Jody Quiring
Snapshot:
Industry / Sector: Health (Allied, Mental, etc.), Education
Career Type: Employed
Education Pathway: University
Mid Coast Connection: Lives on the Mid Coast
The Blurb:
Jodie Quiring is a full-time nursing lecturer at Charles Sturt University, teaching the next generation of nurses. She entered nursing through early entry at the University of New England, starting work at 18 and spending her career in critical care.
Her shift into education wasn't planned. While precepting an international nursing student, she discovered how at home she felt nurturing someone else — an experience, coinciding with becoming a mother, that redirected her from climbing the critical-care ladder into clinical education.
Early on, colleagues told her she was too soft and too shy for nursing. Her empathy and kindness proved them wrong: those qualities now define her teaching. Her advice to young women in regional areas: keep going — and build a career, because it's a gift that can't be taken away from you.
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Current Role: Full-time nursing lecturer at Charles Sturt University.
Career Path: Wanted to be a nurse from a young age → work placement briefly put her off → returned to nursing via early entry at UNE, completing a Bachelor of Nursing → career in public health and critical care → preceptored a UNE international student → became a clinical nurse educator → now lectures at Charles Sturt University.
Key Skills: Empathy, kindness, and a nurturing energy — the very qualities she was once told were weaknesses as a shy student nurse.
Challenges Shared: Early discouragement from colleagues ("you're too soft, you need to get tougher"); coming to terms with being shy and introverted in a demanding field.
What She Loves: The family atmosphere of shift-work nursing teams, feeling her cup was always full, and now taking pride in nurturing her students.
Advice to Younger Self: Keep going regardless of your upbringing or where you come from — and for young women in regional areas, a career is the greatest gift you can give yourself, because it can't be taken away.
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"From a young age I wanted to be a nurse. I don't know where it came from. It was just what I wanted to do."
"I seen such a big progress in me nurturing and mentoring them that by the end of their placement, I was so proud of how far they'd come."
"I always went home feeling like I was part of something big."
"I was always a shy, introverted person. And to just say 'be tough' — how do I do that?"
"Now I'm a mother, and I feel like that nurturing energy is something that I can really use in my work."
"I think the biggest gift that you can give to yourself as a female is a career because that can't be taken away from you."
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[00:00] Intro
Hi, today I'm joined by Jodie Quiring, a lecturer of nursing at Charles Sturt University. Jodie will share with us a bit about her passions and her pathway that led to where she is today. Hi Jodie, thanks for joining us today for the TUC Human Library.
[00:27] Can you share with us a little bit about what your professional life looks like today?
My current role — I work for Charles Sturt University and I am a nursing lecturer. I'm working full time for Charles Sturt University.
[00:41] Can you share a little bit about your pathway to get where you are today? Was health something you were always interested in as a young person?
From a young age I wanted to be a nurse. I don't know where it came from — it was just what I wanted to do. I went through high school and did work placement during my high school time, and actually at that time I didn't enjoy it. I thought maybe aged care was not for me. Went home and said to Mum, "I don't think I want to be a nurse. I don't think I could cope with the smells" — you know, those typical things that you think nursing is. And then I ended up giving reception a go, and then I thought I wanted to actually be more in hospital. So then I went back to nursing after all that, and I applied through early entry through University of New England, and that's how I was accepted into my degree and did a Bachelor of Nursing.
[01:39] What prompted you to make the shift between nursing and then teaching it?
It just happened naturally for me. It wasn't something that was on my radar initially, but essentially I was working in public health, I was working in critical care, and I was a preceptor at this time for a University of New England international student. And I mentored them throughout their placement. And I seen such a big progress in me nurturing and mentoring them that by the end of their placement, I was so proud of how far they'd come. And I'd had my son at the same time. And I really looked at that experience and I thought, you know what, I feel like this is for me — I felt really at home with actually putting all of my energy into nurturing someone else. And that's when I decided that I wanted to go into education as a clinical nurse educator. And that's what stemmed my decision.
My goal at the time was to be team leader, rapid response team — climb up the ladder in critical care. And then it just completely happened.
[02:50] I guess you kind of answered my next question in a way, for your teaching — we just reflect back on your years of nursing. What did you love about nursing? What kept you coming in day-to-day?
I just loved the family atmosphere that it was. Back then you worked full time shift work. The people that you worked with, your team, were your family. They knew you and seen you more than your actual family. You were there on public holidays, after hours. You did the overtime with them. And I feel like for me, just being part of something was important to me.
I think for critical care and that type of nursing, I always went home feeling like I was part of something big, and obviously had days where it was challenging. And then there was days where it may not have been as challenging, but I just felt like my cup was always full and I felt like I had so much to give in that space when people were going through some really challenging times in their lives.
[03:49] What are some skills that you have used throughout your pathway, career, education, that you feel like really helped you get to where you are today?
That's a good one. I always think empathy and kindness are my two personal qualities, and it's something that I know from my early career as a nurse, a lot of preceptors or facilitators and staff would say to me as a student, "You're too soft, you're too shy, you need to get tougher." And that really used to affect me, because I'm like, how do you become tough? How do you just become that? It wasn't something that was in me. I was always a shy, introverted person. And to just say "be tough" — how do I do that? But I think genuinely it was just that experience and maturity going through my nursing career as a young adult. I left straight from school at 18. It's been my whole career focus, which has exposed me to so many things. So I definitely think just that exposure, my kindness, my empathy. Now I'm a mother, and I feel like that nurturing energy is something that I can really use in my work. And I take pride in nurturing our students.
[05:12] What would be a piece of advice you could give? Maybe think back if you were young — what's a piece of advice that you feel like may have had an impact on you and your life?
I just think, just keep going. Just because of the way that you were raised, the environment you're raised in, where you come from — that doesn't matter. You still have an opportunity to change your life and make it the way you want. And I think as a female, a young female in a regional area, I think for me there's nothing more important than your career. Yes, it's amazing to be a mother and a wife and have all these friends and community, but I think the biggest gift that you can give to yourself as a female is a career, because that can't be taken away from you. And it's — yeah, it's a special value of mine.
Please note: All content is correct at the time of recording.
