March 2011
Bendigo Health welcomes its new group of nurses.
Clinical nurse educator Vickie Callaghan with graduate nurses Dominique Kettlewell, Lisa Welsh at Christine Wynd at Seymour Hospital.
Northern Health Graduate Nurse of the Year Ying Chen and Northern Health Medical and Continuing Care Executive Director and Chief Nursing Officer Robynne Cooke.
Eastern Health nurse graduate
Ann Davies at Box Hill Hospital.
Health services pave the way for nurses to follow their career dreams
Twenty-nine newly-registered
nurses have begun careers at Bendigo Health.
Bendigo Health Executive
Director of Nursing Peter Faulkner said a 12-month program would help the
nurses.
‘Bendigo Health’s graduate nurse
program supports newly-registered nurses to make the transition into
the health services industry.
‘The program is popular among
graduates who prefer exposure to a number of different clinical
areas, as each graduate spends four months in a clinical area before moving
to the next,’ said Mr
Faulkner.
This year, graduate nurses have
come to Bendigo Health from universities across Australia with most applicants
from La Trobe University, Bendigo.
Bendigo Health also has an
additional seven graduate nurses who have chosen to undertake their first year
of nursing practice within the specialist mental health stream.
Over the past five years,
Bendigo Health has retained over 80 per cent of graduate nurses, raising
the professional development of the nursing workforce at the organisation.
Three graduate nurses have
started their careers at Seymour Health.
Nicole Brooks, Dominique
Kettlewell and Christine Wynd have just completed their university training and
are now fully-registered Division 1 nurses.
Chief Executive Officer Doreen Power
said the graduates would work in several areas across the hospital such as
theatre, acute ward, Barrabill House, dialysis, emergency department and
community nursing.
‘The graduates are also exposed
to an elective of their choice.
‘In the past, we have had
placements at the Goulburn Valley Base Hospital emergency and oncology
departments and the Northern Hospital’s emergency and midwifery departments.’
Ms Power said many student
nurses also came through the hospital on placements – in the acute ward,
emergency department and community nursing.
‘We also accommodate final year
medical students who work between the hospital, ambulance service and
local GPs.
Seymour Health aims to employ
three new graduate nurses every 12 months.
The graduate program has been
running at Seymour Hospital for two years.
The new graduates join Lisa Welch,
who is half way through her first year at Seymour.
Fifty-nine Northern Health
graduate midwives and nurses and 23 from the post-graduate program have
received certificates acknowledging their achievements.
‘Northern Health offers
opportunities for nurses to participate in professional development and
education at all stages of their careers,’ said Medical and Continuing Care
Executive Director and Chief Nursing Officer Robynne Cooke.
‘Graduate nurses and midwives
are provided with opportunities during the 54-week program to consolidate their
undergraduate skills and knowledge, integrate theory to practice and further
develop their professional and clinical skills through a structured, clinical-focused
program.
‘Post-graduate courses are available
in a variety of specialties including emergency and theatre nursing,
peri-operative and critical care and midwifery.
‘This year, about 90 per cent of
our post-graduate nurses and midwives began their career as part of the
graduate nurse and midwifery program, demonstrating their commitment to
treating patients in Melbourne’s north.
The 2010 Graduate Nurse of the
Year, Ying Chen, was recognised for her dedication to her own professional
development and the high standard of care consistently delivered to her
patients.
‘A mature-age graduate nurse,
Ying has shown her ability to undertake the challenges of nursing on a daily
basis,’ Ms Cooke said.
The Graduate Nurse of the Year
Award is provided by the Wall family, in memory of Olive Wall, a Northern
Health volunteer, tireless in her efforts to raise money at Bundoora Extended
Care.
When Ann Davies decided to
further her nursing career, she wanted to prove to her teenage daughter that
anything was possible no matter your age.
Ms Davies is one of 165 nurse
graduates from across Victoria, interstate and New Zealand who have settled
into work at Eastern Health – 20 more than in previous years.
With two decades as an aged care
nurse behind her, Ms Davies was eager to learn more, even though it meant
juggling full-time work and family commitments.
Her determination and commitment
resulted in a Bachelor of Nursing from Charles Darwin University.
It will be a very special
occasion when Ms Davies attends her graduation ceremony in May – she is
the first person in her family to complete a university degree.
‘I wanted to prove you can
achieve anything if you put your mind to it,’ Ms Davies said.
As part of her studies, Ms
Davies worked across regional Australia, including the Northern Territory.
‘It was an eye-opener to visit
rural and Aboriginal communities and see first‑hand
the effects of medical issues such as obesity and diabetes.’
Ms Davies, who is based at Box
Hill Hospital, said Eastern Health had provided a positive learning environment
that included plenty of staff willing to share their wisdom and offer great
support.
‘It’s been a learning curve to
get a bit more knowledge but they have all given me more confidence.
‘They say they were all there
once – and we’re all still learning.’
‘We are proud to be the
launching pad for these new nursing and midwifery careers,’ Eastern Health’s Chief
Nursing Officer David Plunkett said
‘They are careers that can be as diverse as the many patients that nurses and midwives see each day, which ensures there is always something new to learn or a responsibility to take on.’
