Clinical Health Research

I decided to study a PhD mainly because I really wanted to positively impact nursing practice and policy.

I think studying a PhD is a really helpful thing for a health clinician to do. We see the things that need to be changed firsthand when we're working. So I think having that knowledge and then being able to go in and do work is impactful, and actually matters to have long-term impactful changes to healthcare.

When I was working on the ward, there were some changes that I really wanted to make, and I was doing a lot of quality improvement projects mainly towards what my PhD topic ended up being, which is about how we can better care for adults with cognitive impairments without using medications, like sedatives and antiscychotics.

Before I was working in the local health district, I worked on Thursday Island for 6 months in an age care facility. And in that facility, the thing that I noticed more than anything else was how culturally ingrained it was for the workers there to provide a really person-centred level of care for adults with cognitive impairment.

I really wanted to integrate what I'd learned on the island into the acute health setting. I chose Southern Cross University to do my PhD. I felt really supported by the staff here, and I really liked the facility as well.

My supervisors are very available. They're very present. Every PhD student has multiple moments where we feel really lost. But it is in those times that I rely on the support of my supervisors and also my colleagues here at the University - who are doing PhDs as well.

It's a great supportive network. One of the great things about doing a PhD at Southern Cross University is the flexibility in it.

A lot of people think of a PhD as being so time consuming and rigid with the schedules, but actually you make your own schedule and a lot of it is done online.

Doing a PhD can feel like a really big task. It's very easy to get overwhelmed, and I think by doing it at Southern Cross University, which is a smaller university, you feel really supported and really encouraged.

Doing a PhD is really helpful if you're a healthcare clinician, especially if you have a a great idea in mind and how you want to change things. It opens up a whole world of opportunities where you get to lead the change.

Every great PhD starts with just a really good idea. And if you're passionate and you're really determined and you want to make big changes to an industry that you care about, doing a PhD is the best way to do it.