Townsville family trains together to nurse together
A mother and stepdaughter duo are embarking on new careers at Mater Private Hospital Townsville after graduating from Mater Education’s Diploma of Nursing course.
Maree Christiansen, 56, and stepdaughter Nadia Christiansen, 33, are among 27 students who are graduating debt-free from the course this month to join Queensland’s healthcare frontline.
Their journey towards nursing began after a life-changing family moment when husband and father Gill Christiansen underwent open-heart surgery in 2020.
This prompted the family to reassess their priorities and sell their long-running pest control business as part of a move towards Mr Christiansen’s retirement.
“We felt really helpless in that instant, making sure that he was getting the care that he needed,” Maree said.
As Maree supported Mr Christiansen through his recovery and Nadia took on a role in support work, both began to realise that caring for others was something they were meant to do.
“One day, Maree saw an advertisement for Mater’s Diploma of Nursing course and rang me straight away,” Nadia said.
The pair enrolled and started studying at Mater Private Hospital Townsville’s Pimlico campus in July 2024.
“We simply wouldn’t have been able to do it unless it was free,” Maree said.
“Eighteen months of full-time study is a big commitment, but everything just seemed to fall into place.”
Both Maree and Nadia said their close bond helped them train for their new careers.
“We have been brought closer during this course. There are other classmates, but family is different,” Maree said.
“We had each other to lean on and encourage all the way through which was so helpful.”
Maree and Nadia have now secured positions in the endoscopy department and Post Anaesthetic Care Unit (PACU) at Mater Private Hospital Townsville and will start their roles in February.
“It feels surreal to say, ‘I’m a nurse,’” Nadia said. “I’m really proud of us.”
More than 100 students have enrolled in the Diploma of Nursing in Townsville since Mater Education became an approved provider of the State Government’s Free Nursing initiative in 2023.
The Queensland Government is providing 2,000 free Diploma of Nursing training places this year, with the health and social care sector projected to be Queensland’s fastest growing industry by 2028-29.
Mater Education Senior Manager, Diploma of Nursing Claire Cureton said teachers were expecting more Townsville locals to take advantage of fee-free study.
“Queensland urgently needs to expand its nursing workforce to meet the healthcare needs of our community now and into the future,” she said.
“Free nursing training has been an enormous opportunity for those wanting to start their healthcare career.”
Applicants for the Free Nursing initiative must live in Queensland and be Australian citizens or permanent residents to be eligible for a fee-free Diploma of Nursing.
The next fee-free course at Mater Education Townsville starts in July. To find out more go to matereducation.qld.edu.au.
