Graduates start work

Eleven nurses have started a 12-month graduate nurse program at East Grampians Health Service.

The cohort includes five registered nurses, two registered nurses-registered midwives and four enrolled nurses.

It is the first time the health group has offered a graduate program for enrolled nurses.

The nurses are from Mildura, Trentham, Ballarat, Melbourne, New Zealand and four from the Ararat region.

They have completed their studies at a range of universities including Deakin, Latrobe, Australian Catholic University and the University of South Australia, as well as at a range of TAFE providers including South West TAFE, Federation University and RMIT.

The health group’s education manager Heather Phillips said all graduates undertaking nursing-midwifery care did so based on their training qualification.

“The transition from student to health professional represents a key milestone in their career progression,” she said.

“The graduates are exposed to range of clinical areas during their graduate program and all are provided with orientation, quality clinical support and study days.

“Throughout the past five years, EGHS has retained more than 80 percent of its graduate nurses, which is vital for future-proofing our workforce and therefore the services we provide the community.”