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Building career confidence after a mid-career change

By April 20, 2022December 19th, 2022No Comments

Tim is one of those people that light up a room as soon as he walks through it. He’s charismatic, confident and enjoys connecting with people. So, when he ditched his management job for a career in nursing, no one was surprised.

To Tim, nursing seemed like the ideal job where he could work in the service of people but in a way that mattered. And so he started his journey studying a Diploma of Nursing HLT54115 at VFA Learning.

Flexibility is the key to helping parents retrain

As a single parent, Tim required flexibility in his study arrangement. That was one of the biggest reasons he chose to study at VFA.

“The course was a lot more flexible than most that were available. VFA’s flexibility in terms of the contact hours and online accessibility made it really attractive to me, particularly as a single-income household.”

The Diploma of Nursing at VFA is offered two days onsite, and the other two days are completed during the week around work and family commitments. Another unique aspect of the course is it’s fast-tracked to be completed in 18 months, instead of other institutions which only offer it over two years. It’s a huge advantage as graduates can start working and earning quicker.

Support to help you through the tough times

Tim started his course in 2019. When the pandemic began the following year, it threw everything into chaos. The initial stages were highly uncertain, and most people were trying to navigate what it meant for them. On top of that, Tim had his own personal tragedy in 2020.

“I lost a parent, which was rough, but I had incredible support from the VFA staff, who kept me on task. They gave me enough leeway to be able to stay on target, and they wouldn’t let me let myself down.”

Tim knew he would see the course through to the end. Despite the few stops and starts, he credits the trainers as some of the most important teachers he’s ever had, helping and guiding him throughout his study journey.

Julie Rock, Clinical Nursing Placement Co-ordinator at VFA, says the support offered to students is critical to helping students succeed no matter what obstacles are placed in their way.

“We had to work really hard at encouraging and motivating Tim. It was important just to support him through that time because we could see he had great potential. So, I was very excited when he graduated. It was great to see him start to believe in himself.”

Going into a career with confidence

Tim graduated in March 2021 and is now working as a nurse at Barwon Health. He recently had VFA students at his workplace, where he was responsible for mentoring and guiding them on their placement experience, and it felt terrific to be able to give back.

“It’s very validating to have students in the same position as I was on that first placement look up to me and think this is a guy who knows what he’s doing.”

“I came to VFA thinking I was confident. I left VFA knowing I was confident.”

Tim is excited about his future in the nursing industry. His focus is on getting more experience under his belt and then continuing to upskill and build his career. The future is bright!