After 13 years working in aged care, Aleisha Hodges made the life-changing decision to study nursing.
She said her supportive family network encouraged her to follow her dreams and a few years later has graduated as a Registered Nurse.
The new graduate who joined Beaudesert Hospital under the nursing graduate program earlier this year said she loved the variety rural hospitals could provide.
After experiencing the ‘placement of a lifetime’ during her last week of university, Aleisha said she knew where she wanted to work.
“I had the opportunity to choose my last placement which I chose to do a rural placement. I left my family for eight weeks and headed west to Goondiwindi.
“This placement cemented my desire to work in a rural hospital and ultimately led me to Beaudesert Hospital.”
Aleisha spoke highly of the hospital’s new graduate program and recently attended Logan Hospital’s Midwifery and Nursing Open Day to recruit other aspiring nurses.
Six months into her first year of nursing she said she was already competent in a varied number of skills, including cannulation, phlebotomy, and accessing port-a-caths and picc lines.
“Working at Beaudesert has given me the opportunity to be exposed to a wide variety of presentations ranging from paediatrics to the elderly, covering acute health issues such as respiratory, cardiac, rehabilitation, iron infusions and blood transfusions and so much more.”
Aleisha is one of the first nursing graduates to commence a six-month rotation into the Emergency Department soon, a new addition to Beaudesert Hospital's graduate program.
"If I can give any advice for the new grads considering doing a rural placement at Beaudesert is do it!
"The amount of exposure you get will broaden your knowledge and skills and you will have fun doing it. The support from the education facilitators, clinical staff, and management is unbelievable. Someone is always there to help, guide and support you."
