Graduate nurses start their next chapter at Peter Mac
07 February 2024
Peter Mac has welcomed the first group of newly graduated nurses for 2024.
The 36 graduates (the first 20 of whom are pictured above) will work alongside experienced specialist nursing teams across our inpatient wards, surgical areas and ambulatory units over the next 12 months. They will rotate every six months to make sure they have access to a broad range of clinical experiences.
The cohort will be closely supported with training and education to develop specialised cancer nursing skills, with a focus on delivering an outstanding patient experience.
Having completed their training at universities across Victoria, over 30 per cent of graduates completed placements at Peter Mac as a part of their studies. Sixty one per cent of the new nurses completed oncology placements.
David Hellston, who completed two Peter Mac placements during his studies, will commence rotations in the Surgical Ward, where he will care for pre- and post-op patients.
Inspired to pursue cancer nursing by personal interactions with cancer care, David was in-part drawn to Peter Mac for its culture, “the work culture is really positive and education-focused. Everyone really aims for the latest and best practise.”
He looks forward to experiencing work in Surgery, adding, “I think it will be quite interesting. There is a huge scope of work happening, and some surgeries completed here aren’t done anywhere else in Australia.”
The Graduate Nurse Program is specially designed to expand their clinical abilities alongside increasing confidence and honing their judgement. It uses a unique professional practice model to encourage reflective practice and help nurses understand the many nursing career options ahead of them.
Lauren Cooper completed her undergraduate nursing qualification at La Trobe University and will begin her rotations in Peter Mac’s Medical Oncology ward.
Inspired to move into cancer nursing after studying oncology units during her degree, Lauren explains, “it just made sense.”
Like most of the graduates, she welcomes the chance to develop relationships with other graduates as they move through their speciality training together.
Find out more about Peter Mac’s Graduate Nurse Program here.