Wife of North Queensland Cowboys player Jordan McLean and mother-of-two, Brianna McLean, swapped a life on the stage for a career as a nurse — and she has no regrets.
Having starred in Disneyland Tokyo stage productions of Cinderella, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs and Beauty and the Beast, Mrs McLean is now juggling work as an Assistant in Nursing at Mater Private Hospital Townsville while also being a mum to her two sons, aged five and six years.
“My memories of being a Disney princess will last forever, but I am enjoying my role as a nurse here,” she said.
“I have always liked helping people and feeling like I’m playing a role in my local community.”
Mrs McLean, a Mater Education Student Nurse commenced her training during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been heavily involved in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of patients and staff in the hospital, including facilitating Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT).
“I’ve been busy from my first day on the job,” she said. “The impact of COVID-19 on all health services meant new processes and regimes needed to be put in place and I was able to help implement those.”
Mater Education Student Services Team Leader Lauren Andrew said there had been a 30 per cent increase in applications for the Diploma of Nursing course across the Townsville and Brisbane campuses in January this year, compared with the same month in 2021.
“We saw applications from students rise from 369 last year to 483 for the January intake this year,” Ms Andrew said.
“We have identified that more students are looking for a change of career or job security.
“Many are inspired by the sacrifices and commitment made by the existing nursing workforce throughout COVID-19.
“Students looking for a career in nursing want to contribute and give back to their local communities.”
Mater Education offers on-campus and online Diploma of Nursing courses at Brisbane and Townsville, providing flexibility to students and a foundation for a range of healthcare careers.
Mrs McLean said she hoped to complete further study to become a midwife.
“I would love to help mums and families welcome new babies in the world,” she said. “I think that would be an incredibly special job to have.”