The dynamic role of the graduate nurse in aged care: An Australian experience of delivering an aged care graduate nurse program

In 2012 an innovative graduate nurse program was implemented within the Australian aged care context. This program ran for two consecutive years in 2012 and 2013. This descriptive paper outlines a case study of the development and implementation of a Graduate Nurse Program focusing on advancing the specialty-nursing workforce in aged care. The disciplines of Gerontology and Geriatrics are relatively new but remain underrepresented in nursing curriculum and are frequently not valued in practice. The aim of the program itself was to allow graduate nurses to gain the knowledge and skills for competence to practice within the aged care environment. The complexities of this practice extended beyond the usual bedside nursing of most graduate programs within acute healthcare settings. Aged care graduates were required to also develop management and team leadership skills. This program, though developed for the Australian context, has relevance internationally with the growth of the ageing population and the concomitant increasing healthcare needs. The program and curriculum was developed closely with a steering committee composed of industry representatives and the academic education provider and used innovative pedagogies. The development of key areas of the curriculum and the underlying philosophy of the program are described. The practice changes to the aged care workplaces with the introduction of infrastructures to support the graduates are also discussed. With the international growth in the aged care population, education programs like this Graduate Program will be pivotal in the development of an appropriately trained and sustainable nursing workforce within aged care.