GRADUATE NURSE PROGRAM 2005

MATER HOSPITAL NORTH SYDNEY

NURSING AT THE MATER

The Mater Hospital provides an exciting and comprehensive range of employment opportunities for graduate nurses. We offer outstanding benefits and educational opportunities to support you in your nursing career.

ABOUT THE MATER

The Mater Hospital, one of Sydney’s leading private hospitals, is at the forefront of patient care, medical technology and surgical procedures.  The current 195-bed facility accommodates around 24,000 patients a year and provides a range of services in four core service areas - Cancer Care; Joint Replacement, Bone & Sports injuries; Maternity and Women's Health; and Heart, Lung & Vascular Services.

The Mater is part of St Vincents & Mater Health Sydney which comprises the three most prominent Catholic HealthCare institutions in Sydney and includes St Vincent’s Hospital (incorporating the Sacred Heart Hospice) and St Vincent’s Private Hospital.

St Vincents & Mater Health Sydney is a facility of the Sisters of Mercy and Sisters of Charity Health Services, Australia’s largest not-for-profit, non-government HealthCare providers. The SCHS incorporates over 30 facilities including public and private hospitals, aged care and palliative care, research institutes, a medical clinic and correctional health services.

OUR GRADUATE PROGRAM

The Mater has strengthened its reputation through the development of its graduate program. There are a range of options for graduates to choose from and the support from our educators and our dedicated nurses are just a couple of the reasons why the program has such a wonderful reputation within the graduate and university community

The program involves:

• Orientation to the hospital
• Study days
• Debriefing Sessions
• Supernumerary in all rotations
• Regular educational sessions
• Educators, preceptors and Clinical Nurse Specialists in all clinical areas
• Social Evenings

AREAS OF SPECIALITY

The Hospital offers a broad range of experience – centred on a surgical framework, through rotations to all areas:

• Orthopaedics
• General medical and surgical
• Intensive care unit & cardiac and vascular surgery
• Day surgery unit
• Operating suite scrub, scout, anaesthetics and recovery
• Renal unit

Plus supernumary placements in:

• Maternity
• Angiography
• Chemotherapy Day Unit

Opportunity for direct entry into operating suite available.

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

The Mater’s Endovascular Unit performs cardiac and vascular diagnostic and interventional procedures. This service is a growing area within the hospital. During 2003 the unit introduced electrophysiological studies (EPS) and RF ablation facilities.

The Mater’s Operating Suite offers leading technology for performing advanced endoscopic surgery in our endosuites that are installed into 4 of the 8 operating suites. This technology integrates computers, digital recording systems and operating theatre equipment in an ergonomically structured environment. This installation is the first completely integrated centre outside of the USA and provides an exciting, state-of-the-art work setting for theatre nurses.

CONVENIENT LOCATION

The Mater Hospital is conveniently located less than 2 kilometres from the city and between the restaurants of Crows Nest and the business centre of North Sydney.

PART- TIME GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES

To satisfy the needs of our graduate nurses, the Mater has created an innovative option whereby we can now offer a part-time program to new graduate registered nurses. This option is available to all graduates and requires that you work a minimum of three shifts a week. During the first month, graduates are required to work full-time and the remainder of the year is completed by negotiation with the new graduate and the staff development manager.

INTAKES

Intakes for 2005 will be in January, March and July.

EDUCATION FOR GRADUATES

At the Mater we have a strong focus on education. Experienced educators plan and develop the program and a team of dedicated and professional clinical nurse educators are on each ward to assist in the transition. Educators at the Mater say:

‘this diverse program for new graduates enables them to have greater scope in their professional nursing futures, that positively impacts on their level of career satisfaction and enables them to work in a variety of clinical settings'.

WHAT DO GRADUATES SAY ABOUT THE ROTATIONS

• Staff always willing to help
• Fast paced and always different
• The diversity scared me as well as helped me grow and learn
• Enjoyed casemix of patients
• Staff went out of their way to be friendly and helpful and explained reasons for doing things certain ways
• Improved my time management and gained alot from continuity of care
• Gained a good overall understanding of the basic care in the Renal unit
• Great experience working with Renal Nurses, they are so willing to pass on their knowledge
• All comes together to increase my ward nursing skills
• My preceptor made me feel confident in my abilities
• Good to see patients in pre-admission through to discharge
• High level of support provided by the preceptor , NUM and staff

SECOND YEAR PATHWAYS

In your second & subsequent years we can provide opportunities to further your career development through short courses and post graduate studies. Financial assistance and / or study leave options are available to all staff within the hospital.

OTHER BENEFITS:

• Salary packaging to enhance your take home pay
• Diversity in the casemix and specialities that are available
• Free on site parking to nurses working afternoon shift and night duty
• Employee assistance program for confidential, one-on-one guidance

APPLICATIONS

You are encouraged to take advantage of this comprehensive and successful program. Applications are invited from graduate nurses who have completed their degree within the last year. As the Mater is not part of the NSW consortium, you will need to apply directly to the Hospital. Please contact staff development on (02) 9900 7590 or for the application form.

Applications close Friday 20th August 2004.

INTERESTED IN VISITING THE HOSPITAL

For further information contact staff development unit on (02) 9900 7590 or to tour the hospital and talk with some of our wonderful staff.

COMBINED GRADUATE PROGRAM

A combined Transitional Support Program for new graduate Registered Nurses is offered between the Mater Hospital and St Vincent's Private Hospital. This program allows for a successful transition to the workplace and involves rotation to a variety of areas between the two hospitals.

By offering a combination program we can draw on the strengths of each hospital and give you broad clinical experience. Graduates choose to come to our hospitals because of the reputation in the community and the acute casemix which we both have to offer.

The program involves six months at the Mater Hospital and six months at St Vincent's Private Hospital. There are ample opportunities for you to develop your skills in areas such as orthopaedics, surgical, oncology, intensive care, operating suite, day surgery, neurology, cardiology, urology and renal.

You are encouraged to take advantage of this comprehensive and successful program.  As St Vincent’s Private & The Mater is not part of the NSW Consortium, you will need to apply directly to the Hospitals.

For more information about the program please contact the Staff Development at the Mater Hospital on (02) 9900 7590 or