Meeting industry needs
Federation University leaders hope delivering a revamped Diploma of Nursing at the organisation’s Wimmera campus will help meet the evolving needs of the region’s healthcare providers and community.
University VET executive director Barry Wright said staff met with Wimmera and Mallee health-service representatives several times a year to discuss their ongoing needs.
“We have a couple of things in the pipeline and hopefully we will bring in new programs in June,” he said.
“I’m not saying too much about that at the moment because I don’t want to jump the gun, but the aim for me and the university is to meet community and industry needs. “We will expand if the support is there. “This is the start of it all.” Mr Wright said the university was pleased to reintroduce a Diploma of Nursing after a 12-month hiatus.
“A lot of work has gone into developing new learning, teaching and assessment resources for the qualification,” he said.
“Our clinical lab has been audited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council. They looked at our policies, procedures, new teaching and assessment records and we got the tick of approval – we are now fully accredited.”
Nursing teacher Gab Mcculloch said 27 students started the two-year, part-time diploma a fortnight ago. She said students and their future workplaces would benefit from the redeveloped course.
“Assessment wise, we did have a lot of exams and essays, but industry representatives have told us that’s not what they want from their nurses,” she said.
“What they want is to see them in the prac room, successful. We’ve incorporated all of that feedback into the Diploma of Nursing.
“We’ve always spent a lot of time in the prac room and have been very good in there, but now we’ll be even better.”
Mrs Mcculloch said while the university had always been proud of how good its students’ skills were, the new diploma would have a wider focus.
“Industry wants people with good skills and good critical thinking who can holistically assess a situation,” she said.
“Sometimes in the past we have been skill-focused and forgot about everything else, so the revamped program is about making sure we stay really holistic – ask for consent, draw the curtains and so on. It’s about the whole skill. It’s not just, let’s take blood, but let’s also concentrate on communication and anxiety relief.
“Getting industry feedback about what we are providing and what they need helps keep us current.”
Mrs Mcculloch said the feedback extended to teaching supplies.
“We’re really careful here in Horsham to buy all our stock for the prac room locally,” she said. “We stock what the region’s hospitals stock to make sure it’s applicable.”
Opening doors
Diploma of Nursing student Bianca Anson said she chose to complete the course to open more doors in the health care industry.
“I already work at the hospital and I enjoy interacting with the patients,” she said.
“My husband Marcus is sick, so I have seen the other side as well. I want to be able to help people and completing the course will allow me to improve my skills and open up other avenues for me.
“It is pretty intense, juggling three days of study a week as well as working parttime, but I am enjoying it.”