Meet Alex, who, with his previous career, brings a wealth of life experience to his current role. His passion for making people feel supported and comfortable was a skill that would serve him well in his nursing career.
At NNT, we want to acknowledge the incredible contribution these people make to our communities, the challenges they face and the essential work they do, every single day.
Q. What made you decide to become a nurse?
A. This is my second career. Prior to nursing I was in hospitality for 20 years, and nightclub management. I would be surrounded by punters who would be having a great time heightened by who knows what; the management team, security and myself were always providing care in some capacity, so my interest in nursing stemmed from there. I also have a couple of nurses in the family.
Q. What do you wish people knew about nurses?
A. That we're people too. We're not perfect 100% of the time.
Q. What advice would you give someone pursuing a career in nursing?
A. It's ok to be ambitious, but remember to be adaptable and open to possibilities as the idea you have of where your career trajectory would be at the start of your course may not be where you end up, and don't be disheartened by that, work with it.
Q. How do you balance your nursing career with life?
A. I also like to keep busy by working outside of a healthcare setting. In addition to being an Enrolled Nurse, and studying to be a Registered Nurse, I bottle cold drip coffee, pick up random event work, do extras work for film, television and advertising, and I'm a celebrant. I also have physical outlets like the gym, which is great for mental health, and then I have creative outlets like jewellery making and sewing.
Q. What challenges do you face and how do you overcome them?
A. I'm a hands-on learner. So, put a textbook in front of me and I'll likely not absorb much of the information. Show me how to do something then throw me in the deep end, and I'll thrive. Understanding that there are different ways to take in information is really important, so you have to know what works for you.
There have been so many challenges during COVID, which most people are aware of, but they don’t always see the emotional side of it where I would see patients struggling without being able to see loved ones. The result was that we relied heavily on technology such as FaceTime. But also, just taking the time to sit with patients who needed it.
Q. What do you think your superpower is?
A. My powers of observation. It probably comes from a career in hospitality previously where I would be anticipating what people need, but also being hyper-aware of my surroundings