By 25, Georgina Osborne had already spent five years carving out an unconventional nursing path. From the fast-paced chaos of super clinics as an undergraduate medical assistant to a rural graduate role in residential aged care, she had seen nursing from very different perspectives.
"I come from a family of nurses,” says Georgina, “My mum was a nurse, my grandmother was a nurse. I've got a few aunties and cousins that are nurses."
But unlike her family and many other nurses, she skipped working in acute settings and instead worked in primary health care, including general practice and aged care after graduating.
|
|
“I knew from my family experiences that I would be signing up for work in a pretty brutal system,” she reflects particularly on her aged care role, especially given the negative media coverage during COVID-19 and her own challenging placements.
However, it was her genuine care for older people, along with the support of a mentor and her graduate program, that helped her discover the meaningful and rewarding side of caring for older people in primary health care settings.
That guidance led her to APNA’s CDMHA (Chronic Disease Management in Health Aged Care) program, which Georgina describes as a transformative step in her career. Designed for nurses working with older adults and chronic disease management, the program offered her a structured and engaging way to refresh her skills and expand her knowledge in healthy ageing and frailty.
One of the first things Georgina noticed was the quality of the program’s structure. “It really took me back to my undergraduate days,” she says. She particularly enjoyed the mix of colleagues from different sectors—general practice, community care, and residential facilities- which reminded her just how diverse nursing roles can be.
While the program is not for aged care nurses, it offered Georgina further education in geriatric care – reigniting her passion for primary health care.
The program’s workshops were well-structured, interactive, and manageable alongside a full study or workload. Georgina highlights the online modules and First Nations cultural safety course as standout components. These modules encouraged reflection on cultural diversity, the impact of colonisation, and holistic gerontological care. “It broadened my perspective in ways I hadn’t anticipated,” she says.
Beyond the content itself, Georgina found immense value in the program’s community of practice. Workshops encouraged collaboration, allowing nurses to share ideas, strategies, and resources from their respective fields. She recalls learning new ways to approach patient care, such as considering reproductive health in diabetes management- a perspective she hadn’t encountered in her own specialty.
“It was really cool,” Georgina noted, “to understand how other people’s brains think and how we all work together.”
Although Georgina now works in research rather than in a clinical setting, the program helped her feel confident in her primary healthcare knowledge. She strengthened her understanding of areas like frailty assessments and nurse-led clinics—skills that would equip her to step back into clinical practice if she ever chose to.
“It was reassuring to know that even after some time away from direct patient care, I could still confidently apply what I’ve learned,” she says.
The program also enriched her research by deepening her understanding of national strategies and policies that shape clinical practice. “For me, in a non-clinical role at present, that was one of the biggest impacts because you don’t think about that unless you’re working in those spaces,” she explains.
Georgina highly recommends the program, especially to nurses working in rural and remote areas. “It’s a good reminder of just how much is out there and what resources are already available,” she says.
For her, the CDMHA program offered more than new information—it reignited her enthusiasm for nursing. “Intellectually stimulating is exactly how I would describe like the workshops.” she described. “It’s a really good way to get reinvigorated and passionate about your profession and your role again by engaging in something.”
CDMHA is part of the Nursing in Primary Health Care Program, supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
You can add APNA-Member Professional Indemnity Insurance to your membership, when you join APNA.
Image of Georgina Osborne, Nurse and Researcher.