No regrets for graduate nurse Wendy

12 Mar 2024

In one sentence, describe your overall experience of our graduate program? 

What would you say are some of the key benefits of doing a graduate program with St John of God Health Care? 

Opportunity to grow with your learning and career as a nurse. I like how the organisation likes to encourage their caregivers to continue studying by offering partnerships to nurses with universities should they want to continue learning.

What feelings did you experience on your first days and weeks of the graduate program and how were you supported through these early stages? 

I felt very nervous and it was quite a reality shock at first. It can be difficult to transition from a student to a nurse, but the great thing is that the learning development nurses and other nurses you work with know you are new, so they understand and know that it takes time. One thing I always did was ask questions and do a debrief of how I was going because I think it helped build connection and help my learning development nurse and team understand how I felt.

What learning were you provided and how did this help you determine your future career path/speciality? 

We had a portfolio to complete and with that, there was learning modules, such as medication safety, self-care, administration of blood products and many others. I also liked that if you wanted to learn about something else, there were learning modules and workshops you could attend. This helped me to to learn more and know there were resources available to help upskill or improve existing skills. 

We were also offered two rotations on different wards. Being able to go into theatre and then to the ward allowed me to see different areas of nursing and helped me choose the nursing speciality I would like to pursue.

How has St John of God cared for you so you can care for others?