More than 166 graduate nurses and midwives will start work in Central Coast hospitals this year, providing a significant boost to local health services.
They will be among more than 3,400 graduates statewide.
The graduates will gain invaluable experience across a broad range of clinical settings, as well as in community healthcare.
The announcement comes as the NSW Government is undertaking an ambitious plan to strengthen the state’s health workforce.
Actions include implementing safe staffing levels of nurses and midwives beginning in emergency departments, making permanent 1,112 nursing roles temporarily funded by the former government, as well as abolishing the wages cap, delivering record pay increases for nurses, paramedics and other health workers and salary packaging.
The State Government also plans to start rolling out 500 additional paramedics in regional, rural and remote communities, increasing the rural health workforce incentive scheme package from $10,000 to up to $20,000 for recruitment to hardest to fill roles, and introducing tertiary health study subsidies.
Minister for the Central Coast and Member for Wyong David Harris said it was great to see so many young graduates wanting to serve the health needs of the Coast.
“There is a desperate need to increase the workforce in health across the Coast to fill staff shortages – this is the NSW Labor Government getting on with the job,” he said.
“More than 166 graduate nurses and midwives will start work in Central Coast hospitals this year, providing a significant boost to local health services.”
Minister for Health Ryan Park said NSW hasdone of the best health systems in the world.
“Throughout their career I am determined to give these new nurses and midwives the support they need to make it even better,” he said.