Joondalup Health Campus onboards record 48 nurses in single day
Ahead of the completion of a major expansion next year and amid concerns about staffing pressures, Joondalup Health Campus hired a record 48 nurses in a single day.
The group, comprised of registered nurses and registered nurses with experience in non-hospital settings such as GP clinics and care homes, will be closely supervised as they receive training to transition to the hospital environment.
The recruitment is part of Ramsay Health Care’s Professionals Transition Programme, designed to attract and support nurses who want to work with more seriously ill patients.
JHC acting director of clinical services Shane Tobin-Longly said nurses would receive hands-on training to hone their expertise.
“Nurses have extensive and valuable experience of caring for patients and we provide them with intensive training to develop their skills for three weeks and then provide ongoing support on the wards through their managers and staff development nurses,” Ms Tobin-Longly said.
“Their first week is filled with numerous classroom training sessions and simulation exercises to experience scenarios they may not have experienced before, after which they will move to the wards where they will be extras and follow a dedicated nurse on the ward.”
Australian Nursing Federation State Secretary Romina Raschilla said ANF members working at the Joondalup Health Campus had raised concerns about high staff turnover and poor nurse-to-patient ratios, which were putting pressure on nurses and midwives.
“It is great to see Joondalup Health Campus recently welcoming a number of new nurses, including graduates and those with experience in non-hospital settings,” Ms Raschilla said.
“These nurses will bring valuable skills to the team and will also need the strong support of experienced hospital staff to protect their own health and guarantee quality care for patients.”
As part of a $307.9 million expansion funded by the State and Federal Governments, 60 new public beds will open at JHC next year; Additionally, following the US$190 million redevelopment at the new Ramsay Private Hospital Joondalup, the total number of beds will rise to over 900.
A Joondalup Health Campus spokesperson said the hospital continues to explore ways to expand its workforce as patient demand increases, and 48 new nurses are part of that effort.
“The Professional Pathways Program is one component of a broader workforce strategy to grow our team to care for more public and private patients as our hospitals expand,” they said.
“We have launched a major recruitment campaign for clinical staff for the new Ramsay Private Hospital Joondalup and we also look forward to welcoming Glengarry Private Hospital staff who will be moving to RPHJ along with surgical services in the new year.”
Ms. Tobin-Longly said the campus has a variety of career programs designed to attract staff and help them achieve their goals.
“This year we secured permanent contracts for 79 graduate nurses who participated in our two-year Graduate Transition Program and celebrated the first JHC graduates on the Ramsay Registered Nurse to Registered Nurse Pathway this year,” Ms Tobin-Longly said.
“These are among the many ways JHC supports nursing staff to pursue their professional goals and to remain competitive in a very challenging job market for us.”
The 60 new public hospital beds at Joondalup Health Campus are expected to be completed by the middle of next year.
