Five new nursing and one midwifery graduates have joined the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service from 3 March.
Torres and Cape HHS Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery Services Jacob Walsh said the five new nurse graduates would be posted initially to the general wards at Thursday Island Hospital, Weipa Integrated Health Service, and the Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service.
The new midwifery graduate will be posted initially to the Thursday Island Hospital midwifery unit.
“The registered nurse graduates will have a range of clinical experiences, including acute medical, surgical, emergency care, community, and primary health care,’’ Mr Walsh said.
He said the new registered nurse graduates were from a variety of universities and backgrounds.
“We are happy to welcome them as they begin their careers with the Torres and Cape HHS," he said.
“They are an important part of our team, and we value the contribution they will make."
New nurses can take some very different paths to their new career.
For instance, Gabrielle Sabatino, of Thursday Island, has swapped a previous career in office administration to become a registered nurse after completing her degree with Central Queensland University.
Originally from Tasmania, Mrs Sabatino met her husband, who is from Hammond Island, in Brisbane and the couple moved to the Torres Strait in 2018 after having children.
They have lived on Hammond, Horn, and Thursday islands.
She has worked for the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service in various administrative positions since 2019, both part-time and full-time.
"Initially, I wanted a change from administration and I really wanted to move into something clinical," Mrs
Sabatino said.
"After looking into a few different healthcare fields, nursing stood out as a highly rewarding career with diverse clinical and non-clinical opportunities.
"I was and still am really interested in chronic disease management, First Nations health and rural and remote health practice and research."
Mrs Sabatino completed her degree externally over four years, two full-time and two part-time, while also continuing to work part-time throughout the period with the health service.
"I only worked part-time so that I had two days midweek and weekends to study," she said.
"It was pretty hard juggling that with young children but I had lots of support from my husband and extended family.
"In my final year I dropped to part-time university and split it over two years.
"I did almost all of my placements in Townsville which was very hard financially (accommodation, flights, etc.) and needed to spread that out over longer period of time.
"I was very lucky to get support from the State Government Study and Research Assistance Scheme during my degree, I don't know how I would have afforded to attend placements without this.
"But now I’m looking forward to beginning my career as a nurse and getting the foundation skills under my belt during the graduate year program.
"I chose the Torres and Cape HHS in which to work as it met all my interests in chronic disease management, First Nations health and rural and remote health.
"It’s also the place that myself and family call home and its very rewarding to look after and assist people in your own community."
Mr Walsh said the new nurses would undertake a 12-month graduate program that involved theoretical and practical assessments.
"Our new graduates have chosen a rewarding and fulfilling vocation that provides many pathways for career development and is a fabulous way of serving the community in which we live," he said.
"We hope their first year of practice in our diverse health service provides a range of professional experiences and a strong foundation for their future careers as Registered Nurses working within Torres and Cape communities.
"We employ more than 400 full, part-time, and casual nurses and midwives throughout the region.
"I would like to thank our compassionate, caring, committed and resilient midwives and nurses for their service, and for dedicating what is often their life’s work to the health and wellbeing of others.
"When caring for patients, the voice of the nurse is critical.
"Without their contribution, their passion and their dedication, we could not offer such a comprehensive suite of health services to our local communities."