“I just never really knew what I wanted to do.
“While I can appreciate the knowledge and experience gained from those papers, I’m glad I eventually found my calling in nursing,” he said.
Simmonds was working two jobs when he realised there was no opportunity for him to progress, and called for a family conversation.
“I hadn’t studied in a few years by this point, but I knew I needed a change,” Simmonds said.
“Nursing was something that I had honestly never considered, but the idea lodged itself in my head.
“Rather than dive right in, however, I told myself I would take a month to try to convince myself not to be a nurse.“
In an attempt to deter him from the idea, Simmonds ventured online to find nursing horror stories but nothing came of it.
He moved back to Whanganui, after living in Palmerston North, to save money and start his nursing degree.
“During the course of my nursing study, I really appreciated how close our class became.
“I am very grateful to my classmates who made studying nursing more than just going to class and completing assessments. It truly felt like a team effort.”
After completing his first placement, Simmonds took on a part-time job at a rest home in Whanganui.
“I was really pleased to be offered a role there as it provided me with great experience.
“I kept working there until my first placement in my final year, when I stepped back to put all my energy into my last year.”
After completing his studies last year, Simmonds landed a fulltime job as a medical specialty ward nurse at Palmerston North Hospital.
In January, Simmonds began his career as a nurse and hasn’t looked back.
“I’m really enjoying it so far, the people are great, and it’s got the variety I was looking for,” he said.
Simmonds recommended Ucol Whanganui as a step worth taking for people looking to study.
“They’ll definitely be able to point you in the right direction.”
