Graduate Nurse Program (GNP) 2026 - Combined Stream
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- Graduate Nurses, registered with PMCV’s Allocation and Placement Service (APS)
- Permanent employment
- Various hours offered to support a healthy work life balance
Austin Health is the major provider of tertiary health services, health professional education and research across three campuses in the north-east of Melbourne and statewide. We have a highly engaged, diverse and collaborative workforce that is unified by our goal to help people live healthy and fulfilled lives.
About the Graduate Nurse Program
An exciting opportunity currently exists for enthusiastic graduate nurses to join Austin Health in our Combined Mental Health and General Graduate Nurse Program in 2026. We offer a well-supported GNP including a structured orientation program, ongoing paid study days, educational opportunities and supernumerary days for each of the two six-month rotations. Our dedicated Early Career Nurse Coordinators, Early Career Nurse Educators as well as our Clinical Education Unit and Mental Health Nursing Education and Training Team are available to assist and support graduate nurses in this transition year for the duration. Graduates are also supported by Nurse Unit Managers and preceptors in all areas.
Graduate Nurse Program aim: Empowering early-career nurses to develop their skills, achieve their goals, and build long-lasting careers at Austin Health while delivering safe, patient-centered care.
About the role
The Graduate Nurse Program is a 54-week program, and upon successful completion of the program, ongoing employment will be offered at varying hours.
A regular day will see you:
- Support a philosophy of care, which is patient focused, from admission to discharge, and where the family is welcome in the carers team.
- Ensure the well-being and safety of patients by following the values and principles, which underpin best practice in relation to patient care, education, and patient rights.
- Achieve and maintain the skills necessary, through personal professional development, to plan, prioritise and implement holistic patient care.
About you
You will be someone who enjoys working as a part of a supportive team committed to excellence in patient care. You’ll have an interest in self-development and education, and actively seek out opportunities to grow your skillset.
You’ll further bring with you:
- Registered Nurse registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
- A patient focused approach to care
- A positive approach to ongoing self-education and skill development
- A flexible, innovative team-oriented approach to service delivery
- A positive approach to change and diversity
- Commitment to quality, best practice and environmental safety
- A commitment to successfully completing the 12-month Graduate Nurse Program, including all educational, professional, and clinical hurdles
Please note: you will be required to attach copies of the following documents to your online application:
- Austin Health Personal Details Form
- Resume - (maximum 2 pages) including list of all clinical placements, and two clinical referees
- Clinical Appraisal 1 – most recent acute placement
- Clinical Appraisal 2 – mental health placement (if unavailable most recent acute/subacute or specialty placement)
- Academic Transcript - (most up to date, official, certified & include marking key)
Our benefits
Working at Austin Health means enjoying a strong sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work every day. Our people also receive a variety of rewarding benefits, including:
- Greater take-home pay through generous salary packaging, for living expenses, meals, and holiday accommodation.
- A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted fitness memberships and special offers on health insurance, and a comprehensive wellbeing program.
- Onsite childcare at Austin Hospital, easy access via public transport and car parking options.
- Mentoring and career development opportunities.
Work with us!
We are committed to cultural safety and health equity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People. We celebrate, value, and include people of all backgrounds, genders, identities, cultures, bodies, and abilities. We welcome and support applications from talented people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, people with disability, neurodiverse people, LGBTQIA+ and people of all ages and cultures.
If you feel this role is right for you, we encourage your early application. Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. What matters most is your passion, your drive and your willingness to learn and contribute. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the closing date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad prior to the advertised closing date.
All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory National Police Check and if required, a Working With Children Check. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, you are welcome to reach out to the Graduate Nurse Program Coordinator at graduatenurseprogram@austin.org.au
Interested in finding out more about this opportunity? Read the below position descriptions for further details:
