Queensland Health has announced Government funding for an extra 770 graduate nurses and midwives a year.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Yvette D’Ath said the new recruiting push would increase Queensland Health’s total annual nurse and midwifery graduate intake to 2,500.
“We’re bringing in an extra 1,540 nurse and midwife graduates in the next two years,” Ms D’Ath said.
“There will also be an additional 100 Clinical Facilitators and Nurse Educators to help guide the new nursing and midwife graduates.”
She said the initiative aimed to build and nurture the next generation of the clinical workforce amid the unprecedented demand on public hospitals.
“With a national and international shortage of clinical staff, including nurses and midwives, we’re going all out to secure Queensland’s future health workforce,” Ms D’Ath said.
“This will go a long way to addressing our health workforce challenges across the State by ensuring a pipeline of skilled nurses and midwives once their graduate placement is completed.”
She said most importantly, it would help ease emergency flow pressures and assist with the elective surgery program.
To support nurse and midwifery graduates, most of Queensland’s Hospital and Health Services use a Clinical Facilitator-model or a similar model.
This includes supervision by Clinical Facilitators, preceptorship, transition support through targeted education, and partnerships with Nurse Educators.
