Graduate Mental Health & Mixed Mental Health/General Nursing Program

The Mental Health program offers new graduates the opportunity to develop their clinical and interpersonal skills, to promote the wellbeing of individuals in the exciting field of mental health nursing.

General Information

Mental Health graduate nurses will have the opportunity to experience various areas within mental health, including inpatient and community settings. There are two streams available for Mental Health graduates:

1. Mental Health pure stream – all rotations are completed in Mental Health
2. Mental Health/General Nursing mixed stream – six-months in inpatient Mental Health and six-months in acute, subacute, or an emergency ward.

Those applying for the mixed mental health/general program, in addition to a mental health area, will get the opportunity for a rotation in a general nursing area. After the satisfactory completion of the graduate year there will be the opportunity to continue onto the Mental Health Postgraduate Program.  

The program includes:

• Two six-month rotations providing graduates the opportunity to request areas of preference
• Support to develop clinical mental health nursing skills
• Clinical supervision sessions
• Choice of working hours including full time (including ADO) or part time employment of 8 or 9 days per fortnight.
• Orientation program
• Supernumerary time on commencement of all rotations
• Annual leave
• Eight graduate study days
• Professional development leave for ongoing education
• Online learning modules
• Seven day rotating roster
• LEAP day – get paid to be supernumerary in an area of choice and to try it out.

Support

We support our graduates’ development through a team of excellent educators and support services

• Graduate coordinators and clinical nurse educators
• Graduate support nurse
• Preceptor allocated for all rotations
• Senior support from NUM/ANUM’s
• Regular debrief sessions face to face and online
• Employee Assistance Program

Ongoing Education

All Mental Health graduates are required to be committed to enrolment in a Post Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing. The graduate program includes clinical placement time, a clinical portfolio and clinical assessments that will enable application for Advanced Standing towards the Post Graduate Diploma with Universities linked to Peninsula Health such as Monash university, RMIT, La Trobe University, Federation University and University of Melbourne.

Areas of Rotation:

• Acute Older Patients Inpatient Unit
• Acute Adult Inpatient Unit
• Psychiatric Assessment and Planning Unit
• Community Care Unit
• Intensive Recovery Team
• Adult Prevention and Recovery Centre
• Youth Prevention and Recovery Centre
• Mental Health Consultation Liaison
• Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team
• Frankston Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals

Further information

For more information on this program, download our information booklet.