May 8, 2019
Whilst working as a food services assistant, Clemente realised he wanted to become a nurse, after being inspired and seeing the work nurses do.
“Besides this, my family members are also nurses, so I studied at RMIT to become an enrolled nurse,” he explains.
After graduating in 2011, Clemente landed his first role at Bundoora Centre as an enrolled nurse on Ward One.
A year later, he got involved with geriatric evaluation management and got offered a management role as a novice coordinator.
“In this role, I advocate for safety of patients and staff, work on orientation for new staff and look after proper care of patients. I’ve also become an OHS coordinator and, at the time, felt that I reached the peak of my current career,” he said.
Being proactive and ambitious led to Clemente continuing his studies to become a registered nurse, and in 2016, he enrolled at Charles Darwin University in an Undergraduate Nursing Program.
“After graduation, I got an offer to join the Graduate Nurse Program at Northern Health and I am looking forward to starting in the cardiology unit in May this year,” he added.
Clemente feels the best side of nursing is achieving the best possible health outcomes for a patient, and developing a connection of trust with the patients, especially in cases where a patient suffers from depression.
Outside of work, Clemente has many creative interests and a huge passion for photography.
He adds that he actively trains at least four times a week at the gym to maintain work/life balance, and loves travelling.
Clemente has exciting plans for the future and, in the next five years, hopes to gain more experience especially in different acute settings.
“I am doing my first rotation in the cardiac ward and I’m hoping to get into the emergency department (ED) on my second rotation. After my graduate rotation, I would like to do a step program to work in ED. I am also looking to do a Cert IV in Assessment and Training to be able to do an educator role, as I love educating student nurses. I plan on doing an Associate Nurse Unit Manager role in the future or eventually work in Hospital In The Home (HITH),” he adds.
