Craig finds his true calling

HESTA member Craig chose nursing so he can help save lives

When Craig’s girlfriend suffered a motorcycle accident at the age of 21 he wanted to be able to help aid in her recovery. During her long and painful journey to regain her health, Craig got a real understanding of the role nurses play in patient care, support and rehabilitation, “I watched as my girlfriend, who later became my wife, go through over 20 operations and decided to make a major career shift from working in the printing industry to becoming a nurse,” says Craig.

“My life went from mixing colours for pre-press approval for big companies to caring for people’s healthcare needs,” says Craig.

Since starting his first nursing job, Craig has been a HESTA member. “I’ve been watching my money grow and it’s cruising along nicely,” says Craig. “It will mean being able to travel across Australia in retirement in a caravan, with a decent car to pull it along!”

Craig spent the first seven years of his health career in aged care. He is now an Endorsed Enrolled Nurse specialising in psychiatric, medical and surgical nursing. His job involves being sent to lots of hospitals all over Melbourne when patients don’t fit the criteria of a ward patient. “You really need to be on your toes when dealing with some of these patients,” says Craig. “I work night shifts a lot and am often called on when a patient is medically unstable, is exhibiting aggressive behaviour and maybe even refusing care.”

It was nursing that introduced Craig to his new partner Debbie in 2016. They both worked in aged care and were colleagues for a long time. It wasn’t until after Debbie left her role that Craig reached out to her on social media to see how she was doing. They went out for dinner one night, “and the rest is history,” says Craig.

Craig recently attended the HESTA Australian Nursing & Midwifery Awards for the second time, the first was when he was a nursing student at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. “It’s great meeting up with like-minded people, finding out how they go about their work and the difference people can make in others’ lives,” says Craig. “I really enjoy the awards because they show that HESTA understands nurses like myself, which is a nice feeling.”

Nursing is Craig’s true calling, “I love being able to save lives. I also love being able to provide care through all of life’s circumstances.”