Kaitlyn Gray is one of the 125 graduate nurses commencing a nursing career at Austin Health today.
Kaitlyn will be based at the ONJ Centre and said she never picked nursing as a career when she was younger; in terms of her values and qualities, nursing found her.
"Nursing has the best reputation and it has true qualities which really speak to who you are," she said.
"I'm very excited with what's to come."
Kaitlyn was drawn to Austin Health due to the support offered and the knowledge shared.
"I went to La Trobe and the clinical school here," Kaitlyn said.
"I loved it here and it feels like home - I cried when the selections came in."
All of the nurses will do two six-month clinical rotations, including one acute and one guaranteed specialty rotation.
Chief Nursing Officer Bernadette Twomey welcomed the graduates.
"The International Council of Nursing has designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and we welcome the 125 graduate nurses into the Austin nursing community of practice," she said.
"Austin nursing has a proud history of leading quality improvement and innovation and we are confident the graduates will contribute significantly to nursing practice improvements in the months and years ahead."