With course fees covered and her final placement in sight, Lauren is proof that asking for help can be the bravest and best thing you can do.
Lauren Dewhirst is on the home stretch of a Bachelor of Nursing degree through Otago Polytechnic. She has just months to go until she sits her exam to become a registered nurse, a goal that has been years in the making.
Her path into nursing began not in the classroom, but in the hospital, as a patient.
“I decided to do a Bachelor of Nursing after being inspired by the nurses on my own health journey,” she says.
Having spent much of her adult life managing chronic illness, Lauren says she can now return that level of care to healthcare through her lived experience. Lauren has already completed a Bachelor of Arts in Education (from the University of Otago). This first degree took seven years, the majority of which was completed while in hospital.
“Being someone who was chronically ill, and also neurodivergent, I think it’s quite a unique view to have coming into healthcare,” Lauren explains. “I’m still my own nurse, so to speak, but I can use that knowledge in different health settings and placements, and I can advocate for patients and can do the little things that other students may not always think about doing.”
But getting to this final year hasn’t been easy. Lauren had reached the limit of her student loan, and with the demands of full-time placements, working enough hours to self-fund simply wasn’t realistic.
“I was basically facing quite significant financial barriers completing my final year,” she says.
After searching unsuccessfully for scholarships, Lauren decided to share her story on LinkedIn. It paid off. “I ended up hearing about the Grants for Good program through a professional contact on LinkedIn,” she says. “I would have never thought of applying if it wasn’t for them.”
Lauren was delighted that the application process was easy to navigate.
“It definitely gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own journey, the challenges I’ve had to overcome and the impact I’m hoping to make in healthcare,” she says.
The grant has covered her course fees this year and eased the pressure so she can focus on her studies and her upcoming nine-week transition placement – the final step before registration.
Looking ahead, Lauren hopes to give back to the profession by mentoring and providing clinical education to the next generation of nurses. She’s also passionate about visibility for neurodiverse healthcare workers. “We offer such a unique perspective to healthcare,” she says. “It’s becoming more talked about and more supported, but there’s certainly a long way to go.”
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