Hospitality provides transferrable skills for nursing student Courtney Evans

The trip of a lifetime turned into a race against the clock for hospitality and tourism professional Courtney Evans, when she broke her arm on a ski trip in Japan. Courtney was holidaying in late February of 2020 when the trip ended in disaster leaving her to travel back to Australia for surgery.

Courtney’s countless hospital visits soon turned into months of exposure to the health industry, an industry she previously had very little to do with. The numerous interactions with nurses throughout her recovery is what led her to changing her career path.

“I had many interactions with nurses throughout my recovery journey and found that they could really brighten my day with their kind and caring nature,” Evans said.

“I have always been a people person and thought I had many interpersonal skills that I could transfer from my hospitality career into a nursing one, so I started to research online where I could undertake a nursing diploma to get the ball rolling.”

After a bit of research Courtney found the Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121) at TAFE Queensland, which could be completed in just 18 months.

“I enrolled in the July 2020 intake and haven’t looked back since,” she said.

“The practical facilities at the TAFE Queensland Southport campus were amazing which made a huge difference to my learning as I was able to grasp the concepts much easier as I'm a kinaesthetic learner.”

“I felt like it increased my confidence and refined my skill level when going into industry placements.”

Courtney recently was awarded South East Queensland Vocational Student of the Year for 2022. When Courtney was asked why she thought she won the award, she said she was a student that was very eager to learn everything there was to know.

“It helped being a mature aged student, I was very passionate about giving 110% to my nursing studies as I did not just want to survive in my new chosen industry, I wanted to thrive.”

“It meant so much to me that all my hard work and effort was recognised and rewarded, as it confirmed to me that it was the right decision to change my career and that the nursing world was going to be somewhere I was going to flourish.”

“If I hadn’t had my accident I would have never had the opportunity to meet and talk to all the inspiring nurses that looked after me and I wouldn’t have had the time or drive to become a student at 30 years old.”

Nursing teacher Shelley Long proudly stated Courtney now has successfully completed her Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121) with TAFE Queensland and is now working as a nurse at Sandbrook McKenzie.

“I am in the enviable position to now see Courtney as a nurse at Sandbrook McKenzie where I do facilitation,” Mrs Long said.

“She is a stand out nurse that mentors’ other students and works brilliantly with the residents and team.”

“I have had the pleasure of working with so many amazing students, but Courtney is so deserving of this award and I think she is an inspiration to other students and to qualified nursing staff.”

Learn more about a career in nursing: https://tafeqld.edu.au/course/17/17738/diploma-of-nursing

Listen to Courtney’s exclusive interview: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6xDDpFZY0FDVFko9xbQAWX?si=J5g-xJfLSpWDARDpW-jCQw