At the start of the pandemic, we said the community would be looking to nurses for care, reassurance and guidance.
You have done that and more.
You have inspired the class of 2020 to become nurses.
The bachelor of nursing course is the top choice, in the first round of applications, at six of our nine universities – Deakin, La Trobe, Swinburne, Victoria, Federation and the Australian Catholic universities.
Victorians watched you at the frontline of COVID-19. The pandemic spotlight reminded them how important nurses are particularly when life is uncertain and unpredictable.
They have seen your initiative, creativity and the extra step you have always taken to care for people at their most vulnerable. Not that they didn’t before, but your work has been amplified by the constant media coverage.
The double nursing/midwifery degree and the bachelor of midwifery also continue to be popular amongst school leavers. The extraordinary work of midwives supporting COVID-positive women will also inspire the next generation to work to work in this area. This workforce needs increased capacity now, which is why we are focused on the postgraduate midwifery employment model.
Nursing and midwifery are the best jobs in the world. The variety of clinical career paths is endless and exciting.
Completing both year 11 and year 12 VCE during the pandemic has required grit, determination, discipline and creative thinking.
This year’s VCE students will start their graduate year in 2025/6.
And thanks to the pandemic accelerant on the undergraduate student employment model, we will see many of them in the wards from 2023.
We can’t wait to welcome you.
