While Tony enjoyed his studies, after three years of working in insurance, his love of languages took over once more. He spent three years working as an English language tour guide before making the decision to backpack around Australia on a working holiday visa.
“I just wanted to explore what it was like outside China—on a different continent, in a different hemisphere,” he says.
Seven months of travelling ensued, down Australia’s eastern coast from Queensland to Tasmania, odd-jobbing in a hotel as a kitchen hand, housekeeper and waiter, then fruit-picking on a Tasmanian strawberry farm. It was while staying with another friend from China that the idea of nursing materialised.
“My friend was doing a Bachelor of Nursing and she encouraged me. She said, if you want to study in Australia, this might be a good opportunity for you. I spoke to my parents and they were very supportive and that’s how I started my nursing studies.
“I had no nursing background at all. It was a totally new area for me, so at the beginning it was quite overwhelming. But I knew when I came to Australia, I wanted to do something different. Either being an English teacher or a nurse, I think I can help someone in some way. Nursing became my first choice, because I can use the knowledge to also help my family.”
Tony was attracted to the course at Flinders University, both because of the quieter South Australian lifestyle that matched his rural upbringing and because it seemed to offer a more quintessentially Australian experience.
“I first landed in Melbourne, but the big city culture there seemed too familiar.”
Tony was also deeply attracted to the opportunities for rural hospital placements in South Australia: his second placement in first year was in Roxby Downs, 500km north of Adelaide, for four weeks in the Emergency Department of the town’s tiny 11-bed hospital; the third (in second year) was a month-long stint in the Medical Ward of Mt Gambier Hospital (with 98 beds) on the South Australia-Victoria border; and the fifth and final (in third year) was in the Operating Theatre of Whyalla Hospital (with just over 70 beds).
Tony was keen to try Port Augusta for his fourth placement (in third year), but with the need for a non-rural hospital experience, his tutors sent him to Flinders Medical Centre (FMC) instead, the largest metropolitan hospital serving southern Adelaide, with almost 600 beds.
“FMC was a totally different experience, and I felt very grateful they moved me there, because it helped me to learn how big hospitals operate.
“I was placed in the Neurosurgical Ward, and because this was my fourth placement, I was expected to take on my own patient load, with three to four patients. This really helped push me to the next level.
“When you reach third year, these experiences all click into place—you understand more clearly what you were seeing in the hospitals. I’ve had a lot of ‘click moments’ this year,” Tony says.
Fortunately, Tony’s metropolitan experience did not deter him from his love of rural nursing and working in the regions crying out for more healthcare professionals.
“I think most students don’t like rural placements because their families are in metropolitan areas,” he says. “But I didn’t feel homesick at all, and the time flies quickly when you are enjoying something.”
During his two months of unpaid placement in second year and entering a more intense third year of study in 2021, Tony was helped enormously by receiving the $2,000 Matthew Flinders Scholarship.
“It helped to ease the financial burden for me. During the placement, it helped with food expenses, and then with food, rent and travel in my last semester. It meant for a short period of time, I could take my mind off living expenses and focus on my study.”
In first year, Tony eked out savings from his backpacking work by doing cleaning for a local bread shop and burger shop, and says it was challenging to balance work and study.
“It was 5:30pm and 8:30pm every night, and the next day I would have my studies. But it helped a lot in terms of finance.”
Tony’s very first placement at Helping Hand Aged Care in North Adelaide in 2019 led to his first “proper job” as a carer and he was able to work there until December 2020, when third year study became highest priority.
“Our tutor said, ‘Being a fulltime student is now your fulltime job’. The third year topics are quite compressed—from December to September, we didn’t have any breaks, we had to focus completely on our studies.”
Tony has also received wonderful support from local families to overcome the more cultural challenges of his student experience.
“I thought my English was good, because I got high marks in my exams. But with spoken English, I was a little bit shy, and I couldn’t make sense of a lot of the Aussie slang. Cashiers would say ‘Have a nice day’ and I was like, ‘What? Bye.’ It was a little bit humiliating!” he laughs.
The need to juggle study and work meant Tony did not have much time to socialise, but the Chinese-Australian family he lived with in first year welcomed both him and their other student boarders into their family gatherings and their backyard parties celebrating Chinese festivals.
“They were very supportive.”
After joining the University French Club, Tony became good friends with the Club President, whose family invited him to live with them during his second year.
“I am very grateful to have that opportunity, because it really helped me learn conversational English. From them, I learnt a lot about Australian customs and culture. They taught me about Australian wines and how to make a pizza from scratch. They accepted me as a family member and called me their ‘adopted son’, so I feel like I really have a home in Adelaide.”
As a student separated by international boarders from his own family, Tony was especially lucky to be living with this family when the University went into lockdown, so the thing he most missed was in-person classes.
“That was pretty hard. I know technology is great, but in terms of human communication, face-to-face is much, much better.”
“In hindsight, we have been really blessed in South Australia in terms of COVID. And I have been very happy studying at Flinders—all the hard work the tutors and other staff have put in. The tutors and students have been really nice, and I love the study environment—I often come to the main campus to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
“Whenever we have had positive COVID cases on campus, the University has responded very quickly. They really put our safety first.”
Tony says when he first came to Australia, he was a bit overwhelmed.
“But if you are kind to others, they will act the same way back. You just need to let go of the fear you have and move on. If you encounter any difficulties, ask for help—there are always nice people around. And if others need a hand, return the favour.”
In the near future, Tony plans to increase his nursing qualifications in specialist areas.
“My Operating Theatre placement was a totally different experience, I quite enjoyed it. So, in two or three years, I’d like to do postgraduate study in cardiac and perioperative nursing.”
Tony is extremely grateful to the many supporters in the Flinders community who have helped him reach for these goals.
“I would like to say a big thank you to the people who supported the Matthew Flinders Scholarship Fund. Their generous gesture has helped those of us who have been in a difficult situation, especially at this time during COVID.
“I will devote myself to my nursing career. Nursing is also about helping others, and I would like to carry on this kind of spirit. It is a spirit that is worth passing on.”
If you would like to empower other students like Tony to find their fearless, please support the Matthew Flinders Scholarship Fund.
Together, we are Flinders. Together, we are Fearless.
