Nurses kickstart careers
Graduates finish their orientation
NURSING has had a monumental impact on new graduate Stacey Froud.
She is one of 100 nurses and midwives who completed orientation at the Baillie Henderson hospital yesterday, preparing her for placement.
A family emergency is what first inspired her to consider the career path.
“My little brother is a type one diabetic and he went into ketoacidosis,” she said.
“He was flown to Westmead Hospital and just seeing the nurses there really moved me.”
Miss Froud will be starting her nursing placement at Toowoomba Hospital next week. She said the orientation had been invaluable.
“It’s been very interesting, there are a lot of things I haven’t seen before, so just getting to experience it in real life,” she said.
Colleague Margaret Matheson was also excited to begin her placement.
“I will be doing my 12-month grad program in Cherbourg,” she said.
“It’s good to be able to get into it and I have a lot of friends and family in the area - so it will be great to give back and learn as well.”
The program, run by Darling Downs Health, was an opportunity for the participants to familiarise themselves with rural workplaces, as well as learn more about their colleagues and practices.
Nursing director for education and research Helen Towler said the graduates had enjoyed the hands-on practical environment.
“We’re excited to have them with us learning a combination of theory, knowledge and practical application,” she said.
“For me nursing is about the why. We come here to make a difference to our patients and to make sure they have the best experience possible.
“I see a lot of passion (in the graduates), and it can lead them to amazing places.”
The nurses will take up placements at hospitals from Texas and Taroom to Goondiwindi and Toowoomba.