A passion for learning leads to further support for nurse graduates

St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital Learning and Development Coordinator Diane Piper lives and breathes her passion for enhancing knowledge and skills.

29 Jul 2022

Diane Piper, Development Coordinator at St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital

Having worked in aged care for many years, Diane has a first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by graduate nurses commencing their career in aged care settings.

This experience motivated her to complete a Masters of Health Professions Education at the University of Western Australia – which has culminated in the development of a thesis titled ‘Preparing Graduate Registered Nurses for Independence in Aged Care’.

“Every year in Australia, an unprecedented number of graduate registered nurses start their careers in aged care,” Diane said.

“However, it can be a challenging environment as aged care registered nurses work independently, often with very little support and at an advanced clinical level.”

“As research into this area is limited, I aimed to identify the support needs of graduate registered nurses on commencement of practice in aged care settings.”

“Ultimately, this study identified and ranked thirty-six essential clinical skills for graduate registered nurses working in aged care settings.”

“Recent registered nurse graduates confirmed the results and felt awareness of essential clinical skills would help to focus learning and development.”

“I am pleased to share that this knowledge is already helping to inform graduate support and programs offered in aged care settings, with several organisations engaging with me already,” she said.

St John of God Mt Lawley CEO Vanessa Unwin said Diane’s dedication to her research is a credit to her and an asset to the hospital community.

“At St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital we strongly believe in life-long learning and encourage all caregivers to consider opportunities for career development and growth,” Vanessa said.

“Diane’s research has real-world outcomes – not only for aged care but for all health care settings.”

“We are privileged to have Diane as our Learning and Development Coordinator, as I know this research will ultimately translate to an even better experience for our graduate nurses.”

Diane will present her research results at the Australian College of Nursing National Forum in Darwin in August 2022.

We congratulate Diane on her dedication to her study and her work at our hospital.