BreastWest Nursing Scholarship

L-R: Alysha Cockburn and Sara Jorgensen from Western Health's BreastWest progam

When Alysha Cockburn saw an opportunity to apply for the Breast Cancer Nurse Scholarship with Western Health's BreastWest program, she jumped at the chance to build on her already extensive nursing career.

Fully funded by donations through the Western Health Foundation, the scholarship supports Alysha as she undertakes her qualification and provides her with mentoring, training and real clinical experience - key components to providing support to patients.

Breast Care Nurses play an important role in supporting the 360 patients treated for breast cancer each year at Western Health. They provide one-on-one care and support to patients throughout their breast cancer journey.

"Our patients tell us they want access to more Breast Care Nurses. Through donations to BreastWest, we are making this dream a reality," said Sara Jorgensen – Specialist Nurse Manager, BreastWest.

Not only has Alysha benefited from the scholarship, but patients and the Breast Care Nurse Team have been appreciative of her support and willingness to learn.

"While Alysha furthers her professional development, it has enabled our Breast Care Nurses a mentoring role that they otherwise would not have had," said Sara. "It's a wonderful opportunity to share learnings and support a colleague."

Alysha is continually building upon her knowledge and developing more confidence to deliver quality patient care by understanding what support breast cancer patients need.

"A breast cancer journey is unique with many stages. Because of this program, I feel better equipped to talk with patients about what to expect at each stage and provide them with better care and support," said Alysha.