Hutt Valley DHB recently received a significant boost to their nursing workforce with thirty-six newly qualified nursing graduates jumping on board.
The graduates, who have been utilising their skills for the past month, were part of Hutt Valley DHB’s Nurse Entry to Practice (NETP) programme intake. They have been working across the region’s health settings including Hutt Hospital, Primary Health Care, and Aged Residential Care.
Hutt Valley and Capital and Coast DHB Chief Nursing Officer Chris Kerr said she was excited to see the new crop of Registered Nurses in the region.
“It is fantastic that we have so many new graduates starting with us at Hutt Valley DHB. These nurses have trained through challenging times, particularly as health services have responded to COVID-19, but here they are now working with us as Registered Nurses. With the workforce gaps, these graduates will definitely help fill those, and we welcome them all into our Hutt whānau of nurses.”
Registered Nurse Angelo Torino (Plastics) said getting into healthcare was something he always thought he would do after taking care of his grandmother for many years.
“I always knew I would get into health care, I just did not know what at first. But having always been the designated person to take care of my nana because she lived with us, and always having been generally quite caring, I knew this was the right path. I am also really stoked to be here in the Hutt as a nurse because it is a bit more family-orientated.”
Fellow newly registered nurse Jessie Renata (Theatre) said having to avoid long waits in hospital for her children in the midst of a natural disaster is what initially drove her to be a nurse.
“There were natural disasters a couple of years ago and if our house fell down it would not only be my children who would need care, it would be the whole community. So instead of them having to wait in line at ED, I wanted to ensure they got care straight away along with anyone else who needed it.”
However Jessie, who springs from Waikato’s Ngāi Tūhoe iwi, said her main motivation now was to help Māori in the health sector.
“My core focus is to help Māori. It did not matter whether I was in theatre or on the wards or wherever, I just want to be part of helping Māori in health and being a familiar face to them when they come for that support.”
Sala Eastwood (ED), who is of Fijian descent, said her new role as a registered nurse was the laying of a foundation of what she hopes will one day lead her into health policy.
“I see nursing as a massive pathway to helping many people in different ways. In the long run, I would like to do policy because I see myself, as a nurse, as an agent of change, and I believe in order for you to make change you need to be at the top. So getting into health policy and seeing what needs to be done and making those changes is what I eventually want to do.”
The next HVDHB NETP intake will be in August where we look forward to supporting another cohort of keen and enthusiastic new graduate registered nurses on their transition journey.
