Sonya Sanginiti

Registered Nurse, Te Whatu Ora, Southland
Master of Health Practice in Child Health with Merit

When Sonya Sanginiti found herself working as a nurse on the children’s ward, it was love at first sight, and she discovered how much she enjoys working with children and their families.

“I never really chose to specialise in child health. I was working as a nurse in the casual pool 15 years ago and was sent to work a shift in the children’s ward. I liked it there so much that I haven’t left!

“I really like the team environment and atmosphere we have down here in Southland, and I love the challenge of working with children and their families. You need to be very adaptable as each child is so different in which approach works best. I also enjoy working in an area that is so diverse in what we’re treating, where I can see multiple children with completely different health issues going on all in the same day.”

Rethinking nursing practice
Doing postgraduate study in child health made her rethink a lot of her practice, says Sonya who came to AUT to enrol in a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Science which eventually turned in a Master of Health Practice in Child Health.

“I chose AUT because of the ability to specialise in child health and to structure the programme around what courses were most relevant to me. One course particularly focused on what goes on behind the scenes when a family has a child in hospital and how the admission alone can greatly impact daily lives. This makes some of the expectations of patients and families easier to manage. I’ve also used insights from my studies to concentrate on improving healthcare for rangatahi.”

Because it had been 20 years since she had completed any academic study, she admits returning to university was daunting at the start.

“Writing an essay was a skill I had to relearn, as well as using online databases and references. I found the AUT library guides excellent for navigating through this and had a few online sessions with an AUT librarian, which was very helpful.

“I was surprised by how much I enjoyed studying. I initially set out to complete a postgraduate certificate and ended up staying through to a master’s degree. Although I liked the online structure of the programme, allowing me to attend workshops and lectures from my hometown and plan around shift work, the highlight was definitely travelling to Auckland and networking with paediatric nurses from all over the country. It was very interesting to see how practice differs around the country, and to gain ideas and comparisons from this.”

Advice for other students
Sonya – who graduated from AUT with her master’s degree in 2023 – has some great advice for other students.

“If you’re completing courses online or by distance learning, try to dedicate a small block of time each day to attend to this as it makes it much more manageable than doing larger blocks less frequently.”

Use the resources available to you, she adds.

“If you’re struggling, have a look at the AUT library or get in touch with the Student Hub. There are so many free resources available to help.”