Hannah Neilson came to UCOL Te Pūkenga Whanganui after receiving an Excellence Scholarship to study
Nursing. Now she has begun her career in her home town’s hospital.
Coming out of Whanganui High School, Hannah was one of five students awarded a UCOL Te Pūkenga Excellence Scholarship in 2016. The scholarship helped cover her
Bachelor of Nursing tuition fees.
Hannah says having so much support from her Lecturers and the Student Success team really helped with her studies
“There were a few times when I felt a little overwhelmed, but just being able to go and talk it through with them made it easier. If I had any questions or wanted to check that I was on the right track, I could always go to them. ”
Hannah really enjoyed going on clinical placements in a variety of settings ranging from aged care services to Whanganui Hospital, where she now works.
“The placements just kept getting better. I was able to do more tasks as the placements went on, which was definitely a highlight.”
Hannah is working in the hospital’s surgical ward as part of the Whanganui District Health Board’s Nurse Entry to Practice (NETP) Programme. The programme sees new graduates being guided through their first year as nurses and completing a paper towards a Master’s degree.
Hannah was delighted to not only land a job in her home town, but also in the ward where she completed her last placement as a student.
“I knew the environment that I was going into. Like with any job, there are tasks that you learn on the job. As a new graduate, I felt prepared and I’m just growing my knowledge from there.”
Every day is different for Hannah depending on her patients’ needs.
“I start the day by getting a patient list and talking to the doctors about their plans for each patient. Then I go around checking on them, administering medications, washing them, dressing wounds, and doing whatever they need. “
For Hannah, the best part of being a Nurse is that she can continually build her knowledge.
“There are a lot of opportunities to learn, especially on the surgical ward where you deal with everyone from medical patients to surgical patients. I’m learning a lot about different kinds of wounds, dressings, and medications. There are so many things to learn to do and why we do them.”
“I love working with the patients and the other nurses. Everyone is so lovely and welcoming there, which makes it easier to learn.”