Alyson Gilmore is using her head to follow her heart.

She’s enjoying her role as a Home Care Worker with Uniting AgeWell in regional Victoria while studying for her nursing degree.

“I’ve bought my own house, so I’ve got to be able to pay the mortgage,” Alyson explains. “I’m also learning a great deal about working with older people, which will stand me in great stead for my nursing career.”

The 27-year-old is being guided by both logic and passion. She enjoys working with older people and knows that nursing in aged care offers regular hours and opportunities for career advancement.

“I will certainly work in hospitals to gain wider experience once I graduate,” Alyson says. “But I am also certainly going to consider nursing in aged care, especially if I have a family of my own where regular hours are important. I also like the holistic ongoing care that comes with aged care nursing, unlike in a hospital setting where a patient is admitted, treated and discharged.”

Working in aged care also offers career opportunities. There is the opportunity to nurse in the community as well as in residential aged care. Many Residential Services Managers at Uniting AgeWell are trained nurses, who have been recognised for their leadership qualities and progressed through the ranks.

Alyson is also enjoying working in a career that has meaning. Where she feels she can make a difference to someone’s life.

“I have a Degree in Biomedicine and worked in pathology in a laboratory for a number of years. It was interesting, but I really missed the face-to-face contact with the people I was helping.”

Alyson certainly gets a lot of that in her current role. She does personal care, takes clients out shopping or drives them to appointments, does housework and more.

“I love chatting to the clients and finding out their life stories,” she says. “It’s very rewarding.”

International Nurses Day on 12 May is an opportunity for Uniting AgeWell to celebrate our wonderful nurses (and nurses in training) who are all appreciated and valued.

Find out more about careers at Uniting AgeWell