How I Got Here: Chief Nursing Officer of the Australian College of Nursing Frances Rice
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Admit it, we’ve all been there – stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible, and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
Welcome to How I Got Here, HerCanberra’s series that reveals everything you want to know about the secrets of career success.
To mark International Nurses Day, today we meet with registered nurse and Chief Nursing Officer of the Australian College of Nursing, Frances Rice. This is how she got here.
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Frances Rice, a registered nurse and Chief Nursing Officer of the Australian College of Nursing (ACN). I was born in Canberra, left for a bit, but came back because I didn’t get Christmas off and missed being close to my massive extended family.
Let’s go back to when you were a kid, have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
There was always an undercurrent of wanting to be a nurse; my grandma and aunt were nurses, but there was a time I wanted to be a high school maths teacher. I got into ADFA (and didn’t go), worked for the ACT Brumbies, and studied commerce for a bit before I knuckled down and committed to my nursing degree.
Tell us about when you were first starting out, what set a fire in your belly to get here and how did you do it?
I didn’t know about all the places this career would take me when I first started nursing. I was interested in becoming a wound specialist and aiming to be a Director of Nursing at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, when the universe had other plans for me and set me back to Canberra and down a policy pathway. I worked in nursing regulation at the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council and gained a national view of the nursing profession and its challenges, and I wanted to be an agent for change. I noticed how little most nurses engage with the regulation and policy that influence their careers outside the industrial realm. I realised our profession wouldn’t be able to influence and implement the changes needed in the health system without this changing.
I have always been a leader and was in management roles, and wanted to learn more about the theory behind what I was doing and wanted to do, so I did a Master of Business Administration at ANU. When I finished that, I started looking at bigger and better roles where I could influence change in nursing and the health system and realised I needed to learn about how government worked, and so I got a job as the Senior Nursing and Midwifery Advisor in (what is now called) the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
Working in Government was challenging, inspiring, and frustrating! I went in with a passion to develop the first National Nursing Workforce Strategy and worked with an amazing group of women (nurses and public servants) to do this. I influenced significant changes for nursing and midwifery during my time there, but with important documents like the Strategy getting stuck in bureaucracy, I realised I need to come back closer to the profession to implement change from the inside. Now, at the ACN, the peak professional organisation for nurses, I’m much closer to nurses and can influence the profession and governments, so nurses can work to their optimal scope of practice and improve health outcomes for Australian communities.
Recall a time when you wanted to chuck it all in; what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
There is no growth without challenge and discomfort. Even on the worst days, there was always something positive that happened and something I could be grateful for. The best thing about being a nurse is that there is always something to do, regardless of where you are working, and usually, someone fun to do it with. Find that person or thing and distract yourself by achieving something.
When it all feels a bit much, that’s when it’s time to book a break, a long weekend, or a holiday. Take the time to reset, remember what you are trying to achieve and set the next goal to work towards. Even the tiniest steps forward are still momentum.
What was your biggest break?
Surprisingly to me, it was working in the government. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would need to act as the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer when I went to work there, but I did it. It inspired me and introduced me to all sorts of people, places and opportunities.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
It wasn’t necessarily one singular piece of advice. I’ve had many advisors and mentors over the years, but realistically, my parents instilled in me the belief and knowledge I would be able to achieve great things. It hasn’t been without difficulty, but I’ve just kept plugging away, taking chances and growing through adversity.
The other thing that was a game-changer for me was reading an article in 2014 about the #grateful365 project. I didn’t take a photo a day; I did a Facebook status every day for 12 months about something I was grateful for. I truly believe it changed my brain. Ending each day with gratitude and positivity is powerful, especially now with all the negativity around the world.
What is it about your industry that you love and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
There are so many things to love! I love how many of us there are; everyone knows a nurse! I love how tangible nursing is, from holding someone’s hand when they’re scared, to figuring out how to make someone comfortable when no one else can, to having the privilege of supporting a person and their loved ones when they die. I love how there isn’t a single part of the health system where there aren’t nurses. Any career you can imagine, you can have as a nurse.
What gets me is how horrible we can be to each other. Bullying is a very challenging part of this profession I love. As a highly feminised profession working in a patriarchal system, we’re pitted against each other instead of supporting each other. It’s not everywhere, but it’s around, and it’s the worst.
Tell us how you ‘stay in the know’, what media do you consume?
My attention span is not what it used to be! I consume more independent media these days, mostly through social media, newsletters and podcasts. I’m listening to We Used to be Journos and Lamestream for news a bit differently and Punters Politics to stoke the fire. I read Cheek Media, The Conversation, and The West Report.
Here comes a plug…! For nursing, the ACN produces all sorts of content for our members to help keep them in the loop, so I always read Hive, Collegian and The Buzz. I love HerCanberra posts on Instagram to know what’s happening around town.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I’ve already told my boss this, but I’d like to be the CEO of ACN. In five years, I also plan to be celebrating a milestone birthday and spending three months in Italy for their summer.
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
As the largest health profession in Australia and the world, nursing is the most diverse and rewarding profession. You can travel the world and genuinely change people’s lives. No single day is the same. There is a place for everyone in nursing, from enrolled nurses to nurse practitioners, academics, educators, researchers, and policy makers. And the specialty practice areas! Digital Health, Mental Health, Primary Care, Aged Care, Public Health, and Acute Care. And, to top it all off, if you work clinically, in lots of places now, you get to wear pyjamas…I mean scrubs…to work!
What advice would you give your past self?
Don’t change a thing; you will get to where you are meant to go and have the most fun while doing it. And don’t worry, it’s not early-onset dementia. Eventually, you’ll find out it’s Autism and ADHD, and it’s actually your superpower!
