This partnership is a first in Australia, providing graduates within Bupa Villages and Aged Care and Ramsay Health Care with valuable experience across both aged care and acute nursing.
The new program, to launch in 2025, will see graduate nurses from both organisations given the opportunity to swap places for a three-month exchange, gaining valuable skills and experience to improve patient care at hospitals and residential aged care homes around the country.
Ramsay Health Care's Chief Nurse and Clinical Services Director, Associate Professor Bernadette Eather, said the program was a great professional development opportunity for graduates from both organisations, and would also benefit patients across Ramsay hospitals and residents in Bupa homes.
"Graduates taking part in this program will learn important skills to take back to their workplace and to carry with them through their nursing career," A/Professor Eather said.
"The program will offer our graduates comprehensive clinical experience and the development of key skills for managing aged care patients who can experience a variety of short and long-term health issues, as well as complex issues like dementia. These are important skills for nurses in hospitals and residential aged care homes, given our nation's ageing population.
"Ramsay's Graduate Pathways Program has been designed to ensure new graduates not only transition to the workforce from study, but to ensure they are set up for success, get a head start on their development and excel in their careers. This partnership with Bupa is another wonderful opportunity for our graduates to gain valuable training and experience in the management of elderly patients.
"In return, we can offer Bupa graduates acute nursing experience across our medical and surgical wards. The skills they will learn aim to assist in the early recognition and management of conditions that could be treated in the home without the requirement to transfer the resident to an emergency department for assessment."
Managing Director Bupa Villages & Aged Care Australia Andrew Kinkade said with Australia's ageing population, this program will help equip the next generation of nurses to support the needs of older Australians in a range of settings.
"Residents come into aged care with more complex needs than they did a few years ago and we continue to tailor our graduate programs accordingly.
"This partnership is the first time an aged care organisation has offered nurses the opportunity to work in a hospital setting as part of their graduate experience. At the same time, Ramsay graduates will gain experience working with multi-disciplinary teams and in building relationships with residents that go beyond acute care," Mr Kinkade said.
This partnership is another example of how Ramsay and Bupa are working together to deliver better health outcomes and value for patients and residents while also building the skills and capabilities of the next generation of nurses.
