That was when she was just seven and found herself drawn to the nurses’ efficiency, patience and uniforms.

“I thought I had missed my chance to be a nurse when circumstances intervened and I was unable to complete year 11 and 12 at high school,” Ms Berghofer said.

“This was a pre requisite for further education in the nursing field.

“So, I went on to have numerous other jobs and a family with four children, before attending TAFE to complete my enrolled nursing (EN) course in Sydney as a mature age student in my thirties.”

Ms Berghofer worked an EN for 10 years in Sydney and, when her children were in high school, she started at the University of Technology to complete a Bachelor of Nursing.

She juggled studying with working full-time and raising her family.

After completing her graduate year at the Leeton District Hospital and gaining experience in Sydney hospitals as a registered nurse she returned to Leeton permanently.

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“I originally worked in the emergency department and am now permanently on the acute care ward,” she said.

“Overall I have been nursing for about 25 years.

“The best part of the job for me is the challenge of problem solving and discharge planning for patients, to keep them independent and in their home environment as long as possible.

“Liasing with community services and families to attain this is also enjoyable and challenging.” 

Ms Berghofer said there were certainly harder parts to being a nurse.

“The not so good parts of the job is learning that elderly community members may have been struggling at home with their health and/or independence, due to a lack of knowledge, or understanding, of available services in the community,” she said.

She also encouraged more young people to consider the job.

“Nursing has many branches and would be a great career path for young people,” Ms Berghofer said. 

“There is excellent further education opportunities and scholarships available in order to specialise in certain areas, such as critical care, ICU, midwifery, educator positions and management, just to name a few.

“I would definitely recommend nursing if you want variety and a challenging career.”

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