Mackay Hospital and Health Service (HHS) has welcomed another strong intake of graduate registered nurses for the year as the third orientation session reaches completion this week.
Mackay HHS Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery James Williams Jenkins said 79 newly qualified nurses have been recruited to the 2025 Mackay HHS Nursing and Midwifery Graduate Program.
The three cohorts were comprised of 16 new nurses in December, 38 in January and another 25 graduates welcomed to the Mackay HHS in February.
“We are delighted to welcome our large annual cohort of graduate nurses to the health service where they will consolidate and further develop the clinical skills they learned at university,” Mr Jenkins said.
The Mackay HHS Nursing and Midwifery Graduate Program is twelve months in duration across Mackay Base Hospital and rural hospitals.
“Graduate nurses undertake placements across any of the 25 clinical areas in the Base Hospital including mental health, emergency, renal, medical, cardiac, surgical, oncology and theatres, as well as across our rural facilities,” Mr Jenkins said.
Seventeen nurse graduates are undertaking rural placement across the Mackay HHS at facilities including Proserpine, Clermont, Bowen, Sarina, Moranbah and Dysart and there are three midwifery graduates in the program in 2025.
“They will be supported with mentoring, theoretical and clinical guidance to ensure we build safe, confident and competent nurses,” Mr Jenkins said.
“Most graduates studied at CQ University and James Cook University and many are from the Mackay region.
“We are also pleased to welcome nursing graduates from other parts of Queensland and New South Wales as well as New Zealand.”
Mackay HHS continues to support graduate registered nurses after their first year of professional practise with excellent retention rates, Mr Jenkins said.
