Three Central Coast aged care workers have managed to balance studying, work and home to attain a Bachelor off Nursing degree while working for Central Coast Community Care Association (CCCCA).
Amy Holton, Jordon Garrett and Rutendo Muzamhindo obtained their degrees while working for the not for profit’s Central Coast aged care facilities.
Garrett started her aged care career as a nursing assistant before deciding to further her skills.
“I loved being able to make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.
“I knew it was a career I wanted to pursue further so I decided to do my registered nursing degree.”
CCCCA recognised the importance of flexibility and supporting staff to upskill, accommodating absences and rostering requests.
Fellow graduate Holton started her aged care journey at the age of 16 and has a deep affection for aged care.
“I instantly fell in love with the industry and knew that aged care was where my career would be,” she said.
“I love the diversity of residents in aged care, as well as being able to spend quality time with them and getting to know their stories.
“I looked into different avenues for career progression in aged care and kept coming back to wanting to further my skills and experience clinically, so I decided to complete my Bachelor of Nursing degree to become a Registered Nurse.”
Holton studied part-time over four years, while working full-time and raising a family, with CCCCA allowing her extended blocks of leave to complete placements.
“Clinical placement allowed me to gain experience in a range of clinical areas from paediatric wards to emergency, theatres and general medical wards,” she said.
Holton plans to stay with CCCCA in her present role, and following her graduate year is planning on furthering her nursing qualification with a master’s program.
Muzamhindo particularly enjoyed the collaboration between students and practicing nurses she found while studying for her degree.
“It just amazed me how the nurses were so knowledgeable and willing to teach me what l did not know,” she said.
“I am so grateful for the support CCCCA provided while completing the nursing degree.
“Due to clinical placements l had to take long periods of annual leave twice every year in addition to my study and other personal leave.
“In those three years all my annual leave requests were approved.”
CCCCA CEO Greg Williams said in order to retain and develop his team, he needed to be flexible.
“There never was any question that we wouldn’t support these three team members in their education,” Williams said.
“For the organisation to retain excellent staff, they have to be encouraged to grow, and adding more registered nurses to our team is fantastic.
“CCCCA has a proud history of supporting local Central Coast aged care workers to achieve their goals, and I am proud of the dedication and resilience of these team members.”
Source:
Media release, Feb 2
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