward clerk - I wanted to physically help patients, to improve their lives, and connect with them in a different way than I could as a clerk. I have always (as cliché as it sounds) loved helping people and I felt nursing was where I was meant to be.

2.     How do you balance study and being a mum?

It can be really difficult. I started when my son was 2 - he is now 5 and we have another on the way which has delayed my studies and she will be coming with me to uni next year, wish me luck!

You really need to be dedicated, organised and not afraid to seek support from those around you.

There will be late nights, early mornings, and sometimes missed time with your kids, but you have to remind yourself that it’s for the best and remember that it won’t last forever.

I think the hardest part about studying nursing with a child or children is placements. You are scheduled (sometimes last minute) into blocks that can be 4 weeks at a time (sometimes 2 run back to back) and they may be a 1-5-hour drive away.

Juggling parent life with placements really requires help from those around you. Whether its family, friends, or an au pair – you simply cannot do it without support from others.

Lectures, tutorials, essays, labs…. They can all be worked around because you are still local. That just means you have to be super organised! I always wrote out my schedules – for uni and for outside of uni so I had an idea and had prepared for what was coming. How many hours lectures were for, days and times of tutorials, exams… planning is so important! Also, planning time to enjoy life outside of uni! Don’t forget that.

3.     What’s your favourite thing about your studies?

I love learning about the body, I’m very fascinated with how it runs and doesn’t run, ha-ha! I think even when I am on a break from uni I am still reading research articles and learning.

I also really love placements where I can use my nursing skill and build relationships with patients. We are the ones caring for them in their most vulnerable times, so it’s really nice to be able to learn about them and chat with them even when they are with us for only a short period.

4.     What do you find most challenging?

All of the main things like being away from my son during placements. I find it hard and the mum guilt grows a lot at that time.

I also find it really hard when I’m on placement and a patient I am caring for has something they won’t recover from such as cancer.

I found my palliative placement the most difficult and I cried alone after the shift was done.

Nothing and no one can prepare you for some of the heartbreak you will experience as a nurse. The hardest for me is always the couples – the husband and wife saying goodbye to each other as one of them is terminal. Being there to help with pain meds and to provide support, you never feel like you are doing enough.

5.     What kind of skills and qualities do you think you need to become a nurse?

Empathy for sure! Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes to try and understand what they are going through so you can help them or be there for them. Even if it seems like something small to you or something you have done a million times, it may be the first time they have gone through it. Even getting an injection can be really scary for someone even if you have done a million of them.

Organisation is definitely something you need as a nurse and for your studies to become a nurse. You will learn on each placement new ways to manage your time and organise yourself to be more effective and give the best patient care. Uni requires heavy organisational skills, especially if you are juggling parenthood or working as well.

Willingness to continually learn. It doesn’t stop after you get your degree, it continues for the rest of your career.

You also need passion. Nursing isn’t about the money - because let’s be honest, there’s no time to pee, eat or rest most days, sometimes there is abuse, verbal and sometimes even physical from patients, you may have hostile patients - people with dementia and scared patients, you experience sleep deprivation, miss time with your family and there’s not really enough money in the world to pay you for that. You have to really love what you do and know why you show up every day to your shifts.

6.     What is one thing that surprised you about studying nursing?

How much more work it was then I thought it would be. I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t realise how MUCH nurses need to know.

You wonder how you will fit all the information in your brain some days. Also, how difficult it can be to write essays and write a reference list… they should warn you about referencing before you go to uni!

7.     How do you remember everything? Do you have any tips or tricks?

Continually write things down, draw it out, repeat to yourself or friends/family, record yourself saying things and replay while driving, organise – I really love colour coordinating everything - it helps me to picture topics easier by colour.

Don’t just memorise the words, know the topic, understand what you are learning. Also, know that you won’t always remember it all at first, it takes time.

8.     How do you wind down after a long day of study?

I love going for a big walk with my family by the beach or watching a movie all together. I also turn off all of the technology that’s just fried my brain!

9.     What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re not buried in the books?

Spend time with my family, camping, 4X4 driving, decorating our new home that we just purchased, gardening - anything outside!

10.  What are you most excited about doing when you graduate?

Getting a job! Becoming a nurse and putting everything I’ve learnt into action.

11.  Do you plan to specialise? If so, what do you want to specialise in?

I’d really love to go back to school eventually to become a nurse practitioner. I haven’t decided what area I’d like to specialise in but I’m sure I will find my area once I have been in the ward for a few years. I’ve always been drawn to emergency, so fingers crossed!

12.  Do you have any long-term goals for your career in nursing?

To continually grow and learn. I want to find an area I am really passionate about and try my best to know all I can about it! I really love to put 110% into what I love so I look forward to the future.

13.  What advice do you have for those who are considering studying nursing?

Just do it! Don’t think about if it will be too hard, or how will you juggle this or that – if it’s something you have thought about and have a passion for, you will regret it if you don’t give it a try!

If you were considering a career in nursing, hopefully, this has answered any burning questions you may have had.

If you’d like to ask Shyla anything else about her experience, you can check out her Instagram – @shylaloclhart_