{"id":10546,"date":"2025-05-30T14:12:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T04:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/?p=10546"},"modified":"2025-05-30T14:13:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T04:13:17","slug":"supporting-the-next-generation-of-graduate-nurses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/supporting-the-next-generation-of-graduate-nurses\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting the next generation of Graduate Nurses"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are many reasons and motivations for becoming a nurse. At The Royal Children\u2019s Hospital (RCH) we\u2019re proud to provide dedicated pathways for newly graduated Registered Nurses to become competent and confident professionals. The programs develop the specific knowledge and skills required to work in a tertiary paediatric hospital through a model of continuous learning and development, in a safe and supportive environment. The RCH Graduate Nurse Program offers three streams, including the newly introduced Foundations of Paediatric Practice program. It encompasses a 12-month program for graduate nurses with an additional 12-months to consolidate foundational paediatric knowledge and skills.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meet Vanrika, Josh and Mena, who have all completed the Graduate Nurse Program at the hospital.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Vanrika was inspired to become a Nurse by her Grandma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vanrika\u2019s motivation to enter nursing was her Grandma. \u201cShe struggled with major depression for the majority of her life, which was never acknowledged, due to the health inequality and injustice of living in a country like India,\u201d Vanrika explains. \u201cI\u2019m passionate about being a voice for change, and I have always known I wanted to be part of the solution, caring for, advocating for, and standing beside patients and their families during some of their most vulnerable moments.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Vanrika started at the RCH in 2023 as a critical care RUSON or Registered Undergraduate Student of Nursing and is now part of the Graduate Nurse program, working in Kookaburra, the RCH\u2019s Oncology ward.\u00a0 \u201cMy role goes beyond providing clinical care for my young patients; it\u2019s about being there for their families during some of the most difficult times of their lives.\u201d says Vanrika.\u00a0\u201cIt’s a space where compassion, skill, and empathy intertwine. Every shift, I have the privilege of working alongside a dedicated team, ensuring that every step of the journey is filled with as much comfort, trust, and dignity as possible.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The program has provided opportunities to learn and grow while working. \u201cThere are never two shifts that are the same; each has its own challenges, but they are balanced by moments of growth, supported by incredible mentors and colleagues,\u201d says Vanrika. \u201cI also love that I get to start my career in such a meaningful area; Kookaburra has deepened my understanding of resilience, hope, and the power of compassionate care.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Josh comes from a family of nurses.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Josh comes from a family of nurses, however his journey into nursing wasn\u2019t straightforward. It was during the pandemic, he found the desire to step in. \u201cSeeing how many people were sufferin<\/span>g, I wanted to be on the frontline,\u201d Josh says.<\/p>\n

He started as a Nurse Assistant and is now in his second year of the Foundation of Paediatric Practice program. \u201cI\u2019m still learning, I don\u2019t think you can ever stop learning in this profession,\u201d Josh explains. \u201cFrom extensive study days, supportive resources, mentors, extensive supernumerary and preceptorship shifts, the RCH succeeds in all aspects of what it means to be part of a Graduate Program.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the benefits of the program, for Josh the real highlight is clear. \u201cWorking with children as part of your job is the best thing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mena returned to study nursing after a career as a music teacher.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mena worked as a music teacher for close to three decades before heading back to the books to study nursing. That drive came from her own personal experience with her kids. \u201cBoth my children spent time in the special care nursery as neonates,\u201d she explains.\u00a0 \u201cMy daughter is now 22 and my son is 19, so it was quite some time ago!\u201d That time in hospital had a lasting impact. \u201cThe kindness, empathy and genuine care that we were given in that nursery made me realise, I too wanted to become a nurse.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Mena began her graduate year in 2024, as part of the first intake of the new two-year program. \u201cI have been blessed to work with the most incredible nurses who are always happy to educate, whether they are in an official educator role or not,\u201d Mena says. \u201cI have the highest regard and respect for all the nurses I have worked with and am in awe of how supportive they are, not only to me as a graduate nurse but to each other.\u201d The program also provides professional development days and study days to provide graduates with time to further solidify their learning.<\/span> \u201cBetween a tear and a laugh, we knew we could share our feelings and know that we were always supported. I have found the RCH graduate program invests in its grad nurses to ensure that they are not only well-educated and informed, but are continually supported and cared for.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She\u2019s currently working on the Platypus ward, providing care and support for young patients and their families every day. \u201cTo be a paediatric nurse you must remember that you are not only nursing the child, but nursing the whole family, and as grads we were well-equipped and supported to do this.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Find out more<\/span><\/a> about the opportunities for Graduate Nurses at the RCH.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many reasons and motivations for becoming a nurse. At The Royal Children\u2019s Hospital (RCH) we\u2019re proud to provide dedicated pathways for newly graduated Registered Nurses to become competent and confident professionals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6846,"featured_media":10548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8971,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6846"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10546"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10556,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10546\/revisions\/10556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}