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Founding story

For more than 35 years, Andrea has dedicated her career to aged-care nursing across Australia - supporting residents, managing complex cases, and stepping into facilities from the coast to the outback. In her most recent roles, she typically spends 4–6 weeks at each placement, often sharing living spaces with fellow travelling nurses. Over the decades, she has worked alongside more than 500 nurses from around the world - arriving from the UK, Spain, Nepal, the Philippines, India, and many other countries.

Across all these backgrounds, one experience stood out: culture shock.

Rural and remote Australia offers extraordinary rewards, tight-knit and compassionate communities, and landscapes that stay with you for life. Yet it can also be isolating in ways many nurses never expect. Simple tasks like getting groceries can become challenges, and for nurses far from home, the distance can feel immense. Many left their placements earlier than planned due to loneliness, low mood, or simply feeling unprepared for the realities of outback life. As one nurse put it, “If only I knew what it was really like before I arrived.”

The outcome is a cycle that drains time, resources, and emotional energy for everyone involved, especially the residents at the centre of it all.

High turnover forces managers into constant recruitment and retraining, diverting energy from building a stable, familiar environment for the people who rely on consistent care. As international nurses make up a large portion of the rural aged-care workforce, many facilities recruit through overseas Facebook groups or agency job boards. These channels aren’t always dependable, sometimes resulting in nurses who are under-prepared, lacking the right skills, or unsure of what rural work truly involves.

This challenge called for a better approach. That is why Viva Nurse was created.

We specialise in carefully selecting, vetting, and preparing international nurses for aged-care placements in rural and remote Australia. Every nurse receives clear, practical guidance about the workplace, the culture, and the day-to-day realities of rural living - well before they arrive. With technology that supports smarter workforce planning, facilities can fill vacancies with confidence, strengthen retention, and dramatically lighten their administrative load. Most importantly, our approach creates happier staff, smoother transitions, and stronger continuity of care for the residents who deserve stability above all else.

As nurses in aged-care, we are privileged to be working in the residents' home. They are at the centre of everything we do. Respect, active listening, and understanding underpin every interaction, every decision, and every moment of care.

A team of experts behind Viva Nurse

Andrea Webster

Andrea Webster

Co-Founder

Registered Nurse with 30+ years of experience

Andrea Webster is a Registered Nurse with over 30 years of experience across community care, aged care, and rural and remote nursing throughout Australia. Having navigated credentialing, compliance, and career mobility first-hand - from The Alfred to remote Indigenous communities - she built Viva Nurse to give nurses the tools she wished she'd had.

Lisa Stephenson

Lisa Stephenson

Registered Immigration Agent in Healthcare

Lisa's background in Human Resources centres around international recruitment, workforce planning, employee relation and employee engagement. Lisa is a registered Migration Agent who enjoys making complicated matters simple.

John Webster

John Webster

Co-Founder

Software Developer & IT Systems Security Expert

John Webster is the founder of LaunchKey Lab and a technologist focused on solving workforce challenges in regulated industries. Having built platforms for clinical credentialing, rostering, and compliance across Australia, Ireland, and Europe, John created Viva Nurse to give nursing professionals the tools they need to grow their careers and move with confidence.