My Career: Nursing student swaps aged care for disability
Nyaksi Kuirtho from Melbourne was looking for a job she could juggle around her busy final year nursing studies and landed on disability support work.
After working in aged care ‘on and off’ for about seven years Nyaksi Kuirthoi found herself looking for something that would give her a better work-life balance.
Nyaksi was after a change and a job that was flexible enough to fit around her final-year nursing studies.
She started her first position as a disability support worker with InLife in November last year.
“The work life balance is huge for me - not just because I’m a student but for everyday life,” Nyaksi said.
“InLife is very flexible as opposed to aged care. My studies are a priority as I don't want to take time off and at the same time I have got to survive.”
Nyaksi, who also has a degree in business and has worked office jobs in the past, said support work fitted the bill.
And she has even been able to schedule shifts on her way home from university.
“I always go for morning classes and I might fit in a shift afterwards starting at 4.30-5pm,” she said.
Another part of disability work Nyaksi has enjoyed was the variety, in ages and clients.
“I wanted to try a different demographic - if I end up working as a nurse, you’ll have all sorts of patients,” she said.
Nyaksi has also noticed a more personalised approach to support work with InLife.
“With aged care, I would say it’s more task-oriented, but with disability, you have the chance to be ‘in the moment’ with that person,” she said.
“And with InLife you have a dedicated team for a particular client - you are not just thrown into shifts.”
Nyaksi said after gaining experience in disability and working with a range of different clients she was now hoping to pursue a career in mental health nursing.
She is also happy to keep going with support work and said even during the COVID-19 pandemic she was able to continue working and maintain a steady income.
And Nyaksi has found unexpected joy in the nature of the work.
“People think (disability) is just about personal care, but it’s not, it’s also about having fun,” she said.
“It’s a good fit for me.”
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