Alethea - 6 months in

Published: August 2024

This update is written by Alethea who graduated the Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Nursing (Hons)  in 2023.

Hi everyone! My name is Alethea and I am 6 months into my grad program, and have just started my nursing rotation after doing 6 months of midwifery.

The last 6 months have absolutely flown by! Adjusting to life as a graduate midwife has definitely been a challenge, but has also been so, so rewarding. Looking back to the start of the year, I was so overwhelmed! I felt ready to be a grad, however nothing can prepare you for being a real midwife, no matter how much placement or RUSOM shifts you do! Reflecting back now, I am really proud of myself and how much I have learned and grown as a midwife this year. Despite the challenges, it has been an incredible experience, and the support and care from the rest of the maternity team has been amazing. I feel so lucky to be in such a beautiful team, and am so glad I trusted my instincts when choosing where to do my grad year.

Life out of uni has also been different than I was expecting! There have definitely been more ‘adulting’ things I have done during these past 6 months than I was expecting! Despite having worked before, having my ‘grown-up job’ and managing more things on my own has been a learning experience as well. I think I also had some imposter syndrome at the beginning of the year since I went straight from high school to uni to working,  and don’t have that much life experience yet! But I was reminded by colleagues of all ages and experiences that everyone brings something to the team, we all have our strengths, and we are all learning everyday :)

This year has also shown me the importance of having a good work/life balance, which is something I am still working on. It is so important to take time for yourself outside of work to relax and do things you enjoy, and also so important to see and spend time with your loved ones.

I have just started on my nursing rotation on a general surgical ward, and it is a completely different world! It has been a bit hard going from just finding my feet in midwifery to being back to the beginning in nursing, but I am excited for the opportunity to learn A LOT. Right now it feels a bit overwhelming, but I know that as I settle in, each shift will become better.