Alumni Stories
GRADS 2025: MAX WAKEMAN
During a clinical placement as a Bachelor of Nursing student at the 腦瞳憫Porn, Max Wakeman faced an emergency ‘Code Blue’ situation on the hospital ward.
A Code Blue is usually issued when a patient is suffering respiratory or cardiac arrest, unwitnessed falls, or when a nurse thinks something is very wrong. Such a critical situation demands quick thinking, teamwork, skill and composure from the response team.
Max stepped up alongside the rest of the medical staff and worked to stabilise the situation. They were successful, and the experience left a lasting impression.
“I remember thinking, ‘Yeah, this is what I want to do. This is where I want to be’,” Max says.
For Max, nursing had always been about helping people, but his study journey at UC showed him other facets of the profession: the value of teamwork, the intricacies of care, and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
Experiencing that Code Blue was a turning point that confirmed his decision to pursue a career in nursing and showed him the kind of professional he wanted to become.
Max went to high school in Blayney, NSW, a rural town of about 2,500 people situated roughly between Orange and Bathurst, where most young men chose pathways in agriculture, mining, engineering, or other historically male-dominated fields after completing Year 12.
“It’s a tiny town,” Max says. “I think within my friend group, I’m the only one that hasn’t gone down one of those [traditional] paths. All my friends are in the Australian Defence Force, or the mines, or learning trades.”
Max’s choice to study nursing set him on a path toward community impact, and toward a profession where empathy and expertise go hand in hand. This September, he graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing from UC.
Despite receiving offers from universities in larger cities, Max felt that UC not only struck the right balance in terms of size but was also the best place to begin his nursing journey: it was large enough to offer valuable placement and industry connections, yet small enough to have a strong sense of community. That sense of belonging mattered to Max.
“Canberra is big enough that I could have a community and not get lost in a sea of people,” he says.
Max saw the passion and intensity of nursing at a young age. He was close with his grandmother, who spent a long time navigating the health system as a patient.
“I grew up watching her going in and out of hospitals, procedures, treatments, seeing the intensity and vulnerability of the situation that she was in,” he says.
Max saw firsthand how groups of dedicated professionals have the power to make a critical difference in a patient’s physical health, quality of life, and mental health.
“It was very intense at times, but seeing the passion of the nursing staff and medical teams was very powerful. I think that, among other things, is what drew me to healthcare. I’ve always been a helper, a people person,” he says.
“My grandmother was a big influence on my life, and I know she would be proud of where I am, and the fact that I’m a nurse.”
When Max began his degree over five years ago, nursing looked very different.
“There was a very different ratio of men and women working as nurses,” he says. Nursing was seen by some as a female-dominated profession.
“There were some questions from my friends and people in the town,” he explains, recalling when he told people he wanted to become a nurse. “But my family got on board – they had seen my grandmother’s journey. My grandfather was proud I was becoming a nurse.”
Over the course of his degree, Max noticed a shift. “There have been more and more men coming into nursing – the demographics have shifted and that’s refreshing,” he says.
Max says that one of the first lessons he learned was that nursing starts with people, not procedures.
“You can never practise healthcare without a person-centred approach,” he explains. That principle shaped his thinking throughout the degree, reinforced by units exploring mental health and its role in treatment and recovery.
He recalls a unit which reframed mental health as a core part of everyday practice.
“It changed the way everyone in the degree understands mental health,” he says.
Practical experience was essential. Simulation labs enabled Max to practise responding to real-world scenarios in a safe setting, and placements brought some of the challenging – and rewarding – realities of nursing into sharp focus.
“You do see people in vulnerable situations, and unfortunately will likely witness traumatic things. It can be hard,” he explains. But those challenges come with the opportunity to change or save lives – like his Code Blue experience earlier this year.
Nursing students at UC have access to many layers of support throughout their degree, and Max credits the Nursing Discipline team’s Clinical Liaison Nurses as key to guiding students through challenging moments.
“They see us through the degree, check in on us and get to know us. They probably spend more time with us across our degree than any other lecturer or academic does … I think the liaison nurses really make the program what it is,” he says.
Now fully registered, Max has begun his first graduate rotation in the Emergency General Surgery and Trauma unit at Canberra Hospital. He’s drawn to the variety and pace of acute care, and the opportunity to be always learning something new.
“There are no two days the same,” he explains. “You could be going from a cardiology case to an infectious disease case to a paediatric patient all in one day.”
Looking ahead, Max sees a Master of Advanced Practice Nursing as a natural progression, where he would contribute to a large support system of Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) within the hospital system.
His advice to anyone considering nursing: “It is completely worth it,” he says, while acknowledging that it is a demanding degree.
“I’m not going to lie to anyone – it is hard. There is an academic weight, and an emotional weight. You have to do 800 hours of placement. But if it is something that you are truly passionate about, it is so completely worth it.”
He emphasises the sense of community and support along the way.
“All of your lecturers are nurses in their own right. They’ve all been there, and they will help you. Do your best and you will get through!”
Words by Chris Walsh, photos by Tyler Cherry and Chris Walsh.
This September, we celebrate the graduating class of 2025.
Our graduates are from many different places, at various stages of life, with diverse skills and perspectives. In their time at UC, each one has contributed to the fabric of the University community. While their journey here may be complete for now, their actions will leave an indelible imprint on generations to come.
We congratulate the graduating class of 2025; we can’t wait to see where you will go next.