Gold Coast Health has welcomed 142 new nursing and midwifery graduates in 2019.
Professor of Nursing and Midwifery Anita Bamford-Wade welcomed the new nurses and midwives, saying they were joining a workforce which was highly regarded by the Coast community.
¡°Our nurses and midwives play a pivotal role in the clinical care of thousands of patients each year and are an outstanding asset to our health service.
¡°Recent patient survey results have reinforced that our nurses and midwives always strive to do their best for patients and their families,¡± Professor Bamford-Wade said.
¡°This next generation of nurses join our organisation at an exciting time as our hospitals transition to become fully digital in April with the introduction of ieMR.¡±
They are supported throughout their transition year with dedicated nurse educators working with them to develop confidence and professional skills as part of a focus on lifelong learning.
Jenna Scott, who has been assigned to a stroke neurology ward, is keen to start her nursing career.
¡°The structured orientation makes us feel so supported and we¡¯re well informed before moving on to the wards. I¡¯m looking forward to the cultural and learning opportunities that Gold Coast Health promotes such as rural exchanges,¡± Ms Scott said.
After 14 years as an emergency medical dispatcher with Queensland Ambulance Service, Richard Colson will begin his new career in a general medicine ward at Gold Coast University Hospital.
¡°My philosophy is that no one really wants to be in hospital, but if we as nurses can make a difficult time better, and leave them with a lasting impression of how they¡¯ve been treated, in addition to the clinical care of course, then we have done our job well,¡± he said.
¡°What¡¯s drawn me to Gold Coast Health and what I¡¯ve experienced so far, is the culture of the organisation ¨C there¡¯s a culture of safety and support.¡±
Professor Bamford-Wade said this year¡¯s Gold Coast graduate cohort included six who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin.
¡°We are committed to increasing the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff across all levels of our workforce,¡± she said.
Among the 142 graduates are 21 midwives and 21 nurses who would be allocated to mental health.
Gold Coast Health is on a journey towards Magnet Program ? designation which recognises nurses and midwives for providing high standards of evidence-based care to achieve exemplary patient outcomes and provides a framework for building excellence within healthcare services.