Supporting caregivers to continue their careers

19 Apr 2022

The not-for-profit organisation, which is the of the largest Catholic providers of health care services in Australia and employs more than 15,500 caregivers, has focused its initiatives on supporting the training of midwives which will help to increase the number of people working in this highly-specialised field.

The initiatives are:

• Midwifery scholarship – providing financial support to caregivers within St John of God Health Care to complete their midwifery course.
• Student midwife opportunities – supporting registered nurses to complete their necessary midwifery education and training with us through paid, part-time employment. This is available to existing caregivers or those who do not currently work with us.
• Re-entry to nursing and midwifery practice – providing opportunities to nurses and midwives who are coming back into the workforce to complete their supervised practice hours needed or provide financial support for a course required, to become registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, with employment opportunities within St John of God Health Care on successful completion. This is available to existing caregivers or those who do not currently work with us.
• Clinical and Research Fellowship – providing financial support and flexible work arrangements for caregivers within St John of God Health Care to complete further study (a Masters of Philosophy (by research) at the University of Notre Dame) in nursing or midwifery, or allied health fields.

St John of God Health Care Group Director Workforce Carla Bonev said these new initiatives were developed to take away some of the barriers that might otherwise prevent clinical caregivers from undertaking further study.

“We want our caregivers to know they are valued and that they have a significant contribution to make to patient care, not only today but in to the future,” she said.

“We are proud that we are now able to support our caregivers in these ways, and that we have been able to offer support wherever someone might be on their career path whether that is in the early stages, transitioning to a new career pathway such as from nursing to midwifery, or specialising their skills and knowledge as an experienced clinician.

“Additionally, these scholarships and initiatives will help increase the capacity of our workforce, particularly in areas of high demand such as midwifery and nursing, which will help reduce the overall pressure on our caregivers.”