Bendigo could get 73 extra long-term registered nurses as the hospital moves to guarantee jobs for graduates.
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In a hospital-first, those taking part in the graduate program have been told they can expect ongoing employment should they complete the year-long program.
Previous cohorts were only offered 12 month contracts, the healthcare group’s acting chief nursing and midwifery officer Paul Rumpff said.
Graduate positions at the hospital have grown by 35 per cent since 2016 to fuel extra services brought to the hospital after it moved into its new facility.
Nurses will rotate through the cardiac catheterisation laboratory and the surgical observation unit for the first time. Extra rotations have also been added in the emergency department and the hospice and evaluation unit.
More than half of the 2019 graduate cohort will take part in the general stream graduate program, which gives nurses the opportunity to do two six-month rotations across a range of departments, from emergency to palliative care.
Monika Drum began her first shift after moving from Adelaide.
“I specifically sought out this program for specialised aged car. In South Australia they don’t offer anything specialised,” she said.
“You just apply and they throw you in where-ever. Here they clearly set out your pathway.”
Daljinder Jaura was just starting too after completing prior training in Bendigo.
“Being here for one year I’ve seen that the staff are really helpful. They are a great support. So it will be hard for people in the program to start but easy to fit in,” he said.
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