For student nurses and midwives, placements translate learnings into practical skills and experience. They’re invaluable – but come at a financial cost. 

Bank First’s La Trobe Nursing and Midwifery Bursary was created to ensure that students like Yasmine Denholm can gain hands-on experience without the financial pressure that comes with unpaid placements. 

Yasmine has completed over 1,600 hours of placement across her studies, spanning birthing units, the ICU and community mental health clinics. As Yasmine finishes her studies, it’s this experience that has given her the confidence to step into her first full-time nursing role. 

'In lab classes, a lot of practical things like putting catheters in or taking bloods are done once or twice. When you get into a hospital setting, it just sticks with you. The more you do it, the better you get,' said Yasmine. 

For Yasmine and many of her classmates, entering a placement means sacrificing work hours from part-time jobs. 

'I have to pay rent, electricity and bills – same as everybody else. When I'm on placement, a lot of my bills get paid out of my savings. That’s why receiving the Bank First Bursary provided so much support.'

Yasmine’s path to nursing and midwifery has been shaped by seeing the impact of excellent patient care firsthand. 

'When I was 15, my dad was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. He ended up in The Northern Hospital, in one of their oncology units. I found it comforting to look into the treatments that might have been an option for him.'

'It clicked when I got to Year 12; he had such amazing nurses, and he appreciated them so much. I just wanted to be able to do that for somebody else.'

One of Yasmine’s placements led to her return to The Northern Hospital, this time as a nurse. 'It was nerve-racking going into a nursing placement at the same place that my dad was. But I found it really comforting, to be able to walk back in there and turn it into something positive.'

As Yasmine begins her career in nursing, empowering patients with knowledge and clear communication is top of mind. 

'Sometimes we forget that not everybody has the same knowledge in healthcare as we do, and things get lost in translation. I want to make sure that patients are educated and know why we are doing certain things.'

For students on placement, financial stress adds unnecessary complexity to their studies and lives. We’re proud to ease this burden for the next generation of caregivers, like Yasmine, who are turning their passion into purpose.