There are two aspects that stick out.
The first is about helping people - Ronan Nagle is adamant about that.
"I enjoy looking after people and see them get better," he says.
It's one of the first sentences out of his mouth when we sit down for a chat in one of the UniSC Nursing labs.
The second is about excitement. It might not actually be excitement specifically. But it's in that general arena.
It might be more about variety, teamwork and the camaraderie that comes from working in a group environment - and it's clear from talking with Ronan that he's prioritised these aspects as well when it came to choosing nursing as a profession.
The growing demand for male nurses
Ronan's mum is a mental health nurse. Before that, she was a midwife. This clearly had a big impact on Ronan too.
"She was always encouraging me," Ronan says.
"Even though it can be a bit of a hectic job at times, she always stressed that it's always good when you see patients get better.
"It's very rewarding."
Part of the advice Ronan's mum gave him related to employability.
"As a male nurse, my mum always said I'd be able to find a job almost anywhere because there's still really sought after," Ronan says.
Nursing Science program coordinator Dr Matt Mason agrees.
"The number of male nurses is increasing as a proportion of the profession," Dr Mason says.
"However, they are still underrepresented, currently making up about one in every eight nurses."
"This is an issue because having a good mix of diversity is essential for bringing unique viewpoints, skillsets, and understandings."
Classroom or care - a decision
His mum wasn't the only one who had an influence over his life's path - his dad presented another career option, which Ronan almost followed.
"I almost applied to study teaching but changed my mind at the end of Year 12," Ronan says.
"My dad's actually a special ed teacher, which ended up influencing me to go into nursing more because I really like the caring, supportive aspect of his job."
Like his dad, Ronan's always grown up at the beach.
As we're talking, you can see his eyes light up when the conversation turns to surfing Point Perry - a fickle but well-regarded point break in Coolum that works when the swell gets big enough, there's plenty of sand there and the waves hit it just right.
Part of his surf knowledge comes from growing up being involved in surf lifesaving - an activity he loves being involved in because, again, it all comes back to helping people and serving his community.
"I just really enjoy that aspect of helping people," he says.
