Wagga’s newest nurse, Lauren Cameron, recently completed her first shift. Her father, Craig, couldn’t be prouder. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
Lauren Cameron always dreamt of being a nurse like both her grandmothers.
Care for others was all she ever wanted to do. Even as a child, Lauren would check the ”heartbeat” of her toys with her plastic stethoscope while practising first aid on her younger sister.
Now, Lauren has joined more than 150 other registered nurses who began their careers with the Murrumbidgee Local Health District this week.
With three years of study at Charles Sturt University now completed, it was hard to wipe the smile off Lauren’s face as she finished her first official day as a qualified nurse at Wagga Base Hospital’s surgical ward.
“To get to today is really rewarding,” Lauren said.
“It has been incredibly tough; nursing is a hard degree, and it takes up all of your time and focus for those three years.
“To be at a regional hospital like Wagga Base Hospital, it’s just an incredible feeling to be here for my first day.”
For Lauren, working at a regional hospital was always the goal. After growing up in Bowral, she moved to Wagga for her studies, completing her Bachelor of Nursing and more than 800 hours of placement at hospitals in Temora, Narrandera, Goulburn and Wagga.
Even with the pull to follow her friends to Sydney, regional NSW is where she wanted to stay.
“Moving from Bowral to Wagga was the best decision I’ve ever made,” she said.
“All the girls from home that I went to school with went to Sydney, and I thought, ‘Why not do things a little bit differently?’
“It’s really important to me that our rural and regional areas get access to as good healthcare as if they lived in a capital city.
“Working and studying in regional MultiPurpose Service centres, I got to get out of the classroom and really learn practically. I got to speak to doctors, patients and other nurses.
“I was able to get more hands-on than I would have if I studied in Sydney. After experiencing that, it was impossible for me to want to start my career anywhere else.”
Lauren’s family has a long history in her profession, with both her grandmothers also working as registered nurses. Photo: Jarryd Rowley/Supplied.
While Lauren was overjoyed to start her first day of work as a nurse, one person was even more excited: her father, Craig.
Craig has been there for all of Lauren’s biggest moments, including her first day at CSU and now her first day as a registered nurse.
“We’re a really, really proud family. We really stick together,” he said.
“We try and do everything together: first day of primary school, preschool, swimming carnival, or buzzing to uni for a first day, or first day of placement. You name it, we’re there, and today is no different.
“I’ve travelled four hours from Bowral to see her start her first shift and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
“We’re so proud of Lauren and all the hard work she has put in for years and years to get to this point.”
Craig said that, like both her grandmothers before her, Lauren had always wanted to be a nurse.
“Both Lauren’s grandmas were nurses, so there’s some real history there. They would be beaming with joy seeing her here today,” he said.
“Nursing is such a rewarding career, and giving back to the community is just an inspiration.
“She will make a huge difference here in a regional and rural area, whereas in a capital city, it’s very, very different.
“From the staff to the patients, Wagga Base has such a lovely feeling, and that’s exactly what she was craving.”
