More than 300 graduate nurses have been recruited to work at Central Adelaide Local Health Network – its largest ever graduate nurse intake – as part of the Malinauskas Labor Government’s commitment to bolster the health workforce.
The 314 new recruits will work at sites across CALHN including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and the Royal Adelaide Hospital – where 63 nurses will start today.
The new recruits are among 832 new nurses and midwives employed to work at public hospitals across the state as part of the 2024 Transition to Professional Practice Program, representing a significant increase on the standard annual recruitment of about 600 nurses.
The program provides graduates with further education and supported on-the-job training as part of a 12-month placement to build clinical skills and experience.
Their extra support will help existing nursing and midwifery teams, while allowing graduates to build positive relationships, feel supported in their clinical decision-making, and transition into their new role and practice environment.
This year’s intake is made up of 758 nurses and 74 midwives.
The CALHN intake is the biggest on record – building on the 292 nurses recruited in 2023, 265 in 2022 and 190 in 2021.
Increased support for graduates choosing to join a regional hospital has also had a positive effect.
A total of 206 nurses and midwives will be working across the six regional Local Health Networks.
The largest regional group is at the Limestone Coast Local Health Network which is welcoming 49 nursing graduates and 8 midwifery graduates.
The TPPP program supports more graduates to stay and work in South Australia.
It was developed to provide formal education and support to help improve graduate transition, satisfaction and retention rates and patient care outcomes.
The new graduates build on the Malinauskas Labor Government’s achievements of recruiting an extra 550 frontline health staff above attrition in its first year in office, including 278 extra nurses.
These extra health workers will help staff the 550 extra beds we have promised to open, including 150 inpatient beds due to come online this year which will help boost capacity and tackle bed-block.
More information on the nurse graduate program can be found at Transition to Professional Practice Program.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
We are not wasting a moment in executing our plan for a bigger, better health system – more doctors, nurses, ambos, and from later this year, more beds.
Nurses and midwives are the backbone of our entire health system, and it is vital that we continue to recognise, support and grow the workforce.
This intake of graduate nurses and midwives will strengthen staffing across the state, and further bolster the health workforce.
It’s pleasing to see the largest ever cohort starting at the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, to support two of our key hospitals – the Royal Adelaide and Queen Elizabeth.
I thank these new graduates for coming on board to boost our workforce and help care for sick South Australians and their families.
As put by Chris Picton
Our nurses and midwives work tirelessly to provide compassionate and expert care for unwell and injured South Australians during their time of need.
It’s fantastic to have such a large and dedicated new group joining our workforce, including the biggest ever intake at Central Adelaide Local Health Network.
More than 300 new recruits will join the ranks at CALHN to boost the workforce at the Royal Adelaide and Queen Elizabeth hospitals.
These graduate nurses and midwives are the future of our workforce and I welcome them to our large SA Health family.
They’ll be instrumental in boosting nurse numbers to service the 150 inpatient beds we will open this year at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Flinders Medical Centre, the Repat and Lyell McEwin Hospital.
As put by CALHN Chief Executive Officer Emma McCahon
Having been at CALHN just a few weeks, it is pleasing to see such an excited cohort of TPPP nurses joining our health network, alongside the significant intake across the state.
The TPPP program is a valuable initiative that sees senior nurses work directly alongside graduates as they develop their critical thinking and clinical skills.
Not only does the program attract, support, and retain a nursing workforce which addresses our service need and priorities, but importantly, it also helps support individual career progression.
