Sandy Khadka is one of 28 nurses joining Bundaberg Hospital this month as the health service welcomes its largest intake of nursing and midwifery graduates across the Wide Bay.
Throughout the region, 100 nursing students have graduated and will embark on the next exciting chapter of their careers at Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service in Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Maryborough and rural facilities.
Sandy said she was offered a place in Acute Medical Ward 2 and was excited to begin her career.
“Nursing for me is about caring and comforting patients,” Sandy said.
“While I was on placement at WBHHS, I witnessed the effort of the team to meet the needs of the patients.
“It was fantastic and that's the reason why I chose Wide Bay for my graduate year.
“The ongoing training and education for staff was another driving force for me to apply for a position at WBHHS.
“I am looking forward to growing myself as a Registered Nurse in this environment.”
The new nurses, consisting of graduates from both local universities and institutions further afield, will spend the next 12 months working across various clinical areas.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Board Chair Peta Jamieson congratulated the graduate nurses for completing their studies and said she was pleased to be welcoming such a large intake.
“It’s no small feat to complete higher education, particularly in a complex and evolving field such as healthcare,” said Ms Jamieson.
“I commend our new graduates on completing their studies and look forward to seeing them hone their skills as important members of our team at WBHHS.
“As our population grows, so too must our workforce, and it’s critical we continue to welcome and upskill new graduates to ensure we have a sustainable nursing workforce well into the future.
“We’re committed to developing positive recruitment strategies, maintaining strong partnerships with education providers and providing staff with opportunities for training and skill development, and this exceptionally large group of nurses joining WBHHS strengthens our reputation as a best-practice healthcare provider.”
Graduate nurses bring more support to hospitals
WBHHS Chief Executive Debbie Carroll said welcoming the enthusiastic and skilled nursing and midwifery graduates to Wide Bay was always one of her highlights each year.
“Having trained as a nurse myself, I appreciate the crucial role these new graduates will play in supporting the health of our community,” Ms Carroll said.
“This is one of the largest single intakes of nursing and midwifery graduates accepted into our health service, which is great news for our community.
“Year after year we receive strong interest from graduates, and I truly believe this is reflective of our positive, supportive and inclusive environment and our values-based approach to delivering healthcare.
“By constantly bringing in talented graduates and upskilling them, our team is ensuring we can deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time to Wide Bay patients for years to come.
“As in previous years, we’ll also welcome a second intake of graduates in mid-2023.”
WBHHS Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery Fiona Sewell congratulated the graduate nurses on joining the team and wished them well as they settle into their new roles.
“We’re fortunate that over 60 per cent of the nurses joining us as graduates have already worked at WBHHS facilities as Undergraduate Students in Nursing (USIN),” she said.
“Their time as USINs with us means that they already understand our processes, our facilities, and the patients and conditions we support.
“Many of them worked for us during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and having developed their skills under those challenging and rapidly changing conditions, we know they are more than capable of tackling the next 12 months.
“These nurses will be working in a variety of areas across our entire region, including acute medical, surgical, emergency, critical care, renal, aged care and community health.”
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