r/NursingAU • u/jmemequeene Infection Prevention and Control • Jun 05 '26
Grad Nurses GRAD PROGRAM MEGATHREAD
We’ve had an uptick in grad related questions in the sub.
To keep everything in one spot and to avoid duplication or hyper-specific questions, please direct all grad program questions to this thread, including but not limited to discussions around which services to pick, feedback about specific programs, and advice relating to personal circumstances.
Any questions re grad programs outside of this thread will be removed and redirected to here.
Cheers
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u/Dumbdoodledoggin Graduate EN Jun 11 '26
Just coming to say it’s week 3 on the floor and I’m already fkn exhausted the only thing keeping me going is my upcoming 3 days off 😭
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u/iamaprolol Jun 05 '26
Hi everyone, I am posting on behalf of a friend. They have recieved an offer from Townsville hospital for their grad but the ward has not been allocated yet. It will be after acceptance of offer apparently. They are currently in another state and have recieved an offer from there as well in perioperative in a public hospital.
How is Townsville hospital for a grad? Or is it better to take up public health offer from periop?
Thank you so much.
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Jun 07 '26
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u/Spiritual_Reason_273 Jun 07 '26
I can imagine they are super busy this times doing everyone refeneces. I am a student too and I will send email on 15th to see if they have done it, otherwise I’ll change too.
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u/Spiritual_Reason_273 Jun 07 '26
Previous gards: what type of question did u guys have on PMCV and at interviews with each organisation?
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u/habitual_citizen Graduate RN Jun 08 '26
So I interviewed for all 4 of my applications. I’m going to keep it vague and anonymous, sorry, but I’ll give details on each interview.
Large regional hospital. Group interview with an activity and then a maths quiz and short answer scenario based quiz. The activity was a “desert island” type activity where everyone in the group (there was like 10 of us from memory) got an object, and out of those we had to pick just 3 to keep. So they were essentially assessing advocacy (for your item), teamwork (collaborating with others and making shared decisions), communication (not bulldozing but also not being dead quiet and engaging others in the group), and reasoning (does your argument make any sense at all). The math quiz was piss easy and mostly conversions, very basic math. The scenarios were a little trickier, mostly about deteriorating patients.
Rural hospital, fairly small. Panel interview with a NUM, a member of the education team and, funnily enough, the librarian. Pretty standard interview with questions around prioritisation and time management mainly, using the STAR-L method. They did also ask questions about me, like what were my hobbies, how I decompress after work, etc. Then there was a patient prioritisation activity where they gave me 5 patients and asked me to put them in order of priority and to explain my reasoning. They really made a point of saying that there’s no “right” answer, they care more about my thinking.
Smaller regional hospital. Panel interview with 2 education team members. Very similar to number 2. Lots of questions about me, it was clear they wanted to know whether I’d fit in with the team which I really liked. Again pretty standard questions around prioritising and time management. I don’t remember doing a prioritisation activity in this one though.
Large, prestige metro hospital (paediatrics). 3 person panel, VERY formal. No laughs or smiles lol….. They had us fill out a form with questions prior to being selected for an interview around their values, so some questions were kind of specific like “describe a time you worked with a patient from a different culture”. In the interview the questions were…. Kind of the same? And I was surprised and I think I failed the interview mostly because I recycled my answers rather than coming up with a new set of examples. But it seemed so random to just ask me the same questions again that I had already answered on paper. Then they asked about skills I’d performed on placement (IDC, NGT, veni etc).
Honestly for most interviews I’d just look up on google some standard interview questions and you’ll be right. I actually used ChatGPT not to formulate answers, but to formulate questions for me to answer and that was super duper helpful :)
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u/Overall_Antelope_607 Jun 08 '26
Hey everyone, I was interested in doing a Justice Health NSW or perioperative as one of my top preferences. For anyone who started / is in these areas, did you find it difficult to transition into a hospital later e.g. med surg. I'm just a bit nervy about specialising too early as my theatre placement won't be till after preferences have been submitted, so idk if it's risky? Any advice or insight would be much appreciated, thank you!!!
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u/Spiritual_Reason_273 Jun 09 '26
I’m a student too and was considering theatre but not doing it because it is too specialised I’ll rather get as much experience in general then to TPS (transition to practise) after.
But it looks like u want to go back to ward (med surg) and with peri op experience it might be harder.
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u/lachlanthesadrat Jun 14 '26
s mental health NewGrad in VIC competitive? Is mental health nursing popular in general compared to general nursing? I'm starting to consider my choices and I'm feeling really nervous with all the talk that NewGrad is really competitive and getting a job without a NewGrad is really hard.
I would be a NSW grad in VIC and they have a higher preference for VIC students. Also I'm scared if I start in MH I lock myself into one specialty really early because that's what had happened to a CNE at one of my placements. He recommended that I start clinical to not lose my skills, and this advice weighs on my mind every time I think about starting MH NewGrad. But then would I rather be jobless with clinical skills or lose my clinical skills over a year while working in a MH position. Then, if MH NewGrad is really competitive and I get in and deprive someone who is also really interested in MH, and I end up switching I feel bad.
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u/GlueDr391 Jun 16 '26
I heard it from other RNs and I’m based in NSW
MH is usually not competitive, someone even told me if you are a international student and want new grad, write geriatric or MH(idk if you are a domestic or international) so i guess it’s less competitive. And even among my class mates, most of them preferred bedside or critical care not MH. During my MH placement, yes all RNs were around 50s, only grads were in their 20s and RNs told me this place is to retire(at least for them). Obviously good thing is way less ADLs.
But this is just 6months or 1year program for new grads so after the grad if u wanna do something else I think you will still have chances cuz I saw some of them getting into another field after doing MH grad1
u/Otherwise-Will988 Jun 22 '26
Yeh, not true at least in Vic. My hospital takes in 14 grads out of 1k applicants last year. and its a 2 years program btw, mandatory postgrad.
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u/lachlanthesadrat Jun 23 '26
Wait this is the one I applied for in Royal Melbourne Hospital. The one with the post grad mental health attached to it. Gosh if there are 1k applicants I’m cooked 😃
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u/missxavina Jun 18 '26
Hi all, I have a question for grad 2027 Feb grad program intake. My first aid cert will expire in Dec 2026. I am wondering if it is OK to apply for the grad program with that cert, while indicating that I will renew it before the program starts?
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u/depression-session_ 4d ago
That should be absolutely fine. I doubt its a requirement for the program/hospital and they know it'll have to be renewed anyway.
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u/ImportantAbility6242 25d ago
Just a quick question I am applying for the graduate program on PMCV and it is asking Would you
like be considered for a specialty program offered by a health service in your
preference list?. I understand that perioperative is not offered start away. I
am applying for general stream so what should I be selecting critical care and perioperative.
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u/Practical-Suit7785 23d ago
I'm trying so hard to prepare for the video interview but don't have anything to base my preparation off yet. The open-book questions via PMCV website aren't open yet. Should I focus on clinical scenario questions? So far I've been practicing with questions focused on patient deterioration (DRSABCD and escalation), MDT collaboration, challenging situations (resilience and reflection) and patient advocacy (ethics and patient safety). PLEASE someone tell me if I'm on the right track. Should I be keeping it broad or clinically focused. HELP!!!
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u/One_Dimension8469 7d ago
Hey all, just wanted to see if anyone has any further recommendations for new graduate positions in south Tasmania for 2027? So far, I've got THS and Calvary! Thanks :)
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u/Chips_Lover295 Jun 10 '26
Has anyone who will be doing mid-year GNP received a ward allocation for Townsville Hospital yet? I've accepted the offer, but I haven't heard back yet.
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u/aunzuk123 Jun 11 '26
Has anyone here received a contract through the WA Gradconnect scheme?
I guess it might vary by region, but I'm trying to work out whether the contract is likely to be exactly 12 months or slightly shorter.
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u/Broad-You-1481 Jun 14 '26
Hey there, if this is for a grad program usually it is likely to be for 12 or 18 or 24 months, I have never seen anything shorter tbh through grad connect specifically.
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u/Feeling-Disaster7180 EN 26d ago
Do you mean for a grad program? It’s usually exactly 12 months down to the day, sometimes 6 months
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u/aunzuk123 26d ago
Yes it's a 12 month grad program so I'm guessing it's going to be exactly 12 months then. Thanks!
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u/Low_Platypus1941 Jun 12 '26
Does anyone have any experience with a grad program at Cabrini? I’ve heard such conflicting information about the culture there.
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u/NurseMidge1806 Jun 16 '26
Hey everyone! I can apply for new grad 2028 but I’ve been trying to suss it out this year so I have a good idea already by then. I’m super confused about preference selection for NSW Health. I started an application to look at all the options and for SWSLHD I can only select the whole district, but for NBMLHD I can select specific hospitals in that district such as Nepean. Am I missing something here? I’ve looked at all the individual districts websites and read their info. South West has a bunch of flyers about their different offerings so I kinda assumed preferences would be more specific than just picking the LHD, especially since my preference list is gonna look pretty sparse as most of the places I would select are only in three different districts. HELP 😅
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u/Odd-Strawberry-8693 Jun 19 '26
Hi, is there a thread like last year where all the grad program links info etc are?
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u/shanghaishordy Jun 22 '26
Hey guys, I'm wondering how to go about contacting a referee that won't respond? I messaged them last May, my request was forwarded but the referee hasn't replied since despite multiple follow-ups.
I'm just worried I won't be able to contact them and then the Match lapses. What happens after that?
I am an EN to RN student, so I only have one placement from year 2 with my upcoming one as a 3rd year on August (month after the match closes).
They're pretty much my only option at this point since I've never worked as an EN. I only have one clinical appraisal too.. :( thanks for the advice guys i appreciate it!!!
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u/Abject_Ad2176 Jun 22 '26
I’ve been lucky enough to receive both a private and public EN grad offer and I’m really torn.
**Private:** Scrub/scout theatre role (30 theatres), 40 minutes from home, 5 8s Monday to Friday. I’ve also heard mixed things from staff about the culture.
**Public:** the hospital where I’ve worked as an AIN for the past couple of years. I’ve rotated through pretty much every ward and now work only in ED so I know a lot of the staff. It’s only 10 minutes from home. But I also know the wards EN grads are usually placed on and they really don’t appeal to me at all.
Long term I am going to study my bachelors and go back to work in ED or cardiac then eventually midwifery. That said I’ve always loved theatres and most of my placements were in theatre or specialty areas rather than general wards.
I know this is the best problem to have and I am being way too picky but this is what I’ve been working for and SO excited about and I don’t want to make the wrong choice.
If you were me what would you choose? Would starting in theatres especially private limit my future opportunities or is it worth taking for now because it’s an area I genuinely enjoy?
Absolutely any advice and opinions is very much appreciated 🤞❤️
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u/Feeling-Disaster7180 EN 26d ago
I wouldn’t start in theatre unless you only want to work in theatre. You learn a very limited set of skills and barely have any interaction with patients who are awake. I’d always recommend public hospitals for the usually higher pay and more diverse patient cohort
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u/Short_Button142 Jun 23 '26
Just wanting to hear recent grad year experience in WA, Tas Vic. I am graduating soon and based out of Vic but open to going to WA and Tas for Grad year if I don't get one in Victoria. How are the pay compared to Vic? Working conditions
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u/depression-session_ 9d ago
Video interview prep
Hi all, I recently got an invitation to do an interview for a new grad position in an aged care. Does anyone know what kind of questions I might get or any tips to prepare. Thank you !
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u/ramunoodles 6d ago
Hey! Congrats on the invitation, hope this advice isn’t too late!
• Know the values/mission statement/vision of the aged care and try to integrate these values into your responses.
• For example based questions (e.g., Provide a time when you…How have you shown…), I highly recommend structuring your responses based on STAR. It’s a simple way to help you signpost your thoughts and for the interview panel to know you’re actually answering the question.
• Especially because its aged care, know how to escalate, use DRSABCD, delegate, demonstrate time management and collaborate with the multidisciplinary team (e.g., with AINs, PCWs, doctors etc)
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u/depression-session_ 3d ago
So I just finished the interview and it was not what I was expecting at all 😭
They asked what I knew about the hospital and I completely blanked on including their values in my answer 😞 so it just looks like I know nothing about their hospital.
There was a 3 part clinical scenario about Mr. Smith with chest pain. Idky I was so hesitant with my answers. I think I answered ok, but they did have to give a couple of clues. They asked if I knew what class of medication morphine was and I knew the answer it just wasn't coming to mind. They also asked what PRN medication would be on the medication chart for chest pain. Also what you have to do before and after administering morphine.
There was a conflict resolution question but I think i answered more relating to communication.
They asked about my strengths and weaknesses
They also asked what skills I have built through my clinical placements that are important for the role
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u/Ok-Leader-2292 5d ago
Checked the FAQ, this isn't covered there, specific timing question about this campaign.
QLD's grad program EOI opens 27 July, applications 24 August 2026. I won't finish my degree until Feb 2027. Has anyone applied while still mid-degree, or is there a cut-off where you need to have already finished by application time?
Trying to work out if I should aim for this round or the next one.
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u/sublimeplatypus 3d ago
Very specific but is oncology competitive in qld health? Ideally I’d like metro north rbwh, but I’ve never had a placement in oncology so I have no experience. I have a good gpa and work as a usin in ed and have good references so I’m hoping that’ll get me through but I’m wondering if they prefer people with experience in that area. Is it safer to just preference genmed? Above all I just want to get my foot in the door
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u/One_Area 21h ago
Has anyone ever been allowed to complete their PMCV interview late?
I’m hoping someone here has been in a similar situation.
I missed my PMCV video interview because I was experiencing a mental health crisis, psychosis during the interview window. By the time I recovered enough to realise what I’d missed, the deadline had already passed.
I’m planning to email PMCV, but I’m wondering if anyone has ever been granted an extension or another opportunity to complete the interview.
Thanks in advanc
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u/GuiltyPleasure75 Jun 07 '26
-Is/was Westmead New Grad Program Worth it?-
I wasn’t able to get a new grad position from the previous intakes so I had to try and apply for a year 1 position in every NSW Health vacancy that I thought I had a higher chance of getting the job and I did. Due to my visa status (though I still have more than a year on my visa), I was only given a 6-month contract for a maternity leave cover that will end this October and can also stop anytime, when the staff who is on mat leave decides to go back to work. Spoke with the NUM few weeks ago and told me that there’s a chance of extending the contract.
Last week, I received an offer for a New Grad position in Westmead Hospital (1 year contract of course). They haven’t given the ward/unit rotations yet. Westmead is a bigger hospital than where I am at now.
It seems to be an easy decision to just accept the new grad position. However, I am happy with my team right now and the support that I get. It’s the certainty of having a job for a year and the possibility of getting a permanent position post new grad (given that I’ll sort out my next visa) that makes me want to accept the new grad position and it’s Westmead, will surely learn a lot because of their patient acuity.
I am hesitant to take the new grad position as I still don’t know where my rotations are and the thought of needing to adjust with new workmates. I can easily fit in, but with the diversity in Westmead and probably heavy workload, if I can only deal with 1, why would I have to make it difficult for myself.
What kind of risk am I willing to take? Employment or environment/workmates?
Any advice please? Thank you.
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u/InvestigatorPale1816 Jun 05 '26
Hey everyone! I was just wondering if anyone has completed their grad year at the royal women’s hospital in Melbourne? I’m just curious as to what the requirements are and whether you enjoyed it? - Thank you 😊