Master of Health Sciences with an endorsement in Nursing
Registered Nurse, Intensive Care Unit, Christchurch Public Hospital
Georgia has always been fascinated with the biology of the human body, and wanted to turn her passion into a career in health services, following her mother, working as a nurse.
"I could see the compassion, caring, challenging but also rewarding aspects of the career," she says. "I also believe in continual professional development which I have achieved through my tertiary education and will continue throughout my nursing career."
After completing studies in human biology at Otago, Georgia went onto the Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Health Sciences joint programme between Ara Institute of Canterbury and UC, allowing her to complete nursing qualifications and postgraduate health studies at the same time.
"It was the only place offering the course that I chose to do at that stage. The availability of facilities at UC and fantastic group of people to study with, made UC a great choice for my studies. I learnt from lecturers who have a passion for sharing their knowledge and improving nursing as a whole."
She cites her studies as developing her ability to take on challenges, which helped her present her master’s dissertation at a nurse educators conference. This has also led her to consider doing more postgraduate study in the future.
"It has shown me that I am capable of academic writing and presenting and has shown me a path of research in which I could pursue further down the road,’ she says. ‘I enjoyed the amount of opportunities that were available through UC. I also enjoyed learning from some great lecturers/mentors that had a lot of knowledge to share from personal experiences."
Georgia advises other students to do Nursing with UC, to gain a wholesome background in non-clinical studies and the opportunity to complete research, whilst obtaining clinical skills through Ara Institute of Canterbury.
"Go for it! Ask questions and learn from your lecturers as they have such a wealth of knowledge both theoretically and practically.
"The best thing about the programme is the ability to complete a lot of the study at home. The flexibility is great however you have to be motivated to do the learning yourself as well. Come in with an open mind. There is an opportunity to learn at every step of the way."
"There are times where it will become hard however everyone goes through these and you will become a better person for working through the tough times. Nursing is a fantastic and rewarding career."
Now a Registered Nurse at Christchurch Hospital, Georgia works within the Intensive Care where she provides one-on-one care for patients, including monitoring patients with a range of general conditions, life-threatening care, and also palliative care.
"Critical thinking is an important aspect of our job and we look at a patient’s care holistically including people’s cultural and social aspects of their life. I work closely with other health professionals such as doctors, physiotherapists, pharmacists, social workers and occupational therapists, to provide healthcare to gain the best outcome for the patient and their whanau/family."
She looks forward to developing her nursing skills further with more experience looking after patients needing her care most.
"I love the fact that my job has a lot of variation. It is very challenging and every day I will learn something new. I work with great supportive people and I feel I can have the opportunity to help people and their families when they need it the most."
Outside of her busy work schedule, Georgia loves spending her spare time with her family on the farm, and also enjoys clay target shooting.
