{"id":18670,"date":"2023-05-26T10:27:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T02:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=18670"},"modified":"2025-07-23T13:30:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T05:30:47","slug":"curtin-jump-starts-student-placement-and-nursing-careers-with-new-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/curtin-jump-starts-student-placement-and-nursing-careers-with-new-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"Curtin jump starts student placement and nursing careers with new fund"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Curtin Nursing student Shai\u2019a Bulich.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Author | Carmelle Wilkinson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watching someone you love struggle with a serious illness can lead to overwhelming sadness and fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, people like second year Curtin nursing student Shai\u2019a Bulich are there to protect our loved ones in their time of need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 27-year-old said a series of unwanted real-life events set her on the path to nursing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never dreamed of becoming a nurse, in fact it was on the list of my top three jobs I never wanted to do. The others being a butcher and bike messenger,\u2019\u2019 she laughed.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I have the utmost respect for nurses, I just didn\u2019t think I was cut out for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFollowing high school, I started an Animal Science degree in the hope of becoming a veterinarian as I love animals, but six months into the degree I realised it wasn\u2019t for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have the heart to do what vets do, but funnily enough I now have the heart to do the same for people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shai\u2019a said it wasn\u2019t until her mum was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, that the idea to study nursing came about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMum\u2019s cancer diagnosis shattered me. All my life it\u2019s just been me and her so accepting the news was extremely difficult,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen not long after mum\u2019s diagnosis, my nan suffered a stroke, and my uncle had a brain haemorrhage and I found myself spending a great deal of time at hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLooking after my loved ones and accompanying them on appointments and check-ups came so naturally to me that one day my husband jokingly said I should quit my day job and become a registered nurse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shai'a<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shai\u2019a said she never contemplated a career in nursing prior to her mum\u2019s cancer diagnosis.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Formerly a practice manager for an accounting firm in the Perth CBD, Shai\u2019a took her husband\u2019s advice and made the leap into nursing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI come from a very tight-knit family who are always looking out for one another so when someone is unwell, we all step in,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKnowing I\u2019ll soon be able to help people at their most vulnerable is a responsibility and privilege I won\u2019t take lightly.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To ensure Curtin nursing students like Shai\u2019a receive the best possible start to their career, the University\u2019s Faculty of Health Sciences is proud to launch Jump Start Nursing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jump Start Nursing will help students seamlessly transition from campus to placement, without delay.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The newly established fund will provide a one-off payment of $500 to nursing students to assist with out-of-pocket costs associated with first year placement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expenses include, but are not limited to, mask fitting, police clearance, working with children certificates, uniforms and basic life support training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJump Start Nursing is a huge win and boost for students,\u2019\u2019 Shai\u2019a said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany students are fresh out of high school and may only have a part time job to help them get by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it comes to their practical placement there are a lot of costs to meet upfront, and if they don\u2019t have the funds, this can have knock-on effects and lead to delays in course completion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curtin Head of Nursing Professor Tracey Moroney<\/a> said it was important that students were able to seamlessly transition from campus to placement, without delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudents require several items before moving into their mandatory placement, and regrettably, some students end up postponing their first placement due to financial struggles,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJump Start Nursing will assist our students in purchasing these items and therefore help them stay on track with their degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDelays in degree completion can lead to dropouts, which can be detrimental to an industry already under great stress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracey said Curtin was the only university in Australia to offer a three and a half year course, which better placed its students for the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFeedback from industry suggests our students have good leadership and critical thinking abilities,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCare and compassion were fundamental qualities of any future nurse, but being able to think critically, develop and use evidence and solve problems were highly important.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nursing student Muhammad Hasnain Latif welcomed the new fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Muhamad<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Curtin nursing student Muhammad Hasnain Latif.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs an international student the costs associated with study all add up, so extra assistance is always going to be appreciated,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great initiative which will help many students make the often daunting leap from study to workplace with greater ease.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like Shai\u2019a, Muhammad discovered nursing after taking care of a loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI cared for my father in Pakistan up until he passed away in 2018,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy father was quite sick. He had a myriad of health problems such as renal failure, diabetes, hepatis and heart related issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would help my father with everything and took care of all his medical and health needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Muhamad<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Muhammad said he was inspired to study nursing after caring for his father.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muhammad said prior to his father falling ill, nursing had never crossed his mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven though my brother is a doctor, I was always set on becoming a lawyer or entering politics, as I loved debate and policy making,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought by entering politics I could help shape and make my home country of Pakistan a better place to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, after my father passed, I knew nursing was for me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Muhammad started his nursing degree online in 2021, while still living in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA few months later when international borders reopened, I moved to Perth to attend my lectures in person which has been great,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With admiration for his mentors and lecturers, Muhammad hopes to make them and his family proud one day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI highly respect nurses and hope to become a nurse I can be proud of – one that is patient, has empathy for others and puts others’ needs before their own,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI also think it\u2019s important to respect your patients and what they are going through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information or to support Jump Start Nursing please visit here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author | Carmelle Wilkinson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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