UC graduates Hayley Good (top), Brydhi Stark (bottom right) and Tania Nascimento Ferreirinho Davies (bottom right).
For graduates Brydhi Stark, Hayley Good and Tania Nascimento Ferreirinho Davies, the UC Online programme offered a way to pursue nursing while balancing work, family and community commitments.
The cohort at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) achieved a 100 percent pass rate in the registered nursing exam, underscoring the strength of a programme designed to be both accessible and grounded in real-world clinical training.
For Brydhi Stark, the flexibility of UC Online made it possible to begin studying while living and working remotely in the Marlborough Sounds, where being immersed in a remote, natural environment helped her concentrate and stay engaged with her studies.
“The tutors were really approachable and supportive, and I found them really helpful. Simulations and placements were probably the biggest part of preparing us for practice,” Brydhi says.
Now working in neonatal intensive care unit at Christchurch Hospital, Brydhi values the human connection at the heart of nursing. She sees her role as supporting patients and families with compassion, helping create a more human, less clinical environment during what can be a challenging and emotional time.
“For me it’s about making it a little more light-hearted and not feel like a clinical or morbid space,” Brydhi says.
For graduate Hayley Good, the decision to study nursing was shaped by both her professional background and her move to a rural community.
Hayley moved to Hanmer Springs from Auckland three years ago, where she had worked as a paramedic. Living in a rural community and volunteering with the local ambulance service, she saw an opportunity to use her skills in a different way.
“I went to UC because they could cross credit some of my previous experience. The course is flexible with online learning and condensed into two years so I could develop skills and contribute back to my community,” Hayley says.
Her placements, which included work in aged residential care, a private hospital and rural general practice, ultimately led directly to employment in the community she now calls home.
“It's nice to be able to engage with people of the community and ensure that their patient journey is of a high standard, and to be able to see positive outcomes for people,” she says.
For Wānaka-based graduate Tania Nascimento Ferreirinho Davies, the UC Online programme opened a pathway into nursing that simply wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
Originally trained in agriculture engineering and biochemistry, Tania had worked in laboratories in Australia before moving to Aotearoa New Zealand with her family. It was through working as a healthcare assistant in a rural medical centre that she discovered her passion for patient care.
“I loved it, but I wanted to be able to do more for patients,” Tania says.
Clinical placements across Queenstown, Dunstan, Cromwell and Alexandra gave her exposure to a range of healthcare settings, while reinforcing the importance of rural care.
Now working as a practice nurse at Aspiring Medical Centre, Tania values the variety and responsibility that comes with rural healthcare.
“I love being part of a rural team. We have both the day-to-day with patients, but we also have acute and emergencies every day,” she says.
In communities without immediate access to hospital services, she says nurses play a critical frontline role.
“They can’t go anywhere else, so they count on us… we’re the first point of call,” Tania says.
Balancing study, work and family life was not without its challenges, particularly in an intensive two-year programme, but support from her local community and family made it possible. Living in Wānaka also helped, with its lifestyle and access to the outdoors providing a sense of balance alongside the intensity of study and frontline care.
“It really is a village; without that support, I wouldn’t have been able to do the course,” she says.
