When Ruth, a Master of Nursing Science student at AUT, began her three-week placement at Hospice West Auckland, she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Coming from a non-healthcare background, her clinical experience was still growing — but her placement at Hospice has gone far beyond technical skills.
“I feel really privileged to be able to come here as a student,” Ruth says. “I’ve had a taste of so many different areas — from patient group exercise classes to training sessions, to community visits with compassionate and experienced nurses and doctors.”
One of Ruth’s biggest takeaways has been the holistic approach to care. She describes the difference from more biomedical settings: “Here, it’s about what’s important to the patient and their whānau — spiritual needs, emotional wellbeing, even things like massage and arts therapy that aren’t about fixing something broken.”
Ruth also gained insight into the teamwork that underpins Hospice care. “Everyone’s working together — there doesn’t seem to be a hierarchy. It’s just, ‘What can we do to help this situation?’ That’s been amazing to see.”
The experience has shifted her understanding of palliative care. She now sees Hospice as a place that provides far more than end-of-life support through its truly holistic approach to improving quality of life for patients and supporting families and caregivers. “I’ve learned so much from watching and doing,” Ruth says. “This placement has added much more to my education than I was expecting.”
Inspired by her time at Hospice, Ruth is even considering basing her final-year research project on palliative care — something she ‘wouldn’t have chosen prior to this.’ “It’s been a great experience,” she reflects. “The staff have been so welcoming, and it’s been amazing to see a team working so well together. I’ll take these experiences and learnings with me into the rest of my nursing career.”
