Renee’s beautiful new beginning in nursing

After spending 26 years running her own beauty therapy business, Renee Bellamy is now graduating with a Diploma of Nursing from Mater Education.

The 55-year-old Carina resident has started working as a qualified enrolled nurse at Mater Hospital Brisbane’s oncology unit.

During the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Renee was forced to explore other possibilities to make a living and decided to try her luck in healthcare.

“My business was shut down, and I didn’t know when we’d be able to open again,” Renee said.

“I thought, I have to do something that I can study really quickly so I can get a job.”

After 17 weeks of study, she completed her Certificate III in Pathology Collection with Mater Education in 2021 and worked as a phlebotomist in drive-through testing clinics.

Renee’s experience opened her eyes up to the impact healthcare professionals were enduring during the global pandemic.

“It made me realise that if something like COVID ever happened again, I had a career where I could help people and I wanted to keep pursuing this passion,” she said.

Five years later, Renee is celebrating her nursing milestone along with 130 of her fellow graduates who completed their Diploma of Nursing in Brisbane this week.

“My daughter completed a Diploma of Nursing with Mater Education and she loved it. I saw how well she did and the support she received and that’s why I chose to study here too,” Renee said.

“The support from the teachers is incredible, that’s why I kept coming back to Mater.”

Renee and her fellow graduates have completed their 18-month Diploma of Nursing course debt-free, thanks to the Queensland Government’s Free Nursing initiative.

More than 650 enrolled nurses have graduated from Mater Education since it became an approved provider of the initiative in 2023, while 654 students are currently studying.

For Renee, getting to study fee-free was a game changer.

“When you own a business, you never pay yourself a wage. You never pay yourself super or anything like that,” she said.

“To be able to pursue a healthcare career fee-free while I was still running my business has been life-changing.”

Now working in the oncology unit, Renee hopes to grow in her skills, knowledge and care for patients in their most vulnerable moments.

“Sadly, you get to see patients on a regular basis as they go through their treatment, but it’s an incredible opportunity to be on the journey with them and support them all the way through,” Renee said.

“I just want to learn as much as I can and support them in any way that I can.”