Krista’s rewarding leap into an aged care career
Resthaven Marion Clinical Nurse, Krista Fox, made the leap into aged care a decade ago. Now, she continues to reap the benefits of a meaningful career.
Krista explains, ‘The first part of my working life was spent at McDonald’s, and I proudly worked my way up to Assistant Manager of the shopping centre food court.’
‘I was quite happy working in hospitality and thought I would probably stay for the rest of my life, but then my ‘quarter-life crisis’ hit, and it just wasn’t the right fit for me anymore.’
In 2011, at the age of 25, Krista took the leap out of her comfortable management position to try something completely new.
‘I didn’t know what I was going to do yet, but I did know that I wanted to help people in some way, so I spent a year in Foundation Studies, before enrolling in a Bachelor of Nursing at Flinders University.’
‘After a year of settling into full-time nursing studies, I applied for a part-time Housekeeping role at Resthaven Bellevue Heights. This ultimately led me into pursuing aged care in the long run, as I became familiar with the environment.’
‘After graduating, I was ready to apply for Resthaven’s Transition to Professional Practice Program (TPPP).’
‘During that time, an internal opportunity for Registered Nurse opened up at Resthaven Mitcham.’
‘I was encouraged to apply by my work colleagues, who had watched me grow for the past few years, as well as my program facilitator, Julie Tansing, who was really supportive of the move.’
In 2022—after six years at Resthaven Mitcham—Krista accepted a Clinical Nurse position at Resthaven Marion.
Reflecting on her decade of growth in the sector, Krista says, ‘Aged care is incredibly challenging, but the rewards you reap far outweigh any of that. I leave work feeling fulfilled and motivated to continue the great work that we do, which is so rare.’
‘Beyond that, the staff across Resthaven are so supportive, and I know I will continue to have the encouragement to progress in my career if I need, which is important to me.’
‘I am glad I took the leap when I did—it turned out to be the right one for me.’
Krista’s story is one of many examples of staff finding meaningful connections, flexibility, and a supportive work environment through a nursing career with Resthaven.
View more stories like Krista’s in the Employee Stories page here.
Resthaven employs more than 3,000 staff across 40 locations in South Australia — discover your future career today.