For the past year Kaila Whiddon has been a graduate nurse at Calvary St Luke’s Hospital in Launceston, and now she is one of the faces you may come across if you happen to be a patient having surgery.

After completing a Bachelor of Nursing at University of Tasmania, Kaila chose to do her graduate year placement at Calvary, spending six months on a ward and six months in recovery and anaesthetics.

“I chose Calvary because the graduate nurse program is a lot more supportive than what you would experience at the public hospital,” Kaila said.

“It’s great, you get more study days, which when you are learning are so important, and the resources around us at Calvary are great, including there being a lot more experienced nurses to work with.”

Kaila was inspired to be a nurse by her grandmother, who was a midwife, and her aunt, who was a nurse in the Australian army, and now she has the aspirational nurse educators and senior staff at Calvary St Luke’s spurring her on.

“When I started here in my graduate year I had a mix of anxiety and excitement, but after the year I have had at Calvary, I’ve agreed to stay on in theatres to learn more,” Kaila said.