Nursing and midwifery graduates start their careers with Far West LHD

These nursing and midwifery graduates form part of the more than 3,600 graduates - who will begin work across 130 NSW public hospitals and health facilities this year in a major boost for the NSW Health system.

FWLHD’s intake includes three local nurses and one midwife, in addition to nurses and midwives relocating from elsewhere in NSW and interstate.

Ms Wendy Gleeson, FWLHD’s Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery said she is delighted to welcome the new graduate nurses and midwives to the District and wishes them all the best as they embark on their new careers.

“Our new graduates are very welcome to the Far West LHD and are a timely boost to our workforce in the District,” Ms Wendy Gleeson said.

“It’s exciting to see the next generation of nurses and midwives begin their career, given that many were busily finishing their university education and clinical placements during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The new nursing and midwifery graduates join Far West LHD under its GradStart program, which exposes graduates to different clinical and professional settings, thereby enhancing their nursing and midwifery knowledge and clinical skill development.

They are supported by clinical nurse educators and will gain experience across a broad range of services including in emergency, intensive, and remote care as well as in community and primary healthcare.

“The experiences the graduates will gain is invaluable and unique to the Far West. They gain first-hand experience of working in our remote facilities and engaging with and living within communities, which we hope will encourage them to consider a career in our region,’ Ms Gleeson said.

The GradStart program places nurses in Broken Hill, Wentworth, Ivanhoe, Wilcannia, Tibooburra and Balranald and introduces a placement in Menindee for the first time. The Menindee placement is a Metro-Rural Exchange Program whereby two new graduates have six-month rotations at Menindee and the Sydney Eye Hospital to provide a unique experience with remote and metropolitan healthcare. 

The FWLHD already has a successful Metro-Rural Exchange Program with Central Coast LHD through the Gosford – Broken Hill Exchange Program.

The graduates will undergo orientation this week and meet staff, mentors, and managers who will support their transition from undergraduate university student to registered nurse/midwife. The orientation also includes NSW Ambulance training for those graduates working in remote sites.

The NSW Government recently announced the largest workforce boost in the nation’s history in the 2022-23 Budget with a $4.5 billion investment over four years for 10,148 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff to hospitals and health services across NSW.