Specialist Graduate Program to Tackle Aged Care Workforce Challenges

Amana Living will help build the aged care workforce of the future through a new graduate program. Aimed at new nurses and allied health professionals, the ‘Amana Living Healthcare Professional Graduate Program’ was launched at an event in Perth this month.

Ten recent graduates will start their graduate placement with Amana Living in early March and will spend a year working across Amana Living’s residential care, home care and corporate office teams. The goal is to develop first class clinicians and leaders who specialise in providing care and support to older people in a range of environments.

Stephanie Buckland, CEO of Amana Living, said: “We designed this program to improve the skills and career advancement opportunities for nurses and allied health staff in aged care. Through this program we hope to enhance sector development and opportunities to progress, helping to improve recruitment and retention, while creating an agile workforce that is fit for the future.”

The program was developed by Amana Living’s Registered Training Organisation, Amana Living Training Institute, and includes short courses designed and delivered by Edith Cowan University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery. It is the first one of its kind in WA.

Professor Di Twigg, Executive Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University said: “The short courses will provide graduates with knowledge for the care of older persons in residential and community care.”

Graduates will be mentored by staff from Amana Living throughout the program, helping them to develop the clinical and management skills needed to advance their career. Program outcomes will be focused on:

• Clinical Leadership
• Critical thinking and decision making
• Supporting diversity and wellbeing in the older adult
• Contemporary clinical care needs of the ageing 
• Technology in clinical care
• Evidence based practice and consumer centred clinical care
• Clinical Governance, Aged Care standards and Accreditation

The annual program is open to Amana Living graduates who have completed either a Diploma of Nursing (Enrolled Nurse) or Bachelor of Nursing /Allied Health specialty and registered in the last three years.

On completion of the graduate program, staff can apply for the following positions: Service Manager, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Care Coordinator, Case Manager, Therapy Manager and Therapy Specialist.

Find out more about Amana Living.