It takes compassion, patience and intelligence to become a nurse – and Sebastian Jovanovic has all three in his DNA.
The 18-year-old is following in the footsteps of both his mother and father by training as a nurse with Mater Education.
And when he's not studying, Seb works as an assistant-in-nursing at Mater Private Hospital Springfield, where his mum Billy is Nurse Unit Manager of the Cancer Care Centre.
Seb, whose father Milutin is an aged care nurse in Springfield, said he was drawn to the profession from an early age.
"My parents' backgrounds as nurses were massive motivators for me to pursue nursing," he said.
"When I was a kid, I always wanted to work as a nurse.
"Now I'm a bit older and working in healthcare myself, I appreciate what they do and the incredible impact they make even more."
The Ms Jovanovic is one of the 4,647 nurses who work at Mater hospitals in Queensland, all of whom will be celebrating International Nurses Day on Sunday 12 May.
Seb's roots at Mater run deep. He was born at Mater Mothers' Hospital in South Brisbane and is completing the Mater Education Diploma of Nursing at the adjoining Mater Hospital Brisbane.
His mother was ecstatic when she heard that her son was stepping into the family business.
"We're so very proud of him as he takes this next step!" she said.
Sebastian's nursing journey began at St Peter's Lutheran College Springfield, where he earned a Certificate III in Health Services Assistance through Mater Education's Vocational Education and Training in Schools (VETiS) program.
He said he relishes the hospital-based training provided by Mater Education, which allows to rub shoulders with healthcare professional in class at Mater Hospital Brisbane and in his job at Mater Private Hospital Springfield.
"I'm surrounded by doctors, nurses, and volunteers at work, and I get to ask them questions about what I'm learning at Mater Education, which is such a unique experience," he said.
His long-term ambition is to pursue a career in medicine.
"There's a long path ahead, but it's going to be worth it," he said.
"I wanted to start as an AIN and work my way up, one by one, to a doctor. I want to be able to see and gain experience from every single opportunity that I can."
Sebastian's advice for anyone who is thinking about pursuing a career in healthcare is simple – take the plunge!
"Everyone at Mater is there to support and help each other. It doesn't matter if you're studying or working here, it's all just massive smiles and positive attitudes. It's a great environment to be in."
