Five fresh faces began their healthcare careers at GV Health as part of the third 2022 GAP Year Traineeship Program.
The program gives school leavers an opportunity to explore healthcare roles and gives them experience to bolster their future endeavours.
The program recently expanded to five trainees, with two positions in Allied Health Assistance and three positions in Health Assistance in Nursing.
Beginning their traineeships in early 2022, the five participants got straight to work, making their way around the wards.
For Maddie Fleming, a Health Assistant in Nursing position is the perfect preparation before she begins her studies at Deakin University next year.
“I’ve really enjoyed all of it, just being able to interact with patients is amazing,” she said.
“The clinical practice that I’ve had has been immense, the staff are more than willing to get you in to observe and replicate practices that many people wouldn’t see until their final year in tertiary study.”
Allied Health Assistant Kyesha Boland said the traineeship was the perfect opportunity to see if a career in healthcare was something that interested her.
“I had a younger cousin with a disability and he played a very big role in all of our lives, so when he passed away in 2019 I realised that I wanted to help others,” she said.
“Last year I went back to school and I had the opportunity to take this role – a lot of people told me it would be a great thing to do.
“I was more so leaning towards youth programs, but this program is really enjoyable – it’s a lot more hands-on than I thought.
“Everybody has been really supportive, I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this and it’s been really good so far.”
The GAP Year Traineeship Program directly aligns with GV Health‘s workforce plan, particularly around the growth of GV Health‘s workforce and working to recruit locally.
As part of their traineeship, the new staff have the opportunity to rotate through different areas of the health service to discover what aspects of healthcare interest them.
“Our five GAP Year trainees have a great chance to discover what they love doing in healthcare, all while staying locally,” GV Health’s People, Development and Capability Alison Nolan said.
“It’s also an opportunity to gain practical skills they can then take into their learning next year as they embark upon further study.
“We are ecstatic the program has been such a success throughout the past few years, and it is a credit to those who established the program, but also our wonderful trainees who are eager to learn.”
The program is running again in 2023, with four positions GAP year positions on offer for Health Assistant in Nursing and Allied Health Assistant positions.
