Sheree Ferrari made a choice 23 years ago which set her on a path of career certainty and success in her studies. Timaru born-and-raised Sheree decided to study at SIT because Invercargill was somewhere she had never been, “and I wanted an adventure of sorts!” Luckily for her, it was the first year of the Zero Fees Scheme being rolled out, so she didn’t need a student loan.
“When I moved here from Timaru as a young adult, I was excited about the prospect of becoming a nurse.” Describing it as a life-long dream, Sheree admitted “… I didn’t know [it] was possible after not applying myself at high school.” She was also nervous about the prospect of another three years of study.
The high school careers advisor found SIT’s Pre-Entry to Nursing Programme, and Sheree moved to Invercargill to begin her studies. “[This] gave me the required qualifications to enter the Bachelor of Nursing the following year.”
“Initially, during my Bachelor of Nursing I …learned how to work as a nurse, but how to also be a nurse, if that makes sense. I learned how to speak up for myself … I learned how the body ticks and what an incredible blessing it is to have good health.” Nursing at SIT is taught through lectures and placements across a lot of areas; “This brings the reality of nursing to life and helps you to decide which area you might like to start in,” Sheree said.
She enjoyed studying with like-minded people, who brought their own thoughts and experiences, adding another dimension to the class. “To have a break from working and study the cheap bus trips from SIT to Queenstown and Dunedin were a great way to unwind,” also mentioning access to the SIT gym, and the helpful student ID card giving discounts around town as a perk of being a student.
Sheree acknowledged “hands down”, the most challenging aspect of her studies was public speaking, recalling in Year One of her degree during a solo 20-minute oral presentation, “my mouth went so dry I literally could not speak. After retrieving my drink bottle from the back of the class, I was able to continue my speech; red-faced and determined to get through each paper so I could become a nurse and help people”. Afterwards someone gave her a standing ovation! “Looking back, these experiences of talking to the class helped me to overcome my shyness and allowed me to be a better advocate for my patients.” Sheree also realised a true love of learning she had not found at high school. “The degree I earned at SIT has allowed me to grow as a person and meet so many incredible people.”
Sixteen years after qualifying as a Registered Comprehensive Nurse, Sheree decided to start postgraduate study and returned to SIT. The catalyst was a simple desire to learn about nutrition to further her curiosity about the science of food, the microbiome and good health. Once enrolled in the nutrition paper, with encouragement from a tutor, Sheree kept going. “It morphed into a post-grad certificate, then diploma, then the master’s degree!”
Returning to SIT as a postgraduate student “was a surreal feeling” said Sheree, remembering her previous time as an under-grad, “full of hopes and dreams and anxiety about stepping out of my comfort zone!”
“…on my first day of post-grad I felt quite blessed with all I had achieved and experienced since I was there last and walked away with my Nursing degree. Being a nurse is an absolute privilege as you get to walk beside people, sometimes at their most vulnerable time in life.”
At postgraduate level, Sheree learned the art of research, delving into areas of wellness, such as sleep, pain, cardiovascular health, nutrition and even earthing. “The most beneficial lesson was learning how to research properly,” because “it is the basis of everything we choose to read”, and as a nurse, “evidence-based practice is key”. Studying papers that were of interest and able to be applied to her own life, made the learning process a lot easier for Sheree. “Lessons on how to study were valuable as well as the content itself.”
Sheree needed some flexibility as she juggled different responsibilities “… working to pay the mortgage and being a mum”, alongside part-time study. “I found it brilliant having both an onsite and online component to most papers.” It was quite a different experience studying in the early 2000s compared to 20 years later, “Technology had changed a fair bit since my initial training!” Sheree admits. “The library staff [were] absolutely fantastic in helping me manoeuvre through the technical aspect of studying as a post-grad student,” and “there are lots of helpful tutors who want to see you succeed and have an understanding of the complexity of studying as an adult student. [They] were encouraging, and very knowledgeable in their areas.”
The inspiration for Sheree’s thesis came in the form of an inadequately managed family health condition and a determination to find answers she wasn’t getting from the health system. As a result of her research, Sheree discovered a gap in the literature and wrote an autoethnography to provide insight into a specific culture, and a resource for health professionals to care for others in a similar situation.
During the course, Wellness and Rehabilitation Principles, students chose three areas of their own wellbeing to research, make changes to and report back on improvements. This was a highlight for Sheree. “[It] was really insightful, and helpful to have an assignment keeping you accountable to an intended wellness plan! I feel like I learned lots of tools that I still use, to help me in everyday life as well as for my patients.”
Sheree graduated in December 2024 and currently works as a Practice Nurse. “My previous nursing experience in other areas is coming together to complement the role I now have. It has been a privilege working alongside some of the nurses who tutored me in the beginning.”
With a passion for wellness, Sheree is “in awe” of the ability of the human body to try and find balance and wellness despite our unhealthy lifestyles. “It tells us when something is out of kilter, but we don’t always listen.” The underlying theme across Sheree’s thesis is that self-care is the basis for wellbeing, and motivation for change rests in the values that one holds. “A lot of us know what we need to do to be healthy but it’s putting that into action which is the tricky part,” she noted. “I would love to use my knowledge to create a system of stress management and self-care.”
“My research showed I had found a gap in the literature and my thesis provided some insight to the experience as both a mother and a nurse. It would be great to see the results of my research help to shape the process around managing the particular area of child’s health we struggled with.”