Learning in Stawell proves to be an impressive introduction

Student nurses on placement at Grampians Health Stawell are always impressed with the level of education they receive and the opportunities available to them.

Five clinical nurse educators at the campus provide tutorials and on the job training to various levels of nurse training including undergraduate and graduate year nursing. Shevahn Healy looks after the former where she takes student nurses through a variety of skillsets while they experience placement work. 

Students can be placed in Urgent Care, Acute Care, Operating Theatre, District Nursing or Aged Care. The training is part of Grampians Health’s strategic plan where it is committed to grow its workforce and enhance skills and knowledge to support a high performing culture.   

Ms Healy said the student training was very important to the Stawell campus because it provided an opportunity to attract nurses of the future to the town.  

“While they are here, they can get to know what a great place they would be living in as well as the wonderful facilities and team members at our campus with whom they would get to work,” Ms Healy said. 

“That is a proven formula with the four registered nurses from last year’s training all committing to the Stawell campus. We’ve had students who have completed training here that are now applying for permanent graduate year training with us.”  

Ms Healy said the variety of areas to work in is a big attraction to the students. 

“They get experience in the operating theatre, day procedure and urgent care and they also get to apply specialty skills and assessments,” she said. “Those could include pain assessments, such as people presenting with chest pain, or going through the correct pathway for patients with sepsis.”  

A student working in aged care at Stawell recently said ‘it was a great place to work and do a placement. Both the staff and residents are very friendly’. Another student commented that everyone was so welcoming and always willing to teach you. 

Ms Healy said the Stawell campus education team always conducted little teaching sessions for the students to help them increase their knowledge.  

The Stawell campus is also currently supporting two Deakin medical students for the year, with on the job training during their third year of studies.