NQ nursing career a no-brainer for Ashleigh

Pursuing a nursing career at Townsville Hospital and Health Service was a no brainer for Ashleigh.

She followed her mum’s footsteps and became a registered nurse.

After graduating from James Cook University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Nursing, majoring in mental health, Ashleigh secured a spot in the Townsville University Hospital graduate nursing and midwifery program and was placed at Parklands Residential Aged Care Facility in Kirwan.

“My mum is a nurse and growing up she also worked in aged care and I had a very close relationship with my grandparents,” she said.

“That is where my passion for caring for elderly people really began.

“I don’t think there was ever a specific moment when I realised I wanted to follow in my mum’s footsteps - I just always knew I wanted to be a nurse."

Ashleigh said her graduate year at Parklands prepared her for her current role as the acting nurse manager for the Biomedical Equipment and Education Service (BEES).

“The responsibilities I was given and the trust the hospital placed in me as a graduate registered nurse really helped me build my confidence in clinical practice quickly,” she said.

“I was responsible for caring for residents and given responsibility to manage other staff which helped me build confidence in my leadership ability. 

“The graduate program allowed me to reach my full potential, as I was supported by the graduate nurse educators." 

Ashleigh said she wanted young nurses to know they could have fulfilling, challenging careers outside acute nursing in areas like aged care.

“Mental health and aged care are the two fastest growing areas in healthcare so I knew that by gaining experience in these areas there would always be career pathways for me,” she said.

“With our ageing population we will continue to see increasing numbers of elderly patients admitted across our health service, so we need to ensure we have a workforce committed to this cohort of patients.”

Are you considering a nursing career in north Queensland? Applications for the Townsville University Hospital graduate nursing and midwifery program open soon. Find out more about the Townsville difference here. 

You can apply for a registered nurse or midwife graduate program position through the Queensland Health graduate portal and select Townsville as your location preference.