Traveling hundreds of kilometres a week across the North Burnett as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health worker, Ben Blucher mostly passes the time in the car listening to music to get him pumped up for the day.
Ben is nearing the completion of his nursing degree, transforming his career from health worker to registered nurse. With over four years of experience in health services, Ben’s decision to upskill was inspired by his firsthand experience in the field.
"I had no intention of ever wanting to be a nurse but after my first year as a health worker and seeing what the nurses actually do, I decided to study nursing."
This decision marked the beginning of an intensive journey balancing work and study. Currently, Ben works as an undergrad student in nursing while still fulfilling his health worker duties.
This dual role has given him a unique perspective on the challenges faced by rural hospitals, including staffing shortages.
"It's really annoying when you have your days in the hospital and all you want to do is help, but you can't," he says.
Growing up in Eidsvold and working in a community-based role carries knowledge he will lean on as a registered nurse.
"Many nurses don’t have the community-based knowledge," he said.
"I know what's available and who to reach out to for help when a patient might benefit from extra community services."
This is something he hopes will be invaluable in providing comprehensive care, especially for Indigenous patients.
Ben said while studying he can see the importance of increasing Indigenous representation in nursing.
"In my entire cohort of 70, I've only met three other Indigenous nursing students," he said.
He hopes his presence in the field will not only help fill a critical staffing gap but also provide culturally sensitive care to Indigenous communities.
While he said his journey as a health worker is something that came with some tough days, he said the work has been rewarding.
With his eye focused on his last semester of study and becoming a graduate nurse he is excited to broaden his scope of care to everyone in the community.