Clinical carers who have upskilled to further their careers in health are among dozens of nurses being welcomed to the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.
More than 100 graduates, consisting of registered nurses, enrolled nurses, and midwives are starting their employment at the Health Service this week.
The 102 nurses and 7 midwives will complete two six-month rotations across Cairns Hospital, as well as heading out to our rural hospitals, following the commencement of their orientation training.
CHHHS executive director of nursing and midwifery, Cameron Duffy, said it was an exciting time for the nurses and midwives, who would be given opportunities to work in many areas of the Health Service, including cancer care, day surgery, orthopaedics, respiratory and renal ward, gastroenterology ward, and mental health.
‘Our nurses and midwives are the heart and souls of our Health Service, and it’s always a wonderful time to be able to welcome so many new faces to our wards,’ Mr Duffy said.
‘What is especially great this year, is we have many staff who have previously worked for us and participated in our graduate programs for nursing and midwifery students.
‘These popular programs allow the graduates to access support and professional development throughout the year, so there are plenty of opportunities to develop their nursing and midwifery career.’
Newly Registered Nurse Stephanie Taney worked as an Enrolled Nurse at Cairns Hospital before upskilling to become a newly Registered Nurse.
Stephanie, who grew up in Normanton, said the nursing development pathway at the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, had helped increase her confidence to take on more responsibilities in her caring role.
‘I love nursing, because it offers such a wide variety of career opportunities and I can keep on learning continuously, while knowing I am making a positive contribution to the community,’ she said.
‘My mum and grandmother were nurses in Roma and Brisbane in their younger years and I get to follow in their footsteps.’
Analiese Beauvois had been working as an Assistant In Nursing at Cairns Hospital, before deciding to upskill to become an Enrolled Nurse (EN).
Analiese, who worked as a student nurse in a private skin cancer clinic for 1 year before shifting over to the hospital, said she loved nursing as a profession.
‘Nursing is a great career for me, because I love being around people and interacting with everyone,’ she said.
‘I’m looking forward to taking on more responsibility as an EN.
‘My mum works as a midwife at Cairns Hospital, so she’s pretty proud of me.’
She said the EN graduate nursing program at CHHHS was a great opportunity to learn new skills and focus on areas of interest.
‘I love surgical nursing, so this is an area I really want to explore,’ she said.
‘Through this program, you can really go anywhere with nursing, because there are so many different pathways to do what you really want to do, inside and outside of the hospital.’