Shania Chanas
3rd-year student, Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing)
What she loves most about studying nursing are the practical components of her degree, says Shania Chanas who is in the third year of her Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing).
“I had heard many good things about the AUT nursing programme, and since the start of my degree I’ve only felt more confident in my choice to study here. The labs and clinical placements have been the highlights so far. Having the privilege to interact with patients and learn from nurses with many years of experience has been amazing.
“All the clinical educators have been great. We meet each week of the clinical placement to see how things are going, and I’ve always felt heard and supported whenever I had a question or concern, or shared an achievement with them. I’ve also enjoyed meeting new people in my cohort, and learning what brought them to nursing and what specialty they’d like to pursue after graduation.”
While she still has another year of studies to go, she already has a good idea of how she sees her future.
“My heart is pretty set on mental health nursing especially after completing my mental health clinical placement. I grew up in a very strict and religious household, which had a significant impact on my mental health. It wasn’t until I was 15 that I felt brave enough to begin counselling consistently and slowly I began to gain the confidence to move forward with my life. I’ve always wanted to pay forward the kindness and care that has been shown to me by all the counsellors and other health professionals throughout the years. I also aim to inspire others who are in similar situations. After gaining experience, I intend to undertake postgraduate study and, long term, pursue roles that influence mental health policy.”
Feeling supported
To help her achieve her goal of becoming a nurse, Shania has been awarded a Southern Cross Nursing Scholarship; support she is immensely grateful for.
“This scholarship has enabled me to focus on just being a student. It has also allowed me to be a better student through invitations to study days and a mentorship programme, which has added a huge level of individualised support for me.”
But her scholarship goes well beyond financial or even academic support.
“On a deeper level, receiving the Southern Cross Nursing Scholarship has opened my eyes to my strengths as a nursing student and given me the confidence to believe in myself, my values and my goals more. It has also encouraged me to seek out and apply for other opportunities outside of nursing as well. For example, last year I was shortlisted for the Inspiring Explorers programme, which recruited a team of young leaders to sail a tall ship to Antarctica.”
Advice for other students
Expecting to graduate at the end of the year, Shania has some great advice for other students.
“Be true to yourself. Regularly, ask yourself what drives you to study what you are but also what you enjoy outside of uni and work. I always like to keep in mind a quote from clinical psychologist Dr Aika Hui: ‘The new generation of psychologists is going to be you. Your interests matter, your critical eye matters, your lived experiences matter and you actualising this in your work and developing your voice matters. Yes, the field shapes you – but over time, you will also shape it, even if you don’t intend to.’”
She wouldn’t hesitate to recommend AUT to other students interested in studying nursing.
“The lecturers in the nursing programme each bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with them. It’s clear how much each of them cares about the field and its future – they truly want us all to succeed and feel supported to do so. There’s so much student support available. I’ve never felt that if something were to go wrong academically or personally that I’d have to navigate it alone.”
