Queensland Health has announced that junior doctors, part of a 776-strong state intake, have begun work.
Minister for Health, Yvette D’Ath met some of the new recruits at the Prince Charles Hospital on Brisbane’s northside.
“Across Queensland, medical interns and graduate nurses will launch the next stage of their careers in 44 of our public hospitals in 2021,” Ms D’Ath said.
“These medical interns and graduate nurses have worked extremely hard to get to this stage of their careers and I congratulate them on their achievement.”
She said the recruits were joining Queensland’s health system during a global pandemic, where they would no doubt face extra challenges they might not have anticipated when they began their study.
“Queensland’s doctors and nurses have kept us safe during COVID and these new health workers will help that work continue,” the Minister said.
She said 9,475 extra doctors, nurses, paramedics and other health workers would join Queensland Health over the next four years.
“The medical interns and graduate nurses will participate in orientation programs to familiarise themselves with their respective hospital, its services and clinical practice and procedures,” Ms D’Ath said.
“The medical interns will then begin rotations through three core terms including general medicine, general survey and emergency medicine plus two elective terms in other specialised areas.”
She said the graduate nurses were provided with preceptor support and a range of transition support programs, immersions and accelerated specialisation programs to assist them to safely and effectively transition into their new clinical practice environments.
