Graduate Nurses

You are able to indicate your preferred clinical preferences in your online application and during the interview process.

We endeavour to match your preferences where possible, however, there are some areas of our health service that are very popular and demand can be high for these positions. Due to the size of our graduate program, not all preferences can be guaranteed.

If you do have particular interests, we encourage you to find out more about the area by speaking with our Learning and Development Manager.

There will be opportunities to do this prior to commencing with us.

If travel is a concern to our campus, please discuss potential options with the Learning and Development Manager.

CHRH’s Graduate Nurse Program offers you the opportunity to practice in a supportive environment that will facilitate your transition to the role of Registered Nurse and allows you to build upon your knowledge, skills and practices/behaviours in the delivery of person-centred care and personal development.

Learning and Development Manager

The Learning and Development Manager is responsible for the overall running of all the Graduate Nurse Program at Central Highlands Rural Health, including recruitment and selection for the program, allocation of rotations, confirmation of study days, ensuring completion of competencies and performance development discussions tools.

Clinical Support

Our Nurse Educators rotate across our Creswick, Daylesford, Kyneton and Trentham campuses. They’re available to support and educate all nursing staff who work within clinical areas. An important part of their role is to facilitate education programs within Nursing Education.

Orientation

Week One will be orientation to CHRH and the clinical environments, followed by clinical supernumerary shifts in week two and the beginning of your second rotation.

Clinical Objectives

Clinical objectives will be set throughout the year to ensure you meet your goals as a registered nurse or enrolled nurse.

Graduate Support

The Learning and Development team will schedule 1:1 catch-ups with you via phone and/or in person, towards the end of each week, during the first two weeks of each of your rotations with CHRH, then as required.  This is to ensure as smooth a transition as possible so that any questions you have from a personal and/or organisational perspective can be addressed. Please note – you don’t need to wait for the scheduled check-in.

We recommend that graduates attend monthly, informal and confidential support meetings. It is an opportunity for graduates to catch up, debrief and support one another.

Graduate Support meetings are facilitated by a member of the Learning and Development team who can assist in resolving any issues that arise and allow for information to be disseminated.

Annual Leave

We encourage you to negotiate periods of annual leave with the respective Nurse Unit Managers in between each rotation, or as required, as per your entitlement.

Benefits of Working with Central Highlands Rural Health

Central Highlands Rural Health team members can access a great range of workplace benefits and discounts. Details can be found on our Employee Benefits page by clicking here, and you will be provided with further information upon commencement.

Our Employees Enjoy:

• Salary Packaging
• Staff Massages
• Fitness Passport
• Free Car Parking
• Staff Wellness Programs
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Blue Light Card

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Our EAP is a confidential service free to all staff and eligible family members, paid for by Central Highlands Rural Health at no cost to you. If you require assistance dealing with personal, family or work issues, qualified counsellors can assist employees and family members to identify problems and find ways to resolve them.

Blue Light Card

In conjunction with Eziway Salary Packaging, CHRH offers a Blue Light Card for all employees and volunteers of CHRH that provides discounts across 350+ of your favourite brands, including Woolworths, Ampol (fuel), Big W, The Good Guys and more.

You will receive more information on this upon commencement with Central Highlands Rural Health.

Once you complete your Graduate Nurse Program with us you are encouraged to discuss further opportunities with your manager. 

Applying for the 2027 Graduate Nurse Program:

Your application to Central Highlands Rural Health must include:

• One-page cover letter outlining your reasons for applying to Central Highlands Rural Health & what you bring to the Graduate Nurse role
• Concise resume (of no more than 3 pages) with relevant employment experience & dates & locations of undergraduate clinical placements (include future placements)
• Current contact details & email addresses of 2 professional referees. 1 must be a supervisor from a clinical placement within the last 6 months
• 2 most recent clinical appraisals. Include a cover page with placement location & dates. Maximum 10 pages per appraisal
• Most recent official transcript of results with codes
• A list of clinical experience rotation preferences, from 1 (most preferred) to 5 (least preferred), based on our campuses & services offered at each. You will experience an Acute & an Aged Care rotation.

Shortlisted applicants will undergo a face-to-face interview with the Learning and Development team.

Please apply on the Central Highlands Rural Health website;
Central Highlands Rural Health (Springboard)

For further information, email;
graduate-nursing@chrh.org.au 

CHRH reserves the right to accept applications beyond this date for any unmatched positions.