Master of Nursing

Further study helps Amelia share more about care

Amelia Archer is now a Master of Nursing, graduating from the degree this past year. As a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Clinical Midwifery Specialist at Sydney Adventist Hospital, she was already in a senior position as provider of acute and maternal care, but completing the course has provided experience in a new area—education.

“I like to learn, and I like to feel a sense of achievement. And it seems something changes in my career every couple of years. I started as a nurse then became a midwife then a clinical specialist. Then I got a casual job as a clinical facilitator at Avondale. Malcom [Anderson, former senior lecturer and graduate studies convenor in the School of Nursing and Health] wanted me to get the degree. I thought, Yeah, OK. I’d like to do a bit of teaching in the lecture theatre and sim lab later on.

“Now I have a one-day-a-week role as an educator in maternity. The San knew I’d completed my master’s and said, ‘Would you like to do this?’.

“I completed a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery at another university and looked at completing my master’s there and elsewhere. But I like the master’s at Avondale because it has a core unit about spirituality and health. And I feel the lecturers want you to succeed. They offer encouragement. They keep you on track. They like you asking questions.

“The course helps with patient care, but it also helps with mentoring—new nurses have a lot of questions. And it helps you think about things you probably wouldn’t have thought about otherwise. That helps make your own practice better.

“With the building of a new house and full-time work, I had a lot going on but managed to get through. I thought, If I can do that, I can do anything.“

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Photograph: Adventist HealthCare