Community
12 February, 2021
New Nurses for Cairns: Fresh faces caring for our health
CAIRNS has received a health boost this week as 63 passionate new registered nurses and five new graduate registered midwives have joined the region’s health services.
The Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) welcomed the fresh graduates with an orientation at the Cairns Hospital on Monday.
Cairns local Miah Donnelly said it was a dream come true to start her career as a registered midwife and registered nurse in Cairns after spending the last four years studying in Townsville.
“To be able to come home and put all that into practice in the community that I was born and raised in is very exciting,” she said.
“I’ve always had the goal of moving back home, and to be given the opportunity within the CHHHS hospital and health community is absolutely amazing.
“I’ll be working within the maternity service, which is rotational, so I’ll be going through the maternity ward, birth suite, special care nursery, home visiting and clinics, so I’ll get to do everything.
“I’m extremely passionate about midwifery and women’s rights and I’m very excited to be starting my career in something I’m so passionate about.”
Michael Langguth, originally from Brisbane, is also excited to start his new role as a nurse at Cairns Hospital and said Cairns’ laid back atmosphere had attracted him.
“I’ve only been here a couple of months but it’s a beautiful place, with really friendly people and a great hospital. I feel like I’m supposed to be here,” he said.
Nineteen of the graduate nurses and one graduate midwife will be heading to rural hospitals for the next 12 months.
Forty of the new nurses will complete two six-month rotations at the Cairns Hospital in areas including the cancer care ward, day surgery, orthopaedics and the respiratory, renal and gastroenterology ward.
A further four will be placed in Cairns Hospital’s mental health unit.
This year will also see the graduate nursing program extended to correctional services, giving nurses invaluable experience providing care at Lotus Glen Correctional Facility.
This is the fourth year the CHHHS has run a structured graduate recruitment program, providing support and professional development throughout the year.
CHHHS Nursing Director for Strategic Planning and Workforce Rochelle Cook said the new staff were a welcome boost to the health workforce.
“This is perhaps a slightly larger cohort than normal, and a lot of them are local people that live in our community and are now working for and caring for our community, so we’re really happy to welcome them,” she said.
