PEDIATRIC AND GRADUATE PROGRAM IN W.A.
Sweeney S.A.
Princess Margaret Hospital for
Children, Perth, Australia
The only
Pediatric Graduate Nurse program in Western Australia is conducted at the
Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. Graduate nurses are allocated to three patient care
areas ¨C surgical, medical and specialty units and attend study days and
tutorials over an 18-month period.
A few graduates are fortunate to
gain valuable skills in the Operating Theatres. The Operating Theatres provide a comprehensive
experience for these graduates whereby at the end of a six-month rotation
they leave the department with additional skills not provided in the wards
as well as insight into the complex world of pediatric surgery.
An essential element we believe
is providing the graduate in the Operating Theatres with the enthusiasm to
gain the best that any program can provide, along with the clinical
preceptorship and attention to the daily allocation for training. A significant development over the years
has been the Preceptorship handbook, which details objectives and is a
clinical logbook to record their experience as well as their clinical
reviews and written feedback.
We have also found our graduate program has been an excellent
resource for acquiring permanent staff for the Theatres. It is also acknowledged that the
benefits from the graduate¡¯s ward rotations has greatly assisted in the
nurse¡¯s confidence in delivery of pediatric patient care in the Theatre and
appreciation of the Hospital as a whole.
Effective program planning at
Princess Margaret Hospital for Children ensures the graduate gains thorough
skills in all rotation areas and to utilize the learning opportunities as
they present themselves in the dynamic field of pediatric nursing.