Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
New nurses Ainslie and Shreejana are excited to get started on their clinical placements at Canberra Hospital.
Canberrans can expect to see many new faces in healthcare settings around the city.
A new cohort of over 360 graduate health professionals have joined Canberra Health Services (CHS) in recent weeks.
There are over 200 nurses and midwives, 96 junior medical officer interns and 59 allied health graduates starting their first year of supported practice in Canberra’s public health system.
These graduate programs help build and develop the city’s public health workforce.
Graduates will experience a broad range of specialities across their rotations which span Canberra Health Services.
Placements include:
- Canberra Hospital
- North Canberra Hospital
- University of Canberra Hospital
- justice health
- outpatient clinics
- community health care centres
- Hospital in the Home
- locations in south-east NSW.
Shreejana and Ainslie are two of the new graduates starting at Canberra Hospital this week.
Between them they will be rotating through the geriatrics, oncology, cardiology and orthopaedic wards.
For registered nurse Shreejana, this career was a childhood dream.
“I’m feeling very nervous, as well as excited,” she said.
“Seeing all the support and the guidance that I will be receiving from the CHS team, I’m very, very much looking forward to this journey.”
Enrolled nurse Ainslie completed her 18-month certification at CIT.
“I wanted to care for people and give back to my community,” she said.
“Honestly, it’s the little things. It’s when you ask someone “how can I help you?” It’s giving them a cup of tea, giving them coffee, giving them warm blanket. The little things that put a smile on someone’s face and just knowing that you’ve made them happy.”
In a Canberra Health Services first, three cohorts of graduate nurses are undergoing orientation at the same time.
This includes:
- the graduate Transition to Practice Program
- North Canberra Hospital’s existing graduate program
- the Novice Nurse Consolidation Program, which offers an alternative pathway to join the nursing workforce for those who may only be able to work part-time or hold a working visa.
“The new starters bring a great amount of enthusiasm and energy into our services and teams, and it is hugely fulfilling for all our staff to support and guide these new health professionals at a critical time in their career,” Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery at North Canberra Hospital Judy Ryall said.
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