In this episode of Your Nurse Voice Matters, Wendy sits down with Registered Nurse and Workplace Health & Safety expert Kylie Long to explore what it truly means to expand your nursing career — without walking away from it.

With over 30 years of experience in cardiac and emergency nursing, Kylie shares how her early passion for prevention and systems thinking led her into a second career in workplace health and safety. From hospitals to construction sites — including Brisbane’s Airport Link project — Kylie has applied her nursing lens to high-risk industries, helping organisations build safer, people-centred systems.

But what makes Kylie’s story especially powerful is this: she never gave up her nursing registration.

After nearly walking away from nursing altogether, a pivotal conversation changed her perspective. Instead of leaving nursing behind, she realised she was expanding it. By maintaining her clinical currency — even while working in other industries — Kylie created professional freedom, financial security, and a safety net during times of redundancy.

In this conversation, Kylie and Wendy discuss:

• The shift from structured cardiac care to the chaos of emergency nursing
• Why prevention and systems thinking matter across industries
• Practical strategies for maintaining nursing registration while exploring other careers
• The power of transferable nursing skills in business and leadership
• Why flexibility is critical to retaining nurses in the workforce
• How keeping your registration can create long-term career security

Kylie’s golden nugget for nurses at every stage?

You will have to tune in to find out!

This episode is a powerful reminder that nursing is not a narrow path — it’s a foundation. And sometimes, the thing you think you’re moving away from becomes the very thing that supports you most.

Kylie can be contacted through LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyliealongsafetysupportsolutions/

If you know a Nurse with a story to share, contact Wendy at

www.healtyoptionsnow.org