Region's newest graduate nurses excited to start their careers this week despite pandemic challenges

The graduates were welcomed at the Wagga Base Hospital on Monday morning where they will undergo orientation and training before starting work at 17 locations across the district.

Executive director of Nursing and Midwifery Julianne Clift said the MLHD will be focused on supporting and preparing the new nurses for the challenges of their new career, including caring for people potentially infected with COVID-19.

"The important thing is that we skill them up as much as we can in the next couple of weeks so that they are prepared," she said.

Ms Clift said they would also be linked with nurse educators and other staff at each of the locations to support their transition into the workforce.

After studying in Adelaide, Wagga local Imogen Smith said it was an exciting time to start a nursing career in her home town considering the staffing challenges posed by COVID-19.

"I think already we feel quite valued," she said.

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Shannon Daniells, from Queensland, said she was attracted to the support and opportunities provided by the graduate program in NSW. "Down here, they make you feel valued, they provide an education and you're not thrown in the deep end," she said. "We're all learning how to navigate through COVID safely so it should be an exciting year."

Nurse manager Annie Skipworth said the newly graduated nurses would already have experienced COVID-19 measures over their previous two years of clinical placements. "They've just had as much exposure as those who are already in the industry," she said.

Elisha Evans has been placed in Griffith after studying in Wollongong and said she was attracted to the opportunity for hands-on learning in a regional hospital. "I thought, why not just go big and move six hours away to start my career?" she said.

The MLHD will be further boosted by an additional 44 graduate nurses joining the service in August.

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