Dream comes true
Cancer survivor starts nursing career
GEORGIA McLennan has gone from fighting for her life as a cancer patient to helping save them as a nurse at the very same hospital.
Ms McLennan was due to start a placement at Gold Coast University Hospital in 2017 when she was diagnosed with stage four Burkitt’s Lymphoma.
Years on and after a long cancer battle she is now finally ready to embark on her career as one of the hospital’s new nursing intakes.
Ms McLennan said her time spent in hospital had helped prepare her for her nursing career.
“I felt like I learnt so much about nursing as a patient. I felt like it really aided my learning and will make me a special nurse because I understand what it feels like to be a patient from so many angles.
“Being here for that long, you go through what it feels like to be an outpatient, coming to appointments, going to scans, going to emergency, being on biopsies.
“I kind of got to feel what it would feel like for my patients and how the whole medical team can really affect someone’s time. I’m glad that I can apply that to my patients going forward.
“I loved this hospital so much. Because of the way I was treated and because I saw them as saving my life and every interaction I had here was a positive one, I just had this dream of working here.
“I just kept holding on to the ward, having the hope that I would one day get a job here.
“I just felt overwhelmed with gratitude that I was alive and that I got my dream job and I felt really proud.”
Despite her time in oncology, the community health, alcohol and other drugs ward fuelled her passion.
“I just felt like it fit right for me. I really feel like that’s what I love doing and I can’t believe I get paid to look after people or care for people.
“I just thought honestly these people are in a group in society who are judged and vulnerable and I wanted to learn more about them and their stories.
“And all of them have incredible stories and they are very resilient people and I just wanted to be compassionate towards people who do not really experience much compassion.”
Gold Coast Health has filled 190 graduate nurses and midwife positions in 2020, including 21 midwives and 20 mental health nurses and last month opened up their midyear intake.