Mikaela Simmons has been awarded the Edith Cavell Trust Scholarship for 2022.  

Simmons, a final year student of the Enrolled Nurse to Registered Nurse pathway course, received the award from the Edith Cavell Trust, an initiative of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA). The Scholarship is awarded annually to a financial member of the Association who is either studying, or working in the field of nursing research or education.  

The trust is named after a British wartime nurse, who was executed in Belgium in the first world war and continues to be an inspiration to those in the nursing profession. 

Simmons currently works at Lismore Base Hospital, having  moved from Armidale in the Northern Tablelands to commence her Bachelor of Nursing at Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus.  

She described receiving the scholarship as being “really exciting and a bit surreal,” and looks forward to using the scholarship to assist with her nursing studies. 

“It really helps take a lot of the pressure off for placements and I’m so grateful for the financial assistance,” Simmons said.  

“As part of my application I outlined how the assistance would really help me with things like purchasing textbooks and going on placement, and I put forward a figure and they matched it which was more than I expected – this will really help me out a lot”. 

Simmons’ goal is to ultimately work in paediatrics within a rural setting. Her experiences of needing medical care as a child showed her the importance of having passionate and educated nurses working in this field. 

“You meet some amazing nurses in hospital and when I was young I realised how good a job it was and how I wanted to give back to my community in that way,” she said. 

“When a patient says ‘Thank you – you are really good at what you do and made me feel safe and cared for’ – that’s why I do this”. 

If you’re interested in applying for the Edith Cavell Trust Scholarship, you can found out more here.