Supporting our tamariki with advanced nursing care
The motivation to support our youngest patients, and a bit of good timing, led one Registered Nurse to kick off her postgraduate journey.
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When Atheesha Anson enrolled to start her Postgraduate Certificate in Nursing Science at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, it had been ten years since she had completed her Bachelor of Nursing.
She had spent the years since working across the globe, including in the Middle East, India, and New Zealand. She also had two children and worked through a global pandemic. But finally, the timing seemed right to pursue advanced nursing studies.
“It was a steep learning curve for sure,” she says of taking her first courses in Applied Pathophysiology and Clinical Pharmacology.
“Not so much the course content but the academic software had changed hugely since I last studied and getting back up to speed with academic writing was a challenge.”
Atheesha credits the University’s support services with easing that transition, saying that writing and referencing support was readily accessible. Once she gained momentum her study goals expanded.
“I had amazing lecturers, who kept me motivated and intrigued. The more I learn the less I know—and the more motivated I am to continue studying.”
Although Atheesha started her postgraduate studies with some apprehension, she is now completing her Postgraduate Diploma.
“I have some lofty aspirations and would love to complete a Master’s degree and even a doctorate,” she says.”
Atheesha is also driven by a passion for her nursing role in the Children’s Ward at Hutt Hospital.
“Working with children is so rewarding. If you have children yourself you know that when kids are sick, they tend to go until they crash at the last minute, so as a nurse it’s very important to look carefully for the signs that they are unwell.
“I also love the range of ages we look after, from neonates to early teenagers, and the different strategies of care we need to utilise.”
For Atheesha, working on the Children’s Ward is also not just about kids, it’s about the whole family.
“If there’s a baby, I’m also working with the birthing parent who is going through their postpartum journey, or if a child is sick I might be working with their whole family over that journey.”
It’s no small feat juggling study, work, and two kids of her own, but she says that the applied nature of the advanced nursing courses has created a streamline between the work “on-the-ground” and what takes place in the classroom.
“With pathophysiology, for example, as nurses we might know that something is associated with a certain condition, but advanced knowledge tells us exactly why that might be happening.”
The nursing science pathway opens different opportunities for career progression for registered nurses, with the option to either take up a nurse practitioner or nurse prescribing qualification or move into research. Atheesha is open to where the degree takes her.
“I’m on a positive trajectory with my study.”
Atheesha checking the vitals of a young patient.
Atheesha checking the vitals of a young patient.
Atheesha checking patient charts.
Atheesha checking patient charts.