WRIGHT, Emma

Degree

Bachelor of Nursing

Graduation year

2020

Current position

Emergency Department Registered Nurse

Employer

Monash Health

What are some of your career highlights?

Finishing the Monash Health Graduate Program and Transition to Specialty Practice programs; catching my first STEMI (heart attack) in ED; and making a difference on someone's worst day and then having them come back to say thank you later. I was also accepted into the Australian College of Nursing Emerging Nurse Leader program

Describe the most enjoyable and challenging aspects of your job

Nursing during COVID has been really different to what I expected and prepared for as a student.  I have had to deal with some really confronting situations, mainly due to COVID over the past couple of years but ultimately I am still glad I made the choice to become a nurse.

I enjoy both the teamwork and the autonomy of working in ED.  I really enjoy that no two days are the same and how physical the job is.

I work with a great team and despite the hard days we always manage to have a laugh and debrief together.

What are your strongest memories while you were studying at the University?

The residential week of clinical skills labs were always a lot of fun, it was great to see everyone on campus and to play around with the mannequins (I wonder how poor Antonio the mannequin is these days).

I also loved my time working with Student Academic and Study Support (SASS). I worked as a mentor, on the ASK desk and in the office. I loved worked alongside students and encouraging them as we studied together. In my final year I moved in to a more permanent role as a program officer with SASS and was able to help run the programs that had been so helpful to me in my first year of uni. Working with SASS was amazing as they supported me through my study, time off for placements and ultimately graduation.

O-Week was also great, free food and Bollywood dancing, count me in!

Do you have any advice about life after study to pass on to current students?

This is most relevant for nursing… what you learn at Uni is just the first step, the real work begins on your first day as a nurse.  It is okay to be nervous and feel like uni hasn’t prepared you!  Remember you know more than you think and to keep going back to basics when you get stuck!