Northern Health Continuing Care Graduate Nurse Program Clinical Rotations
Participants in the Northern Health Continuing Care Graduate Nurse Program are able to undertake a variety of clinical rotations at Broadmeadows Health Service and Bundoora Extended Care Centre. An acute rotation to The Northern Hospital is also negotiable.
Core Rotations
The core 16-week clinical rotations offered at both campuses will enable you to develop your clinical skills in both the rehabilitation and gerontic nursing.
Rehabilitation
In Our rehabilitation units, you will have the chance to work in a specialty that is relatively new and exciting. The focus is quite different to many other areas of nursing.
Rehabilitation is all about helping people to maintain and/or regain optimal levels of function, health and independence.
The nature of our patients' needs often means you, as the rehabilitation nurse, will work inter-dependently with a variety of other health professionals within the rehabilitation team, such as medical consultants, physiotherapists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists, as well as the patient's family.
You will also have the opportunity to look after patients with any of a wide range of conditions. Some will have easily identifiable conditions such as a stroke, amputation or fractures. Others may be recovering from acute medical or serious surgical episodes, as well as those who are debilitated as a result of complicated health issues.
Where can rehabilitation nursing take me?
Rehabilitation is undertaken in every setting from home to hospital. Nurses can choose to specialise in all sorts of areas such as cardiac, spinal injuries, mental health, drug and alcohol, stroke, amputation, workplace and sports rehabilitation. It also provides an excellent background for nurses interested in moving into areas such as disability services or service provision.
Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM)
With Australia’s ageing population, aged care nurses are in great demand. Our GEM unit offers you the opportunity to gain experience in the rapidly expanding specialty of aged care.
Within the GEM unit, you will work closely with other health professionals in a multidisciplinary team providing a high quality service for people experiencing complex health care needs.
In addition to having a thorough understanding of the patient’s medical conditions, management and the patient’s abilities and personal resources, you will also liaise closely with community nurses and other health care providers to develop an effective plan of care at home.
Working within this environment offers unique learning opportunities, such as the chance to develop assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation skills in relation to older people; work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team; and actively participate in case conferences and family meetings.
Where can aged care nursing take me?
Aged care nurses hold many different roles at various levels. These range from health promotion and family education in the community to aged care facilities and nursing homes. Aged care nurses work in a range of settings, including community, residential care, research, education and a variety of management positions.
Elective Rotations
There are three options for your one elective rotation within the Continuing Care Graduate Nurse Program. Graduates can choose to do their elective in either Acute Medical/Surgical Nursing at The Northern Hospital or Day Procedure/Surgery or Palliative Care Nursing at Broadmeadows Health Service.
Day Procedure/Surgery
Day Procedure/Surgery continues to be an expanding and innovative area of health. The advances in anaesthetics and other new medical/surgical technologies provide surgeons with the ability to perform complex procedure/surgery in the day procedure setting. Patients are admitted and discharged on the same day as their surgery or procedure.
At Broadmeadows Health Service, as a graduate nurse, you can gain diverse skills in admission and discharge, anaesthetics, scrub and scout, first second and third stage of recovery. Our specialities include endoscopy procedures, general surgery, gynaecology, ophthalmology, plastics, urology, vascular paediatric and orthopaedic.
Palliative Care
Palliative Care focuses on reducing the severity of symptoms related to a life-limiting disease, rather than stopping or delaying progression of the disease itself or providing a cure.
The goal is to prevent and relieve suffering through impeccable assessment and to improve the quality of life for people facing a life-limiting illness. Most of the patients admitted to the Palliative Care Unit have a primary malignant diagnosis.
All decisions made in the management of patients are done in consultation with the patients themselves and with family members. We offer a strong focus on interdisciplinary teamwork. We strive to provide a high level of social, emotional, spiritual and pastoral care to everyone admitted to the unit.
The nursing staff are highly skilled professionals who are familiar with preceptoring and educating graduate nurses and students about the philosophy of palliative care. The experience will prepare you to work in the unique and highly rewarding area of Palliative Care. | 
