Dear colleagues,

This week we welcomed 40 new graduate registered nurses into Metro North. It was an exciting day for everyone as these nurses have come to initially assist with the vaccination response to COVID-19 and the requirements for screening and then will be provided the opportunity to work in our bedded services at the facilities in Metro North.

Every year Metro North takes on average 450 new nurses and midwives. These are nurses and midwives in graduate positions. This year so far we have had 236 new nurses and midwives commence their careers in Metro North. Welcome to each and every one of you. While COVID-19 has brought many challenges and the expenditure for governments locally and across the world has been immense, certainly not wanted and a huge toll to individuals and communities, there are also opportunities and the requirement to employ additional staff means it is an exciting time for new starters and for the professions of nursing and midwifery more broadly. Welcome to all our new nursing and midwifery staff. We are so pleased to have you and thank you for choosing Metro North to commence your career.

On Thursday evening we also had the first of our 2021 “graduations”. These events are organised to celebrate the achievement of our graduates in the completion or near completion of their graduate year. That first year after completing undergraduate study can be challenging as learning and education is consolidated and new starters integrate into their teams. It was a lovely evening and nice to see a few of these wonderful professionals moving into the next stage of their career. Thank you to those staff, nurses, midwives and other health professionals who give so freely of their time to nurture, precept and mentor these new staff. Your input is invaluable and so important to train the next tranches of health professionals. Remember we are all in this together and the education of our staff is vital in the provision of expert care to our patients.

Bruce Sullivan and I have been spending time in facilities undertaking wellness sessions. While certainly they have been well received by those who have attended, numbers have been small. We would love to see many more of you in attendance. Remember it is imperative that we look after ourselves and each other so that we can effectively look after the patients in our care. We will absolutely tailor these sessions to the requirements of participants and look forward to seeing many of you in the future. Bruce is a dynamic presenter and these sessions are great for helping participants deal with the stressors that confront us every day. Please feel free to not only bring your nursing and midwifery colleagues but also staff from the other disciplines. They are very welcome to join us also. The more the merrier and remember we are one big Metro North family and we share similar issues. We would love to see you all!

Until next time, stay safe, stay positive and get vaccinated!

Regards,

Alanna Geary
“Life is Short, Work Somewhere Awesome”
#proudtobeChiefNurseandMidwiferyOfficerMN
Metro North Hospital and Health Service