We offer a 12 month graduate program for newly qualified nurses and midwives. Our program will further develop the skills you learned during training in a supportive clinical setting.
We'll give you:
- orientation to help you settle in
- hands-on simulation training
- education sessions to learn more skills
- ongoing mentoring and clinical support
We encourage our graduates to apply for permanent roles and continue working for us.
Graduate placements for registered nurses
Graduate nurses work 64 to 76 hours per fortnight, usually across 8 to 9 days.
We offer placements at:
- Mackay Base Hospital
- Bowen Hospital
- Clermont Multipurpose Health Service
- Collinsville Multipurpose Health Service
- Dysart Hospital
- Moranbah Hospital
- Proserpine Hospital
- Sarina Hospital
Clinical areas
You'll usually do your placement in one clinical area in Mackay Base Hospital.
We offer placements in the following clinical areas.
- Acute assessment stroke medical unit
- Child and adolescent unit
- Coronary care unit
- Coronary catheter laboratory
- Extended day surgery unit
- Emergency department
- General surgical unit
- Intensive care unit
- Medical unit
- Mental health inpatient unit
- Oncology
- Orthopedic and rehabilitation unit
- Surgical theatre (perioperative)
- Renal unit
- Specialist outpatients department
Graduate placements for registered midwives
Graduate midwives work 64 hours per fortnight, usually across 8 days.
You'll rotate through the following areas at Mackay Base Hospital:
- antenatal clinic
- birth suite
- postnatal ward
- special care nursery
- midwifery group practice.
How to apply
Applications open in July and close in August each year. We hold interviews in late August and September. If you're successful, you'll start your placement between December and March.
Check the Queensland Health Careers website for application dates and make sure you apply before the closing date.
You'll need to include your:
- resume with all of your clinical placements and a cover letter
- graduate summary and academic transcript.
Who can apply
To apply you must have one of the following degrees.
- Undergraduate nursing degree
- Midwifery degree
- Graduate-entry Master of Nursing
- Master of Midwifery
We don't currently offer a graduate program for enrolled nurses.
You must also:
- have completed your degree in the past 2 years or due to complete it by December
- be registered or able to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)
- have the right to live and work in Australia.
You must not have worked as a full-time nurse or midwife for more than 6 months.
We encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to apply.
Read more about the nursing and midwifery graduate recruitment process and eligibility on the Queensland Health website.
Each year Mackay Hospital and Health Service offers a comprehensive Nursing and Midwifery Graduate Program.
The program is designed to facilitate your transition as a newly qualified nurse or midwife through your first year of professional practice.
Your orientation week includes a welcome, tour of the hospital and hands-on training in our simulation centre.
Under the nurse graduate program you will further develop your clinical skills to help deliver high quality care.
You may choose to complete your graduate year at Mackay Base Hospital and across our rural facilities.
For more information on eligibility and how to apply, go to www.careers.health.qld.gov.au/nursing-and-midwifery-careers/nursing-and-midwifery-graduate-program
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Contact us
Contact us if you've got any questions about our graduate programs.
- Email: mhhs_postgraduate@health.qld.gov.au
- Phone: 07 4885 7714 or 07 4885 7061.