Bethany Wilson

The Carmel Baulderstone Memorial Scholarship provides support to undergraduate nursing students admitted to the Bachelor of Nursing (Pre-registration) at Flinders University and enrolled in the second or third year of the course. The scholarship enables students to undertake a Professional Experience Placement at a School of Nursing and Midwifery-approved clinical training facility in a rural or remote setting.

For Bethany Wilson, the Carmel Baulderstone Memorial Scholarship allowed her to complete a one month placement at Alice Springs Hospital in 2015.

Inspired by a poster that she saw on campus, Bethany decided to apply for the scholarship. She says, “I knew that I was going to a remote location for my placement and I wouldn’t be able to work while I was away. I applied to assist with my living expenses.”

Bethany was relieved to discover that she had been awarded the scholarship. “It took a lot of the stress out of going to a remote location for a month. It helped me to be able to afford to pay my rent at home while I was away and take care of my living expenses. This meant I could enjoy my placement more as I wasn’t worried about money.”

Growing up in the city, Bethany was looking forward to experiencing health care in rural and remote settings. She says,

“I knew that the atmosphere would be different in Alice Springs compared to working in a city hospital, but I couldn’t believe that in Australia I could still feel completely culture shocked.”

During her placement, Bethany gained many valuable experiences. She says,

“I think a highlight was being able to go into the Aboriginal camps around town and provide health care to people in their own communities. A big city hospital cannot provide the sort of intimate and Aboriginal focused health care that is offered in Alice Springs.”

Bethany says, “I am a city girl through and through, but I can’t believe how much I enjoyed this placement. The scholarship allowed me to fully immerse myself in my placement. It was invaluable to me to experience health care in a different type of setting.”

Grateful for the support she has received, Bethany would like to acknowledge the donors who established her scholarship:

“Thank you! This scholarship enriched my nursing experience beyond belief. It has ignited my passion for Indigenous issues and I hope that my career allows me to provide care in the same ways that Bert and Carmel were so involved in.”

Bethany hopes to return to a remote setting for her next placement and, in the future, she hopes to get a transition to profession practice program (TPPP) placement in Alice Springs.