Vasey RSL Care Brighton resident with nurse taking blood pressure

Vasey RSL Care’s New Graduate Nurse Program

* 6 June 2023 *

Vasey RSL Care has introduced a new one-year Graduate Nurse Program: this is for Registered Nurses (RNs) who have qualified within the last two years and wish to transition to their new nursing career with training and support to develop their clinical and leadership skills.

At Vasey RSL Care, we often find that Personal Care Workers (PCWs) and Enrolled Nurses (ENs) progress their careers by studying to become Registered Nurses.

“Previously we did not have entry level RN positions available”, says General Manager Human Resources, Tamara Paton. “All our RN positions were supervisory or leadership roles and this meant we lost great staff to other organisations to get the experience they need.

“Our new Graduate Nurse Program means we can retain these staff through positions specifically for recent graduates where they work alongside experienced RNs to learn and grow.”

The program also offers leadership training and opportunities for career development in the future.

“We are lucky to keep staff who already know our residents, who work well with their Vasey RSL Care colleagues, and who know the Vasey RSL Care way of working,” adds Tamara.

Program participants receive tailored weekly education designed for new RNs and completed alongside other new RNs around Australia via the ‘Transition to Practice’ program provided by the Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA), the peak body in Australia for aged care.

How does the Program Work?

Participants have regularly scheduled shifts where they work alongside an experience RN, receiving direction and guidance from them. This ensures that participants experience all the typical aspects of the role, with support from their co-worker.

External Support: participants are enrolled with ACCPA’s Nursing Transition to Practice program which includes weekly 90-minute online sessions held by industry and clinical experts. This provides self- assessment activities, access to learning materials and pastoral support.

Clinical Skills: participants are assigned a clinical learning module each month around the key clinical skills for aged care.

Leadership Skills: participants are enrolled in Vasey RSL Care’s ‘Leadership Essentials’ workshops to develop their leadership skills.

Workplace Mentor: each participant has a workplace mentor who is a RN, to provide advice and support, and to check in on their progress with the Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool (ANSAT).

Additional support is provided by the HR Team and the relevant Residential Manager.

“This is the first year of our Graduate Nurse Program,” says Tamara. “So we will be seeking feedback over the year from our first participants and we look forward to hearing their views and finding out how else we can support them.”

“This new program is beneficial to the nurses themselves, the organisation, and most importantly, to our residents,” says CEO, Janna Voloshin.

“Continuity of staffing is a significant factor in our residents’ quality of life – when they have grown to know staff members, it’s hard for them when they leave. This program means those PCWs and ENs who become RNs can stay with us as they carry out their graduate year and into the future.”