New nurses begin careers at Tamworth Hospital
1 February 2010
After three years of intensive training, Tamworth’s Emma Allen is glad to be launching her nursing career at Tamworth Hospital today.
She will join 18 of her fellow new nurse graduates as they start a week of orientation before starting their first placement in the wards as fully-fledged registered nurses.
Emma said she had wanted to be a nurse since she was in high school at Carinya Christian School, but completing her first practical placement at Tamworth Hospital in 2007 confirmed how she felt about the career choice.
“I’ve had practical placement in hospitals in a lot of different places since I started university, but I’ll always remember my first placement at Tamworth Hospital,” Emma said.
“On my first day, I was present when some medical and nursing staff were caring for person who sadly passed away. Later that same day I witnessed a caesarean section birth which was amazing. It made me realised how diverse and involved nursing can be and confirmed for me that this job is where I want to be.”
Emma has worked at many Hunter New England Health services during university, including Tamworth Hospital, Armidale Hospital, Gunnedah Hospital, Bingara MPS and Calvary Mater Newcastle.
“The hard work I’ve put in during my degree, both in the classroom and on the job, has given me a sense of confidence going into my first job,” Emma said.
“I’ll also have the support of the senior hospital staff during my first year which will help me develop the skills I need to be a valuable member of the nursing team.”
Tamworth Hospital Director of Nursing Chris Coombs said it was pleasing to welcome the new intake of nurses, who will further add to nursing numbers at Tamworth Hospital.
“Tamworth Hospital’s ability to provide an enriching first year on the job is the key to attracting 19 graduates to the service this year,” Mrs Coombs said.
“We know that the nurses need to feel challenged in a highly supportive environment, to feel like their first year out of university has been worthwhile.
“We are pleased that this approach has helped us to attract and retain many nurses over the years, including 19 of the 2009 intake of new graduate nurses who have told us they will be staying on work at Tamworth Hospital.”
Contact: Emma Gibbs
Phone: (02) 6767 7137