Where are they now?

It’s always exciting to learn about what happened to past students and both Jessica’s and George’s stories show that an Ōtūmoetai College education provides an important grounding for future endeavours.

Jessica Tiplady (nee McNamara)

Jessica became a primary health Nurse Practitioner in April and was awarded NZNO Young Nurse of the Year 2017. She was one of only four NO’s under 35 and was the youngest Māori nurse to have achieved NP status in New Zealand.

What year did you graduate from Ōtūmoetai College?

2005.

Current job title / role?

Aerospace Engineer. I am a I currently have two jobs. The first as a Nurse Practitioner in GP’s practice in Manurewa South Auckland. Here I diagnose and manage a wide range of patients similar to how your GP would manage your health. Within this role, I visit a local high school to make sure all young people have access to contraception and sexual health screening. I also look after a group of people who used to be under mental health services but now, I look after their health. My second role is as a Youth Health Specialist working with rangatahi who are excluded from mainstream schooling 30 (and are now in alternative education) and a youth justice facility.

How long have you ben in this role?

I have worked in General practice for 10 years and been a prescriber/Nurse Practitioner for 3 years.

What is a lasting (positive) memory you have from your time at Ōtūmoetai College?

The friends I made during my time at Otumoetai college, many of whom I am still friends with to this day and see on a regular basis.

How well did you feel Ōtūmoetai College prepared you for tertiary study / the workforce?

Really well. One of the most important things to get through university is being able to be an independent learner. No one at Uni checks your attendance, no one follows up if you have handed in your assignment or not. It’s all on you. Otumoetai taught me to be an independent learner as well as an independent thinker. That’s probably one of the silver linings of COVID19 for school students: skills to learn independently which for those going on to University will be a real strength.

Did you know what you wanted to do when you left college?

I knew I wanted to work in health but not in which area. Once I got to University, I saw how many different options there were rather than just the traditional ideas of nurse, doctor or physio.

Why did you pursue your current area of work?

Two reasons – I wanted to improve the health of communities who sometimes get short changed by the health system in particular young people. Once I started working in South Auckland it was very clear to me that poverty is not just something that occurs in developing countries. Many New Zealanders don’t realise how difficult some young people have it growing up. I also wanted to do something innovative and different. Becoming a nurse practitioner allowed me to do some cool and exciting things like working in the youth justice facility rather than traditional roles nurses have done in the past like ward-based nursing.

How did you get into the field you are now currently working in?

I did a conjoint degree (nursing and health sciences/ population health) then I did a masters degree. Once I had done my masters and worked for 5 years I could sit an extra exam to be able to diagnose and prescribe medications the same way a doctor would. I joined the company I am with who provide health care for young people who have been excluded from school and society. I loved it so much I have now purchased some shares in the company and sit on their board as an intern director. This is another good example of how nursing in the community can lead to opportunities such as being a small business owner.

If you had to do it all over again, what would yuj do differently?

I would learn Te Reo when I was younger. I was too shy to take it when I was at school because I was worried I wouldn’t be good at it. It’s much harder to learn when your older! However, it is something I am doing now. That would be my advice – it’s important to do things your passionate about and interested in not just those things that you “need” for your career path.

What is one piece of advice you would give to current Ōtūmoetai College students?

Don’t stress if you don’t know what you want to do. There are more options out there than any of us realise when we are at school. By getting into Uni or Polytech, you become exposed to all the options then you can choose from there. Easier said then done when people are asking “what are your plans for next year?” but I changed my course several times and ended up doing two degrees when I couldn’t pick between the two. Both were important in making me a good clinician.

George Ansley

What year did you graduate from Ōtūmoetai College?

2007.

Current job title / role?

Doctor – General Practice Registrar

How long have you been in this role?

I’ve been a doctor for 5 years. I have just started training in General Practice this year.

What was a lasting memory you have from your time at Ōtūmoetai College?

There are many. A big one is the tight friendships I had and still have with the other students who went to Oats.

What was your most valuable life lesson(s) learnt during your college years?

To have a good balance of work and play – work is important, but you’ve got to enjoy all of the other things in life too! Flexibility – if something doesn’t turn out the way you want it, it’s not necessarily a failure, it could end up better!

How well did you feel Ōtūmoetai College? prepared you for tertiary study / the workforce?

I think I went into Uni and then into the work force with a good foundation to learn from because of my time at Oats. It’s a big school and you are surrounded by awesome people from all walks of life. This helped give me a bit of an understanding that there were many ways people viewed and lived their lives which has helped me a lot when relating to patients.

Did you know what you wanted to do when you left college?

Not really. I had an idea that I might want to do dentistry because orthodontists seemed to live a pretty good life. But that idea went down the toilet when I didn’t get the grades in my first year at Uni!

Why did you pursue your current area of work?

After my first year of Uni I was a bit lost with what to do. So I decided to do a Science degree in Pharmacology. I enjoyed learning about how different medications worked but never really thought about medicine as a career. In my last year of that degree I decided to apply for medicine, just to see if I was at the same grade as others applying. I was quite surprised that they actually accepted me, so I thought I’d give it a crack, and here I am.

How did you get into the field you are now currently working in?

I worked for 4 years in hospitals over New Zealand, mainly in Emergency Medicine, which I really enjoyed. But the shift work involved wasn’t something that I wanted for the rest of my career. So I looked into General Practice. General Practice has good

hours, interesting work, and you get a chance to see patients progress over time. So that suited me just fine.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

Nothing, I’m happy with the way it has panned out so far. What is one piece of advice you would give to current Ōtūmoetai College students?

What is one piece of advice you woud give to current Otūmoetai College students?

You are only at the very start of your careers, don’t be too narrow sighted, roll with the punches, and enjoy the ride!