Seafood to scrubs: Portia’s path to helping others
By Greg Chapman
Looking at Portia Lanyon, you wouldn’t think she once held a job as a fishmonger.
The 36-year-old traded her old profession for a career that's giving back to the community, as an enrolled nurse in the cancer inpatient unit at Rockhampton Hospital.
The transition was made possible through her determination, and CQUniversity’s training.
“I have always admired and respected nurses and I’ve always found satisfaction in helping people. The job is so diverse you get to see a lot of interesting things and make a positive impact on people’s lives,” Portia said.
“I feel good knowing that I can make a difference to people when they’re facing some really hard things. I think a lot of people seek that sense of fulfillment from their work.”
Portia said the flexibility of CQU’s Diploma of Nursing gave her the confidence to return to study.
“It was great that I could do most of my studying from home and watch the lectures online. I was able to balance family life, work and school at the same time,” she said.
Portia said she also valued the hand-on experience.
“I loved the residential schools - practising our skills in the laboratory space was really cool and we had a lot of fun," she said.
"All the teachers were very invested in us, and they really made sure that we were supported in whatever ways we needed to be.”
She said the course gave her the skills and knowledge to do her current job well.
“The close-knit cancer unit has 11 beds, so you really get to know each patient and learn a lot about disease processes, treatments and see how all the different allied health teams work together in the bigger picture,” she said.
“I also love the challenge of learning a whole new skill set; every day I learn something different and it’s usually another nurse that’s showing me a new skill.
"I’ve found a really strong sense of camaraderie with my colleagues as well so there’s a sense of belonging.
“I’m more confident as a person, I’ve proven to myself that I could pursue post-secondary education at my age...and I’m really proud of that. It’s improved my career opportunities and my earning potential, but the biggest thing is feeling like I belong in a profession that I’ve always respected.”
Portia will cross the stage at the CQU Rockhampton Graduation Ceremony this week, but she’s already seeing a brighter future - and encourages others to chase their nursing dreams too.
“I’d say have a good think about it and if it’s something you really want, then throw yourself into it 100 per cent. You have nothing to lose,” she said.
“If you go into it willing to do your best each day, you’re guaranteed to surprise yourself. You just have to make that decision and never look back.
“At the end of the day there’s so many opportunities in healthcare for nurses and so many avenues you can go down so it’s a really solid career choice. It opens a lot of doors for further study and training as well.”
