New project supports student nurses

A new joint project between USQ and Toowoomba Hospital to increase the quality and quantity of nursing student clinical placements has the potential to address an expected nursing shortage in the region in the next five years.

More than 50 representatives from the Hospital and University attended the launch of the Toowoomba Hospital and USQ Clinical Learning Investment Project (TULIP), which was held at the Hospital on 28 March.

Toowoomba Hospital Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Jamie Spencer, said the Hospital and University had strong links, and the launch of TULIP was another landmark initiative which would support quality education for health professionals.

'Queensland Health believes in the next five years there will be nursing shortage as older nurses retire,' Mr Spencer said. 'This means we need to support student nurses in their learning, education and eventual career paths.

'As part of USQ’s nursing degree students must undertake at least 800 hours of clinical placement so if we are to increase the number of students we need to increase the amount of clinical placements we can provide.

'Toowoomba Hospital has always had a strong sense of being a learning organisation and TULIP will further enhance this role with more nursing mentors, greater support during clinical placements and investment in our graduate nurse program.'

USQ Head of the Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Cath Rogers Clark, said she was delighted to be part of TULIP and looked forward to seeing the fruits of the partnership in the near future.

'We already have excellent feedback about Toowoomba Hospital clinical placements and we’re pleased that the TULIP project will increase the number of students able to take up such a great opportunity,' Professor Rogers-Clark said.

'Clinical placements are an invaluable learning tool within the three-year nursing degree. Students interact with patients and staff and see the health system at work. Ultimately the better the clinical learning experience, the better health professional we have in the end.'