Each story is a reminder that saving lives doesn’t look the same for everyone, but it always matters.
These stories reflect the strength, resilience and passion of working and a celebration of choice, purpose and the many paths a nursing career can take.
Johann Bull – YNA, Clinical Nurse
I began my general hospital training in 1970 at The QEH in Adelaide, the “big smoke” compared to what I was used to and I absolutely loved it. Nursing training in those days was incredibly hands on. We rotated through a variety of wards, gaining experience across a wide range of specialties, including ICU, Recovery, Theatre and Renal Dialysis. It was comprehensive, challenging, and excellent preparation for a lifelong career in healthcare.
After completing my general training, I went on to undertake midwifery training and that’s where I discovered my true passion. From that point on, I knew I had found my calling.
How has flexibility in where or how you work shaped your professional journey as a nurse?
After I got married, we moved back to Alice Springs so we could be closer to family. I started at the Alice Springs Hospital in the Midwifery Unit, where flexibility and teamwork were very much part of the culture. The unit was wonderfully inclusive, midwives rotated through Labour Ward, Special Care Nursery, Antenatal and Postnatal services, as well as the Midwives Clinic. The variety made the work both challenging and rewarding, and I loved every part of it.
Working in a regional hospital also meant being adaptable. As the need arose, we were often called upon to assist in general wards, ED, and wherever extra support was required. One particularly memorable experience was completing a three‑month rotation in the Acute Psychiatric Ward, which broadened my skills and deepened my understanding of holistic care. That flexibility not only strengthened my practice as a nurse but also shaped my confidence and resilience throughout my career.
How has nursing empowered you to expand your career into related fields where your expertise can save lives on a broader scale?
My nursing career has taught me the value of flexibility, adaptability and a positive mindset, qualities that have opened doors to many diverse and meaningful opportunities. I truly believe this foundation shaped not only my career, but also the way I approach life.
When we moved to Adelaide in 2005 due to my husband’s health, I began working in the Midwifery Unit at Modbury Hospital. Following the closure of the unit in 2009, I transitioned to The Women’s and Children’s Hospital, working in the WAS Centre and Labour Ward. Each move expanded my skills and deepened my confidence in navigating change.
As my husband’s health declined, I returned to Modbury Hospital, closer to home, and worked across General Surgery, Orthopaedics, the ED and Hospital at Home.
In 2015, when caring responsibilities became greater, I left the hospital system and joined the YNA family, a decision I have never regretted. I felt genuinely supported, valued and cared for, and I gained extensive experience working across all major public hospitals. I particularly enjoyed my time at both the old and new RAH, spending most of my shifts in the ED.
Beyond hospital work, I also completed field based roles within the YNA Clinical Team, primarily providing wound care in the community. These experiences reinforced an important lesson for me: if you approach every role with a positive attitude, remain flexible, and genuinely want to be helpful, the experience will almost always be a good one.
I joined the ASAH team two years ago and absolutely love it. My broad professional and life experience is invaluable, experience truly cannot be taught or bought. On several occasions working in the community, my clinical knowledge and gut instinct have quite literally saved lives. During my hospital training, we were taught to rely heavily on observation skills, not just equipment, and that foundation continues to guide my practice today.
Nursing has empowered me to work across an incredible range of settings and has taken me through many diverse and meaningful chapters of my life. It has been, and continues to be, a deeply rewarding journey.
Wella Fuego Badilles – YNA, Clinical Nurse
I began my nursing career after completing my Bachelor’s degree at Ateneo de Davao University in the Philippines. Soon after graduating, I was fortunate to receive a sponsorship from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee, USA, which enabled me to specialise in Paediatric Haematology and Oncology in Singapore through the National University Hospital and the Singapore Nursing Board.
Following this advanced training, I returned to the Philippines, where I was entrusted with leading the establishment of the first Children’s Cancer and Blood Diseases Unit at Southern Philippines Medical Centre. I served as Nursing Unit Head for four years, guiding the team in delivering specialised, high‑quality paediatric care to children and their families.
Seeking to further expand my professional experience, I moved to Australia. I initially worked in Oncology at Sydney Adventist Hospital before relocating to Adelaide, where I joined the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. For more than a decade, I worked across several paediatric specialties, primarily Oncology and Paediatric Intensive Care and also contributed as a Basic Life Support (BLS) trainer for staff. During this time, I received sponsorship from the Women’s and Children’s Health Network to further specialise in High Acuity Nursing (Intensive Care) through the University of South Australia.
After leaving the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, I briefly joined the Oncology team at Ashford Hospital. In 2018, I expanded my clinical experience further by joining YNA Torrens Health, where I worked across several major hospitals in South Australia, including the RAH, The QEH, Calvary Hospital, Memorial Hospital and St Andrew’s Hospital. This role provided extensive exposure to specialty wards and intensive care environments.
In 2023, I undertook further international training in the United States and Germany, qualifying as a Surgical Assistant specialising in Follicular Surgery through the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS).
In 2025, I joined the clinical team at YNA Torrens Health, where I am currently enjoying my role as a Clinical Nurse and continuing to build on a truly global and diverse nursing career.
How has flexibility in where or how you work shaped your professional journey as a nurse?
Working across a wide range of clinical environments has played a pivotal role in shaping my professional journey as a nurse. My career has taken me through multiple hospitals in both the public and private sectors, across Australia, and internationally. This geographic and organisational flexibility has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally.
Along the way, I have had the opportunity to work across a diverse range of specialties, including paediatrics, adult care, oncology, haematology, intensive care, hair transplant surgery, and nursing management. Each setting has expanded my skill set, strengthened my clinical judgement, and enhanced my ability to deliver high‑quality, patient‑centred care in a variety of contexts.
Collectively, these experiences have shaped my professional portfolio as a Specialist Nurse. The breadth of exposure has equipped me with strong clinical adaptability, versatility, and a solid foundation in specialised practice, allowing me to confidently navigate change while delivering safe, effective care wherever I work.
How has nursing empowered you to expand your career into related fields where your expertise can save lives on a broader scale?
Nursing is inherently multifaceted and complex, demanding a thoughtful balance of clinical expertise, adaptability and genuine empathy. It has given me a strong foundation in critical thinking and specialised practice, enabling me to extend my impact well beyond direct bedside care.
Through experience in paediatric oncology, intensive care and acute clinical settings, I have developed the skills needed to manage high‑risk patients and contribute to improved clinical outcomes. This depth of experience has also enabled me to step into broader leadership and system level roles, including establishing a specialised paediatric unit and training healthcare staff in essential life‑saving skills.
More recently, nursing has empowered me to expand into advanced procedural care as a Surgical Assistant, where precision, patient safety and person‑centred principles remain at the forefront and applied in a different but equally critical clinical context.
Overall, nursing has allowed me to contribute across multiple areas of healthcare. Whether supporting individual patients, strengthening workforce capability or influencing safer clinical practices, my nursing foundation has enabled me to help save lives and make a meaningful impact on a broader scale.
Richard Bates – Community Services Manager – RN
Where did your nursing career begin, and where has it taken you?
My nursing career began as a teenager in the final Registered Nurse training group at the RAH before the undergraduate programme shifted across to the universities. It was a great time to train with broad exposure to nursing across many areas, and plenty of fun times were enjoyed. Nursing can lead people on an interesting and diverse career journey.
I have worked in metropolitan and country regions across Australia and supported nurse development overseas. I have been privileged to work with people in acute, community, aged and disability settings and had the opportunity to contribute to service and business development. A further career highlight has been the opportunity to be a mentor and provide leadership development support for many quality clinicians.
How has flexibility in where or how you work shaped your professional journey as a nurse?
The acute nurse in my early career was nurse, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, social worker and intern protector! As other professions entered the acute domain, the nurse remained the fountain of all knowledge, and junior doctors would rely on nurse guidance to survive their gruelling hours of work and training. Flexibility has been key to shaping a nursing career. Being adaptable and accepting challenges when they are presented has been key to an interesting and rewarding nursing career thus far.
How has nursing empowered you to expand your career into related fields where your expertise can save lives on a broader scale
As a youngster, saving lives and being involved in the adrenaline of resuscitation was exciting. It is what initially drove my pathway to post graduate cardiothoracic study and ultimately being involved in the development and management of a brand new acute cardiology unit. Once the need for an adrenaline filled day at work waned, I started to appreciate the broader nursing supports that “save lives” in different ways. My passions shifted to supporting people to live their best life through managing complex health issues in the community well, the context of living with disability.
Linda Turner, National Operations Manager, RN
Where did your nursing career begin, and where has it taken you?
My journey into Healthcare and Nursing began as a Personal Care Worker in aged care, where I learned that genuine care can change someone’s day, and sometimes their life. That experience inspired me to become a Registered Nurse, leading me into stroke and neurology nursing, Emergency Department acute care, and continued leadership within aged care.
Today, I’m proud to work as a Nursing Operations Manager across the Torrens Health portfolios, helping shape services across multiple areas of healthcare.
How has flexibility in where or how you work shaped your professional journey as a nurse?
Flexibility has been one of the greatest strengths of nursing. It has allowed me to work across hospitals, aged care, community services and corporate healthcare settings, gaining valuable experience in each environment. Every change has created opportunities to learn, lead teams, and make a difference wherever care is needed most. It has also enabled me to continue my passion for art, incorporating creativity into healthcare through murals, art therapy workshops, and artworks that enhance healing spaces while visually reflecting the patient’s journey.
How has nursing empowered you to expand your career into related fields where your expertise can save lives on a broader scale?
Nursing has given me the confidence, resilience, and clinical insight to grow into leadership and operational roles that influence care on a larger scale. I now focus on strengthening teams, improving systems, and developing services that support safer and better outcomes for clients and communities. It’s incredibly rewarding to know the foundations of nursing can create lasting impacts across the whole healthcare journey. Nursing opened doors I never imagined, from caring for one person at a time to implementing meaningful and positive interactions at every level.
Karyn Paskett, Operations Manager SA – RN
Where did your nursing career begin, and where has it taken you?
I studied at Flinders University and my graduate year was at the RAH. I then moved to Flinders Medical and specialised in the ICU, completing Post Graduate Certificate in Nursing (Critical Care).
After that I moved to the UK, worked and lived in London doing Agency Nursing within various Intensive Care units, then I moved to into a corporate role based out of London where I started as coordinating Nurse and then moved into a nursing management role where I supported corporate business travel and Expats around the world.
The role also involved undertaking telephonic medication assessment, coordinating with medical staff within hospitals around the world, and undertaking risk assessments regarding level of care within the country/hospital they are situated.
I was also involved in Flight Nursing in commercial flights globally, repatriating patient’s home. I also worked in global disaster management, one such example was of being involved in evacuation of a client group out of Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis, which involved flying an empty plane and screening the client group before returning to Europe.
I gained increased knowledge of public health, infectious diseases, flight medicine as well as knowledge on varied diseases processes. I was often able to travel the world in this role undertaking client meetings as well as working out of Sydney, Philadelphia and Phoenix Office.
Then I moved back to Australia and started with YNA in a client services role as well as providing clinical support. Now I am in a Operational Managers Role, supporting the agency side of the business.
How has flexibility in where or how you work shaped your professional journey as a nurse?
If you asked when I first started nursing, I would have thought I would have stayed in hospital-based nursing for my entire career pathway. However, taking a chance and moving into a different role expanded my career pathways of moving into roles I would have never anticipated would be available within the nursing profession.
Taking a calculated chance broadened my knowledge base in not only nursing, but also in the world of operations management, logistics management, business development and client relationships. All of which I am able to bring into my role within YNA.
How has nursing empowered you to expand your career into related fields where your expertise can save lives on a broader scale
Nursing provides you an excellent skill set that really opens up so many opportunities. I have been lucky enough to have worked in so many different industries that has really opened my eyes to see where nursing can provide me with diversity of job roles.
Nursing provides such a strong clinical foundation and understanding of patient safety. You are trained to critically assess clinical situations, work within evidence-based practises and support decisions to work with what is best for your patients. You learn excellent communication skills, compassion and working in a team environment. This has been a great skill set to take into any role I have undertaken, whether this is a bedside role or into office based clinical positions
