Jake was awarded Nurse Researcher of the Year at the St Vincent's Nursing Excellence Awards.
"The support I received has influenced so many more people than just me. That’s the true power of scholarships."
Jake McMahon
Clinician Researcher
St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
Nursing became a calling for Jake the moment he stepped into his first clinical placement. He describes it as “the perfect blend of science and art, with the incredible privilege of being with people at their most vulnerable.”
“Without the scholarship, I would have been relying entirely on loans,” he says. “For many nurses, further study just isn’t possible without that support.” That opportunity became the foundation for everything that followed — a master’s degree, and now a PhD focused on preventing pressure injuries.
His advanced training has already made a meaningful difference: improving comfort for palliative patients through sensory experiences at end of life, and contributing to research trials that reduce pressure injuries and save hospitals significant costs.
Scholarship support also allowed him to attend international conferences and collaborate globally, bringing the latest best practice back to St Vincent’s. His impact was recognised when he was named St Vincent’s Nurse Researcher of the Year.
Jake’s journey shows why donor support matters. Specialist-trained nurses drive improvements far beyond what equipment alone can achieve, and scholarships remove the financial barriers that often hold talented clinicians back.
“I’m one nurse,” he says, “but the support I received has influenced so many more people than just me. That’s the true power of scholarships.”
