Learning the foundations of nursing

Following in his mother’s caring footsteps

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Since he was young, Lochie Humphries has known that he wanted to be a nurse. 

His mother joined the healthcare sector to educate herself on the best way to care for her own father and continued working in aged care for many years. 

It was witnessing her passion to care for people that influenced Lochie’s decision to follow in the same footsteps. 

Despite gaining direct entry into the Bachelor of Nursing program at UOW, Lochie's aspiration was to learn the nursing profession from its foundations. To achieve this, he made the conscious decision to enroll in the vocational Diploma of Nursing at UOW College. 

“I wanted to get my clinical practice first and have that experience,” he says. 

“And getting my diploma first also allows me to work as an enrolled nurse while I complete my bachelor studies. 

“I’d talked to friends and family who did nursing before and they also said becoming an enrolled nurse, not only broadens your skill set but also strengthens your proficiency as a nurse."  

When he finishes the diploma, Lochie is planning on working as an enrolled nurse as he transitions into the second year of the Bachelor of Nursing at UOW Wollongong campus. 

He says completing his Diploma of Nursing through UOW College is giving him the confidence to embrace the wider UOW campus life. 

“I love having teachers that are like your mates. They learn with you, they go on placement with you and take you every step of the way.” 

“Having that small class size is also so much easier because you get to know everyone and why they have a passion for nursing.” 

Lochie says easing his way into university life through UOW College helped him make the transition from regional NSW to a much bigger city. 

“I was fresh out of high school when I came to Wollongong,” he says. 

“I’m from Tamworth and did the big move to Wollongong on my own, so I was a bit scared about how I would go academically and how university life would be. 

“I knew the College had smaller class sizes and it would help me adjust to life away from home.” 

Lochie admits he did not know where Wollongong was before he decided to put it down as his first preference for study. 

“I picked it on a whim because most people from Tamworth go to Newcastle for tertiary study,” he says.  

“I didn’t want to end up in Newcastle, but I also wanted to be close to Sydney, so I chose Wollongong as my first choice.” 

“My first time in Wollongong was the Early Admission congratulations event and I knew from that point it was the place I wanted to be. When I got here, I knew this was home and this was the place I was meant to be. It all fell into place for me.” 

Lochie secured accommodation at UOW Campus East and says he is now living the “full Uni life”. 

“One thing I love about Campus East is it is a big community, everyone’s so friendly, and there is lots of socialising,” he says. 

“We have a big international student cohort which I love. I’ve got a French roommate, another one from Saudi Arabia and I love to learn about their culture.” 

“Once I finish my degree, I would love to work in Sydney for a while, but I also want go to regional and remote areas” he says. 

“I’m very excited to do regional placements. You learn a lot in the fast-paced environments but then you get the wisdom and experience of people in regional Australia which they pass down.”  

Interested in studying the Diploma of Nursing? Find out more.

Lochie Humphries 
HLT54121 Diploma of Nursing