Graduate Nurse Program

• We provide a learning environment that facilitates motivation and self-directed learning, and the development of a professional identity, with support and guidance.

Program

The Women’s provides graduate registered nurses with many opportunities to learn and consolidate their learning in a variety of women’s health and neonatal settings. If you are an enrolled nurse looking for information on transition to practice programs please see the information on the enrolled nurse transition to practice page.

Duration

Part time (0.8 – 0.9 EFT) employment for 52 weeks with commencement in February or May 2022.

Placements

The following placement areas are available to Registered Nursing graduates in our program:

• Gynaecology & Women’s Cancer services: 5 North (0.8 EFT)
• Neonates (0.8 EFT) including Special Care Nursery and High Dependency Nursery
• Perioperative Suites includes Theatre; Anaesthetics, Post Anaesthetic Care Unit & Day Surgery Unit (0.9 EFT)  

Placements are for 12 months in one area or a combination of 6 months in one area and 6 months in another. Graduates are asked to provide their placement preferences with their application. Every attempt will be made to place graduates in their preferred areas, however, this may not always be possible.

Professional development days

Professional development days are provided throughout the year, occurring more frequently early in the year. These study days are tailored to meet the specific needs of the graduate group and cover a broad range of topics. These include clinical skills such as pain management, epidurals, venipuncture, IV cannulation, pharmacology and patient assessment skills. 

The extensive range of services offered to women at the Women’s are also explored through speakers from the Women's Alcohol and Drug Service, Neonates, Oncology Unit, Acute Pain Team, Women’s Health Clinics, Reproductive Loss service, Centre Against Sexual Assault and many other areas.

Preceptor program

Each graduate is allocated a preceptor by the nurse unit manager. Each placement provides graduates a supernumerary time appropriate to that area.

Night duty

Graduates are generally not rostered night duty during the first 8 weeks of employment.

Graduate Nurse requirements

• Regular 3 monthly appraisals in each placement area
• Adult Basic Life Support (ABLS) competency
• Neonatal Resuscitation competency (if applicable)
• Emergency Management
• Researched 5 minute reflective presentation to graduates at their professional development day
• Reflective journal submitted each professional development day
• Medicines Management
• Smart Move
• Hand Hygiene and Infection Prevention
• Data Integrity
• Respectful workplace behaviours

Upon successful completion of all program requirements, participants receive a hospital certificate.

Commencement

Our Graduate Nurse Program has two intakes - in February and in May 2022.

Advocacy

The Women's supports the rights of women to make individual decisions related to their health and well-being. This also includes making available pregnancy termination services. In your role as a graduate nurse you may care for women undergoing termination of pregnancy and, included in your care, you may be required to administer the first medication in this process. If you have any concerns in this regard you may need to rethink whether the Women's is the right hospital choice for completion of your Graduate Nurse program.

Graduate Nurse Information Evening

The 2022 Graduate Nurse Information Evening will be held at Tuesday 8th June at 5-7pm by webinar. Please email Clinical Education to register your attendance. For us to process your booking we require:

• your full name
• email address
• mobile phone number
• university

We are currently unable to conduct personal tours at the Women’s due to Department of Health (DH) Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.

More information about the application process.

---

---