Nursing dream given new lease on life thanks to Fee-Free TAFE
By Greg Chapman
After 20 years helping those in aged care, Tammara Cooper is taking her passion one step further by pursuing a Diploma of Nursing at CQUniversity.
Tammara has held a Certificate IV in Aged Care and worked in the industry in Rockhampton for many years, but thanks to the Queensland Government’s Fee-Free TAFE (FFT) program, the mature-age student has been able to pursue further training to become a nurse.
“I’ve been working with the elderly and people with disabilities for about 20 years, and doing nursing seemed a natural progression,” Tammara said.
“I enrolled for a mid-year start, thinking I’d be paying full fees but then found out about the FFT, which is a bonus as having a debt at this stage of my life wasn’t ideal.”
Tammara said CQU’s training had helped her plan for a future in nursing.
“I’ve just finished the first semester of the course, completing all the assessments and undertaking a three-week placement in aged care, at Benevolent Living in Rockhampton,” she said.
“It is a lot of work, especially if you haven’t studied for some time, but as I’m a very organised person I’m managing to keep on top of it, so far.
“I’m very interested in palliative care and also I’d like to do remote nursing and, as I’m planning on travelling in a few years having a nursing qualification will come in handy.”
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