Tucked next to Queensland’s beautiful Gelobera State Forest lies the little town of Mount Morgan.
It’s home to about 3,000 people, including Serenity.
Serenity is a young nurse starting her career at the Mount Morgan Multipurpose Health Service (MPHS), providing care and compassion to the community that helped shape her.
After completing her Assistant in Nursing (AIN) studies through a school-based traineeship, 18-year-old Serenity has started work at the MPHS aged care unit.
“I completed my AIN training while I was still in high school,” Serenity said.
“It was great because it meant I could start my nursing career at a young age, and I’m loving it.”
Serenity works in the aged care unit, often lending a hand across other departments when things get busy – that’s the nature of working regionally.
“Nursing has always appealed to me. I know I want to explore other areas in Queensland and the country, so knowing I’ll always have a great career no matter where I go is nice.”
But for now, while Serenity works in her hometown, she’s found it brings her a special kind of connection – plus she gets to see some special, familiar faces day-to-day.
One of those is lifelong Mount Morgan resident Val.
After decades of services as an AIN herself, Val retired following back surgery. Years later, health and mobility problems meant she had to move into residential aged care at Mount Morgan’s MPHS.
While Val admits she missed being in her own home, she knows there’s no better place to receive the care she needs.
“I enjoyed being at home more, but I can’t go home with the restrictions I’ve got with my legs,” Val said.
“But the staff are lovely and good to you here. And there are nice residents. They’re all nice people.”
Val spends her days enjoying planned activities with other residents and listening to audiobooks.
Her face lights up when she talks about her grandchildren, many who have followed her path into caring professions.
“My granddaughter is an AIN like I was,” she said.
“My grandsons are also in caring roles. One’s an auxiliary firefighter, another is a security officer, and one works in customer service.”
Serenity has always wanted a career in nursing and she’s already loving it.
She’s now working towards becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) and can’t wait to expand her skill set while continuing to take care of members of the Mount Morgan community.
