Success! Danny’s now a registered nurse

Q: Now that you’ve graduated, how are you finding working life?

Danny: I come from an enrolled nursing (EN) background that I’ve worked in for the past five years, and I recently upskilled to do my RN (registered nurse) qualification. The biggest thing that’s changed is my responsibilities. As EN I always had the option to go to the RN to ask for help – now I’m the one making the decisions, which has been challenging but rewarding at the same time.

Working in the country we don’t have as many resources as the city, so we have nurses with a broad set of skills because we just have to deal with anything that comes in.

In the country at the moment we are understaffed, so on a typical day we are getting worked to the absolute bone. I don’t mind being busy because the shifts go quicker. I enjoy it, I’m really passionate about nursing, I love my job, it’s a really rewarding career. Each day is different, there are some days when I come home and think, ‘What have I done? Why am I doing this?’ But for the most part I do really enjoy my job.

I’m proud that I’m putting cannulas in, giving people IV antibiotics, triaging people, getting stressed out of my brain but doing what I need to do and being safe about it.

Q: What qualities have helped you get where you are today?

D: I’m the eldest, I’ve got four siblings that have all had similar upbringings – in and out of foster care, a lot of domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse. I was brought up by mum who had a lot of mental health issues and she obviously lost custody of me at numerous points. I always thought as the eldest that I wanted to lead by example and be a good role model for my siblings.

I have always had good morals. I think I got them through my faith journey; in my younger teenage years I was often at church, involved with the youth group, I was a leader, and that gave me a sense of family that I never had. That was a huge thing for me growing up.

I’ve got good support from my nan, she’s been such a great role model. I’m going to miss her dearly when she’s not here anymore. My aunt and uncle have also been tremendous role models for me.

Q: What are some of the challenges of completing a tertiary education when you can’t rely on family support?

D: It’s difficult not having that stable upbringing. I block a lot of it out now because there’s a lot of trauma involved and a lot of PTSD, I don’t like to dwell on it.

I don’t have access to the bank of mum and dad. That’s the biggest barrier for me. We’ve got the HECS debt but it just goes up with indexation.

Also, something that people may take for granted is not being able to ask, ‘I’ve done this assignment, can you proofread it?’

Out of the three generations before me I’m the first one to go to uni. They don’t have the understanding of what it’s like, the hardships, having to do assignments, staying up and doing all-nighters.

I don’t think I’ve ever had my parents tell me they’re proud of me. They just have no idea, they’re not involved in my life at all.

Q: How did you feel when you learnt you received the scholarship?

D: I was pinching myself a little bit, I was quite ecstatic really. It was a huge financial burden lifted from my shoulders. I had gone to uni previously and dropped out; I had to come back to it and I’ve been successful now.

A big cost for me was having to pay for accommodation to do placements in Adelaide. I come from a small country town about 200km north of Adelaide. I remember reaching out to the uni to get some accommodation assistance but unfortunately they didn’t provide any. I remember looking into what my accommodation options were, and it was looking at between $11,00 to $15,000.

The cost of stationery, laptops, uniforms – it all adds up. It’s very expensive. I also bought nurses watches (I broke about seven of them).

Q: What would have been different without the scholarship?

D: I don’t know if I would have gone through with upskilling, even though it was something I was passionate about and wanted to do.

There were many times that I was really struggling being away from family, my wife, the dog, dealing with the day-to-day of being in Adelaide away from home. I wanted to leave the program and didn’t want to finish the degree. Having support and the incentive to continue because of the scholarship really helped me push through, which was definitely a protective factor for me to finish the degree.

About the Tertiary Scholarship Program

The Sisters of Charity Foundation awards tertiary scholarships to young people from out-of-home care backgrounds. Financial support helps recipients afford university or TAFE study expenses (course fees; textbooks; technology; and attending workshops, networking events and internships) as well as the cost of living on their own with no parental support. The scholarship lets them focus on their studies, rather than having to hold down multiple jobs or work full-time hours.

Main photo: Danny and wife Bec with fellow scholarship recipient Teresa (left).