Aged care wasn’t something Nikki Wyeth considered when she became a registered nurse.
She had worked at Enliven’s Kandahar Home in Masterton as a caregiver before pursuing a career in nursing.
“I did my post graduate certificate in mental health and then Tamariki Ora,” Nikki remembers. “I’d never thought of working in aged care.
“When I moved back to Masterton, I worked for an agency and enjoyed doing the aged care nursing. I guess I had believed the stigma of nurses in aged care.”
Nikki has now worked for more than five years at Kandahar Home, most recently in its hospital area.
“When I started at Kandahar Home I was hooked,” Nikki says. “I loved the passionate staff, the wonderful residents and having the privilege of caring for people at the end of their journey of life.”
She says all the staff work hard to maintain a family-friendly environment at the rest home.
“We are a family here. Definitely.”
Enliven has almost 160 nurses working in its rest homes across the lower North Island, including registered nurses, enrolled nurses, clinical nurse managers, clinical coordinators and RN managers.
It also offers new graduate nursing opportunities through its First Year of Practice programme, established in 2015.
