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I’ve been privileged in this edition to be able to speak with nurses at opposite ends of their nursing careers.

Yosh (Yosua) Hadipurnomo is a Christchurch lad who likes to tramp with his mates, has an infectious smile, and is on this issue’s cover. The final year nursing student so loved his clinical placement in a remote West Coast settlement that he is seriously contemplating rural nursing further down the track. Yosh is one of those nursing students who makes you feel pretty good about the future of the profession.

I also spoke with Judy Kilpatrick – one of two retiring nurse educators featured in this edition – who is looking back on nearly 50 years in nursing and 35 years in nursing education. Like Yosh, she both trained in Christchurch and had a father who was surprised at his child’s career choice. Also like Yosh, she has an ever-present laugh.

Judy – whose career includes chairing the Nursing Council through the ‘amazing’ times leading up to the creation of the nurse practitioner role – has never shrunk from robust discussion and encourages the next generation of nurses to ‘front-up’ more to the people with influence and tell them why nursing matters.

But, she adds, never forget to laugh at yourself and “don’t sweat it too much” – which sounds like good advice for young nurses starting out in their careers. I wish Yosh and Judy all the best for all the new adventures that 2017 will bring – and lots of laughter.