Turning childhood fear into nursing career
When Erica Lynch crossed the stage at CQUniversity’s 2025 Bundaberg graduation ceremony today (December 9), she wasn’t just receiving a Bachelor of Nursing degree -she was fulfilling a dream she had first whispered as a frightened little girl in a hospital ward.
Erica, now a proud mother of three, said her journey into nursing began long before she ever stepped foot onto a university campus. As a child, she spent a lot of time in hospital - and it became a place she dreaded.
“I would beg my mum not to take me - it was not a place where I wanted to be,” Erica recalled.
That is until she had a visit from the ‘Clown Doctors’.
“They brought joy, laughter and a sense of magic into a place that felt scary,” she said.
“I still have the photo they gave me, they wrote on it that I looked like Nicole Kidman and pretended they were starstruck to be in the presence of someone so “famous.” That moment made me feel so special.”
It was that spark of joy and comfort - delivered in a moment of vulnerability - that planted the seed of a future career in paediatric nursing.
“I dreamt I would dress up as Cinderella and visit patients, wanting to create the same joy the Clown Doctors had given me.”
But as it does, life has a way of taking different turns and that was also the case for Erica.
“After school, I first went to university to study Criminology and International Relations but I quickly realised it wasn’t the right path for me,” she explained.
“I then found myself in marketing, which became my career. I enjoyed parts of it, but it never felt truly fulfilling or the right career for me.”
She became a mum to her son at 20, experienced a late miscarriage at 22, before welcoming two daughters soon after.
“Living in a small rural town in north-east Tasmania, opportunities were limited, both for work and for the future I dreamed of for my children,” Erica said.
“Nursing wasn’t possible then. The nearest campus was a 2.5 hour drive each way and with three young children, work and a husband working long hours, it simply wasn’t achievable.”
Everything changed when Erica and her family moved to Bundaberg in 2022.
Suddenly, the dream that had been sitting quietly in her heart for years felt possible.
“At 27, I enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing at CQUniversity. From the moment I started, I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be,” she said.
“My first placement confirmed it - I loved being part of people’s journeys, advocating for patients, and trying to bring joy where I could.”
That joy was something she’d experienced again as a mother, after multiple hospital visits with her asthmatic son.
The compassion of paediatric nurses, she said, strengthened her resolve to join the profession.
“The nurses on paediatric wards were just incredible. This was also inspiring me further to pursue nursing.”
Studying full-time while raising three children, working, and supporting a FIFO husband was not easy. The household ran on schedules, sacrifice and unrelenting determination.
“My mindset became, ‘if there’s a will, there’s a way’,” Erica said.
“I took summer semesters and pushed through. My motto was short-term pain for long-term gain.”
Behind every long day and late night was a support team holding her up - her mother-in-law, family, friends and most of all, her husband Brad, who even took time off work so she could complete her placements.
“He has been my biggest supporter.
“I couldn’t have done it without them,” she said.
After 2.5 years of dedication, Erica proudly graduated today.
To top it off, she recently received the news that she had once only dreamed about: she’s been offered a highly sought-after postgraduate position in paediatric nursing starting in 2026.
“It feels like a dream come true,” she said.
“The career I imagined as a little girl is finally becoming a reality. My children are so proud, and I hope my journey shows them that no barrier is too big to overcome.”
Erica now hopes her story encourages others - especially parents, career-changers and anyone who feels that life has passed them by - to take the leap.
“Nursing is incredibly rewarding, and there are so many opportunities,” she said.
“No matter your age or circumstance, if there is a will, there is a way.”
