New cohort of nurses to support Cairns’ health industry

THE Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) welcomed a cohort of nurses and midwives to its health services this week.

A total of 85 nurses and midwives will complete two six-month rotations across Cairns Hospital and head out to FNQ’s rural hospitals following the start of their orientation training on Tuesday, February 7.

CHHHS Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Cameron Duffy, said the graduates would work in all areas of the Health Service, including cancer care, day surgery, orthopaedics, respiratory and renal ward, gastroenterology ward, and mental health.

“Our new nurses and midwives are starting with us this week,” Mr Duffy said.

“We are very excited to welcome this large cohort of 80 registered nurses (RNs) and five midwives to our Health Service.

“We’re always trying to increase our postgraduate intake to meet the regional demand, and this has been a good year; we’ve been able to attract quite a large number of postgraduates to come in through Cairns and Hinterland.

“These graduates will work for various units across our vast region, including dialysis at Mossman Multipurpose Health Service - the first time for a rotational program between dialysis and a rural hospital.

“The program allows the graduates to access support and professional development throughout the year, so there are plenty of opportunities to develop their nursing and midwifery careers.

“After the 12 months, we’ll aim to secure them for ongoing employment; the decision lies with them, but hopefully, they have a very positive experience here,” he said.

Mr Duffy said the graduate program helped ease the new staff’s transition from students to registered nurses and midwives.

“With a structured framework, we help them apply theory and practice to further develop their knowledge and skills,” he said.

Ebonie Campbell, 30, is one of the new RNs starting work this week in Cairns Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Acute Stroke Unit.

Ms Campbell, a Cairns local, said she was nervous and excited to begin her journey at Cairns Hospital.

“It still feels so surreal after three years of studying,” she said.

“My mum works in mental health for Queensland Health, and seeing what she has done with her career has played a big part in my decision to go into nursing.

“With the life experience I’ve had, I discovered I wanted to do a job that had a lot of meaning, and I wanted to give back to the community.

“And what better way to do that than to be a nurse?

“I’m looking forward to the skills; the autonomy nurses can gain, working with the community and giving back and working with the teams at Cairns Hospital.

“I’m still unsure about what path I would like to take after I finish my 12 months, but it’s either intensive care or mental health.

“I am really excited about working as an RN at the hospital,” Ms Campbell said.

Indira Lena, 21, who grew up in Cairns and studied nursing at James Cook University, said it was a privilege to be part of a patient’s health journey.

“I’m really excited for my first day, I spent three years studying for this degree, and now you can put what you’ve learned into practice,” Ms Lena said.

“I’m excited for my surgical and orthopaedic rotations and all the skills and knowledge I can learn from all the team members.

“Six months before I was born, my grandfather died from asbestos cancer, and when I was 12, my grandmother died from bowel

By Isabella Guzman Gonzalez

cancer; being through most of my grandmother’s journey made me interested in helping people overcome that and how nurses can take a vulnerable patient and restore their independence and bring clarity to their family.

“I was fortunate enough to complete my sixweek placement in Yarrabah and then be offered six months employment afterwards and then fortunate enough to get a contract as an Assistant in Nursing in Emergency Department (ED) in Cairns, and, I think ED is where I’d like to be, helping those families,” she said.

Ms Lena will be placed in Cairns Hospital’s surgical and orthopaedic units during her two six-month rotations.

Mr Duffy said it was crucial to value the importance of RNs and midwives for the proper functioning of a hospital.

“They are key,” he said.

“As much as you rely on experience, you have to start somewhere. This is where our postgraduates begin their journey, and we want this to be an enriching experience where they get to be skilled and experienced practitioners.

“They’ll be the novices for now but soon the experts, so they are absolutely pivotal in sustaining a health service.”

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