After realising she wasn’t suited to a teaching career, Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) Nursing student, Hannah Symon, is now following in her mother’s footsteps - Southland Nurse, Susan Symon - with both women winning awards for excelling in their current nursing and health studies.
Susan and Hannah Symon will both be crossing the stage tonight at Invercargill’s Civic Theatre to receive awards at the 2025 SIT Awards Ceremony, after a couple of years that could easily be described as quite bumpy.
Almost three years ago, Hannah had started at Teacher’s College in Dunedin, but it wasn’t a good fit for her. “I quickly realised this is not me,” she said. She finished the year, and attempting to change tack, Hannah approached Otago Polytechnic to see if Nursing was possible, but it was difficult to switch, so she stayed in Dunedin for a second year and completed a Diploma in HR and Business Management.
Hannah’s Plan B was Nursing, but when it didn’t pan out in Dunedin, Susan, who had studied at SIT in the 1990s, encouraged Hannah to come home and complete a Bachelor of Nursing through SIT. “I had always found SIT to be supportive and I had really good placements,” Susan remembers, adding although some of the tutors from her day were no longer there, “That same philosophy that embraces learners and helps them succeed” was there, and she was confident it was the right place for Hannah to study.
Growing up with a mum who’s a nurse has been a big advantage for Hannah. “I’ve already seen ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ of nursing, I know what I’m getting myself into,” she explains, and recalls as a child she would frequent the staffroom at Kew Hospital Emergency Department. “Everybody knew me as Susan Symon’s kid. Hospital settings have always been very familiar to me.”
Susan says practising nursing is different than what is imagined prior to qualifying and recalls what it was like when she started out. “Nurse graduates can come out with rose-tinted glasses, thinking of all the people they’re going to save. It’s not like that; you work with limited resources.”
One thing Susan is pleased she did from the start was continue learning. “I was the last year of the Comprehensive Nursing (three years); SIT gave us the opportunity to do our degree.” So, she did four more papers and got the degree. “SIT were the real driving force in this; they were able to negotiate with Charles Sturt University in Australia.”
Susan has role modelled lifelong learning to Hannah. “I say to Hannah, you never stop learning. If you want to be a higher-level nurse, you must have postgrad studies and if not, you’re staying on the floor [as a ward nurse].” She acknowledges the two years’ detour Hannah spent in Dunedin have worked out. “I talked to [another] nurse who said it will set Hannah up well in life if she wants to become a nurse manager or nurse educator.” Hannah agreed. “Mum was sceptical, but even in day-to-day life I’m so much more well-equipped to deal with people, with life; it’s been so helpful.”
Hannah will be awarded the Annabelle Johri Scholarship Award, for a female from Southland in Nursing, with a one-time grant of $1,200.00. “I was so excited, when I found out,” Hannah says. “The award adds to my confidence for starting next year”, Year 2 of her degree. “Any little bit of help you can get… Living in Dunedin was pricey, my second year of flatting was pricey… it does make that financial struggle really hard.” Getting on top of her finances was another draw card for Hannah to choose SIT. “SIT was that much more attractive with having Zero Fees.” Everything has fallen into place. “I see Invercargill as home... you want to go elsewhere and see the world, but I will always come back home.”
Hannah’s also been really fortunate to have a part-time job at Southern Cross Hospital, which she started when she was 15. And she has a clear goal in mind – “I would like to become a nurse practitioner, they’re almost like a junior doctor,” she explains, able to do some diagnosis and prescribing. Susan adds in Southland currently nurse practitioners are more likely to be found in the GP environment. “It would be good to see more in the hospital environment.”
Susan’s journey into postgraduate study came about when she got declined for a job role she had applied for, “because I didn’t have a postgraduate qualification”.
She and husband, Blair, had a business they ran together, and Susan knew she had business skills. “I had a business brain, knowhow, and work experience, so I did [the study] out of spite and anger originally. I thought, I’ll prove you wrong.”
Starting with a Health Management paper, Susan says “I really enjoyed it. I’m all into making the workplace better. I surprised myself; I passed.” It was meant to be just one paper, but Susan started another paper. Then, “the wheels fell off. I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” she says. Requiring surgery and radiation, Susan contacted SIT Head of School of Nursing, Karyn Madden, to say she couldn’t complete her paper. “Karyn said, you can do this. I’m going to extend all your due dates till the end of the year.” Then another wheel fell off. Susan required chemo as well. However, she persevered and achieved the Postgraduate Certificate in the Art and Science of Health Care. Then she continued and completed another two papers. “I’m cancer free and have a postgraduate diploma.”
“All through I recommend SIT to any staff who are looking at doing postgrad,” Susan says. When coming back as a mature student, there are lots of things to learn, such as “How do you do APA referencing?” Having Hannah studying at the same time has been great. “The two of us have helped each other.” Hannah rates her mum “probably a 10 out of 10 in terms of being an awesome role model.”
And husband Blair has a role to play too. “He gets to be the patient a lot of the time. we’re able to do hands-on with him,” practicing techniques such as palpating abdomen. “He doesn’t like it. It interrupts his TV,” Hannah quips.
Now she’s qualified, Susan says when she applies for jobs she wants it to be based on her merits. “I want to do it on my own terms and my own ability. I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I’ll wait and see when a position comes up.”
Susan will be awarded the Southland Medical Foundation Inc. Thursa Kennedy Award Excellence in Advanced Nursing at tonight’s award ceremony. And next week she’ll receive her Postgraduate Diploma in the Art and Science of Healthcare. The award was a surprise, and a very nice finish to her postgraduate diploma. To mark the occasion, Susan enrolled in the master’s programme yesterday.