NEW GRADS: What to do after nursing school
AHP Australian Health Professionals
Australian Health Professionals (AHP) is a leading Australian medical and healthcare recruitment service.
As nursing programs end and graduation approaches, nursing students may be wondering.... "So, what should I do now?" If you are a nursing student and this sounds like you, don't stress; it is completely normal, and most students can relate. It can be difficult for student nurses to choose the dream job that is right for them post nursing school. The nursing and medical setting has transitioned dramatically over the last couple of decades, largely due to advancements in technology. There are many avenues a graduate nurse practitioner can venture down when it comes to their first job, whether it is a career as a registered nurse (RN), family nurse practitioner, critical care nurse, nurse midwife, public health nurse, or home health nurse.
This blog will outline the details of AHP Aged Care's New Graduate Program, and the nursing roles available for recent graduates.
Start your nursing career with AHP
AHP have a professional healthcare team dedicated to the ongoing nursing education of current staff. This includes an innovative mentoring program designed specifically for new graduate nurses interested in entering the aged care industry. The AHP Aged Care team are committed to your career advancement and goals. With ongoing performance support and management of complaint resolution, you can assure you are supported throughout your career at every stage of the job.
As new graduate nurses, confidence is essential to beginning your career. With access to a high level of new skills and the latest learnings, it is important you are supported with on-the-job training to build your hands-on-industry experience, and in-turn increase your confidence.
Some of our new graduates have worked in aged care facilities as assistants in nursing (AINs), during their bachelor's degree. With this helpful insight into how a facility operates, you can hit the ground running.
New graduate nursing program
Most of our new graduates have previous AIN and aged care experience due to university placements throughout their studies. Through this program, we are able to hire new graduates, whilst ensuring that they have all the necessary skills and supports such as time management and critical thinking skills.
Our New Graduate Nursing Program is designed to develop skillsets such as dementia and chronic disease management, clinical coaching, and general education. As part of our program, facilities will receive two nurses, for the price of one; one experienced nurse to act as a clinical coach, and the new graduate nurse. We ensure that the new graduate nurse is fully supported until they are deemed ready to work the floor independently by a clinical instructor. We also ensure that the clinical coach is available via telephone 24/7 during clinical hours, and when the nurse is working. The clinical coach will support a new nurse for their first year, and check-in with them on a monthly basis.
Each year, every registered AHPRA clinician is required to have a certain number of CPD hours completed. For nurses, AHP provides opportunities to meet all of those CPD hours through in-house education courses, and various external opportunities. Many of these education sessions are free.
Requirements for nursing students
You are a passionate, caring, and empathetic new nursing grad, looking for a fulfilling role in the aged care industry. You possess strong communication skills and are able to build a relationship with both residents and staff. You must also have prior work experience in aged care or have completed placement as part of your degree.
Nursing jobs
As established players in the healthcare and recruitment fields, AHP has a plethora of opportunities and nursing jobs available for nursing specialties such as registered nurses and enrolled nurses nation-wide.
Registered nurses (RN)
Registered Nurses are skilled professionals with a license to provide compassionate patient care in a wide range of settings including hospitals, aged care facilities, emergency care facilities, general practice clinics, schools, and residential homes.
RNs are the key personnel qualified to assess, plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate nursing services. An RN role is strategically placed alongside other health professionals and service providers to collaborate and assist in the coordination, management, and delivery of care.
Enrolled Nurses (EN)
Enrolled Nurses provide nursing care under the direction and supervision of a Registered Nurse practitioner, and as part of an interdisciplinary medical team. With the assistance of RNs, ENs deliver basic nursing care to patients from all backgrounds and ages.
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ENs will work to follow a care plan set by RNs, doctors, and therapists. They provide physical and emotional support to patients and their families, and assist with personal hygiene tasks such as bathing, showering, and dressing.
Nursing career opportunities for high-level roles
In addition to new grad nurse opportunities, AHP also recruit experienced nurses for a number of high-level roles in the aged care sector across Australia that require prior clinical experience.
Facility Manager
As an aged care facility manager, you are responsible for the management of staff and effective rostering to ensure a consistently high standard delivery of care and services, within budget. Other responsibilities include mentoring, supervising, and teaching staff, ensuring clinical governance is current, and overseeing clinical care needs and systems. An aged care facility manager must undertake general Human Resource management such as recruitment, orientation, staff leave, and staff evaluations.
Care Manager
The care manager of an aged care facility oversees the care programs for residents and leads a team of aged care employees. They key responsibilities of a care manager include ensuring the delivery of high-quality care, supervising nursing and care staff, and ensuring legislative requirements are met.
Nurse Educators
Rather than dedicating their career exclusively to patient care, a nurse educator is responsible for the education and advocation of nurses. They instruct aspiring nurses and offer guidance, which can include training in both practical and educational settings. A nurse educator may specialise in a particular area of nursing, such as aged care.
Infection Prevention Officer
An infection prevention officer is an ongoing and essential role for all residential aged care facilities. The infection prevention officer observes, assesses and reports on the infection prevention and control of the facility, and assists in the development of procedures.
Data Entry
The responsibilities of a data entry operator include coding information, troubleshooting processing errors, and achieving an organisation's goals by completing the necessary tasks. In an aged care facility, a data entry operator will use health information systems to capture care delivery, streamline documentation, and provide point-of-care data.
Compliance Auditors
A compliance auditor will undertake an onsite assessment of the quality of care and services provided to aged care residents by a facility. This audit measures the performance of an approved provider against all requirements of the national quality standards. In addition to onsite assessments, compliance auditors also monitor facilities through activities such as paper audits, telephone contact, and written correspondence.
About AHP Aged Care
At AHP Aged Care, we provide temporary and permanent placements for allied health and nursing services within the aged care industry.
Unlike many recruiters, AHP Aged Care work alongside aged care providers across public and private health sectors, developing positive partnerships and aligning our innovative aged care services with their financial and clinical needs. Our team is composed of recruitment consultants who have spent years in the health and aged care space. Because of this, we fully recognise the challenges faced by the aged care industry and can leverage our knowledge in providing qualified and expert aged care staff that stimulate independence, dignity, comfort, and quality of life for all elderly patients.
Searching for a rewarding nursing job?
Contact our head office team on 1800 247 677 to learn more about what nursing jobs we have available.