St Vincent's Graduate Nurse Programs offer you the opportunity to practice in a supportive environment that will facilitate your transition to the role of Registered Nurse or Enrolled Nurse and allow you to build upon your knowledge and skills in the delivery of quality patient care and personal development.
Before you commence your graduate program you will receive the relevant learning packages and handbooks to gain an understanding of your allocated clinical area as part of your preparation.
Many areas also provide additional worksheets or learning packages to further assist new Graduates orientate to the unit.
In your first week at St Vincent’s you will attend a comprehensive 4-day orientation program in Education and Learning.
You will be allocated clinical induction time during which you will work alongside you preceptor.
At St Vincent's, we pride ourselves on supporting you to have the best start to your graduate year. .
The Graduate Nurse Coordinator is responsible for the overall running of all the Graduate Nurse Programs at St Vincent’s including recruitment and selection for the program, allocation of rotations, facilitation of study days, ensuring completion of competencies and performance development discussions tools.
The PDNs are dedicated to providing clinical support to Graduate Nurses. Each PDN is allocated to a specific department and supports graduates in these areas.
If you ever need to talk about your day just contact the PDN who will keep your discussions confidential.
The nursing teams are made up of Graduate Nurses, junior and senior Grade 2 Registered Nurses (RN), Enrolled Nurses (EN), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), Associate Nurse Unit Managers (ANUM) and a Nurse Unit Manager (NUM).
Due to the culture and nature of St Vincent’s all members of the nursing team are expected to provide support to one another and work interdependently. On days when you are not working with your Preceptor, many other members of staff are available if you require assistance.
Throughout the year you will work closely with multidisciplinary team members which include medical staff, physiotherapists, dieticians, pharmacists, occupational and speech therapists who are familiar with the challenges facing staff who are new to St Vincent's.
A preceptor is an experienced nurse working within a clinical area who acts as a role model and resource person for new nurses.
Each Graduate is assigned a preceptor during rotations.
Your Preceptor will assist in your orientation to the health service and clinical area, support your development as a nurse, and provide feedback on your progress.
We encourage you to roster yourself with your Preceptor as often as possible.
The guidelines facilitate the transition of newly graduated nurses into the role of a practicing Registered Nurse or Enrolled Nurses. It is recognised that for most Graduates this will be the first time they have worked with rotating shifts.
The guidelines aim to reduce the potential for stress and associated sick leave, and ensure that Graduates receive fair and equitable rosters. The recommended guidelines cover issues such as minimum number of shifts to work with a Preceptor, maximum number of days to work in a row and maximum number of weeks of night duty per rotation.
Graduates prove to be one of the most valuable support networks for other Graduates.
We encourage graduates to attend these regular, informal and confidential support meetings. It is an opportunity for graduates to catch up, debrief and support one another.
Graduate Support Meetings are facilitated by the PDN or GNC who can assist to resolve any issues if they arise and allows for information to be disseminated.
Support Team Action Response (STAR) is St Vincent’s critical incident stress management peer support program where trained colleagues can help staff deal with reactions to stressful events. They are available 24 hours a day to assist staff to deal with stress in the workplace.
STAR can provide information and referrals, support on a one-to-one basis and facilitate team debriefing sessions. The STAR Coordinator facilitates sessions for the Graduate Nurse programs throughout the year in which Graduates attend.
The EAP (Access Counselling) is a confidential service free to all staff and their immediate families who may require assistance dealing with personal, family or work issues.
Qualified counsellors can assist staff and family members to identify problems and find ways to resolve them.