Our Graduate Mental Health Nurse Program can give you the best start to your nursing career. We are flexible, supportive and will provide you with a wealth of skills, knowledge and experience.
Applications for our 2024 Graduate Mental Health Nurse Program have closed. Check back for updates on future programs.
Mitch Graham on choosing mental health nursing
Graduate nurses are an integral part of our commitment to taking the mental health nursing profession into the future. This includes ensuring that graduate nurses are well supported by senior nursing leaders and a professional development structure that provides the opportunity to experience a range of mental health specialties.
Graduates are recognised as a major source of our new staff recruitment each year. We welcome graduates into our team and assist graduates to become confident and skilled mental health nurses who are truly 'Always there when it matters most' for consumers, families and significant others.
Our program benefits
Our Graduate Mental Health Nurse Program (GMHNP) is designed to make the transition to mental health nursing practice as safe and supportive as possible. It will also enable you to consolidate and expand on your current knowledge and skills, allowing you to gain confidence in a variety of mental health clinical areas.
We offer graduate mental health nurses several benefits, including:
- Support from designated GMHNP Coordinators
- 16 professional study days
- Supernumerary shifts
- Intensive clinical area support to ensure the wellbeing and success of graduate nurses
Find out more about our staff benefits
Program summary
- One intake per year
- Two 6-month clinical rotations
- Approximately 36 positions
- Intensive Orientation program, including:
- Introductions to Recovery Orientated Practice
- Management of Clinical Aggression
- Orientation to Safe Medication Administration
- Working within a Multidisciplinary Team
- Supernumerary days
- Preceptorship
- Extensive support network
- 6 weeks annual leave plus a paid accrued day off (ADO) each month for full-time participants
- Salary packaging
- Graduate Mental Health Nurse Program Coordinators designated to the wellbeing and success of graduates
- Certificate on successful completion of the program
Clinical rotation specialty areas
- Adult Acute Inpatient Units
- Older Adult Mental Health Inpatient Units
- Neuropsychiatry
- Eating Disorders Program
- Adult Community Teams
- Community Care Unit
- Youth mental health
Length of program
Full-time positions are offered as a 40-hour week with an ADO each month and 6 weeks of annual leave.
Your salary is as per the Victorian Public Mental Health Services Enterprise Agreement 2020-24.
Paid professional study leave
We value lifelong learning for all employees. The GMHNP begins with a structured 10-day orientation program. The orientation program is designed to be both fun and informative, giving you the opportunity to get to know other graduates as well as members of the Mental Health Nursing Workforce Skills Development Unit (MHNWSDU).
The orientation comprises different activities, workshops and lectures to help you feel more relaxed and confident about beginning your role as a registered nurse in mental health.
After 10-day program, you will start your first clinical rotation side by side with your allocated preceptor for your supernumerary days.
Throughout the year there are a further 9 paid professional study days. These days will provide you with up-to-date knowledge to help you with your clinical and professional development.
Expert clinical support
Our senior nursing leadership team is critical in the development of a highly skilled workforce.
Clinical nurse educators (CNEs) and nurse team leaders are located within each of the clinical areas. They provide clinical leadership, educational and professional development activities to support you throughout your clinical rotation.
You will receive additional one-to-one support with an experienced mental health nurse preceptor. Your preceptor has undertaken further training and accepted responsibility to make sure you are well supported throughout your clinical rotation.
The preceptor will work alongside you in the initial period of your clinical rotation and this individualised support will help make sure your placement is a positive clinical experience.
Beyond your graduate year
We pride ourselves on assisting in the development of future nursing leaders. Our graduates are highly sought after within the healthcare industry, with greater than 90% of our graduates electing to seek employment back in our services.
Ongoing employment is offered after you've successfully completed your GMHNP with the opportunity to undertake further clinical rotations in specialty areas.
We also conduct a university-affiliated Postgraduate Mental Health Nurse Program.
Ready to apply?
Applications for the GMHNP are now closed.
For more information, email the GMHNP coordinators at nwmhgpnp@mh.org.au
