From Physiotherapist to Registered Nurse: Reetika Sudan's Journey on International Nurses Day at Regis Nedlands

International Nurses Day will cut through the generations at Regis Nedlands, as retired nurses who are now residents of the popular aged care home celebrate their careers of caring alongside current nursing staff.

Amongst those who will be reminiscing with a celebratory morning tea is current Regis Nedlands nurse Reetika Sudan, who migrated from her hometown near Kashmir in India, where she was a qualified physiotherapist, and who converted her qualification and retrained to become a Registered Nurse at Edith Cowan University. 

She will be joined by current resident, 70-year-old Robin Kane, who began studying her nursing qualification when she was just 17 years old at Royal Perth Hospital, and who went on to have a long and successful nursing career spanning over 47 years, during which time she worked at three of Perth’s major hospitals.

Reetika says nursing as a career is an incredible and unique profession because individuals can make a difference to people within the community every day of their working lives.

“I’ve worked at Regis Nedlands for just over two years, and I love the ethos we have here which is about building relationships and acknowledging residents for who they are and respecting their individualism.

Regis Nedlands General Manager, Melissa Retallak, says International Nurses Day would provide a wonderful opportunity to celebrate nursing as a profession and to show Regis Nedlands’ current nurses how much they are appreciated.

“The focus of nursing at our home is first and foremost on the care of our residents, so it’s appropriate that on International Nurses’ Day we focus our attention on our amazing nursing staff, recognise their achievements and also acknowledge the work they do,” Melissa says.

International Nurses’ Day is an annual celebration of nursing held across the globe on 12 May - Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

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