Regional nurses supported through the Driscoll Scholarship

Regional nurses may not see many actual stem cell transplants happen, because most stem cell transplants are performed in our major capital cities. But that doesn’t mean that regional nurses aren’t involved in the process. Many of the patients and families that we support are from regional centres, and while they may have to relocate for their transplant and immediate post-transplant care, they do receive pre-transplant care and longer term follow up care back in their home towns.
We’re pleased to announce that we have recently awarded the Professor Geoffrey Driscoll Nursing Scholarship to three nurses from regional centres to support them in their continuing education in bone marrow transplant care. Kate McKibbin from Wagga Wagga, Andrea Hughes from Canberra, and Veronica Wilkinson from Rockhampton are all enrolling in the Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing through the Australian College of Nursing.
Kate McKibbin has been a nurse for 16 years, but it wasn’t until she started working in a regional cancer care unit that her interest in haematology was sparked. She’s looking forward to completing her Grad Cert in Cancer Care so that she can share her new skills and knowledge with the multidisciplinary team she works with to deliver comprehensive care and support for patients in the Riverena.
Andrea says that the scholarship “reinforces the importance of continuous learning in nursing” and that she knows that what she learns through the Graduate Certificate in Cancer Care will help her provide even better care to the patients she meets, who inspire her with their resilience.
Veronica told us that she wanted to be a nurse since she was eight years old, but that marriage and child-rearing took her on a different path for a time. Now, decades later, she will be the first person in her centre to take on post graduate study, and is “truly humbled and grateful to Arrow and the Driscoll family for making this scholarship available.”
We are grateful to the Driscoll family, too, and honoured that they have chosen us to manage this scholarship on your behalf.
Would you like to continue your professional development in cellular transplant therapy?
If you are a nurse ready to further your professional development in haematology and bone marrow transplant care with formal education at the post graduate level, we encourage you to visit the scholarships section of our website regularly.