Peter, 54, and his children Jackson, 21, and Ella Walsgott, 18, are two weeks into an enrolled nursing traineeship at Horsham's Federation University campus, a program in its inaugural year.

The year-long course will train the trio to become nurses, with learning divided between three days of classes and two days working at Grampians Health per week.

Peter said the new traineeship program began at an opportune time, as all three were looking to pursue further studies in nursing.

"We spoke about the opportunity and thought we would all like to give it ago. It was a fairly stressful thing when we applied, thinking what if I got in and these guys don't or vice-versa," Peter said.

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"Pretty stressful until we got the green tick and were accepted into the course.

"It all happened fairly quickly to fit into the TAFE year and get the funding sorted, but we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity."

A former massage therapist, Peter said the family has had a long history in healthcare, with both he and his son working as Ambulance Community Officers in Dimboola.

Ella and Jackson have also had experience as orderlies and cleaners at the Wimmera Base Hospital.

Since graduating from Horsham College, Jackson has had his eye on a career in nursing.

He said his two parents were role models for him in his early years, leading him naturally towards healthcare.

"Dad being an ambulance community officer and mum being a nurse and midwife, they were definitely role models to go into that healthcare field. They haven't pushed us in any way at all, but it is good to see your parents care about people so much," Jackson said.

"Mum has loved nursing and being a midwife her whole life, so I thought if she loved it I would love it too."

Upon completing his traineeship Jackson said he wants to become a qualified registered nurse at Federation University Ballarat, and potentially study paramedicine as a postgraduate option.

Ella said she too had wanted to become a nurse, and the opportunity to take on a Grampians Health traineeship was too good to pass down.

"I just finished school last year and I was planning to do nursing or something like that anyway, so when this opportunity popped up I decided to do this instead," Ella said.

After completing her traineeship she wants to complete her registered nurse course, critical care course, and pursue paediatric nursing.

Her interest in medicine began when she had an early-life experience at the Royal Children's Hospital.

"When I was two years old I had kidney stones and had to get an operation called a pyeloplasty," Ella said.

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"Ever since then I have always wanted to work in paediatrics."

Peter said it was difficult re-adjusting to today's digital classroom, but had help from his two children.

"It is interesting for me to go back to the classroom as a 54-year-old. Probably not as confronting for these two," he said.

"I am leaning on them a little to help me with the technological side of things. We are not really supposed to so we try and separate it as much as possible. We will ask each other questions if we need to, but it has to be our own work."

He thanked Grampians Health and Federation University for providing the traineeship, which has 21 students enrolled in the program across the Wimmera.

"It is an amazing opportunity to open up pathways into other forms of healthcare. I think what they have found in Ballarat is that there has been a really great staff retention rate through this program," he said.

"It means that the hospital gets another three nurses and then we can give back to the organisation that has provided the training for us. Because they are terribly short of nurses at the moment."

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