Reflection written by Debbie Chew
👣“From baby steps to now a lifetime of care, courage, and change.”
I began my nursing career in the 1980s as an Enrolled Nurse, stepping into a profession that looked very different from the one we know today. It was a time when nurses were hospital trained, careers were led by formidable Matrons, and we addressed each other formally, never by first names. We were “Nurse” or “Sister,” and the hierarchy was clear, respected, and deeply embedded in the culture of care.
As the sector evolved, so did I. I transitioned to a Registered Nurse, completed my degree through university, and later a Master of Health Care Management. My career has taken me across both acute care and aged care, giving me a front row seat to the extraordinary transformation of our profession.
Over the decades, I’ve witnessed:
- The shift from hospital‑based training to university educated nurses, bringing new knowledge, research, and critical thinking into practice.
- A profession once dominated almost entirely by women is now welcoming a growing number of men; today, around 12–13% of Australia’s nursing workforce is male and rising.
- Changes in how we deliver care, communicate, and collaborate across disciplines.
- The evolution of procedures and technology from measuring specific gravity in a test tube to digital diagnostics, electronic records, and evidence-based protocols that guide safer, more consistent care.
What has never changed is the heart of nursing: compassion, advocacy, skill, and the unwavering commitment to those we care for.
Nurses Week is a moment to honour not only where we are now, but the journey that brought us here the generations of nurses who shaped the profession, the colleagues who walk beside us today, and the future nurses who will carry the torch forward.
I am proud to have grown with this profession. Proud to have witnessed its evolution. And proud to stand with every nurse who continues to show up with courage, kindness, and dedication no matter how much the world around us changes.
Happy Nurses Week to all who give so much of themselves to others.
