My name’s Gemma, and I’ve got a Bachelor of Nursing from QUT.

I chose QUT because it has a great reputation both in Australia and overseas, and they get some wonderful funding, so there’s always great projects going on.

One of my favourite parts about the course was all of the clinical practise I got to do. On campus in the Clinical Simulation Centre, and off campus at places like emergency departments and intensive care units.

And in my degree I got the great opportunity to work with a lot of different health professionals. Like paramedics, psychologists, doctors, dieticians. It really made me ready for my job within a hospital.

I love to travel, and my degree has really set me up well to both see the world and use my nursing skills at the same time. I’ve been to places like Borneo, Thailand, Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea, and I’m heading to Vietnam really shortly. On my trips I’ve been able to help set up health clinics. I’ve done vaccinations, I’ve done dressings.

I work at Greenslopes Private Hospital, registered nurse, dual specialty in the post-anaesthetic care unit – or recovery – and anaesthetic nursing.

I love being a nurse because I really make a difference in people’s lives.