From a young age, Benichou knew she wanted to be a nurse.
She remembers finding an overriding sense of peace and joy from wandering the hallways of the maternity ward as a child, while her siblings were being born. And when she was just 12 years old, Benichou watched as paramedics and doctors saved her little brother’s life.
Benichou’s journey has taken her from the Republic of the Congo to Gabon, then to New Zealand, and finally to Shepparton. That’s where she’s stayed – and is now studying La Trobe’s Bachelor of Nursing.
With La Trobe ranked second in the world for our work in health and wellbeing1, her degree has helped prepare Benichou to thrive in her future career.
Benichou’s confidence and leadership skills have developed considerably since she started her degree. She puts this down to La Trobe’s on-site clinical schools and work placements, which allowed her to apply what she learned in the classroom to real clinical environments.
‘I’ve done so many hours on placement,’ she says. ‘And that’s very much given me that repetition of coming on placement every single day and practising these skills every single day. And it’s very much ingrained it into my head that when it comes to the specific diagnosis, when it comes to the specific illness, these are the steps and the procedures we take to treat that patient.’
Of course, studying at a uni where she’s surrounded by leading health professionals has offered Benichou more than just academic benefits. In a field that’s all about caring for others, she’s experienced first-hand how personal support can inspire you to thrive.
‘I very much enjoy the fact that La Trobe’s Shepparton Campus is so close knit,’ she says. ‘La Trobe teachers are one hundred per cent experts in their field. They’re definitely passionate and strive for the best in what they teach us.’
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1. Times Higher Education (THE), 2020, Impact Rankings 2020
