HOSPITAL TRAINED NURSES
END OF AN ERA
by Debra Dixon
Apprenticeship-styled nurse training schemes shaped generations of previous NSW nurses up until the mid-1980s. Journey with Nurse Debra Ashton as she shares her experiences of training as a nurse in the now obsolete hospital-based general nurse training system. Oversee her transitioning to the highly respected position of Registered Nurse at St Vincent’s Hospital Darlinghurst, one of Sydney’s oldest and well renowned major teaching hospitals.
“Old” nurses will readily relate, reminiscing their own fascinating experiences and delighting in a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Today’s university-educated nurses will be enlightened and intrigued on learning about such a distinctly different style of nurse training.
All readers will enjoy the vivid and evocative descriptions of times gone by. This coming-of-age and historical memoir illustrates the lived experience of coming from a protected upbringing, being young and innocent within the vibrant culture of 1980s Sydney, the achievement of long-held career goals and the development of emotional maturity at both personal and professional levels.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Debra Dixon grew up in Paddington a mere 5 km from Sydney. She completed three years of intensive hospital training to achieve her dream of becoming a Registered Nurse during the early 1980s, the memories and experiences forming the content for this memoir. The early 1990s saw her relocate her family to Central West NSW.
In later years when Debra was raising her young family, she underwent further study and qualified as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Her private lactation consulting practice was established in 2011. She currently supports breastfeeding parents and babies via home visiting within the regional areas.
Debra lives in Dubbo NSW, has three adult sons and three young cats. She treasures family gatherings and keeping in touch with friends. She enjoys taking and organising photos, researching the family tree and travelling. Winter is her favourite season and she relishes reading lots of books and drinking lots of tea whilst sitting beside a cosy fire at home or soaking up the atmosphere of precious time with family and friends around a bonfire at the family farm.
Debra Dixon is an Australian author. This memoir is her first book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
