Smash led to career
LYING in a hospital bed at just 19, Ingham teenager Stevie Barrett almost didn’t live to see what else life would hold.
After being injured in a horrifying quad bike accident, Stevie nearly died while being cared for in hospital.
After two weeks in hospital, suffering in agony with 57 fractured and 12 broken bones, a collapsed lung and a laceration to her spleen, Ms Barrett had to undergo a long rehabilitation and recovery program just to get back to normal.
But that’s all in the past now, and Ms Barrett is turning her near-tragic accident into something positive by graduating from Mater Education’s Diploma of Nursing program in Townsville.
“I appreciated the care and compassion the nurses gave me,” Ms Barrett said. “I looked into working in healthcare as a way to help others – like the nurses that helped me.”
The 18-month program was a natural fit for Ms Barrett, who couldn’t wait to get hands on and start helping.
“The diploma is so practical and I learn best when I’m shown something. That’s what I liked most about it,” Ms Barrett said. “I was also successful in applying for the Indigenous scholarship, which has taken some financial stress off my mum.
“The Mater educators have been really supportive and they’ve helped me through hard times.”
Ms Barrett graduated alongside 20 other students, who Mater’s executive director of health Donna Bonney said would play a ‘vital role’ in the years to come.
“New Enrolled Nurse graduates are needed right across the healthcare industry and I know this group has a bright future ahead of them,” Ms Bonney said.
“These new nurses will go on to work in Mater hospitals and other hospitals across North Queensland and beyond.”
Ms Barrett is now aiming even further upward, angling for employment as a community nurse in the rural and remote reaches of Australia.
Ms Barrett said she was the only person in her family to finish high school, making her even prouder of her achievements. She said she couldn’t have done it without support.
Mater Private Hospital Townsville executive officer Libbie Linley said Ms Barrett was among the third cohort of Mater Education’s Diploma of Nursing graduates in North Queensland.