Vicki Innes, was a student at MyPath who completed her First Aid, CPR, and Manual Handling Course early last month in August, and as great of a student she was, her story captivated and inspired us more. Here is Vicki’s journey to healthcare via MyPath Education.
In her mid-thirties, a wife, a mother of four with an unbearing passion to help those around her, Vicki’s journey to a career in health care, was not like most. Having an extremely close relationship with her grandmother, who raised her as a young child who unfortunately early this year, she became very ill. In the remaining few weeks Vicki went to the hospital where her grandmother stayed and helped nurse her and remained by her side until her passing. During this hard and painful time at the hospital, she met some incredible nurses who have such a love and passion for what they do. Being surrounded by this environment ignited a spark and passion for Vicki in aged care.
After speaking a while with Vicki on the phone to write this article, it came clear that her life story was not something you hear every day. She mentioned on the phone what in her grandmother’s final moments she promised her “I am going to be okay” and “I’ll look after everyone”, and that is exactly what she did.
After her grandmother’s passing, she realised she wanted to bring about change in her life and realised her passion and love to help and care for those within the aged community. “There is something so special about caring and being there for them on their final days” Vicki said, “I feel so lucky and grateful to be there for them in their final moments, and after my Grandmother passing, I knew this is what I wanted to do”.
Vicki and her family, live in a town inland from Rockhampton named Mt Morgan and things aren’t as easily accessible. When she knew that Age Care was her passion, she researched for courses she could take straight away to gain accreditation and knowledge in the industry. Her husband and four children packed up the car, drove 8 hours to Ipswich to stay with family, while Vicki came to Yatala to complete her Manual Handling, First Aid, and CPR in two days before driving back home to Mt Morgan.
When first hearing this, we were in absolute awe. To hear her story and the determination she had and strong support from her family, was very humbling, and one of our trainers Andrea was extremely impressed by her demeanour and beautiful personality.
Vicki like many of us experienced lows and struggles with mental health, which made it difficult for her to believe in herself in her capabilities. During Vicki’s time at MyPath, she established a great connection with our trainer Andrea, who helped Vicki feel very supported and understood which helped her gain confidence and believing in herself. “Being a stay at home Mum of four kids, you sometimes feel like you are not growing as an individual. I have such a passion for wanting to help people, and I want to show my kids that you don’t have to be just a Mum, you can be so much more”. I want my kids to see that and know that, and I want my kids to be proud of their Mum”.
Upon her study, Vicki felt very supported, “Andrea was so helpful and caring, you could really tell she wanted the best for me and to believe in myself”. Vicki has endured many life experiences, but these experiences have helped open her up and grow as a person by challenging herself, and we can see that this has pulled her from strength to strength.
Vicki has just commenced her first week in placement in a hospital in Chermside which she is absolutely ecstatic about. “It does mean I won’t be able to see my kids and will be missing my youngest son’s first birthday for a while, but we are working hard now to build a bright future and I am keeping my promise I made to my grandmother.”
After completing her courses at MyPath, she would love to study more and consider the possibility of studying nursing. Starting her placement this week is an incredible achievement, the staff at MyPath are very proud of her and know that anyone who is taken care of by Vicki is very lucky to have her as their carer. We are so grateful to have met and helped Vicki during this chapter of her life, and look forward to helping others to find their love and passion for healthcare.
Written by Tatjana Veeser