Possibility of Grad year in Aus reduced with a new family?

Sifty · Jun 13, 2012

Grad years are not compulsory so therefore they are not reduced for any reason.

Fiona59 · Jun 13, 2012

Are jobs in that short supply in Australia that new grads feel they need a "grad year"? Whatever happened to looking for a job after graduation and learning as you go?

ceridwyn · Jun 14, 2012

Grad years are not compulsory, but if you are applying for a job nowadays due to there being no shortage of inexperienced nurses, many hospitals are advertising as part of their criteria that you must have completed a grad year.

Aged care however seems to still employ nurses that have no experience into positions of leadership and you will have better chance there to get work.

Do you have any friends in higher places in employment areas of a local hospital or where you do your clinicals that you can befriend discuss working on their nurse bank, working nurse bank and you would then have a clinical educator to call on for support if you need it and you would be familiar with their work environment.

Or when you are able to look for work approach hospitals about joining their nurse bank as a new grad, this is often done.

To Fiona59:

Graduate nurse programs are considered the 4th year of our Bachelor of Nursing and provide the new nurse support by each shift having a clinical educator. (the government wanted nurses ''churned out quick'' from universities.)

Learning on the job as you go, is not always in the best interest of a patient if the nurse is inexperienced and on a busy shift, not being able to grab a colleague, who is just as busy probably got a student nurse with them as preceptor.

Also as an inexperienced RN it is sometimes difficult to openly say to all the experienced staff that are busy, hey did not do this at univ please help or I am 'drowning'' at the moment please help. When you are in a grad program it is easy to say, hey I am the new grad need support and the hospitals must supply this support.

New grads also for a month or so are not included in our patient ratios so therefore there is more staff on the ward.

There has been in the past many new graduates leaving in droves from nursing through lack of support and grad years were introduced to support new grad RN and new grad ENs in their new careers. We have great patient outcomes now and have a more happier and hopefully becoming a younger, nursing workforce of local nurses and not rely on overseas nurses so much.

Mopples · Jun 14, 2012

I am going through my application this year. From what I have been told, the success of you getting a place depends on you performance at your interview. In NSW, the public hospitals do one central application you get interview by your first choice and receive a score. You are then placed in a hospital according to this score and available positions.

Basically I have been informed to practice for the interview and sell yourself as much as possible to gain the extra marks. I was told at an info night, that the more we can tell, the more marks we can achieve. Good luck :)