"I had to work with animals before I could work with humans," she said.

"The land and animals taught me to be patient, have kindness, to be gentle, have compassion and many other things that are required to be the best possible nurse/midwife, plus provide the best possible care to clients that I look after."

Having worked as a jillaroo on a sheep and cattle farm in North Queensland for eight years after leaving school at the age of 16, Debbie's path into a nursing career wasn't a conventional one.

In fact, it wasn't something she'd ever imagined doing, having laughed at her cousin when she suggested they both do nursing after finishing school in Toowoomba.

"I said 'I'm never going to be a nurse'," she laughed.

However, nursing did eventually find its way to Debbie in 1993, when her mother-in-law Gwen was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Debbie helped care for Gwen in the last years of her life and after she lost her battle in 1998, Debbie enrolled in a nursing course, determined to make a difference in the lives of others.

"My fifth child went to school the same year that my mother-in-law sadly passed away," Debbie said.

"I thought, 'what am I going to do now?' A friend contacted me and said she was doing her Assistant In Nursing (AIN) and going to work in a nursing home. So I joined her, and life became studying and schooling my five children and helping my husband on the family farm where possible, until it was sold and we moved to Glen Innes."

Debbie worked at a nursing home in Glen Innes, which she loved. She decided she wanted to be able to do more, so became an Enrolled Nurse (EN). However, because ENs could only attend to wounds and some medications with a Registered Nurse (RN), Debbie went to work in a hospital environment.

"I loved it so much in hospital that I never went back to the nursing home," she said.

"But I swore to take care of the elderly that came through the hospital because I really enjoyed that."

Debbie and her family eventually moved to Moree, and it was while working at Moree Hospital that she decided she wanted to become an RN. So she enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing through Charles Sturt University and studied full-time, while also working full-time and supporting the youngest three of her five children through their HSC. During this time Debbie also completed her upgrade from an EN to an Endorsed Enrolled Nurse (EEN).

It was during her post graduate year as an RN at Moree Hospital that she applied to become a midwife.

"While working as an EEN I did a lot of shift work in maternity and loved working down there; it was fascinating," Debbie said.

"I believed that midwifery was my calling in life."

Today, through her role as an AMIHS CMS, Debbie works with women who are pregnant with babies that identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, providing support throughout their pregnancy journey, and helping them prepare for the birth of their baby. She also coordinates outreach clinics in Collarenebri and Mungindi, providing maternity care to women who would otherwise need to travel for treatment.

"It is very much about continuity of care and working with women for women and their families," Debbie said.

It's Debbie's goal to improve the longevity of this next generation of Aboriginal people, by improving the health outcomes of women and their babies even before birth.

It was this goal that led her to establish full-day antenatal classes for mothers giving birth to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander identified babies after noticing a lack of Aboriginal families attending the hospital's regular birth and parenting classes.

The classes feature many hands-on, practical activities including safe wrapping, sleeping, breastfeeding and bathing of newborns, with a range of different dolls used to demonstrate various techniques.

There are also special dolls used to show the effects alcohol, drugs and shaking has on babies.

Debbie also has a smokerlyzer, which she uses to help educate women about the effects of smoking on their babies.

In the 18 months that Debbie has been the AMIHS midwife, she has seen big improvements.

"We've had mums that really want to give up [smoking] and lots have cut right back," she said.

"We've also had women quit which is awesome. Instead of picking up a cigarette, they'll pick up a colouring pencil and colour-in until the craving passes.

"A push with contraception has been effective as well; we're not getting women having baby after baby after baby.

"Teen pregnancy is right down. Since I've been here we haven't had a teen pregnancy. We've also had no pre-term babies and no baby born under 2.5kg.

"We also haven't had any alcohol in pregnancy."

Debbie said she believes she has "the best, most rewarding job in the world".

"My job as a jillaroo was the best job in the world at the time, but since becoming a nurse midwife, being an AMIHS midwife is the most rewarding job ever; I love it," she said.

"I am so lucky to be a part of these women's journeys, I truly believe it's an honour.

"Being empowered by women and working in a women-centred care work is truly awesome. I go down the street on my days off and I am constantly pulled up to see a new baby, or there might be, 'sister I'm pregnant again, when can I come and see you?'. To know that the women want to come back and have another baby with us here at AMIHS or the maternity unit is very rewarding."

As an advocate for women's health, this Women's Health Week (September 2 to 6), Debbie's message for all women is that "we cannot care for others if we are not looking after ourselves first".

She encourages women to have regular pap smears, keep their immunisations up-to-date and be vigilant about noticing any changes in the body and getting it checked. She also stressed the importance of getting the flu needle, particularly for pregnant women, as it protects the baby when it is born.

Jean Hailes Women's Health Week is a week dedicated to all women across Australia to make good health a priority.