After receiving an Excellence Scholarship to study nursing, Hannah Neilson was excited to join UCOL Whanganui. As a part of her studies Hannah did a number of clinical placements, with a variety of organisations ranging from aged care services to Whanganui Hospital.

“The placements just kept getting better. I was able to do more tasks as the placements went on, and grew my confidence, which was definitely a highlight.”

That final placement at Whanganui Hospital was extra enjoyable, as Hannah is now working full time in their surgical ward. She’s a part of the Whanganui District Health Board’s Nurse Entry to Practice (NETP) Programme, which sees new graduates guided through their first year and complete a paper towards a Master’s degree.

“It was great because I knew the environment that I was going into. Like with any job, there are things that you can only learn on the job. As a new graduate, I felt prepared and I’m just growing my knowledge from there.”