Anna Macintyre

“I am forever grateful that nursing has given me the world’s best job, as well as allowing me to follow my dream of doing healthcare based humanitarian aid work.”

Otago Polytechnic Nursing graduate Anna Macintyre didn’t waste any time pursing her dreams to become a travelling nurse and humanitarian aid-worker around the world.   

“The day after graduating in Dunedin, I moved to Guatemala where I volunteered for three months as a nurse in a school for children from impoverished backgrounds. I set up a health curriculum and taught lessons on basic preventative health topics.”

Anna addressed health topics such as nutrition, hand hygiene, drugs and alcohol, puberty, mental health and dental hygiene. “I bought 70 toothbrushes and we brushed our teeth communally every day.”

After living in Guatemala for three months, Anna packed her bags and moved to Oslo, Norway, where she took exams for a Norwegian registration before starting work in Norway’s largest neonatal intensive care unit.

“It is a large and dynamic unit with a phenomenal focus on best practice and professional development of nursing staff.”

Anna says it was the practical experience gained throughout her three year degree at Otago Polytechnic that has given her the confidence to work anywhere in the world.

“What I enjoyed most was that half of the nursing programme was practical so that the theory was always backed up by concrete experiences from clinical practice.

“I felt well supported during work placements and we had regular meetings with clinical tutors and classmates, where we were encouraged to reflect and discuss what we experienced.”

As part of her ongoing healthcare journey, Anna will spend her summer holidays in Bolivia, where she will be volunteering for a month in a rural health centre specialising in newborn and early childhood nutrition.

As for her long term career, Anna’s goal is to find a balance between working as a nurse in both Norway and New Zealand, and doing humanitarian aid work around the world.

“I would like to focus on long-term humanitarian projects with a preventative healthcare focus. My greatest interests are pregnancy, maternal and newborn health.”