16/06/2026
Growing up on a farm outside Albury-Wodonga, Bachelor of Nursing student Eve McKenzie-McHarg always knew she wanted a career that combined science, critical thinking and meaningful human connection.
“I grew up on a farm outside of Albury Wodonga, so healthcare and community have always been woven into my world. Nursing felt like the perfect blend of science, critical thinking, and meaningful human care — what an honour it is to be present with someone when they're at their most vulnerable. It's a privilege I don't take lightly.”
Choosing to study with La Trobe allowed Eve to stay connected to the community that shaped her while building the skills and experience needed for a nursing career.
“The La Trobe Rural Health School was the perfect fit: I could stay close to my family and community, keep working and volunteering alongside my studies, and learn in the kinds of places where nurses are genuinely essential — not just one part of a big system, but the heartbeat of it. Being rural, I love the sense of being genuinely known — by your community, your colleagues, your patients. Rural healthcare isn't just a setting, it's a relationship. You're woven into the fabric of the place, and that changes how you show up for people.”
For Eve, the hands-on nature of the course and the people she met along the way have been among the highlights of her university experience.
“Within my course, I’ve most enjoyed the hands-on nature from day one — we weren't eased in gently, and I loved that. Simulation labs were fantastic, but the real highlights have been the people: peers who became my friends and support system, lecturers who treated us like future colleagues, and nurses on placement who showed me what brilliant care actually looks like. My semester in Edinburgh sits at the top of the list too — seeing healthcare delivered differently, in a completely unfamiliar country, pushed me well outside my comfort zone in the best possible way.”
Alongside her studies, Eve embraced opportunities both locally and internationally.
“I completed a semester exchange in Edinburgh, I volunteer with the State Emergency Service alongside my studies, and I've been working as an AIN throughout my degree. Rural nursing has never been about limiting myself. It's been about knowing my values and building outward from there.”
Those experiences have helped shape her growth as a clinician.
“My placements across regional Victoria were where I really found my feet — smaller teams, real responsibility, and the kind of hands-on learning you can only get in a rural setting. In Edinburgh, everything shifted; seeing healthcare delivered within an entirely different country made me a more adaptable and curious nurse. The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne was a completely different world again — the energy, the complexity, the pace — and working in paediatrics lit something up in me I wasn't expecting. Alongside all of this, working as an AIN has meant I've built real clinical hours outside of placement too, and that experience has shaped me just as much. And I still have one more placement to come!”
Like many nursing students, Eve says one of the biggest challenges has been learning to navigate the emotional demands of the profession while balancing study, placements, work and volunteering.
“The biggest challenge has honestly, been the emotional weight of nursing - it is demanding in a way that's hard to fully prepare for until you're in it. Juggling placements, study, work and volunteering was a real stretch early on, and learning to manage all of that without burning out took time. But those pressures taught me things no lecture could: when to ask for help, how to find steadiness in uncertain moments, and how to keep showing up. I think I’m genuinely a more resilient person for it.”
Having a strong support network made a significant difference.
“Studying locally made an enormous difference — being near family and friends kept me grounded during the harder stretches. Within uni, the lecturers who genuinely invested in us made the whole experience feel human. My advice: don't wait for connection to find you. Get to know your cohort early, introduce yourself to your lecturers, and lean into those relationships — they're how you get through the tough times and make the good moments really worth celebrating.”
Looking ahead, Eve is excited about continuing her nursing journey and discovering where her career will take her.
“After I graduate, my first stop is a graduate nurse program where I can consolidate everything and keep growing. My time at the Royal Children's Hospital genuinely sparked a passion for paediatrics — there's something about that environment that stayed with me. More than a specific setting though, what I'm really chasing is continuity of care: knowing your patients, being part of their story, and building those meaningful relationships over time. I think my niche will reveal itself as I keep saying yes to new experiences — and I can't wait to find it!"
